Hird achieves FORS Gold for London transport fleet

FORS, created and managed by Transport for London, supports fleet operators that set high standards for public safety, business performance and environmental protection.

Hird’s national transport fleet achieved FORS silver in 2018. Since then, the London depot, based in Redhill, Surrey, has pushed on to achieve gold accreditation.

Hird Director John Wilding said: “As we have a strong focus on providing glass lifting equipment in London, we saw achieving FORS gold in this way as a key priority.

“Participating in FORS provides us with a range of advantages, from boosting our commercial reputation to making our fleet operation more efficient, safer and sustainable, helping us contribute to wider environmental benefits for everyone in the capital.”

The process of working towards the gold standard has been coordinated by Hird Transport Supervisor Chloe Rainbow. She explains that multiple improvements made over three years have been key to the success.

“We reconfigured our fleet to reduce miles travelled, reducing fuel consumption and emissions, we provide our drivers with high quality continuous training and we enhanced our transport planning making our deliver scheduling more efficient,” she said.

“This has allowed our drivers to work smarter, it’s improved our service to customers and its reduced our impact on the wider community through reduced pollution and more considerate driving and parking.

“It’s been a whole team effort and the whole team and company has benefited as a result. The field tools system provided by FORS has also been a great help during the improvement journey we’ve been on.”