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 5.1 published on 1 June 2020. Version 5 of the FORS Standard came into effect on 14 January 2019. Version 5.1 came into effect on 1 July 2020 to introduce immersive interactive learning as an option to meet ‘S5 Professional development’. The planned publication of version 6 in October 2020 has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Click here to read the full article.

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. If you are proven to have provided false information during the audit, your accreditation will be terminated as per the FORS Terms and Conditions and FORS Enforcement and Compliance guidance.

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. Acceptable signage for example is: ‘Blindspot – Take Care’. For more guidance as to the signage approved by FORS, please click here.

Please email the FORS Helpline team on 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 Traffic Commissioner Public Inquiry) 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 T&Cs and the FORS Compliance and Enforcement Guide here.

All vehicles at an operating centre used for servicing and delivery must be registered and will fall under the scope of FORS accreditation – this includes: HGVs, vans, passenger carrying vehicles, cars, powered-two-wheelers (motorcycles and mopeds) and wheeled plant.

Cars and P2Ws are optional unless they are used as the core business function eg delivery company. Car-derived vans however must be declared.

No, you can choose which operating centre(s) to include in your FORS accreditation but all vehicles used for servicing and delivery in the chosen operating centre(s) must be included in the scope of accreditation (as detailed above.) For information on accrediting single or multiple operating centres, please check the FORS Rules and Procedures.

If the cars in your fleet are used for servicing and delivery, then they must be included in your FORS scope of accreditation. You will need to update FORS with fleet details PRIOR to re-approval audit and include any cars if appropriate.

Version 5 of the FORS Standard includes P2Ws in its effort to increase levels of best practice across the whole industry. This means that if the P2Ws in your fleet are used as core purpose of your business, then they must be declared, for example a pizza delivery company. Since 14 January 2019, existing members have been required to update FORS with fleet details PRIOR to re-approval audit and include any P2Ws if appropriate. New members will need to declare P2Ws from the onset when registering with FORS.

A vehicle specifically designed for engineering operations that is not classified as HGV. This includes, for example, mobile cranes, concrete pumps and volumetric mixers. This does NOT however include, for example, earth moving machinery, excavators, hoists, elevating work platforms, reach stackers and fork lifts.

For information on FORS accreditation routes please check the Rules and Procedures Routes to FORS accreditation section.

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 fees, please click here.

No, IAFA 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 the FORS Rules and Procedures document.

Yes, you can. You will need to submit evidence for all operating centres (OCs) in scope of your accreditation or you can identify any specific OC(s) and submit evidence just for that one. Silver accreditation will be gained for those OCs only.

Your Bronze and Silver accreditation must be renewed each 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 Bronze, Silver and Gold accreditation must be renewed each year prior to the respective expiry dates if you wish to maintain your Gold.

Yes you can apply for Silver IAFA, 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 IAFA as long as you have a valid Silver IAFA. 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 IAFA and that you will not gain an extra year on your Bronze.

No, Bronze operators can only apply for Silver (MA). You will need to become Silver accredited before you can apply for Gold MA.

Your certificate will state that you are a Bronze operator with Silver capability for the vehicles declared in your Silver MA application.

No, you will not be able to apply. All your operating centres must be on the same accreditation level for you to be eligible for Silver MA.

Your MA scope must show a minimum of 20 per cent yearly increase. If you can’t meet this requirement, this must be fully justified at audit.

If your follow-up application is not passed within 30 calendar days of first notification of failure, you will lose your MA capability. You will remain FORS Bronze/Silver accredited as long as your Bronze/Silver accreditation is maintained. A new full MA submission will be necessary to become mixed accredited again.

The Silver and Gold mixed accreditation evidencing fee is the same as the Silver and Gold evidencing fee. For information about the annual Silver and Gold evidencing fees, please click here.

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.

The Head Office (HO) is the principal office of a business organisation, constituting the centre for transport related administration and policymaking. The HO may or may not have fleet operations. It may differ to the registered office address listed on Companies House.

Click on the Head Office (HO) icon for the operating centre listed on your
MOCA dashboard that is your actual HO. This action will identify this operating centre as your HO. Please note only the MOCA overseer has the access to this page.

Please add the Head Office (HO) by clicking ‘Add’ in the Operating centre section. Once this has been approved by FORS admin, you will be able to choose this location as Head Office by clicking on the HO sign.

No, you won’t be able to change your Head Office. Please email the FORS Helpline team on enquiries@fors-online.org.uk, and we can change it for you

Please add the Head Office (HO) by clicking ‘Add’ in the Operating centre section. Once this has been approved by FORS admin, you will be able to choose this location as HO by clicking on the HO sign. If you have already selected the HO is selected ( sign is listed next to it), please email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk so we can investigate the issue.

The primary user for an operating centre and the MOCA overseer can request a Bronze audit by clicking the ‘Manage audit’ button on their dashboard. Head Office audit must be requested first every year, and once this has passed you will be able to request further audits for that year.

Please upload the fleet list for all the operating centres.

