Transport for London (TfL) has appointed CILT, AECOM and Fleet Source to manage, operate and grow the award-winning fleet operators’ accreditation scheme.
CILT, AECOM and Fleet Source have established the FORS Community Partnership (FCP), which will work together to roll out the scheme nationally.
FORS was established by TfL in 2008 and is an accreditation scheme that delivers safety, environmental and efficiency benefits for fleet operators by encouraging the adoption of best practice and industry standards. FORS is an extremely successful scheme, but as 65% of accredited operators are now based outside London it has grown beyond TfL’s remit. CILT is looking forward to taking the scheme national and raising professional standards across the UK.
Commenting on the establishment of the FCP, Steve Agg FCILT, Chief Executive, CILT, said: ‘As the leading professional Institute for those working in logistics and transport, CILT is delighted to be involved in the delivery of such an important scheme. This is a fantastic opportunity to raise professional standards by establishing a national benchmarking standard for fleet operations. Raising professional standards is a key objective of the Institute and our involvement in this scheme provides us with an additional capability to influence best practice.’
Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport, TfL, said: ‘This concession is good news for the future of road safety and the wider impacts of freight and fleet operations not just in London, but also across the country.’
FORS is an award-winning scheme and more than 210,000 vehicles from more than 2,400 companies are now accredited to FORS. Its delivery operators demonstrate commitment to managing road risk, reducing environmental impact and improving operational efficiency, all of which improve overall fleet road safety and lessen the wider impacts of freight and fleet operations. Consequently, FORS-accredited operators are 76% less likely to be involved in licence or insurance offences, 64% less likely to be involved in most serious infringements (MSI) offences and 50% less likely to be involved in driver hours offences.
Additionally, many construction clients specify fleet operators to be accredited with a minimum of FORS bronze standard in order to have access to major development projects, including; Crossrail, Thames Water, Laing O’Rourke and Mace.
The FCP will roll out the scheme nationally, encouraging the adoption of best practice industry standards across the UK. FCP will take over the day-to-day running of FORS on 17th February 2015, with the requirement to make it a self-funding scheme. The cost of the FORS accreditation scheme will be based on the company’s fleet size and number of operating centres, ensuring that it is accessible and affordable for small to medium enterprise fleet operations.
Anne Johnson, Operations Director, FORS, on behalf of the FCP, said: ‘We are delighted to be leading FORS through this exciting period in its development. Our goal is to encourage, support and facilitate the geographical growth of FORS as the leading standard for fleet operators nationally, building on the success in London. From its strong foothold in the truck and van sectors, we aim to develop its diversity to other fleet sectors, to achieve ongoing improvements to road safety.’
Further developments and plans for FORS will be announced by the FCP in due course. Visit www.fors-online.org.uk for more information.