In order to keep up to date with changes in technology and best practice, the FORS Standard is reviewed, updated and approved on a two-year cycle by the FORS Governance and Standards Advisory Group. The latest Standard is version 5 published on 16 October 2018. Version 5 of the FORS Standard will be effective from 14 January 2019. Organisations with Bronze, Silver or Gold audit(s) on and after 14 January 2019 must meet all version 5 requirements.

Please click here for a link to a special version 5 frequently asked questions page.

To see all of the changes that were made to the previous FORS Standard (v 3.3), please click here for our Summary of Changes document. Please note this is no longer the latest version – this is for reference purposes only.

To see all of the changes that were made to the FORS Standard, please click here for the Summary of Changes documents.

No, the scope of accreditation can be for a specific operating centre but must be for all vehicles at the specific operating centre audited.

Your vehicles do not need to be available on the day of the audit. FORS has produced a spreadsheet template to assist you in demonstrating how you meet this requirement. Please click here to download the spreadsheet (go to the ‘download your documents’ section on the page.) Whilst the template is not mandatory to use, you are encouraged to use it to ensure that you cover all aspects of the requirements. However if you have your own document which contains the same information, this will be accepted as evidence. Please supplement this template, or your own document, with evidence such as photographs and receipts. Please note, if you are proven to have provided false information during the audit, your accreditation will be terminated as per the T&Cs.

FORS Standard vehicle safety equipment requirement requires operators to fit vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight with blind spot warning signage. FORS guidance is that the signage should not give instruction or direction to other road users, for example ‘Blindspot – Take Care’. For more guidance as to the signage approved by FORS, please click here.

Please contact the Helpline team on 08448 09 09 44 or email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk

No, offences against an individual (eg speeding fines) do not need to be reported. However, complaints and offences against the company (eg PG9) should be reported to FORS and recorded within your complaints system to ensure that any legal and non-legal actions against your company are reviewed and reacted to in order to prevent recurrence. For more information on this, please check the FORS Standard M7 (Complaints), the FORS T&Cs and the FORS Compliance and Enforcement Guide here.

For more information on FORS accreditation routes, please check Section 3 of the Rules and Procedures (Routes to FORS accreditation.)

To achieve Silver or Gold accreditation, operators will need to maintain their Bronze accreditation and submit evidence to support their Silver or Gold application using the FORS evidencing system. Operators can check their accreditation expiry dates by logging into the evidencing system. For information about the annual Silver and Gold evidencing check fees, please click here.

No, WFA is only available if you can meet this criteria. However, you may like to consider Multi-Operating Centre Accreditation (MOCA), as long as you operate the same policies and procedures. Further information can be found in section 3.4 of the Rules and Procedures document.

Yes you can apply for Silver MOCA. You will need to submit evidence for all Operating Centres (OCs) in scope of accreditation. If you cannot submit evidence for all the OCs, you can identify a specific OC and submit evidence just for that one. Silver accreditation will be for that OC only.

Your Silver accreditation must be renewed each year prior to your Silver expiry date if you wish to maintain your Silver. If you have gained Silver MOCA, an extra year will be added to your Bronze. However, if you have achieved Silver for a specific OC only, the main Bronze MOCA will not gain an extra year.

You can apply for Gold MOCA as long as you have a valid Silver MOCA. The same as above applies in terms of scope of accreditation. Your Silver and Gold accreditations must be renewed each year prior to the respective expiry dates if you wish to maintain your Gold.

Yes you can apply for Silver WFA, however, please note that you will still need to renew your Bronze accreditation each year prior to expiry and that you will not gain an extra year on your Bronze.

You can apply for Gold WFA as long as you have a valid Silver WFA. Please note that you will still need to renew your Bronze and Silver accreditations each year prior to the respective expiry dates if you wish to maintain Gold WFA and that you will not gain an extra year on your Bronze.

An operating centre is a site or depot where commercial vehicles operate from, where there is infrastructure that supports daily management, control and day to day operational deployment of a fleet. Note that the definition of a FORS operating centre is not the same as the definition according to Operator Licensing.

No this is not classed as an operating centre under FORS.

At audit, you must provide the Operator Licence which covers the operating centre which is being audited.

