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Midlands-based metal recycling and waste management specialist, Ward, has been awarded FORS Silver accreditation for its 120 strong fleet of modern vehicles and drivers.

The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary accreditation scheme for fleet operators which aims to raise the level of quality within transport operations and to demonstrate which operators are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency and environmental protection.

Having had Bronze accreditation since 2017, Ward has now been awarded the Silver standard after spending significant time on driver safety training and investing in excess of £2million on expanding and upgrading its fleet with new, environmentally-efficient artic lorries, wheeled tippers, plus bin and skip lorries vehicles and a food waste collection truck.

Silver FORS accreditation confirms that the Ward team employs good practice, has achieved the requirements laid out by the FORS Standard and demonstrated that it is compliant with the CLOCS Standard for Construction Logistics and with TfL’s WRRR (Work Related Road Risk).

Min Bawa, Transport Manager at Ward, said: “We are very proud to have achieved FORS silver recognition. Being able to show other businesses and the public that we care about safety and our environmental impact is a great achievement. Being a recycling firm means we already do so much to make sure our footprint as a business has a positive impact, but this demonstrates how important it is to us across all aspects of our business.

“We want people to know that when they choose Ward as their supplier they are guaranteed a low carbon footprint, high standards of safety and great level of service. When tendering for work these are all key aspects that businesses look for. It enables us to provide our expertise and skills to bigger projects.”

To achieve the accreditation, Ward drivers have undergone multiple online training courses on driver safety, security and terrorism, as well as emissions. In addition, all Ward drivers have completed the Safe Urban driving CPC course – a full day course which combines going out on a bicycle with classroom learning, so they understand what cyclists have to contend with on the roads. Ward’s fleet also has many safety features in place on its vehicles to protect the driver, motorists, cyclists.

The metal and waste management specialist also had to demonstrate fuel usage records and provide documentation that its fleet has Euro 6 and Euro 5 vehicles, proving the vehicles are safety compliant and have low emissions. Ward also had to show evidence of all vehicle registrations, noise control policies and air quality practices, incident tracking procedures, toolbox talks and information sharing processes, plus provide notifications of any accidents, fines and motor convictions.