The requirement emerged in the latest iteration of the FORS standard, released in September 2016, with FORS director John Hix observing that FORS accredited operators should be able to attract potential drivers not least because they have access to funded training.
As a result, FORS now specifies that operators wishing to become, or be reaccredited as, Gold members must have a strategy in place to encourage new drivers.
“The driver shortage is a real concern for all commercial fleet operators and it’s great to see it being taken seriously by our members,” states Hix.
“FORS operators are encouraged to improve working conditions and take driver welfare seriously, not just for the health and safety of the driver, but for all those on the road they may encounter,” he adds.
Hix cites the FORS Gold operator CEMEX, which is using its CEMEX Logistics Apprenticeship scheme to recruit and train individuals aged 18—23.
This programme is run with CEMEX’s training provider Systems Training, and offers a pathway to the nationally recognised Apprenticeship Level 2 (QCF) in Driving Goods Vehicles and an LGV category C or C+E licence – meaning apprentices can become LGV drivers within CEMEX.
Graduates have now become full time CEMEX drivers, delivering cement and aggregates from locations across the country.