Could Your FORS Evidence do More for Your Business
Many FORS operators are already doing more on sustainability than they realise.
You may already track fuel, mileage, driver training, incidents, vehicle performance, and environmental objectives. However, this information is often stored in separate systems and not consolidated into a single overview.
This becomes challenging when customers request broader sustainability information during tenders, supplier reviews, or contract renewals.
The solution is not to replace FORS or implement an additional management system.
Instead, build on your existing operational evidence and connect it to broader business objectives.
Takeaway 1
Turn fleet data into useful sustainability evidence
Fuel and mileage data are valuable, but total figures alone may not indicate performance improvements.
Operators should also assess performance relative to activity levels.
Useful examples include:
• fuel used per mile
• emissions per vehicle
• emissions per delivery or job
• idling levels
• driver training completion
• collision frequency
• percentage of lower-emission vehicles.
This is important because total fuel use may rise as the business grows, even if efficiency is improving.
For example, if fuel use increases by 5% but completed jobs increase by 12%, emissions per job may have decreased.
This provides a stronger and more accurate sustainability narrative.
What to do in practice
Select two or three relevant measures for your operation and review them regularly.
A simple monthly or quarterly dashboard might include:
| Measure | What it shows |
| Fuel per mile | Fleet efficiency |
| Emissions per job | Carbon intensity |
| Driver training completion | Implementation |
| Collision rate | Safety performance |
| Idling percentage | Driver and vehicle efficiency |
Collect data purposefully to identify trends, investigate changes, and determine necessary actions.
Takeaway 2
Extend your existing controls to suppliers and subcontractors
A common sustainability gap often lies not within the operator’s own fleet, but within the broader supply chain.
Customers may ask whether the same standards apply to subcontractors, maintenance providers, fuel suppliers, and other key partners.
A complex supplier assessment is not required for every purchase; a proportionate approach is sufficient.
Higher-risk suppliers and subcontractors could be reviewed against areas such as:
• legal compliance;
• vehicle and driver standards;
• health and safety;
• environmental performance;
• modern slavery controls;
• anti-bribery expectations;
• incident reporting; and
• serious regulatory breaches.
The level of review should correspond to the supplier’s importance and risk.
Major subcontracted transport providers should receive more scrutiny than low-value office suppliers.
What to do in practice
Start with your most important suppliers and subcontractors.
Ask three questions:
1. Which suppliers could affect our safety, environmental or customer performance?
2. What checks do we already complete?
3. What evidence do we retain?
You may already have useful information through onboarding forms, contracts, insurance checks, licence reviews, audit records or performance meetings.
Improvements often involve making these checks more consistent and better documented.
Build on FORS rather than starting again
FORS provides a strong operational foundation through its focus on safety, efficiency, environmental performance and continuous improvement.
Broader sustainability requests may also look at:
• employee practices;
• ethics and anti-bribery;
• whistleblowing;
• supplier management;
• modern slavery;
• carbon reporting; and
• governance.
The most effective approach is to link these broader areas with the operational evidence already maintained through FORS.
This approach helps avoid duplication and demonstrates to customers that sustainability is integrated into daily management, not treated as a separate task.
A quick self-check
Before the next customer request, ask:
• Can we explain what our fleet data shows?
• Do we measure efficiency as well as totals?
• Can we show the actions behind our policies?
• Are subcontractors included in our standards?
• Do we retain evidence of supplier checks?
• Is responsibility clear across fleet, HR, procurement and health and safety?
The opportunity is to organise evidence, address key gaps, and make ongoing efforts more visible to customers.
We can help you understand where your current evidence is strong, where gaps remain, and how to make your sustainability progress easier to demonstrate.