Category: Fleet News

Securing valuable accreditations that are well-regarded in the fleet industry is one way you can quickly ramp up the authority of your company’s fleet, and one of the most respected accreditations you can get your fleet set up with is the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS).

In this blog we’ll take you through the various levels of FORS accreditation you can achieve, as well as the benefits the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme has for both fleet drivers and managers.

What is FORS?

The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) aims to ramp up standards in fleet operations with a focus on areas such as road safety, fuel efficiency, and carbon emissions. Measuring performance in these areas give fleets an opportunity to demonstrate the positive advancements they are making, which is not only valuable for reputation but also for both driver safety and environmental responsibility.

To gain the FORS accreditations, you must simply prove that you are meeting the requirements of the level of accreditation you are looking to achieve.

FORS Accreditations

There are three tiers of FORS accreditation: bronze, silver and gold. Each tier builds upon the last and has a different set of requirements to demonstrate best practice in specific ways.

The standards for each tier of FORS accreditation are outline below:

Bronze Accreditation

For the bronze accreditation, FORS will audit your company; offering you tools and resources to help you pass. After you pass this audit, you will achieve your bronze FORS.

To start, you simply need to register your business at the FORS website. Then download the standards documentation to get to grips with what the audit will check and the standards you’ll need to meet. FORS will audit your company within 90 days of registration.

Silver Accreditation

In order to achieve silver accreditation, you will need to meet all the standards outlined in the bronze accreditation as well as ensuring your fleet is compliant with CLOCS Standard for Construction Logistics and the TfL Work Related Road Risk.

Whilst more in-depth than the bronze FORS audit, the process is the same and the information and guide can be found online at the website.

Gold Accreditation

The highest standard of compliance, the gold FORS accreditation requires you to also promote the FORS standard through your supply chain. You must additionally demonstrate meaningful improvements from your Silver accreditation.

Benefits of FORS accreditation

Benefits for fleet drivers

Fleet drivers can put to good use the vast range of courses and e-learning opportunities offered by FORS, helping them to improve and maintain a high standard of driver competency and safety. These learning opportunities can help fleet drivers become more aware and mindful of the safety aspects of their driving (benefiting themselves and other road users), as well as their impact on the environment.

Courses include:

• Beyond Compulsory Basic Training – for delivery drivers in urban environments.
• Safe Urban Driving – for commercial HGV operators.
• TruckSmart – for commercial HGV drivers.
• VanSmart – for commercial van drivers.
• LoCity Driving – for commercial HGV and van drivers.

Benefits for fleet operators

For fleet operators, FORS also offers a range of courses and e-learning opportunities that can be useful in improving their performance in their role.

• HGV/PCV Fleet Management Essentials – for supervisory staff working to achieve O Licence.
• Car/Van Fleet Management Essentials – for supervisory staff operating car and van fleets.
• Toolbox Talks – to help operators communicate with their staff.
• Collision Management – Road Risk Champion and Collision Investigator.
• FORS Practitioner – series of workshops designed for transport managers.

Saving money with FORS

Other than the clear safety benefits that come with operating at a FORS worthy standard, holding a FORS accreditation can also save your business money. From reducing incidents and accidents to reducing fuel spending, FORS can help your fleet make small but impactful changes that will quickly turn into savings for your company too.

FORS can help your fuel consumption by teaching fleet operators useful ways to track fuel usage, and teaching fleet drivers tactics for how they can drive in a less consumptive manner, like cutting down time spent idle and being tactical with driving speeds and journey planning. Good for both the environment and the company bank account.

Fleet management tools from Fuel Card Services

Put the new skills you learn through your acquisition of the FORS accreditations with software and telematics systems that will complement and assist your fleet management. From managing fuel spending and consumption with our Mileage Count, to keeping track of driver safety and habits with TeleGence telematics, we can help support you in managing your fleet efficiently and effectively, with money saving opportunities across the board.

