Checking that your drivers and managers have completed all mandatory FORS professional development is fundamental in making sure your organisation remains compliant with the FORS Standard. The mandatory professional development requirements can be found at Annexes 1 and 2 of the FORS Standard.
To help operators stay on top of their training, we have put together the following guidance for each level of FORS accreditation.
Bronze – mandatory FORS professional development requirements
Driver requirements – to satisfy ‘D4 Professional Development’, individuals are required to have undertaken one FORS Professional safety eLearning module within the past 12 months and the FORS Professional Security and Counter Terrorism eLearning module within the past 24 months. There are five safety eLearning options: Cycle safety, Van Smart, Smart Driving, Bridge Smart and Pedestrian Safe.
Manager requirements – to satisfy ‘M3 Responsible Person’, a designated ‘responsible person’ is required to have completed training on maintaining continuous and effective management of fleet activities within the past five years. There are several training options available to meet this requirement depending on fleet type:
- Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) (if your certification is over five years old, you do not need to repeat this and you can undertake one of the options below instead to cover the next five years)
- FORS Professional Fleet Management Essentials (FME1 Fleet Management Essentials – O Licence Awareness or FME2 Fleet Management Essentials – Car and Van)
- FORS Approved training course on fleet management (ie Operator Licence Awareness Training)
Operator licence awareness courses and CPC refresher courses delivered by a trade association, a professional body or an approved Transport Manager CPC examination centre are automatically considered FORS approved. Approved examination centres must offer a regulated Transport Manager CPC qualification listed on the Ofqual Register for the type of Operator licence held, and as recommended in Traffic Commissioner Statutory Guidance.
Silver – mandatory FORS professional development requirements
Driver requirements – to satisfy ‘S5 Professional Development’, individuals are required to undertake the FORS Professional LoCITY ‘Time to clean up’ eLearning module every 24 months. This is in addition to the work related road risk (WRRR) training required to be undertaken every five years, including a mandatory practical or immersive element for specific vehicle types such as HGVs and vans. FORS Professional Van Smart (VS) is suitable for van drivers. FORS Professional Safe Urban Driving (SUD) is suitable for HGV and PCV drivers. While it is encouraged for van drivers to undertake VS, SUD can also be undertaken by van drivers to meet this requirement.
Manager requirements – to satisfy ‘S5 Professional Development’ for FORS Champions, the named Fuel and Emissions Champion must complete FORS Practitioner Workshop 7 and the named Road Risk Champion must undertake either the FORS Professional Collison Management course (which includes a Road Risk Champion module and a Collison investigator module) or FORS Practitioner Workshops 2 and 5. Training for both Champions must be undertaken every five years.
Gold – mandatory FORS professional development requirements
Driver requirement – to satisfy ‘G5 Professional Development’, individuals are required to undertake the FORS Professional LoCITY Driving training course within the past five years.
Manager requirement – for initial Gold applications, the person responsible for the fleet operation must be working towards qualifying as a FORS Practitioner. By the time of the re-approval application, this individual must be a qualified FORS Practitioner. This qualification must be renewed every five years.