royal mail truckRoyal Mail has announced that its fleet of over 47,000 trucks and vans will be joined by 6,800 extra vehicles to support its Christmas operation.

Some of the fleet are sporting a special “festive brand” to mark the occasion.

Commenting on the Christmas branding, Sue Whalley, Chief Operating Officer, Royal Mail said: “We have been planning our festive operation since the beginning of the year. What better way to remind all our customers of the protection, reliability and high quality delivery services we provide to them no matter where they live, than by branding some of our iconic fleet to celebrate this.”

Over the course of December, Royal Mail estimates that its trucks and vans will be covering around 16 million miles, delivering to 27 million homes and 2 million businesses across the UK. Royal Mail will also run an additional 113 flights and 20 extra rail movements through December to accommodate the seasonal volumes.

Around 19,000 temporary workers have been employed and 10 parcel centres have been opened to deal with the increase in parcels at the busiest time of the year. Last year, Royal Mail processed and delivered over 120 million parcels in December.