If you are interested in learning more about what we offer or would like some support in choosing the right fleet management tools for your fleet, get in touch today.

Fleet managers are responsible for controlling all moving parts within a commercial fleet operation; from supporting drivers to boosting profitability and maintaining infrastructure. One crucial part of the formula behind fleet success, however, is having strong finances – and this underpins all other parts of the equation.

Tracking outgoings and ensuring efficient spending are amongst the biggest challenges managers face, particularly when external market conditions can often mean these outgoings are in a state of flux.

To help fleet managers stay up to date, this blog will discuss some of the biggest factors at play; breaking down the pillars of fleet operations and associated costs and identifying how wider social factors might impact outgoings in the coming years.

To quickly jump to specific insights, click the links below:

• Why Net Zero is impacting fleet finances.
• The key overheads impacting commercial fleets.
• Financing a fleet using internal vs external financing.
• How Fuel Card Services is supporting UK fleets.

Net zero 2050 & fleet electrification

The climate crisis is one of the biggest external factors that will impact UK businesses in the coming years, and fleet managers need to consider the practical impact of new legislation when thinking about the operation of their fleet. What’s more, the Government’s transport decarbonisation plan highlights how pivotal the fleet industry is to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Making sustainable changes to fleet infrastructure and operations will inevitably come with a cost element, but luckily the increasing demand for low/zero emission vehicles will see the price per vehicle steadily reduce over time – as manufacturing capacity and efficiency increases and cost savings can be passed on to UK businesses.

Consequently, making major sustainable change today could be an impractical option for many businesses, but instead fleet operators should look to make longer term plans and decide on how to transition to electric vehicles gradually. Adopting a ‘sustainable mindset’ doesn’t simply mean ‘going green’, it means embracing environmentally positive initiatives while simultaneously reducing waste and protecting finances.

What are the key overheads impacting commercial fleets?

Here are some of the most common and predictable overheads to be aware of that can determine the strength of a fleet business’ cash flow.

Vehicle acquisition

The most obvious and recognizable part of a fleet is its vehicle portfolio, and vehicle acquisition is one of the most important and potentially most expensive outgoings. The needs of your company will dictate what sort of fleet vehicles you need and how many – but choosing how to finance the acquisition of these vehicles is the one of the biggest primary hurdles.

Fleet leasing

You may choose to acquire your vehicles by leasing vehicles from a leasing company. This is most often the most cost-effective way to get the vehicles you need, with minimal hassle. It’s a pragmatic financing option for fleet managers needing any number of vehicles, making it accessible for any size business needing anything from a few cars to a larger fleet of hundreds or more.

Depending on your agreement with the leasing company, leased fleet vehicles can be used for any business needs, and occasionally personal needs too. On completion of your set leasing period, leased vehicles are returned to the leaser and can be updated for newer models.

For fleet operators, leasing is the most economical way to obtain fleet vehicles with increased flexibility over purchasing fleet vehicles due to the ability to update vehicles more frequently without having to go through the longwinded process of selling current vehicles and buying new ones. Not only that, being able to update vehicles more often means you benefit from having your fleet drivers in increasingly efficient vehicles with the latest safety features.

Leasing fleet vehicles is also useful because of the tax savings they offer. On vehicles leased for business use, 100% of the VAT of monthly rental costs can be claimed back and, depending on the emissions of your leased vehicles, you could also offset up to 100% of lease rental against corporation tax.

Fleet buying

Buying your fleet vehicles might be a wise financial choice if your business has access to large capital reserves. Buying vehicles ultimately negates any interest payments associated with leasing, and if vehicles have longevity and can be fully utilized – then this may be the most sensible finance option for businesses that can afford to invest.

Additionally, buying could be a good option for businesses that are looking to acquire fleet vehicles slowly; purchasing one at a time while maintaining a financial buffer that they can fall back on when needed. You can resell vehicles you own, while leased vehicles remain the property of a third party.