FORS Professional is a comprehensive package of essential training for managers and drivers, delivered with cutting edge content to help operators meet the FORS Standard. FORS Professional is designed to improve knowledge and professional standards for any commercial vehicle operator, addressing in detail today’s safety and efficiency challenges.

All FORS Professional training is fully approved and meets FORS, CLOCS and TfL’s Work Related Road Risk (WRRR) requirements. FORS Professional provides JAUPT approved driver training delivered by qualified professionals.

By undertaking FORS Professional training, drivers and managers can help their companies improve fleet performance with respect to safety, efficiency and environmental impact.

If you would like further information on the training offered through FORS, please click here. For any queries in relation to FORS training, please contact the helpline on 08448 09 09 44 or email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk. Your training records can be checked via the FORS Professional training register (see below section).

All bookings are done using a system called Eventbrite. Please click here and follow the link to the date/s of your choice. You can book without creating an account with Eventbrite, however creating an account is free of charge and only takes a couple of minutes. This will give you the flexibility to manage your bookings online (for example, cancelling your place). Make sure you add your FORS ID when booking the module.

Please login to www.eventbrite.co.uk and create an account. This is very simple and is free – it will enable you to view all the workshops that you have booked on and you can manage your bookings online should you need to change a date.

Please login to www.eventbrite.co.uk and create an account. This is very simple and is free – it will enable you to manage all of your bookings. Alternatively, if you are unable to create an account please email FORS at enquiries@fors-online.org.uk. Please refer to the cancellation policy relevant to the particular workshop/course you have booked prior to cancelling your place/s.

Those who complete all ten modules of the FORS Practitioner workshops will be awarded a FORS Practitioner Certificate. The FORS Practitioner qualification is valid for five years. Click here to find out more. Please note, those who achieved their FORS Practitioner status before 2018 will not need to complete the recently introduced workshop 10 ‘Managing noise in logistics’ to maintain their status, although attendance is encouraged.

Please email our team at enquiries@fors-online.org.uk and they will be able to check their records and advise you,.

Yes, this is available. To view available dates and to book a place, log onto FORS online and click on the Training button on the top tab. Alternatively, please email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk for further information.

FORS has introduced a one day Practitioner Recertification. Please contact the Helpline team on 08448 0909 44 for more information.

Yes. Each FORS Practitioner workshop is worth 2.5 CPD hours.

To claim the 2.5 hours from each workshop you attend, all you need to do is include them in your professional development plan.

If you require proof of attendance, please enter your name into the FORS Professional training register – where every FORS Practitioner workshop you have attended will be listed.

First of all, you will need to register as an Associate – please click here to access the form. Our team will then be in touch via email and you can let them know at this stage that you would like to sponsor a workshop.

If you are unsure about the eLearning registration process, please click here for a simple step-by-step guide, which includes how to register without an email address.

You can check your training records using the FORS Professional training register. This is a register of FORS Professional training undertaken by FORS members, whether eLearning or classroom. You can search the register by name, organisation or training name, as well as export the data to a spreadsheet.

You can check all training records using the FORS Professional training register. This is a register of FORS Professional training undertaken by FORS members, whether eLearning or classroom. You can search the register by name, organisation or training name, as well as export the data to a spreadsheet. You can attach the spreadsheet as proof of attendance on the evidencing system. We recommend you also refer to the FORS template spreadsheet (available to download here under the ‘Getting ready’ section or on the evidencing system under the S5 section) to ensure you meet all mandatory training requirements.

For eLearning (not group eLearning), this can be amended on your eLearning dashboard.  For other courses, you should contact the FORS helpline who can make the amendments. If you are unable to contact the helpline yourself, the FORS primary contact can email the FORS helpline on your behalf requesting for the change to be made as long as they can provide the learner’s driving licence number.

You can only change your name once every 12 months on the eLearning dashboard. Any further amendments will need to be done by the FORS helpline.

For individual eLearning (not group eLearning), this can be amended on your eLearning dashboard. This cannot be done by the primary contact and needs to be done by the learner. For other training, the learner should contact the FORS helpline who can make the amendments.

You should contact the FORS helpline who can make the amendments.

For all training other than SUD/Van Smart (on cycle) you should contact the FORS helpline. For SUD/Van Smart (on cycle) then you should contact the training provider who delivered the training. A full list of the contact details can be found on the FORS website

FORS Standard vehicle safety equipment requirement requires operators to fit vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight with blind spot warning signage. FORS guidance is that the signage should not give instruction or direction to other road users, for example ‘Blindspot – Take Care’. For more guidance as to the signage approved by FORS, please click here.

