JD Commercials ltd has been a commercial vehicle repair centre for over 24 years and has close ties to the DVSA through MOTS and as a DVSA-approved tacho centre. Twelve years ago they embarked on a journey into the road haulage and logistics sector.
Managing Director, Dave Titterton, explains the changes that were made to the business when incorporating a haulage division and the continued benefits provided by the company’s FORS membership. ‘We were asked by a large customer of ours if we were FORS registered, at the time we were working on the ‘Crossrail’ scheme so were aware of FORS. As with most accreditations, we felt very pressured and a little reluctant to commit to such a big undertaking.
However, after numerous meetings and consultations between myself, our Transport Manager and other key members of the team we decided to commit to FORS. The decision was made, and we all agreed that we wanted to achieve FORS Gold.
We met our first assessment with some reluctance and it showed in our results. When we passed our first re-assessment we quickly learned that embracing everything FORS has to offer was the way forward. We followed this with the Silver accreditation which we passed the first time. This solidified our position on deliveries into London and our customer base increased.
Since embracing FORS our company has been transformed both economically and operationally. We completed the Gold Practitioners course in March this year and have continued to make the most of what FORS has to offer through Safe Urban Driving, in-house workshops and e-learning to name a few, making our drivers some of the most highly trained in the industry. Our vehicles now have an extensive safety standard as they enter service, as a commitment to drivers, vulnerable road users and the environment alike.
‘Our success and growth is mirrored by our journey with FORS, a superb platform for best practise.’
Our FORS standards can be measured by our extensive reporting processes and the reduction in traffic incidents and collisions. We introduced a Vulnerable Road User Policy which has been active for a few years now. Our team of drivers also undertook further workshops and Safe Urban Driving training to further ensure their road safety and commitment to the FORS scheme.
Low staff turnover, safety-specific kits on vehicles and advanced training have all come together to help us manage traffic and collisions, we have seen a reduction of 50% on the base year and have been injury free on all collisions since 2014. This is one trend we wish to keep going with.
‘FORS has given us the strength to achieve better deals by operating to a high quality as standard’
Achieving FORS Gold would be a valued reward for our team who have worked tirelessly to reach this pinnacle. Then the real work starts with maintaining and improving the standards going forward.