The guide, available free of charge to FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) members, contains human resources advice and best practice suggestions on how to improve the management of drivers.
‘Effective Driver Management – An Industry Code of Practice’ is aimed at operators of any fleet make-up. The new guide, which includes some tips for managing drivers and non-driving staff within an organisation, also provides examples, checklists and case studies from those in the industry.
More specifically, it offers guidance on a number of key management areas, including: sourcing candidates; retaining, engaging and managing drivers; training; performance management and driver development; health, safety and wellbeing.
“Drivers play a fundamental role both in the transport sector and the wider economy,” said Glen Davies, FORS Technical Adviser, “often working alone for long periods and in challenging conditions where delivery schedules are becoming increasingly stringent. We believe the driving community should be better recognised as a highly skilled and valued element within the supply chain, benefiting from effective management to ensure retention and productivity, and to enhance the image of road transport in general,” he said.
The publishers said that ‘Effective Driver Management – An Industry Code of Practice’ aims to assist FORS members with all the driver requirements contained in the FORS Standard (D1-D9). With advice on recruiting drivers, alongside case studies from operators on apprenticeship schemes, it will also assist operators with FORS Gold requirement ‘G7 Strategy for recruiting new drivers’.
Development of the ICOP was initiated and developed by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport’s (CILT) Safety Forum in 2016 in consultation with industry. It was jointly produced with Transport for London (TfL) and FORS Professional to assist with the need to effectively manage drivers.