1. FORS - Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme
Glen Davies – FORS Technical Advisor
National Road Safety Conference 15 November 2017

2. What is FORS?

3. What is FORS? FORS is the UK’s leading fleet accreditation scheme
Focuses on road safety, operational efficiency and environmental protection
Helps improve performance and demonstrate best practice
Transforms businesses into industry leaders
Road safety
Operational efficiency
Environmental protection
What is FORS and why is it for you?
The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary accreditation scheme that promotes best practice for commercial vehicle operators. With over 4000 members, FORS is gaining recognition as the transport industry’s go-to accreditation scheme. FORS encompasses all aspects of safety, efficiency, and environmental protection by encouraging and training fleet operators to measure, monitor and improve performance. FORS provides accreditation pathways for operators of any type, and for those organisations that award contracts and specify transport requirements.
FORS Bronze, Silver and Gold membership provides a progressive accreditation conduit whereby operators can achieve exemplary levels of best practice. FORS members stand out from the crowd, work to standards above the legal minimum and have access to a wide range of exclusive benefits that provide a real competitive advantage.
FORS accreditation drives best practice across the European fleet industry in terms of safety, efficiency and environmental protection. It also offers guidance and training to help operators attain the Standard.

4. What is FORS?
Helps operators of any size and type of vehicle to apply and demonstrate best practice
Covers management responsibilities, vehicles, drivers and the operation
Tiered levels ensure an accessible entry level and promotes progression
Enables clients and customers to instantly recognise a quality fleet operation
Management
Vehicles
Driver
Operations
Most of us are now informed consumers. We’re able to make decisions on what, who and where we want to do business with. We find out information on suppliers. We find out what others think and base our choices on reviews. We are savvy when it comes to most personal things such as where we take our cars to be repaired, where we go on holiday, where we eat. Most of these things have a rating system of some kind and the majority of us are swayed by this. Take the Food Hygiene ratings – I’m sure you wouldn’t take your family to a restaurant with a one star rating – or none at all – so why should commercial fleet operators be any different?
There are standards imposed on lots of companies providing services – it’s a way to identify good businesses.

5. What is FORS? A unique industry-led scheme launched in 2008
A single fleet standard in force across the UK (and Europe)
Over 4700 fleet operators are accredited
This represents over 200,000 vehicles
Over 400 operators are working towards accreditation
Unique industry-led
Single standard
Widespread adoption
It’s a unique, industry-led accreditation scheme
It helps companies operate legally and implement best practice
It helps companies measure and control performance
It’s voluntary and open to any one with a fleet of any vehicle, from 1 to 1 million
It provides quality assurance that operators have done everything necessary/possible to meet compliance requirements, improve safety of drivers and vehicles. Are operating in a way that does all it can to protect the environment and help reduce emissions.
It’s a way to signal to customers that your business is truly a professional transport operator
Use this as a way to win new business
FORS provides you with a competitive advantage

6. The FORS Standard
MANAGEMENT
Covers policies and procedures, your organisational structure, responsibilities and how you communicate and stay up to date with industry information
VEHICLES
Covers inspections and maintenance, defects, documentation such as insurance, vehicle excise duty, load safety and the safety of your staff and vulnerable road users
DRIVERS
Covers licensing and qualifications, driving standards, professional development and the fitness, health and safety of drivers. Drivers hours and working time are also covered
The FORS Standard is the backbone of the scheme and provides a structure for operators to adopt best practice and move above and beyond the O licensing requirements
The purpose of the FORS standard is to ensure, within fleet operations, certain minimum levels of legal compliance, safety, efficiency, and environmental protection. This will help to assure your clients that you are meeting certain minimum levels.
The standard is split into four core sections – Management, Vehicles, Drivers and Operators
Like any Quality Assurance system the focus is on all the key influencing factors that are necessary to maintain a business that can operate safely and efficiently. FORS has identified 4 key themes, each one contributing to the overall aim of the scheme and aligned with the various grades of accreditation. Its expected that a bronze accredited company has satisfied the basic requirement and has developed the foundations to maintain a ‘fit and healthy’ organisation. The benefits to anyone contracting with them would be the knowledge that they have significant measures in place to reduce risk, that risk being related to safety, operational activities, environmental and also to the image of the company and the sector.
What this might mean to a company that uses a FORS transport operator in preference to non FORS is an assurance that their goods in transit will be protected from any associated non-compliance activity- for example, a vehicle with a prohibition could be significantly delayed, a driver involved in an accident could cause damage to your products, an efficient company will control costs and therefore you will have a quality service at a quality price, not a poor quality service at a low cost.
There are also the added value and ethical benefits that are also evident with a FORS operator. Contractors will know that contracting with an operator that is serious about the safety of vulnerable road users (cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists), serious about training their employees, especially drivers and also cares about the environment and can provide evidence of how they reduce their emissions and commit to long term improvements, can only be positive for a long term customer-supplier relationship.
OPERATIONS
Covers routing and scheduling, specialist goods, abnormal loads, collisions and incidents, engine idling and other operational performance measures