The Head Office (HO) audit is conducted on an annual basis to ensure that all company policy documents are in place, have been reviewed and have been cascaded to all operating centres in the scope of the company’s FORS accreditation. The company will also must evidence the established vehicle fleet composition and distribution throughout the business.

The Head Office audit covers any minor action points that were evidenced during the previous reporting period for any of the operating centres. The auditor will review them to see if they have been satisfactorily addressed and implemented across the organisation. Please note that any unresolved minor action points WILL escalate into major action points and the HO audit will be graded accordingly.

The Head Office must be audited, and the audit passed before you can request any further audits.

This depends on the number of operating centres in your organisation. The breakdown is as follows:

• 2-4 OCs: two audits
• 5-15 OCs: three audits
• 16+ OCs: 20 per cent audited

Please note, the Head Office is included in these numbers.

No, you need to undergo the required amount of Bronze audits every year.

To remove an operating centre, please email the FORS Helpline at enquiries@fors-online.org.uk. To add an operating centre, click on the ’Add’ button in the operating centre section of your MOCA admin page. Please note, you will be required to upload a new MOCA letter on your dashboard every time you add a new operating centre.

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 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 training@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 FORS Professional Booking Platform. Please click here and follow the link to the date/s of your choice. Make sure you add your FORS ID when booking the module.

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.

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 or organisation, as well as export the data to a spreadsheet.

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 two days of 3.5 hours each Practitioner Recertification webinar. Please email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk  for more information.

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 this can be amended on your eLearning dashboard. For classroom or group eLearning the learner  should contact the FORS helpline, who can make the amendments. This change can only be requested by the learner.

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

For all driver training queries you should contact the training provider who delivered the training. A full list of the contact details can be found on the FORS website. For all eLearning queries, please contact the FORS Helpline on enquiries@fors-online.org.uk.

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 members. Please click here for more information.

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.

Yes, it is a FORS requirement that operators must fit all their vehicles over 3.5 tonnes in scope of their FORS accreditation 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.

No,  you do not have to order through FORS Vehicle Graphics Service. You can provide your unique FORS ID artwork to any printers of your choice – this is available under the Evidence/Logos section of your organisational dashboard. The “Blind Spot Take Care” warning signage artwork can be found here.

To view the prices, please click here.

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.

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 your accreditation/s is/are still valid, please check your dashboard. Please refer to the FORS Standard and Rules and Procedures for more information about how to meet each requirement.

You will need to renew your Gold accreditation each year, however you must also maintain your Silver requirements each year through a submission of your Silver application.

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

Although we encourage all operators to produce and maintain documented evidence, if you have fewer than five employees AND fewer than five vehicles, you can demonstrate your policies and procedures verbally to the auditor. However, all your legal documents must be available on the day of the audit.

Please contact your audit provider as soon as possible to cancel your audit. For contact details and information on the FORS Audit Amendment and Cancellation Policy, please click here.

If you are a registered organisation, you must progress to Bronze within 90 days of registration. Failure to do so will result in your organisation being downgraded.

If you are Bronze, Silver or Gold accredited, you must undertake your renewal audit at least 45 days prior to expiry. You will be able to book your audit two months prior to expiry.

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 all  minor action points that are listed in the action plan within 90 calendar days from notification, but you will not require to notify FORS. Your action points will be checked at your next Bronze audit and will result in a failed audit if not resolved.

If you have 16 or more major action points, you 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 username (the email you used when you registered with FORS.) If you don’t remember your username, please email the FORS Helpline enquiries@fors-online.org.uk.

If you have forgotten or mislaid your FORS ID number, log in to FORS online, go to your dashboard and your 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 ask your organisation’s primary contact to email the FORS Helpline enquiries@fors-online.org.uk for you to be added as a secondary contact. If the original primary contact has now left your organisation, please email us with the request of the contact change.

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.

Click on ‘FORS offers‘ for the list of companies that 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 annual subscription fee is based on the total fleet size of all the operating centres in scope of the FORS accreditation. More information on the fees 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 accreditation that it holds. If you want to reinstate your company please email the FORS Helpline enquiries@fors-online.org.uk, request to be re-instated and complete the payment process.

For information on Bronze, Silver and Gold audit fees, please click here.

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 Silver/ Gold application. For more information please click here. 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 in the ‘Bronze audit fees section‘.

Yes, audits are available outside the UK. For more information on locations and costs, please visit this page and go to the Bronze audit fees section.

If you have been reinstated more than once within your 12 months membership period, you will be required to pay the full subscription fee again.

Please click here to watch our short tutorial video on how to reset your eLearning password.

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

The safety eLearning modules are: Cycle Safety, Van Smart, Smart Driving, Pedestrian Safe and Bridge Smart. At the time of your Bronze audit, one of these eLearning modules must have been undertaken by your drivers within the past 12 months.

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.

You can register with a username instead. For more information about the registration process, please click here for a simple step-by-step guide, which includes how to register without an email address.

Please click here to find the username you registered with.

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 has been in effect since 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 or Gold application if the training records cannot be verified online. In your application you will need to provide some other proof of attendance of the training required at FORS Silver or Gold.

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.