Increasingly in recent months, questions have been pouring in regarding FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) accreditation, and, essentially, they all boil down to this: how long before FORS sets the standards nationwide?
Among those who have enquired, there are those who want it; those who are unconcerned about it; and those who don’t know what it is.
For those that find themselves in the latter group, I’ve provided an outline of the FORS model.
What FORS Does
FORS is a rapidly-growing accreditation and membership scheme that institutes a range of best practices across all levels of fleet management. Through the implementation of uniform policy, its members enjoy safer, quicker and less expensive transactions with one another. In fact, the benefits are such that some national fleets, including Sainsburys, will deal only with other FORS-accredited businesses.
The FORS programme is expansive, and the idea behind it is to improve safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness in fleet management nationwide. Through training, education and compliance, FORS aims to improve the performance of everyone involved in the running of a fleet, from Senior Managers and Operators to drivers and everyone in between.
The element that discourages fleet operators from bothering with FORS is, perhaps, the time it takes to progress the application. The process is rigorous, and has been known to last as long as three months. It is vital, however, that you use this time wisely; any area in which you do not meet FORS criteria, you must amend appropriately before the day of the audit. The time and effort that goes into this will obviously vary depending on the suitability of the procedures you already have in place.
FORS standards are widespread in the southern England; in Central London, especially, you must be FORS-accredited before a potential customer will look at you twice. Membership is likewise growing exponentially in the North, and with each new FORS-accredited fleet, the bar is raised that little bit higher.
What's the benefit for drivers?
A lot's been said about FORS' impact on business operations. But how does accreditation affect drivers?
Perhaps the greatest benefit for those behind the wheel lies in the training opportunities. FORS-approved training courses are among the most lucrative in the industry, and are exclusive to fleets that operate under the FORS banner.
These courses go above and beyond the average CPC course in ensuring candidates are properly equipped to continuously improve their driving standards. Courses such as Safe Urban Driving tackle the challenges of modern trucking through an in-depth and participatory approach.
Training of this kind helps to boost productivity and reduces the risk of accidents, breaches, and recurring offences and the costs incurred therein.
How will the future look?
With more and more companies gaining accreditation, sooner rather than later the FORS brand will be visible across the entire breadth of the industry. This will bring about irreversible changes to fleet management in the UK. There will come a time when ISO accreditation is no longer enough, and as businesses small and large fall in line under the FORS banner, fleets will see, through training, yearly audits and strict adherence to procedures increased interactivity, fewer accidents and lower running costs, to keep it brief.
All of this will amount to that holy grail of fleet management: uniformity. The success of each operation will hinge on their ability to comply with the guidelines followed by their competitors and customers. The roles of everyone in the industry will be streamlined; documentation, digital systems and day-to-day processes will follow a templated appearance, structure and purpose replicated across the industry.
Like it or not, FORS is here to stay.
Where do you stand in relation to the FORS giant? How do you reckon the road haulage sector will be impacted - positively, negatively, neutrally?
Let us know in the comment sections below.
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