This doesn’t just make bought fleet vehicles an asset, but also means that you won’t be charged for leased vehicles that get damaged or accrue high mileages. Of course, you will still suffer a loss of value in such situations, so driver safety and proper vehicle usage is paramount either way.

If you purchase low emission vehicles, you can claim 100% of your first-year costs against corporation tax, and if you use a loan to pay for your vehicle purchase you can offset 100% of the interest against your end of year tax bill.

Deciding whether purchasing or leasing is right for your business will be largely dependent on the type of business you are acquiring a fleet for, and the capital available, and you will need to consider a range of factors including tax rates and maintenance cost over an extended time frame to pick the right suite of vehicles for your fleet.

Read more insights around buying versus leasing fleet vehicles.

Fuel and charging

Keeping your fleet moving means managing the costs of fuel and charging – and this is another key overhead fleet operators must contend with. An outdated method of managing fuel expenses has fleet drivers pay for their fuel out of pocket before handing over receipts for expenses repayments. This results in drivers having to conduct a lot of manual admin work, and it also brings no additional cost-saving benefits that could be achieved through putting a large-scale solution in place.

For fleet managers looking to fuel and recharge their fleet efficiently and reap benefits too, investing in fuel cards and EV charge cards is a wise economic choice. These cards cut out a hefty chunk of administration and allow your drivers to refuel or recharge with either a debit or credit-style system.

Your choice of card will depend on your business’ needs, with the type of vehicles in your fleet influencing your choice of fuel card or EV charge cards, and other factors such as your business capital, driver habits and types of journeys impacting your choice of traditional (credit) or prepaid (debit) fuel cards. Whichever you choose will offer you an increased opportunity to manage fuel and electricity expenditure within your fleet, as well as enjoy various benefits and perks that come with different card brands.

Servicing and maintenance

Whatever the size of your fleet, keeping on top of maintenance and servicing can be costly and time consuming without the right tools in place. Poorly organised servicing and maintenance scheduling can leave fleet vehicles unsafe to drive, putting drivers in unsafe situations and risking damage to the company, should incidents occur because of missed servicing or damaged vehicles.

Preventative maintenance is the best place to start if you are looking to keep servicing and maintenance costs low. It’s much more cost effective to deal with small issues promptly and preserve your fleet vehicles (by carrying out regular checks on factors such as tyre pressure and oil) rather than to allow them to develop into larger problems with more sizable bills to fix.

Consequently, servicing management software is an invaluable tool that fleet operators can use to stay up to date on the servicing and maintenance schedules of fleet vehicles. These pieces of software will help you to determine exactly which vehicles need servicing and when, helping to prevent missed MOTs and giving you increased access to garages and booking services.

Our MyService.Expert service grants drivers access to pre-negotiated servicing and maintenance rates at leading dealerships and independent garages across the UK, meaning you can get the best prices with minimal hassle. The pay-as-you-go service brings all your fleet details into one portal, so you can keep a tab on the maintenance needs and booking of all your fleet vehicles. You can learn more about MyService.Expert here.

Infrastructure and premises

Ill-suited business infrastructure can have a negative impact both on the smooth operation of your fleet and on fleet financing, particularly for fleets that are partly or entirely made up of electric or hybrid vehicles.

For all types of vehicles, safe storage and security is vital to ensuring they don’t end up damaged or stolen. Where possible, off-street parking and security measures like cameras and gating will help to avoid costs that result from theft and vandalism.

If you are growing the number of electric vehicles in your fleet or are even just encouraging your staff to purchase their own electric cars, installing charging points at your business premises could be a worthwhile investment. If you are looking to make this development and introduce charge points at your place of work, check whether your business is eligible for the Workplace Charging Scheme. The scheme offers businesses grants to help with as much as 75% of the cost of installing EV charge points.

Software infrastructure and technology

While physical infrastructure allows for the operation of a fleet, the efficiency, productivity, and effective management of fleets is largely determined by software capabilities. So, it’s crucial that modern fleets have the right technology stack in place.

