Hi. I’m Jim Treacy the Operations Manager at Maltaward. We have been involved with FORS for a number of years, the last three at Gold level which has contributed to our developing growth even through the recent pandemic and which saw us reduce fuel consumption through the use of Webfleet routing software creating a saving across vehicle wear & tear and fuel usage.
We became aware of FORS through industry press releases and also when customers requested FORS accreditation from their suppliers. Having embarked on the FORS journey in 2014, Maltaward has utilised the FORS disciplines required by the scheme to improve our learning, approach, and development to achieve better working standards and practices.
The goal orientation is embraced by our whole team and having achieved Gold we wear it like a badge of honour for our customers to see.
As a management tool it identifies very quickly what is working and what needs attention or development. Acquiring Gold has improved our profile in our industry, increasing both orders and revenue.
We immediately started promoting FORS to our customers, suppliers and to show our development we ensured our drivers were all made aware of Vulnerable Road Users. The Safe Urban Driving courses were amazingly well received by the drivers who have gone on to sit the Staying Legal Course too. Although the drivers are the most important part of our business the office staff now understand what is required to run a compliant operation with wide inclusion of the tools on offer for compliance.
It was important to us to achieve gold for a number of reasons. We wanted to keep the momentum going so that our ever improving approach to our business was constantly reviewed and monitored with improvements and that everyone was aware of all the tools available in the box. We wanted to be best in class and wanted to ensure that the staff were always involved, safe and enthusiastic about being part of a great family business. We want our customers to have complete faith in our modus operandi and would confidently turn to us for solutions.
Since we included the performance management tools into our daily routines, we were able to keep a close eye on our driver’s productivity and the productivity of our vehicles too. We are very lucky to have seen minimal PCN’s in our time of being FORS Accredited and having the KPI’s covering Accidents, Injuries and overall fleet performance in a useable format at the end of each month has been paramount to our business’s vision and direction.
We took advantage of a number of the facilities available for FORS such as Drivers CPC training. We have utilised Webfleet which has helped with savings and efficiencies on vehicle mileages, fuel consumption per mile and has afforded better route planning with side-line efficiencies on time, MPG, etc. We also use driving licence checks so the more eggs in one basket approach, the better it is for us. We used tacho analysis (TDI) and that reduced our costs by 30% for that function.
“The Safe Urban Driving courses were amazingly well received.” G Fendler FORS petitioner/ Supervisor
“The preparation for the audit really opened our eyes” JTreacy Ops Mgr.
- We have been concentrating on fuel economy and our environmental impact. The figures are slightly skewed due to the improved success of the business because of the impact FORS has made. Our mileages have gone up and as a result so too have the related figures. Our drivers are fully committed to improvement and through the use of Webfleet, we are now getting better intelligence which we discuss regularly with the drivers e.g. engine idle times have been a focus and we have seen a good reduction in this area.
- The work we do is physical so regular driver health surveillance and a compliant induction for all our staff is key to our success. Our handbooks all contain vital information on theways they can be healthy and to fit this into daily workloads.
- We are proud of the fact that our driver turnover has been minimal and retention very high. We invest in our staff and ensure any required qualification is acquired. New staff come to us, we rarely need to advertise, and we are very lucky to have this reputation. One that we cherish.
- Health and Safety is key to our operation, we carry out regular Noise Assessments ensuring the drivers, customers and public are protected by being aware of the dangers.
The Lorry Mounted Forklifts we operate all fall within the guidelines, but we still ensure driver safety. - We are keeping a keen eye on Volvos development hoping that when the fleet ages there is a suitable replacement for the diesel engine. Moreover, we aim to reduce miles on the road by compliant planning.
Our plans for the future are constantly evolving. Regarding vehicles, we have all Euro VI vehicles and are looking for new innovations that will involve hybrid or all electric technology. We will continue to look to improve our environmental impact.
We have introduced monitoring and education for better health. Drivers get regular health checks and also get dietary advice. We do 6 monthly eyesight checks for drivers. All staff have been monitored all through the covid pandemic to ensure everyone is healthy, comfortable and their needs catered for with flexible working arrangements etc. Our staff turnover is minimal thanks to the culture and care extended to staff and the working environment we have created. Appropriate training is delivered to all staff.
PPE is supplied to staff, and they are trained for the tasks they carry out. Drivers especially get regular updates and consultations.
Maltaward regularly promote FORS by several streams. Maltaward produce a mailshot at least bi-monthly and the FORS logo goes out on the bottom of the mailshots. The logo is also used on the bottom of our emails and is displayed on all our commercial vehicles. It is also displayed all over our website and is regularly dropped into conversations with our customers.
Our company ethos is to progress, develop and find ways to protect the environment and vulnerable road users. Our vehicles are equipped with safety features including cameras & signage to warn other road users and on our newly ordered vehicle there will be 360-degree camera vision. We have systems in place to ensure our damage to the environment is minimal and will continue to develop.
Retaining our Gold will allow us to continue being an ambassador for FORS, ourselves and the industry and we will continue with all our highprofile clients to carry on providing a service second to none and progress with our adventurous business plan into the next decade. Our team is well trained, qualified, worthy of continuing at this level and looking forward to the challenge.