If you are displaying the FORS logo you must use the version which incorporates your FORS ID number and your accreditation status of Bronze, Silver or Gold. Usage of the generic logo without the FORS ID or which incorporates the Transport for London logo ceased on 30 April 2015. FORS Vehicle Graphics Service (FORS VGS), produced and distributed by RGVA Vehicle Graphics, provides high quality FORS ID graphics and warning signage graphics for your vehicles, all at a discounted rate for FORS member. Please click here for more information.

We cannot provide this logo – your FORS logo showing your unique FORS ID and accreditation level can be purchased using FORS Vehicle Graphics Service (FORS VGS). FORS VGS provides high quality FORS ID graphics and warning signage graphics for your vehicles, all at a discounted rate for FORS member. Please click here for more information.

FORS VGS provides members with low-cost, hassle-free access to its complete range of high quality FORS ID and warning signage graphics.  We have recognised that members can encounter problems in producing their own FORS ID graphics, either through IT-formatting issues or difficulties in procuring a local printing service, FORS VGS is now in place to streamline the whole process providing low-cost, standardised signage products for all FORS members.

Every FORS ID purchased will qualify for a free warning signage graphic.

• All graphics made from high-quality ‘3M Envision’ material
• FORS VGS allows FORS members to order ID graphics quickly and easily through the FORS website.
• FORS VGS graphics are produced with a three-year 3M Matched Component System Warranty
• FORS VGS products are PVC-free and made using degradable vinyl which breaks down under landfill conditions without emitting toxic gases or other pollutants.

It is a FORS requirement that operators to fit HGVs with blind spot warning signage.

It is NOT a FORS requirement to display your FORS ID graphic on your vehicles, however, you might still be required to do it to meet specific contractual requirements.

To view the prices, please click here.

In order to achieve Silver accreditation, you will need to maintain your Bronze and submit evidence to support your Silver application by using the FORS evidencing system. If you would like to know if your Bronze accreditation is still valid, you can check this information via the evidencing system link provided above. Please note that your Bronze accreditation must have at least 30 days validity at the time of submitting evidence for Silver approval. To download the latest version of the FORS Standard, please click here. Please refer to the Guidance document for more information about how to meet each requirement.

S6

• On initial application for FORS Silver, please fill in the baseline column with 3 months’ worth of data. This three month period can be any of your choosing.
• On re-approval for FORS Silver, you have three options
  • Keep your baseline data the same as it was when you first applied for Silver
  • Update the baseline data to a consecutive 12 month period
  • In the second column, provide a more recent 12 month data set that allows you to compare performance with your baseline

G4

• Your Gold baseline data is automatically populated from the Silver baseline data
• On initial application for FORS Gold, please complete the second column with the most recent 12 month data set
• On re-approval, the baseline data will remain the same but the next blank column must show data from the most recent 12 month period.

Yes, if you are FORS Silver accredited, you will comply with the CLOCS Standard. For more information, please click here.

You will need to renew your Silver accreditation each year. Please note, you must have at least 30 calendar days’ validity remaining on your current Silver accreditation, and it is recommended that you have 45 days minimum validity remaining on your Bronze in case your first application is not successful and you need to submit a follow-up application.

In order to achieve Gold accreditation, you will need to maintain your Bronze and your Silver accreditations and submit evidence to support your Gold application by using the FORS evidencing system . If you would like to know if your accreditation/s is/are still valid, you can check this information via the evidencing system link provided above. Please refer to the Guidance document for more information about how to meet each requirement.

You will need to renew your Gold accreditation each year. Gold does not supersede Silver and the Silver requirements need to be checked each year through a submission of your application. Please note, you must have at least 30 calendar days remaining on your current Gold and Silver accreditation and it is recommended that you have 45 days minimum validity remaining on your Bronze in case your first application is not successful and you need to submit a follow-up application.

Please call the Helpline team on 08448 09 09 44 or email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk

Please email the audit team on audits@fors-online.org.uk as soon as possible, and make sure you read our cancellation policy. Please be aware of your registered or accredited expiry date when cancelling your audit. See section below.

