London Road Haulage Fleet Operator Scheme Will Roll Out to Freight Truckers Across the Country

UK – Big news for all reputable road haulage operators carrying freight in the capital and beyond as the FORS Community Project (FCP) has released the details of the new pricing structure it plans to implement ahead of its official takeover of the award winning Fleet Operators Recognition Scheme (FORS) accreditation, later in the month from Transport for London (TfL). Comprised of AECOM, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and Fleet Source, the FCP will take over the management of FORS from TfL which decided that the operation had ‘grown beyond its remit’ with plans to roll out the scheme across the country.

For companies that are already FORS accredited, the Partnership has confirmed that there will be a charge for the annual renewal although this charge will be waived or reduced in the first year, depending on the company’s renewal date.

From February 17, all new companies joining FORS will pay an annual subscription fee based on their fleet size and an audit fee based on the number of operating centres they wish to have accredited. The scheme annual registration starts from £65 for a company with one vehicle, plus the cost of an annual audit. Companies with their own internal audit capability can be approved to certify their own depots to the FORS standard. Steve Agg FCILT, Chief Executive, CILT said:

“The FORS Community Partnership has established a fair and sustainable pricing structure to ensure that all fleet operators are encouraged to join the award-winning scheme. We recognise the importance of developing a national benchmark for all and have demonstrated our commitment to professional development in ensuring that all operators have access to FORS.”

Existing FORS accredited companies with an annual renewal date falling between January 30 and March 1 renewing their existing registration without changing the scope of their accreditation will not be charged an annual subscription or audit fee (excluding follow-up audits).

FORS companies with an annual renewal date falling between March 2 and March 31 will receive one operating centre audit free of charge, be charged for additional audits and any follow-up audits, and either pay no annual subscription fee if the total fleet size is up to and including 10 vehicles, or will receive a £350 discount on the annual subscription fee for companies with a total fleet size above 10 vehicles.

FORS companies with an annual renewal date after March 31 and up to January 30, 2016 will be charged reduced fees for an annual subscription and audits (excluding follow-up audits).

Companies that are registered with FORS before February 17 but have not yet been audited, will not have to pay an annual subscription fee for this year but will have to pay for any audits that had booked and confirmed by January 30, 2015.

TfL has fully funded FORS for seven years and established the scheme as a benchmark standard for the industry. As part of the new arrangement FORS will become a self-funding scheme enabling it to be available across the UK and ensure the continued development of the FORS benefits package. The accreditation is committed to raising professional standards and, by establishing the scheme nationwide, the industry should benefit from a recognised national benchmark for all fleet operations, raising standards across the UK.

For more information on the changes in the FORS accreditation, contact the Helpline on 08448 09 09 44 or email