They have long been stereotyped as wolf-whistling, footie-loving blokes who race through our streets in diesel-guzzling white vans.
The cliched view is that handymen are junk food-scoffing, cuppa-loving guys who pin up saucy pictures inside their vehicles.
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But a new survey says the modern white van man has gone woke.
Many of the drivers are actually environmentally conscious, have a skincare regime, drink herbal tea and do yoga.
They tune into Radio 2, recycle, listen to audiobooks and drive electric vans, with many preferring cricket to football.
The new breed of goody-two-shoes tradesmen even claim to stick to the speed limit.
As for grub, three quarters would rather have a healthy meal such as a salad or wrap than a cheeky pasty or pie from a garage.
And when the queues on the M25 get too much, ten per cent say they turn to meditation.
A poll of 2,000 white van drivers found 80 per cent reckon the old stereotypes about their jobs are offensive.
And 52 per cent get riled by suggestions their vehicles are often daubed with the traditional “clean me” scrawl.
Other stereotypes they believe are outdated include wolf-whistling out of the window and a footwell filled with old food wrappers.
More than half say they enjoy “mindful” activities such as yoga, while one in five drinks herbal tea and 22 per cent have a nightly skincare routine.
George Wallis, from car firm Isuzu UK, which carried out the poll, said: “There is a new generation of tradespeople in the UK and they are not afraid to challenge people when they question it.”
He added that drivers were “turning their backs on the traditional fuel-powered vehicles in favour of electric so that they align with their environmental beliefs”.
White van men have been such a potent symbol of British life, they even helped bring down a haughty Shadow Cabinet minister.
She apologised and resigned from Labour’s front bench the same day after being accused of snobbery.
Perhaps Thornberry, who now has the title Lady Nugee, might be more at home with the new breed of driver.
A recent study suggested working-class tradesmen are being replaced by a new wave of middle-class uni graduates.
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Research by Mercedes-Benz Vans, released earlier this year, revealed that a third of white van men were privately educated or went to grammar school.
The study found 33 per cent of van drivers aged under 35 attended private school, while just under half from the same age group hold foundation, bachelor’s or master’s degrees.
Jokers will have to learn the Latin for “clean me”.
‘A LOT OF THIS IS BONKERS’
COURIER Stephen Keough reckons he is a partial “new age white van man”.
The married dad of three, inset, said: “Anyone who says they meditate on the M25 is bonkers. Horn honking and yelling at muppets is my ‘meditation’.
“But I do enjoy eating home-made salads and veggie wraps. I still love a good brew, but my missus has banned saucy pics from the van.
“I can’t afford an electric van and I still choose footie over cricket.”
Stephen, 36, from Bodmin, Cornwall, added: “I have face serums, moisturiser and SPF sunscreen in the glove box. But I don’t read The Guardian – The Sun is still the white van man’s paper of choice.”
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