D & B Haulage Ltd – Going for Gold!

D & B Haulage Ltd is a sub-contractor that transports tarmac materials for Tarmac Industries. Established in 2013, the company has seen significant improvements in the KMPL delivered by their fleet and a reduction in carbon emissions since implementing the FORS practices into the company’s processes. Tarsem Singh, director of D & B Haulage Ltd explains how FORS has been beneficial to their company.

We initially came across FORS when searching for methods on how we can help improve and expand our company driver’s road knowledge. We discovered that FORS offers a wide range of driving e-Learning modules as well as practical modules. What appealed to us most were the e-Learning modules due to their easy access for our drivers and the amount of information they provide.

D & B Haulage Ltd passed their initial Bronze, Silver and Gold audit first time round. Achieving these accreditations encouraged us to continue with driver training by keeping up to date with new relevant training courses and encouraging our drivers to regularly complete current e-Learning modules to refresh their road and vehicle knowledge.

After our company received our first Gold accreditation, we decided to make full use of what FORS has to offer such as the wide range of e-learning resources, particularly the e-Learning cycle safety module. Moreover, the Smart Driving module was also useful in encouraging and reminding drivers to follow the correct rules and regulations whilst driving on the road in order to ensure maximum safety for vulnerable road users.

‘Being FORS Gold accredited has relayed to customers that we are reliable and efficient at delivering our materials.’ – Tarsem Singh

FORS offers a range of toolkits which have helped keep our vehicles up-to-date with the latest safety equipment in order to help our drivers have a better awareness or their surroundings when in the vehicle. Furthermore, we have been provided with toolkits that help our fleet become more environmentally friendly such as the Fuel Use tracker which monitors our fleets fuel usage, KMPL and CO2 output.

‘Our drivers are now much more confident and knowledgeable of the road thanks to the FORS driving modules.’ – Tarsem Singh

After becoming Gold accredited and seeing how it has improved our company and helped bring in more clients we are encouraged to keep implementing the FORS practices and are now aiming to renew our Gold accreditation to prove we are still up to standard and operating at our optimum potential.

In the last two quarters, we have increased our KMPL by 8.8% thanks to FORS.

At D & B Haulage Ltd we believe the health of our driver’s should be at its peak in order to ensure the safety of other vulnerable road users and the drivers themselves. We certify our employees’ health is at its peak by requesting employees to complete a health questionnaire declaring that they are fit to work.

When D & B Haulage Ltd is looking for new recruits we like to advertise online and in newspapers. Furthermore, in order to help new recruits ease into their new working environment more comfortably; we offer a two-week buddy plan in order for them to adapt to their new environment safely and comfortably with the help of a more experienced driver.

By using the toolkits and driver training provided by FORS we were able to improve on reducing the amount of noise pollution our vehicles create on a daily basis. One of the techniques we learned from FORS was switching off the engine when the vehicle is stationary for a long period of time. This in turn then helps the company save money on fuel for our vehicles.

As our mode of work requires us to use a PTO system and insulated bodies to store and transport our materials at high temperatures, we are unable to use alternative transport methods that are better for the environment such as electronic vehicles as they do not cater to our business needs as of yet.

To make sure we remain a reliable fleet that carries out good practices we are aiming to renew our FORS Gold accreditation once again as we are aware from experience of the benefits to be gained by carrying out practices that are up to Gold accreditation standard. Furthermore, we will continue to encourage regular training for our drivers with the use of FORS e-Learning modules and we will continue to learn new techniques in reducing CO2 emissions in order to be less damaging to the environment.

Furthermore, with the help of the FORS online modules and training, our drivers are more confident and knowledgeable on the road and have a better understanding of how to keep vulnerable road users safe and how to help with today environmental issues. For D & B Haulage Ltd to achieve another FORS Gold accreditation, it would reaffirm us as a company, reassure our employees that they are working to the best of their ability and relay to the public that we are a safe and reliable fleet.

Please note: All published FORS Gold case studies have been submitted by the accredited company named above and transcribed verbatim.