Progression from registered to Bronze is mandatory within 90 days. Failure to do so will result in your organisation being downgraded.

Re-approval of the current accreditation for exiting FORS members must be achieved prior to expiry date. This means your FORS re-approval audit must be passed prior to expiry date. Failure to do so means that you organisation will be downgraded. We recommend booking your audit at least 30 days prior to expiry, allowing time in case you fail the audit and need a follow-up audit. The audit must not be booked more than 60 days ahead. However, for multi-operating centre accredited companies, the process will take longer and must be started in plenty of time – this can mean more than 60 days ahead depending on the size of the accreditation.

Please log in to your organisation account, go to your company dashboard, click on ‘Manage audits’ and then click on ‘Request Audit’ and that will take you to the audit booking form. Make sure you fill all required fields when requesting the audit, including the Preferred Audit Dates section at the bottom of the form, and also make sure you press the Request Audit button when finished. The auditing team will be in contact within 48 hours to confirm date and time of audit. For a step by step guide please click here.

Please follow the above process.

The audit process is about providing evidence of systems, procedures and documentation that demonstrates that the required standards of entry into FORS Bronze accreditation are met. To gain a better insight, you can click here for more information, and to watch the auditor video.

Only the MOCA overseer can book an audit for an operating centre. The overseer will need to log in to the MOCA dashboard and select the operating centre required to be audited.

You will be notified of the audit outcome via email within 10 working days after your Bronze audit date.

You are required to resolve any of the minor action points that are listed in the action plan. You have 90 calendar days from notification to resolve all minor action points listed within the action plan, but you will not require to notify FORS of the rectification. However, any unaddressed action points raised in the previous year’s audit identified in the re-approval audit will be escalated as major action points, which will result in a failed audit.

Please note that if you have 16 major action points or more, the company will need to book and undertake another full FORS Bronze on-site audit as opposed to a follow-up audit. This means that all requirements will be audited again. This audit will be charged as a full audit at the standard rate.

There is a facility to reset your password if you have forgotten it called Forgotten password. Use this if you remember your user name (the email you used when you registered with FORS.) Your login name is the email address registered with us when you applied.

If you have forgotten or mislaid your FORS ID number, log in to FORS online, go to your dashboard and you ID will be displayed on the page. Alternatively please call the FORS helpline on 08448 09 09 44 or email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk.

Please call the Helpline team on 08448 09 09 44 or email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk to be added as a secondary contact.

If your registered address or contact details have changed please let us know your new details by emailing enquiries@fors-online.org.uk

To add additional eNews recipients from your organisation, email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk stating the email address(es) that you’d like to add. Please state your FORS ID number in your email.

To start using the Performance Management system visit FORS online ‘Performance management‘ button, then follow the instructions on screen.

Log onto FORS online and click on ‘Performance management’ box. Read the ‘Getting started’ advice on the page. If you wish to upload your data directly into the online system click ‘Launch online performance management system’. If you wish to enter data into a spreadsheet and upload it in one go, click on ‘Download the performance management toolkit‘ and save the spreadsheet to your computer. Read the user guide.

Our technical team can help you with this. Please email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk with your request.

S6

• On initial application for FORS Silver, please fill in the baseline column with 12 months’ worth of data. This 12 month period can be any of your choosing.
• On re-approval for FORS Silver, you have three options
  • Keep your baseline data the same as it was when you first applied for Silver
  • Update the baseline data to a different 12 month period
  • In the second column, provide a more recent 12 month data set that allows you to compare performance with your baseline

G4

• Your Gold baseline data is automatically populated from the Silver baseline data
• On initial application for FORS Gold, please complete the second column with the most recent 12 month data set

On re-approval, the baseline data will remain the same but the next blank column must show data from the most recent 12 month period.

Click on ‘FORS offers‘ to access the contact details of companies who offer special discounts on their products, services or equipment to FORS operators.

FORS 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. FORS accreditation offers distinction and operational efficiency. FORS accreditation offers access to major development projects where FORS is specified as the quality standard for fleet operations. FORS accreditation demonstrates you run a quality operation and gives you and your clients confidence that you operate safely and efficiently, therefore it helps you to win new business and maintain existing business.

