The accreditation is part of a trial by FORS and is designed to ensure that its members can hire vehicles for short-term use and be assured that the vehicles meet FORS requirements.
The Vehicle Hire Company accreditation is a new type of FORS Associate status. To qualify, vehicle hire companies who are not FORS members must prove their vehicles are equipped with the FORS mandatory safety equipment and are maintained and managed to the relevant FORS requirements.
Wolverhampton-based ND Brown is already a FORS Associate and has a 550-strong fleet, used by customers in the highway maintenance and utility sectors.
Paul Wilkes, FORS business services manager, says: “The nature of contractual work is such that many FORS members will use temporary vehicles to meet additional client demand, and so have been asking how these hire vehicles can be recognised as operating to the same standards as their own fleet.
“I’m delighted that ND Brown is working with us to trial this new type of accreditation. It is testament to the company’s long-term commitment to safety standards that they have been able to meet the FORS requirements.”