FORS version 7 history: what v7.1 changed

FORS version 7 timeline

Version 7 was a full rewrite of the FORS Standard. The two updates since then have been much smaller. This is the sequence according to FORS's own documents:

Correction: an earlier version of this article said that v7.1 came into force in June 2025. We could find no source for that date. FORS's summary of changes for v7.1 is dated November 2024, and that is the date we now use.

What v7.1 changed

FORS published a summary listing each change against its requirement number. These are the changes that matter most to an operator preparing for audit. The requirement numbers are the real version 7 codes.

Management

• M1 FORS documentation. The requirement to record the documentation review in senior management minutes was removed.
• M4 Staff resources. Checks on staff must include requiring drivers to declare collisions that happen while working.
• M6 Vehicle fleet. Operators should have a policy and procedure for managing the transition to lower environmental impact vehicles.

Vehicles

• V1 Serviceability and roadworthiness. A supporting procedure must make sure safety recall checks are done. Inspections must line up with the operator licence and the DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, and be carried out by technically competent people.
• V2 Daily walkaround checks. The check must also cover the load and load restraint.
• V3 Insurance. The reference to professional indemnity insurance was removed.
• V5 Load safety. Where a van's overall height is three metres (9 feet 10 inches) or more, a height indicator must be displayed in the cab showing the height of the vehicle and load in feet and inches.
• V7 Tyre management. The tyre policy must meet the tyre management requirements in the DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness.

Drivers

• D1 Licensing. HGV and PCV drivers' licences should be checked at least every three months. The reference to a no-cost checking service was removed.
• D4 Professional development. All required driver eLearning must be completed as part of staff induction.
• D7 Working time and drivers' hours. The standard now sets out how often vehicle unit and driver card data must be downloaded, and adds procedures for missing mileage.

Operations

• O2 was retitled Emissions, air quality and environmental impact. It added the diesel-to-AdBlue ratio, an engine-idling policy and due diligence on low carbon fuel sourcing. Operators should calculate well-to-wheel fleet emissions each year using the FORS Emissions Calculator or a FORS Approved alternative.
• O4 Passenger safety. Where vehicles are accessible to disabled people, drivers must be competent to use the access equipment.
• O5 Specialist operations. Clarified the waste requirements and added longer semi-trailers, with a formal notification procedure.
• O6 Security and counterterrorism. The old O6 and O7 were merged, with no material change.

Silver and Gold

• S2 Performance data now refers to the FORS Emissions Calculator.
• S3 Environmental impact replaced the old fuel, emissions and air quality requirement.
• S4 Road risk. Evidence of insurance reviews became a declaration.
• S5 Professional development added environmental awareness training and decarbonisation training for the Fuel and Emissions Champion.
• S6 Vehicle safety equipment was reworded. Vehicles rated 3 stars or better under the Direct Vision Standard can use that rating as part of meeting the requirement, and articulated vehicles need sensors positioned to give enough coverage.
• S10 Fleet transition was new.
• G3 Decarbonisation strategy replaced Sustainable operations. G7 Managing fleet transition and G8 Environmental impact engagement were new.

The direction is clear. v7.1 moved FORS towards fuel data, emissions and fleet replacement planning, and tied maintenance more closely to the DVSA guide. It did not add new Bronze equipment requirements.

The V6 misunderstanding

Many websites, including an earlier version of this one, said v7.1 made cameras, sensors and audible warnings a Bronze requirement under V6. It did not.

At Bronze, V6 requires HGVs to have side under-run protection on both sides and Class V and VI close-proximity mirrors, or an approved camera monitoring system covering that field of view. Buses and coaches carrying more than 16 passengers need blind-spot warning signage.

Cameras, proximity sensors and audible left-turn warnings belong to Silver requirement S6. S6 can be met in several ways, including a DVS rating of 3 stars or better plus an audible warning and rear camera, or the DVS Progressive Safe System. Rigid vehicles of 7.5 tonnes and over need a rear camera.

If you were told to fit full camera and sensor kits for Bronze, you have not wasted the money. You will need them for Silver, for many construction sites and, for lower-rated HGVs, for a London HGV Safety Permit.

FORS and the Direct Vision Standard

All HGVs over 12 tonnes operating in Greater London need an HGV Safety Permit. Since 28 October 2024, a vehicle needs a DVS rating of 3 stars or the Progressive Safe System to get one. The PSS overlaps with FORS Silver requirement S6, so London operators should plan both together. TfL will review the scheme in 2028, with any changes introduced from October 2030. Our Direct Vision Standard guide has the detail.

What carried into v7.2

Everything above still applies under v7.2. The September 2026 update builds on two v7.1 themes. Under O2, fuel data must be collected by VRM, including AdBlue and the diesel-to-AdBlue ratio, and a missing ratio is recorded as a minor action point. Under S5, drivers whose role needs only Category B entitlement have a new training route through Annex 1.1.

So if your documents were rewritten properly for v7.1, the step to v7.2 is small. If they still use the old v6 structure, or codes such as M12, M14 or V8 that do not exist in version 7, start again from the current standard.

What to do now

Auditors assess you against the version in force on your audit date, not the one you were first accredited under. Operators who passed Bronze under v7 and have renewed on autopilot since are the ones most likely to find gaps, usually in fuel data, collision declarations and licence check frequency. A short review against the current standard each year is cheaper than a follow-up audit.

• Download the v7.2 Standard from FORS and check your policy headings against the real requirement numbers.
• Read the v7.2 transitional arrangements before your next reapproval audit.
• Make sure fuel and AdBlue are recorded by VRM and that you calculate the ratio.
• Check HGV and PCV licence checks run at least every three months.
• Confirm walkaround checks cover the load and load restraint, and that collision declarations are in your driver checks.
• If you are working towards Silver, plan S6 equipment alongside DVS and CLOCS so you buy it once.

Our free compliance checker gives a quick view of where you stand. For a full gap analysis and audit preparation, see our FORS accreditation consultancy or the complete guide to FORS accreditation.