7. The tiered approach
Gold (highest level) operator committed to continued improvement and industry leadership
Silver (intermediate level) operator committed to safety, efficiency and environmental protection
To become a member of FORS you must register online at
(Remember, as a FORS accredited company not only will you be recognised as a forward-thinking operator, but accreditation could also give you that all important competitive edge)
Probably obvious that the higher the level the more serious the operator is about meeting and sustaining standards.
For many companies, contracting with a bronze operator should suffice however for large contracts and long term services the Gold operator will indicate a different level of commitment. It isn't an easy level to achieve and companies need to invest significant time to achieve it.
A bronze operator is a legally compliant operator following good practice - this is the entry level of accreditation
if you require extra work to pass. The assessor provides an action plan and advice and support on what is needed to pass.
To then progress from bronze to silver, you are required to submit 6 months worth of data into the FORS online benchmarking system in the three areas of PCNs Fuel Use and Number of incidents, and continue to keep it updated. A silver operator is high quality operator, committed to becoming safer, greener and more efficient – this is the intermediate level of accreditation
Gold membership - exceptional operator that has met specific targets and is continuing to improve – this is the highest level of accreditation
Bronze (entry level) A legally compliant operator following good practice

8. Bronze audit success rate
Pass rate
96%
Initial audit
Follow-up
Pass rate
77%
Fail rate 23%

9. Top five audit failures
AD7 – Driver fitness and health
Eyesight checks
D4 – Professional development
Structured development plan
D2 – Driving standards
Driver handbook, Highway Code
M10 Information management
Records management
O4 Idling Policy
Not in place / not communicated

10. FORS accredited operators
3,651
841
219
Total operators 4,711

11. Improving skills

12. FORS Professional A comprehensive package of essential training
Cutting-edge content that helps to meet the FORS Standard
Improves knowledge and professional standards
Covers road risk, efficiency and environmental impact
Courses are default ‘must haves’ for drivers and managers
FORS Professional offers a comprehensive package of essential training, with cutting-edge content that will help operators to meet the FORS Standard.
It aims to improve knowledge and professional standards within the fleet industry and address today’s safety and efficiency challenges.
FORS Professional training courses, represent the best training on the market, helping drivers and management to achieve high performance in safety, efficiency and environmental impact. They are the default ‘must haves’ training courses for drivers and managers.
FORS Professional is approved training, which meets FORS, CLOCS and TfL’s WRRR requirements. Training courses, including TruckSmart, are delivered by fully qualified education professionals with both classroom and online accessibility.

