M1 FORS Documentation

The Policy Manager module helps you to get started with your policies and procedures, providing legally drafted Driver Handbook and Driving Policy documents. The system enables you to upload signed documents, store, edit, communicate and regularly review your policies, whether you’re starting from scratch or simply improving the organisation of your existing documents. In addition, an interactive checklist will help you to log/forward-plan your actions, ensuring that nothing is overlooked.

M2 Records and information

The system provides you with a central platform with access from multiple sites, to store and organise every document and item of data required by the FORS Standard. Once uploaded, linking a document to the appropriate driver, vehicle or policy is straightforward, making access easy and enabling you to forward-plan document reviews/renewals. Maintenance records are easily stored for all vehicles, ensuring you have a robust audit trail of service, maintenance and repair, not only for your current vehicles but for those that have been disposed of.

Your company’s driving policies and risk assessments can be uploaded to the system for instant access, and you’ll be automatically prompted when a scheduled document review is approaching. You’ll also be able to record essential document audit details such as authorship, version numbers and creation/review dates.

M3 Responsible person

Details of the individual(s) with fleet or transport management responsibility can be kept within the staff section of FORS FMS. Training and qualifications are easily stored within driver records, which are easily exported for reporting purposes, and review reminder can be triggered for time-limited certifications.

M4 Staff and resources

Company structure can be documented in FORS FMS, with individual role types and responsibilities stored against employee records, providing ease of review and updating.

M5 Communication

FORS FMS can be used to sore and circulate any documents such as Health and Safety policies, company induction training, driver handbook acceptance and any additional training given to any or all staff. Courses, toolbox talks and educational material can be uploaded to the system, together with communications and/or review dates.

M6 Vehicle fleet

FORS FMS can be used to keep track of all the details for vehicles including the distribution of vehicles across the operating centres. Direct links to DVLA ensures that key information is accessible with minimal manual entry.

M7 Regulatory licensing

You can store a copy of your O-Licence, and record all associated details including identification of authorised vehicles, operating centre(s), margins available, notified changes to your licence and renewal dates. FORS FMS also provides unlimited means of recording and tracking other types of organisational licences and certificates.

M8 Health and safety

Risk assessments and policies associated with all aspects of vehicle and personal safety can be uploaded to FORS FMS, along with their planned review dates and evidence that instructions have been communicated to staff. You can also build records in the system of any training and education connected with safety, including toolbox talks, and allocate these to driver records so that you have an accurate, instantly accessible staff communication history.

M9 Complaints

FORS FMS provides a complete and robust means of complaint recording, resolution and follow-up. Upon receipt of a complaint, whether it originates from an internal employee, a member of the public, the Traffic Commissioner, HSE or the courts, you can record all of the details, linking the record to the appropriate staff member. Actions can be easily tracked and progressed via the system, and reports can be generated to help you highlight trends associated with individual drivers, locations or common failings.

M10 Transport infringements

FORS FMS includes a dedicated Incidents section where you can record complaints and/or reports of driver infractions, together with full details of the incident, witnesses/contributors, dates and any necessary follow-up. FORS FMS also gives you complete control of penalties and fines associated with occupational driving. Easily assign PCNs to the correct drivers and track them right through to completion, ensuring that nothing is overlooked and costs are kept to a minimum. Smart reporting enables you to identify repeat offenders and emerging trends, and the ability to upload your company’s policy surrounding transport-related fines ensures you and your staff are fully aware of driver responsibility/accountability relating to these offences.

M11 Transport updates

Users can opt to receive emailed communications about regulatory information and industry best practice, ensuring that they are always up to date with the latest legislation and guidance. This channel of communication helps build an audit trail of updates given to relevant transport staff and drivers as required.

V1 Serviceability and roadworthiness

Every record connected to the maintenance of your vehicles is stored in FORS FMS, for both current and historic vehicles.  This ensures you have a complete audit trail of fleet maintenance, including MOTs, servicing, PMIs, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), tyre maintenance, tachograph calibrations, Loler inspections and more, for as long as you are a registered user of the system. Advance ‘traffic light’ alerts give you a reliable means of forward-planning maintenance events, and if you operate with an O-licence you can instantly create downloadable maintenance planners as required.

V2 Daily walkaround checks

FORS FMS’s Mobile App allows you to create customised inspection sheets that your drivers access via their phone or mobile device.  Performing a vehicle check via the App is straightforward; drivers are guided easily through the check sequence and can submit descriptions of defects with supporting images.  All data is imported straight to the system, with check dates, times and durations, giving the fleet manager a complete insight and enabling prompt defect resolution, and reporting on inspections completed/overdue and open/actioned defects is made easy. 

V3 Insurance

FORS FMS includes an Insurance section where you can record all details of your fleet insurance policies, including insurance providers, policy numbers and start/end dates, and documents can be scanned and uploaded for reference.  Advance alerts are generated for renewals, giving you peace of mind that your insurance cover is always current and up to date.  Meetings with your insurer and/or broker can be easily recorded, and the system enables you to build a detailed history of claims.

V4 Vehicle tax

FORS FMS automatically imports the VED renewal date from DVLA when a vehicle is added to the system, and proactive alerts are generated in advance of expiries, enabling you to ensure vehicles are re-taxed on time.  SORN declaration can be marked against the vehicle record, again with advance alerts of expiry dates so there’s no danger of oversight.

V5 Load safety

Risk assessments and policies associated with drivers’ loading of vehicles can be uploaded to FORS FMS, along with their planned review dates and evidence that instructions have been communicated to staff.  You can also build records in the system of any training linked to vehicle loading, securing and towing, including driver CPC and toolbox talks, and allocate these to driver records so that you have an accurate, instantly accessible training chronicle of each staff member.

