J S Sandhu Transport Ltd are a sub-contractor that transports asphalt and aggregate materials in bulk for construction companies such as Tarmac and Aggregate industries. J S Sandhu Transport Ltd was first established in 2014 and have seen significant improvements in their haulage business since joining FORS. Jatinder Singh Sandhu, director of J S Sandhu Transport Ltd explains how FORS has been beneficial to their company.
We came across FORS when tendering for work in London. After conducting further research on FORS via online platforms, we saw how beneficial joining FORS would be for us, especially after reading other FORS members case studies on their website. After implementing the procedures and practices required to become FORS gold accredited, we believe we are performing at our best possible standard since launching as a haulage business.
Our initial experience when working towards a FORS gold accreditation went smoothly without any complications. With the advice and resources provided by FORS we were able to achieve our bronze, silver and gold accreditations first time round. After seeing the gradual improvements once achieving each accreditation, we were encouraged to keep performing at a FORS gold accredited level, as our fuel consumption figures have been at their lowest since joining FORS.
After becoming a FORS gold accredited haulage company, we continued to make use of the wide range of toolkits FORS has to offer. In particular, the performance management toolkit which helped us keep track of our fleets fuel usage, costs, emission output and distance travelled. Having somewhere to put all of this information helped us see where our fleet needed improvement or whether we were in fact making any progress.
‘The performance management toolkit really helped us keep track of our fuel usage and therefore we were able to save on fuel costs overall.’ – Jatinder Sandhu
Moreover, along with the FORS toolkits, the FORS e-Learning resources proved very useful to our drivers. Having learning resources with such easy access encouraged our drivers to regularly complete the FORS driving modules. These in turn then improved their road and vehicle knowledge and keep it up to date and refreshed in our drivers minds.
‘Our drivers are a lot more knowledgeable and confident on the roads thanks to the FORS e-Learning resources.’ – Jatinder Sandhu
At J S Sandhu Transport Ltd, we want to continue being FORS gold accredited after experiencing the benefits of working at the highest possible standard in a haulage business. Some of the benefits we reaped whilst being gold accredited was the increase of cliental joining the business, the decrease in fuel usage and costs and our fleets overall emission output.
In the last twelve months, we have increased our KMPL by 5.08% thanks to FORS.
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KMPL | Incidents per 100,000 Kms | Number of PCNs |
| Jan – Dec 16 | 2.95 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan – Dec 17 | 3.10 | 0 | 0 |
| Percentage improvement | 5.08% | 0% | 0% |
At J S Sandhu Transport Ltd, we believe the health of our drivers is of the utmost importance in order to ensure our road safety is at its highest. To ensure the health of our drivers is suitable for driving, we require that they fill out a health questionnaire declaring any health issues. If there is an issue that may affect their driving, we will then refer them to a GP for further consultation. Moreover, we also request that our drivers have their eye sight checked every six months.
At J S Sandhu Transport Ltd, we only have two vehicles and therefore we do not need to hire new drivers regularly. However, if we ever expand as a haulage business, we plan to offer new recruits a paid two-week buddy plan. This buddy plan allows inexperienced tipper drivers to join the industry. The plan consists of a more experienced driver assessing and teaching the new recruit for two weeks. If they have proven they are able to drive independently, they recruit can continue with their employment and begin their tasks as a new recruit.
Tipper vehicles are well known for producing a lot of noise and being a major contributor to the roads noise pollution levels. Thanks to the FORS anti-idling toolkit, our fleet’s noise pollution levels have dropped significantly, as our drivers now know to switch off their engines when idle for long periods of time.
The types of materials our business pick up and deliver must be kept at a high temperature. Therefore our mode of work requires a vehicle with an insulated body and a power turn over system. Currently the only vehicles that have these elements are all run with a diesel engine. The most environmentally friendly engine for a tipper vehicle is a euro six engine. We plan to keep up to date with any tipper vehicle improvements and alternatives we could implement into our business.
At J S Sandhu Transport Ltd, our plans for the future include continuing to encourage our drivers to regularly complete FORS driving modules. Also, we plan to continue making use of the FORS toolkits along with any new toolkits they introduce. Moreover, we plan to keep up to date with any improvements made in the tipper vehicle industry, to see when we could implement a more environmentally friendly vehicle into our fleet.
To conclude, remaining a FORS gold accredited business would encourage our drivers and reassure that they are performing at a high standard. Furthermore, it would also bring in more cliental, as being gold accredited increases our fleet credibility and reliability. We look forward to remaining FORS gold accredited and continuing to progress!
Please note: All published FORS Gold case studies have been submitted by the accredited company named above and transcribed verbatim.