Key aspects of a fleet business’ tech stack should include:

• Telematics systems – which transmit data from fleet vehicles to a centralized database to help record and monitor vehicle safety, performance, and the likes.
• Mileage tracking software – which can be performed either via standalone software or as an integrated part of a telematics setup.
• Apps and packages for drivers – for example mobile applications to help drivers find nearby fuel pumps.

At Fuel Card Services, we offer all of these services and more, which you can read more about in our deep-dive on the advantages of fleet technology products. Additional software that could help a fleet business is accountancy and cash flow monitoring software, which could help produce cash flow forecasts, monitor expenditure and income, and use automation to provide fleets with useful insights.

Fleet Financing: External vs Internal solutions

Ultimately, there are two ways to finance the growth of your business. One is by generating a substantial number of profits and using those profits to fuel a slow and steady growth. This is known as ‘internal finance’ and is sometimes a luxury for businesses as not everyone has access to serious capital reserves.

Alternatively, external financing could be a good option for commercial fleets. In an external financing agreement, a fleet will partner with an external finance provider, such as a fintech or traditional bank, and borrow money to fund growth. Examples of external finance include:

• Business loans – these are typically used for large capital investments, such as purchasing vehicles or expanding premises.
• Invoice financing or business overdrafts – these ‘line of credit’ style financing facilities enable businesses to dip into a finance facility to borrow as and when it is needed.

These are of course some downsides to external financing; having to pay interest on money borrowed and taking on a level of risk, however this is common of the industry.

The most important thing fleet operators can do is to start thinking about the EV shift and the real-world impact it’s likely to have on a business. By forecasting cash flow over the upcoming years and mapping out exactly what investments and ongoing costs are likely to be covered, fleet managers can determine the best direction in which a fleet’s financing pattern should grow and evolve.

It could also be useful to educate the wider business on the practical impact of new infrastructure and technology investments from a cost perspective.

How can Fuel Card Services help?

At Fuel Card Services, we are specialists in helping commercial fleets save money. We do this in a range of ways, including:

• Offering a variety of fuel cards and EV charge cards and the means to pick the right one.
• Equipping fleets with a range of software, services, and telematics systems that can help you know exactly where your money needs to go and when.

Tele-Gence Telematics

Tools like our Tele-Gence telematics services are designed to equip you with market-leading technology that will help you save on operational costs wherever possible whilst also improving driver safety. Additionally, this service can help you to avoid financial losses that result from fraud, while also tracking driver behaviour to help you preserve vehicle health. Get in touch with our team to learn more about Tele-Gence and how it can support your fleet management.

Fuel Cards

If you are looking for guidance on what fuel card is the right fit for your fleet and offers benefits you can really use, why not try out our fuel card selection tool. The quick questionnaire will give you a set of fuel cards right for you based off your answers so you can make an informed choice and pick the fuel card or charge card that’s right for your fleet.

If you want to speak to a member of our team, you can get in touch here.

Fleet drivers come in many forms, from users of company cars to dedicated HGV drivers conducting long haul trips. With such a wide variety of roles found within your average fleet operation, there is an equally expansive range of qualifications fleet drivers need in order to do their job safely and within the bounds of the law.

As a fleet operator, it’s important that you understand the full breadth of qualifications that are required by law, and that you could take advantage of to grow and expand your fleet. And as a driver, it may be worth exploring new qualifications to upskill and progress in your career.

That’s why this blog will take a look at exactly what qualifications you will need to operate different vehicles, which qualifications and licenses you will need to check for as a fleet manager, and some ways in which the process of vetting new drivers can be made easier.

What records must a business hold on a driver?

The first thing that should be checked when employing new fleet drivers is that they hold the correct driving license for the vehicle they will be driving and are suitably trained.

Access Driver Data with DVLA

To speed up the process of checking driver records, fleet managers can use the Access Driver Data (ADD) service.