All FORS operators will have access to:

• Advice, guidance and campaign toolkits
• Performance management tool
• eLearning modules for managers and drivers
• Regular news and bulletins
• Offers and discounts from FORS Associate suppliers
• Training for HGV drivers
• Training for van drivers
• Best practice courses and workshops for managers

Transport for London (TfL) fully funded FORS for the first 7 years and established the scheme as a benchmark standard for operators working in and around London. FORS has been successful and is now being offered across the UK. In order to ensure the long-term future of FORS, it needs to be a self-funding scheme which can continue to grow, improve and develop to meet industry’s needs.

The FORS fee is made up of the annual subscription fee which is based on total fleet size of the company plus an audit fee which is based on the number of operating centres accredited. Your total fleet is the overall number of commercial vehicles operated across all your entire company, not just vehicles in the operating centres you want to be FORS accredited – Information on how the FORS annual subscription fee is available here.

What does the purchase of an annual subscription fee entitle me to?

Your annual subscription fee gives your entire company access to the FORS online benefits package which includes eLearning, access to driver CPC training and FORS specific offers and discounts. You can also attend FORS Practitioner workshops which are available nationwide.

If you fail to pay your fees your company will be downgraded to dormant and will lose any FORS registration or accreditation that it holds. If you want to reinstate your company’s registration or accreditation, you will need to contact the FORS helpline on 08448 09 09 44 or email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk, request to be re-instated and complete the payment process.

You can pay via the following methods:

PayPal: Click the link on the original PayPal invoice which will take you to the appropriate payment page

Phone: Please call 08448 09 09 44 to make payment by phone

BACS: Please quote your FORS ID and invoice number when completing your BACS transfer

Account name: AECOM LIMITED FORS

Account number: 49780027

Sort code: 30-16-35

Cheques: Please quote your FORS ID and invoice number on the reverse of your cheque
Cheques should be made payable to AECOM LIMITED FORS and posted to FORS, AECOM, Sunley House, 4 Bedford Park, Croydon CR0 2AP United Kingdom.

Yes, there is a fee for the application for Silver/ Gold accreditation and checking of the evidence through the FORS online evidencing system – Information on the Silver/ Gold application fee is available here. Please note, the Gold evidencing fee is free for smaller operators (1-3 vehicles).

Yes, audits are available out of hours. These hours are classified as anytime on Saturday or Sunday and before 0900hrs and after 1730hrs Monday to Friday. Charges during these times will differ to the standard rate and these rates can be found at the bottom of this page.

Yes, audits are available outside of the UK. For more information on locations and costs, please visit this page and scroll to the bottom of the page.

No. If you have paid within the last 12 months, you will be not be charged again.

You can reset your password, however, if you cannot remember your actual username, please call our helpline team on 08448 09 09 44.

Please click here where you will be prompted to enter the relevant information to set up your login details.

You can search on the FORS website by entering either the driver’s or the company’s name in the FORS Professional training register.

Log in to your eLearning account with the incorrect details and click on the icon next to eLearning dashboard, which says “Update profile”. Then you can edit your details, please don’t forget to click on the update button.

If you are unsure about the eLearning registration process, please click here for a simple step-by-step guide, which includes how to register without an email address.

The General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR, imposes additional obligations on organisations and gives you extra rights about how your data is used. GDPR is effective from 25 May 2018.

Yes, FORS has published a revised Privacy Statement to give you more information on the data we hold on you, what we do with that data, who we share your data with and your new rights under GDPR.

No, you will continue to receive FORS communications in the normal way if you are a Primary contact, and if you have “opted-in” if you are a Secondary contact.

Please unsubscribe from the FORS eNews using the unsubscribe facility.

In the first instance please refer to the FORS Privacy Statement and associated FORS Procedure for Responding to Personal Data Requests for details of how to remove, edit or transfer your training records. Please note that removal of driver training records from the training register may have an impact on any future FORS Silver application if the training records cannot be verified online. In your application will need to provide some other proof of attendance of the training required at FORS Silver.

CLOCS and WRRR are both aligned with the FORS Silver Standard. FORS Silver accreditation is an easy way for operators to show that they fulfil the requirements of the CLOCS standard and also of TfL’s Work Related Road Risk (WRRR). For more informatin, please click here.

Email the FORS Helpline enquiries@fors’online.org.uk with your request and we will withdraw your organisation from the scheme.