FORS GSAG meeting at Tarmac Birmingham HQ - July 14

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National audience with TfL to TfGM Manchester,

Highways England talk national specs to include FORS.

Fleet operator recognition scheme was hosted at the Tarmac HQ in Birmingham with a Friday fish and chip lunch to finish a productive morning. IOC chair Carl Lomas was at the table to talk vans and light vehicles. It’s like a kite mark, there are no furry dice and it’s not a membership. Born in TfL, the national players such as Highways England ask you to have FORS before tendering for transport delivery.

 

  • FORS create light vehicle van working group
  • Webinars to explain FORS begin August 7th
  • 17% increase in gold members
  • What are the benefits of FORS beyond tendering, a positive discussion continues.

A growing number of IoC fellows have the FORS recognition for light vehicle fleets. FORS practitioner qualification is also embedded into the Apprenticeship Trailblazer degree apprenticeship.

Gary Lewis opened the Birmingham event talking safety at the highest standards, hosted by Tarmac, whose fleet hold the FORS standard. ‘Safety is at the heart of our agenda.’

Steve Agg chaired the introductions including TfL Peter Bingham, and TfGM Manchester Richard Banks, DVSA Dave Wood & Fidelma Byrne Highways England among the top-brass.

Keyvan Rahmatabadi FCP, boss of FORS, set a view to discuss the benefits and purpose of FORS. It's about safety. It's not furry dice, it's not membership, it's like a kite mark. A review is on its way and working groups are forming for passenger vehicles and light vehicles.

In the existing standard FORS e-learning has been specified. Larger operators often have their own dedicated learning packages; asking them to use a sector wide standard learning platform may not be the best way. This also raised the issue, is it approporiate for FORS to deliver training for a standard they are testing and auditing?

Discussion followed about the fit of one standard for all vehicles: could there be a core standard with streams for heavy, light, passenger, freight versions of the standard?

DVSA are integrating their compliance with FORS. DVSA have set KPIs to work with operators as an action plan,

IoC