FORS announces fee reduction for operators

In the latest of a series of measures designed to assist fleet operators during the UK’s current health emergency, FORS has announced that it will reduce its annual subscription fee for new and existing members from 1st March.

Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, FORS has consistently helped members maintain their focus on best practice, including the provision of free training courses for drivers and fleet managers, and a move to remote auditing.

The news comes after FORS has frozen annual fees for operators for five consecutive years, saying ‘we have strived to deliver some financial respite that’s fair to all members’ at a time when the transport and logistics sector has sustained considerable commercial hardship. Fee reductions will apply to all existing members renewing their membership, and to anyone registering with FORS, from 1 March 2021, with revised costs calculated according to fleet size.

FORS has been delivering benefits for its members since the scheme started in 2008, and, before today’s announcement, has frozen its subscription fees across the board every year since 2015. During the UK’s coronavirus pandemic, FORS has maintained its commitment to members, moving all of its FORS Professional training portfolio and other services – including audits – to online platforms.

FORS is providing further support running free courses for the mandatory driver training at Silver (Safe Urban Driving / Van Smart) and Gold (LoCITY Driving). In addition, FORS launched two new courses, Time Smart and Managing Abnormal Indivisible Loads, to help managers with the day-to-day running of their operation, and both of these are also offered free-of charge to FORS members.

“We have worked hard to maintain our service levels during the health crisis,” said FORS Director, John Hix “and we have strived to deliver some financial respite that’s fair to all members based on their fleet size and regardless of whether they are new to the scheme or existing members. 2020 was extremely tough for many in the transport sector,” he said, “and only now are we seeing genuine signs that the movement of goods by road could return to normal levels in the second half of 2021.”

He added, “Our members already know that FORS best practice can deliver real operational savings, and I urge all operators to maintain their focus on safety and efficiency.”