13. FORS Practitioner Developing road transport policy
Managing work related road risk
Managing driver fitness and health
Managing driver development
Collision procedures and analysis
Safe and efficient fleet management
Reducing fuel use and emissions
FORS Practitioner is THE flagship qualification that underpins FORS. It consists of a series of manager workshops aimed at improving safety, efficiency and fuel use
Each workshop is half day and is driver CPC accredited for those who hold vocational licences
But to be clear these workshops are aimed at supervisors and managers
A national programme of workshop dates will shortly be announced
There are a fours series running in London this year which have continued to be funded by TfL
Transport fines and charges
Managing fleet performance

14. A competence framework for drivers
Safe Urban Driving
Staying Legal
LoCITY Driving
TruckSmart
VanSmart
Specific focus on vulnerable road user safety
Covers the basics to achieve HGV compliance
Fuel efficiency and environmental awareness
Load safety and vehicle roadworthiness
Essentials for the light goods vehicle driver

15. FORS eLearning Smart Driving Smart Deliveries Cycle Safety
Allowing learners the opportunity to access learning at a time and place that is convenient to them is a key objectives of FORS. The online training can be accessed anytime via a local PC by anyone that is looking to update their knowledge. The materials are high quality and designed to engage learners covering industry relevant topics.
FORS also offers a number of free of charge elearning modules as part of your accreditation package
There are four modules currently covering safety, vulnerable road users, reducing fines and charges and fuel efficient driving
A new module on van safety is currently being developed
LoCITY Driving
Van Smart

16. FORS works

17. 76% 64% 50% FORS works: improving compliance
Less likely to be involved in licence/insurance offences
Less likely to be involved in Most Serious Infringements (MSI) offences
Less likely to be involved in drivers’ hours offence
76%
64%
Non compliance can be costly and anyone that has experience of a Public Inquiry will know that it also has an emotional cost, often being a very stressful experience. Companies need systems, quality systems to ensure that all the layers are in place to eliminate any potential risk of employees offending. FORS requires companies to have checks in place to monitor their legal obligations and although this is a requirement of O licencing anyway the additional FORS element does force companies to maintain a higher standard of performance
Data collected in London by the Industrial HGV taskforce shows that by operating above the legal minimum FORS accredited companies are:
76% less likely to be involved in licence / insurance offences
64% less likely to be involved in Most Serious Infringements
50% less likely to be involved in drivers hours offences
50%

18. 38% 21% 50% FORS works: reducing costs Reduction in collision costs
Reduction in fuel costs
Reduction in Penalty Charge Notices
38%
21%
50%

19. FORS works: international recognition
“FORS has been a key factor in changing the safety culture in road transport, with the opportunities it provides to the industry for additional training, sharing of information, and collaborative working towards on-road safety standards.”
So how good is FORS
A significant reduction in the number of collisions by those companies that are FORS accredited – and if they are involved then better systems to avoid repeat collisions and minimise insurance claims or other costs associated with vehicle or personal damage.
Last year FORS won a Prince Michael Road Safety Award
Data input by FORS operators into the performance management system showed some great safety results – injury collisions were reduced by 41% and total collisions by 25%

20. Local authorities: harsh lessons
Glasgow 2014
Council owned refuse truck
6 killed, 15 injured
Driver lied about medical history
Bath 2015
Tipper delivering to Council park and ride development
4 dead
‘Complete disregard for vehicle safety and maintenance’

21. Increasing national presence
North East of England
Arranged and promoted 20 FORS Practitioner workshops
Provided a specific FORS Going for Bronze workshop
Engaged a local road safety charity to further promote FORS
Northern Ireland
A new FORS Manager role created to grow the scheme
Deighan Transport – First Gold

22. Why FORS?

23. Four collisions – 20 deaths4 4 4 8

24. “So many deaths, in one year, in one industry sector, involving one piece of machinery”

25. Summary Operational confidence Distinction Operational efficiency
Advice, guidance and training
Offers, discounts and benefits
FORS
Join online today
“FORS provides the perfect platform to monitor, manage and improve your operation’s efficiency”
In summary:
FORS enables operators to demonstrate commitment to higher standards
Provides a point of differentiation from other businesses
Access to a range of advice and guidance to support you through the journey
Provides operational confidence
Provides a distinction against other operators and opens up contract opportunities
Improves efficiency and therefore reduces costs
Provides access to advice and guidance
Provides a distinction against other operators
Improves efficiency
Provides a procurement advantage and enables you to demonstrate that you are among the best operators
Register if you haven't already done so
Enrol your drivers on our free DCPC

26. FORS - Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme
Thank you
Glen Davies – FORS Technical Advisor