For companies operating PCVs, policies and other relevant documents can be uploaded to FORS FMS, giving clear guidance on safe loading, luggage distributions and on-board items.  Authorship, ownership and review dates are logged, enabling the company to have complete control over the policies and ensuring that they don’t become out of date.

V6 Vehicle safety equipment

FORS FMS gives you a means of recording every item of safety equipment fitted to a vehicle and/or provided to drivers, together with review dates and other essential information to ensure the equipment is always up to date.  The provision of a vehicle inspection routine is also helpful in this area as the drivers always have both the opportunity and the means of reporting defects or concerns linked to any aspect of vehicle safety or safety equipment.

V7 Tyre management

Tyre pressure and tread depths can be imported to the system, either by manual input (via a pre-built safety checksheet) or by the driver using the FORS FMS App.
Once recorded, you’ll receive proactive alerts for tyre replacements, as the system will recognise when the treads are approaching a pre-defined minimum depth.  The uploaded maintenance invoices will ensure you have an audit trail of approved tyre disposal routines.  As for fuel, simple import routines make sure that you have total visibility of fuel consumption and can use this data to educate your drivers about your company’s fuel purchasing/efficiency policies.

D1  Licensing

FORS FMS includes a comprehensive licence recording, checking and verification platform, giving you full knowledge of the licence statuses of each of your drivers, and enabling you to monitor drivers who may pose a risk of licence issues and/or poor driving behaviour. Details of licences and all associated driver, category and entitlement information is uploaded to the system, and endorsements are logged with recommended risk-based re-check intervals linked to endorsement statuses.

D2 Driving standards

FORS FMS can be used to store and circulate any documents including written policy on driving standards and driver declarations including the rules of The Highway Code.

D3 Staff Induction

FORS FMS gives you the means of recording company induction training focussing on health and safety, road safety and the safety of vulnerable road users, as well as driver handbook circulation/acceptance and any additional education given to any or all staff.  Courses, toolbox talks and educational material can be uploaded to the system, together with communication and/or review dates.

D4 Professional development

With FORS FMS you have a robust means of ensuring that your drivers are adequately trained and that any qualifications or certifications remain current and valid.  Driver e-Learning records conducted via FORS are automatically imported, and you can create records in the system for all other training and education connected with driving activity, including toolbox talks.

D5 In-vehicle communication

Policies associated with the use of handheld devices whilst driving can be uploaded to FORS FMS, along with the planned policy review dates and evidence that instructions have been communicated to staff.

D6 Health and eyesight

The system gives you a wide scope to implement, control, organise and ensure ongoing review with automated reminders of your drivers’ fitness and health are completed. In addition, you can create a health checklist to record and track details of individual driver medical and eyesight checks, together with any resulting issues that may impact a person’s ability to drive, or that need to be disclosed to DVLA.

D7 Working time and driver’ hours

FORS FMS can be used to score and circulate any documents such as drivers’ hours and working time.

O1 Routing

Your company’s policy regarding vehicle utilisation can be uploaded to FORS FMS by the appointed owner, together with planned review dates to generate advance alerts.  You can also give guidance to your drivers about route selection via training sessions, toolbox talks, a driver handbook and/or other documentation, all of which can be stored, circulated and reviewed via the system.  If a telematics system is used for route optimisation purposes, the data can, in most cases, be integrated with FORS FMS for a complete and highly insightful overview of driving efficiency.

O2 Fuel, emissions and air quality

The system has simple fuel import routines to make sure that you have total visibility of fuel consumption and can use this data to educate your drivers about your company’s fuel purchasing/efficiency policies.

Your company’s policy regarding vehicle operation can be uploaded to FORS FMS by the appointed owner, together with planned review dates to generate advance alerts.  You can also give guidance to your drivers about engine idling to ensure they are fully aware of the reasons why it should be kept to a minimum. This can be delivered via training sessions, toolbox talks, a driver handbook and/or other documentation, all of which can be stored, circulated and reviewed via the system.  If vehicles are fitted with telematics devices, the data can (in most cases) be integrated with FORS FMS, and you can generate reports to evidence the monitoring of engine idling instances within your fleet.

O3 Road traffic collisions

The system includes a dedicated ‘Incidents’ section where you can record reports of driver infractions and other issues, as well as near misses.  Here you can log full details of the incident, witnesses/contributors, dates, costs and any necessary follow-up.  Furthermore, collisions and other RTCs resulting in vehicle damage can be recorded in the ‘Incidents’ section which again provides full scope to record all the essential information about the incident, including insurance details and claim progression.

O4 Passenger safety

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O5 Specialist operations

FORS FMS provides unlimited means of recording and tracking all types of organisational licences and certificates.  You can upload your policies relating to transport of hazardous/dangerous goods and abnormal loads to the system, with all relevant dates, references, owner(s), advisers and evidence of internal policy circulation.

O6 Operational security

Detailed information about assigned drivers, out-of-hours vehicle activity (via telematics integration), base site and allocated equipment can be recorded within the system, giving you the optimum insight into where your vehicles are, who is responsible for them (both currently and historically) and any patterns of activity that require investigation. Documents providing guidance to your drivers regarding theft and unauthorised access can be stored and reviewed within the policy section.

O7 Counter terrorism

All policies and procedures, including those specific to counter terrorism, can be stored within FORS FMS with review dates and automated alerts generated to ensure policies remain compliant and current.