Many benefits of FORS Gold for John Raymond Transport

Bridgend-based haulier

John Raymond Transport is proving to be a shining example of a business that knows how to move with the times. First established in 1945, the firm now relies on FORS as a benchmark to ensure its operation remains safe, legal and compliant.

An early adopter of FORS, John Raymond Transport became accredited in 2010. The business lays claim to being the first operator in Wales to achieve FORS Silver and it was also among the first operators to ascend to FORS Gold in 2015 – a year before it became a part of the Nolan Group. The company has retained its FORS Gold status ever since, steadfastly looking to FORS as a benchmark for best practice in safety, efficiency and environmental protection.

For Chief Operating Officer, Geraint Davies, it’s FORS’ training package that has been of particular benefit. “FORS has been the bedrock of driver training for us,” he explained. He said: “The SUD training, for example, translates into fewer collisions – particularly near-side and blind spot

Above: Now part of the Nolan Group, Raymond Transport has found many benefits from its FORS Gold status incidents – because drivers are more aware of the risks.

“As the industry strives for carbon neutrality, it is essential that operators minimise the environmental impact of their fleets. Within our business, we have implemented a number of measures to this end. We are increasingly turning to sustainable fuelling solutions like HVO, using in-vehicle technology such as telemetry to improve fuel economy and ensuring that our drivers use the most fuel-efficient techniques. Together, these changes amount to a huge efficiency saving and courses like LoCITY are ideal for keeping staff members up to speed.” •

Geofence gives clear costings, thus boosting efficiency

Telematics specialist Abax is urging transport firms to use the latest technology to increase the efficiency of their businesses.

Abax geofence is a package that gives transport chiefs a whole new insight into how their operations run. The system answers questions that many will be asking, such as:

• How many miles did we drive on the contract?

• Was the job profitable on the bottom line?

• How can we simplify the invoicing basis for mileage?

• How can we get more satisfied customers?

• Are we inefficient and frequently visit suppliers or warehouses?

An Abax spokesman said: “Many businesses work on a project basis, ranging from days to months and years, so it will often be difficult to include all the costs of the project.

“If you create a geofence area around an ongoing project, you will easily be able to run a report that shows how many trips and miles were driven to and from the project.

“If you then enter a mileage rate, you will get a clear cost picture of what the mileage cost actually was for the project.” •