ADD provides:

• 24/7 real time driving license data
• Single requests
• Full driving license details

For managers looking for a quicker way to check larger numbers of license, ADD is an investment that can create a more efficient checking process. You can learn more about ADD here.

Driving License Categories

Category	Type	Additional Test	Restriction
A	Motorbikes	Yes	N/A
AM	2 or 3 wheeled motors	Yes	Max speed 15.5 – 28mph
B	Cars	No	Max 8 passenger seats
B auto	Automatic cars	No	N/A
B+E	Cat B + trailer	No	Up to 3,500kg
B1	Light vehicles	No	Up to 550kg with goods
C	Large lorries	Yes	Max trailer 750kg
C+E	Cat C + trailer	Yes	N/A
C1	Lorries	Yes	Up to 7,500kg + 750kg trailer
C1+E	Cat C1 + trailer	Yes	Max combined weight 12,000kg
D	Bus	Yes	Trailer up to 750kg
D+E	Cat D + trailer	Yes	N/A
D1	Minibus	Yes	Max length 8m, max trailer 750kg
D1+E	Cat D1 + trailer	Yes	N/A
F	Tractor	No	N/A
G	Road roller	Yes	N/A
H	Tracked vehicles	Yes	N/A
K	Pedestrian vehicles	No	Self-propelled
Q	2 wheeled motors	No	Max speed 15.5mph

Can you drive a van with a car licence?

Whilst most vans are covered under the ‘B’ classification on a driving license (received on passing a standard driving test), it’s important to pay attention to the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of any van you are looking to drive, professionally or casually.

Under the ‘B’ classification, drivers are permitted to operate any vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes. This includes the contents of the van, which is an important consideration for those looking to drive a van professionally for purposes such as deliveries.

If you need drivers for vans of a higher weight or will be requiring drivers to transport goods that will take the vehicle over the MAM, you will need to ensure that your drivers have a C1 licence. This will allow them to drive medium and larger sized vehicles with a MAM of up to 7.5 tonnes.

Qualifications for lorry drivers, coach drivers, and bus drivers

To drive a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or bus, drivers must first have a full car licence, be over 18, and have a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence qualification.

What is a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence?

Introduced across Europe to improve road safety and high driving standards, the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence is a required qualification for all those wishing to drive a HGV, bus, or coach professionally.

What is Driver CPC?

Made up of five tests, the Driver CPC will ensure vehicle operators are up to date on health, safety and legal requirements needed to safely operate larger vehicles. The Driver CPC is a legal requirement for those driving professionally and those found driving professionally without the qualification can be fined up to £1000.

Insurance for Fleet Drivers

Fleet operators should also be diligent when it comes to checking that insurance is correct for drivers in their fleet. On top of issues such as out-of-date licenses and excess penalty points, having the incorrect insurance on a fleet vehicle can make it very difficult to claim in the case of an accident.

As a fleet manger, liability for accidents in such circumstances can fall on you as the instigator of the journey. As such, its vital for the safety and preservation of yourself, your driver, and your company to play close attention not just to the validity of licences but also to the insurance on fleet vehicles.

If a company vehicle is found to be uninsured, both the driver and company could be liable to a fine, and the company may see the car seized or destroyed – potentially costly for all.

Tele-Gence Telematics

For fleet operators, telematics systems can provide extremely valuable insights into driving patterns that can help you put in place the right practices to promote driver safety. That’s where our advanced Tele-Gence telematics service excels. It can help you gauge driver behaviour, and give you access to a wealth of helpful insights that you can share with your drivers.

Designed to equip both fleet operators and drivers with the means to track and improve safety and costs, Tele-Gence offers a host of features such as fuel fraud alerts, driver behaviour tracking, live traffic, dash cam management and more. Collating this information in an accessible hub for fleet managers to monitor, Tele-Gence can help you identify areas for improvement with ease.

If you’d like to discuss the benefits of Tele-Gence and our other fleet tools, feel free to get in touch with our team.