Hughes Haulage Ltd began as a sole trader in 1989 transporting aggregates and asphalt for Foster Yeoman who were a large, independently owned quarrying and asphalt producer. After a very happy 19 years with them they were bought by Aggregate Industries in 2008 and Hughes Haulage Ltd became a franchise haulier for Aggregate Industries that year. An ongoing initiative throughout the construction industry for a better and safer way of conducting business has meant many changes over time; having been a FORS member since 2012, they have been a real benefit to the company and have helped in achieving the safety standards required for this mode of work.

David Hughes, the director of Hughes Haulage Ltd explains how FORS has been beneficial to their company.

We initially heard about FORS through our suppliers, Aggregate Industries. They encouraged us to join the scheme and explained that the FORS scheme offered a wide range of training resources for drivers in our field of work. They also informed and provided us with a range of up to date safety policies and regulations. Having these resources has made it easy for us to improve and continue improving on our safety standards.

Our initial Bronze audit in 2012 was a step into the unknown, but happily we passed and it was encouraging to discover that the systems in place were of a standard that was acceptable. As time has progressed, these standards have become much higher and as a company, we believe we have a duty to research and embrace systems and technology in conjunction with excellent driver knowledge and training to actively encourage a safer workplace.

Once we became bronze accredited with FORS we swiftly started working on our Silver accreditation. At Hughes Haulage Ltd, we felt that by implementing more of the FORS scheme into the business, it would further improve and advance our company and push us to our fullest potential.

‘As the managing director of Hughes Haulage Ltd, I have now completed all FORS Practitioner workshops. Having been in the industry for over 30 years, I was somewhat sceptical as to how these workshops would help me but how wrong I was! They have been by far the most helpful and educational courses that I have been on and the professionalism and superb knowledge of the trainers were a really beneficial experience and the most worthwhile use of time that I have had for many years.’ – David Hughes

Furthermore, by having management complete e-learning modules such as Road Risk Champion, Collision Investigator and LoCITY for Managers, which are dedicated to teaching how to better manage a fleet, it has helped improve the overall management and organisation of the business. Moreover, driver specific e-learning modules such as Security & Counter Terrorism have also shown to be beneficial to drivers as it covers topics regarding safety and vigilance at work. Having drivers/managers regularly complete said modules every 1 to 2 years has proven to be beneficial to the business.

‘Our drivers have shown consistent knowledge and confidence on the road since regularly implementing the FORS modules into their driver course/e- learning requirements.’ – David Hughes

We have previously been gold accredited with FORS and we are looking to once again hold that standard with the FORS scheme as it has proven to be worthwhile and beneficial for the business, our employees and clients.

Throughout the last 36 months, we have increased our KMPL by 3.4% thanks to the FORS scheme.

	KMPL	Incidents per year	CO2	NOx	PM10	Number of PCNs
Feb 2018 – Jan 2019	2.62	0	627.28	9.39	338.15	0
Feb 2019 – Jan 2020	2.65	2	507.26	7.59	271.28	0
Feb 2020 – Jan 2021	2.74	1	485.73	7.27	249.42	0
Percentage improvement	3.4%	50%	4.25%	4.22%	8.05%	0%

At Hughes Haulage Ltd, we request that our drivers complete a health questionnaire prior to employment. By doing this, we are ensuring that our drivers are fit to work in this field. If there are any possible health issues mentioned that may affect their driving, they will be referred to a GP, for further consultation. Furthermore, we also ask our drivers to have regular eye checks with the optician to ensure their eyesight is healthy for driving.

When looking for new employees at Hughes Haulage Ltd, we welcome new drivers who have no previous experience in this field. We offer drivers like these, a paid training period of two weeks, where they will be accompanied by one of our experienced drivers who will train and assess them over this time period. Once the training period has finished and the new trainee has proved that they are able to drive independently, they can then begin their official employment as an independent driver for the business.

With the guidance from FORS, we were able to reduce our fleets overall noise pollution levels. After reading the FORS quiet equipment guide, we began installing equipment that would reduce our vehicles noise pollution levels. Furthermore, FORS also introduced us to the anti-idling method. By implementing this technique into our driver training, it has not only reduced our noise pollution, but has also helped us save on fuel. Moreover, in our noise assessment document, we have a code of practice outlining ways in which the driver can reduce their overall noise pollution. This document is communicated to our drivers every year, and they have access to it at any time.

Due to our mode of work there are no other forms of transport we can use other than road transport. The most efficient vehicles available for our work have Euro 6 engines which are acknowledged for producing low amounts of NOx. We have invested heavily over the past few years and now all our vehicles are Euro 6 standard and we continue to appraise all new technologies coming on stream to understand if they will help us going forward.

We will continue to maintain our rigid e-learning/course schedule and ensure drivers/managers are regularly completing the necessary modules/courses to help maintain a high standard of service and performance.

We have promoted FORS by proudly displaying our FORS ID badge on all of our vehicles since first achieving our bronze accreditation. Also, we have also actively promoted FORS through our correspondences as we also have included the FORS ID badge in our company letterhead. Moreover, we recently sent an email to our tyre suppliers regarding the FORS, outlining the benefits of joining the scheme.

By having Hughes Haulage Ltd become a FORS gold accredited fleet, it would reassure us that our efforts of working at a high standard is being acknowledged and the accreditation itself would also inform our clients that the work being carried out by Hughes Haulage Ltd is done by using the safest and most efficient procedures, protocols and regulations. We look forward to continue working with FORS to further our professional development as a haulier business.

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