Current transport compliance standards

FORS Standard version 7.2 applies to all audits dated on or after 1 September 2026. The previous version, 7.1, was introduced in late 2024 (the FORS summary of changes is dated November 2024). The FORS transitional arrangements for the move from 7.1 to 7.2 only concern reapprovals.

Two changes matter most. Under O2 (Emissions, air quality and environmental impact), fuel data must be collected by vehicle registration, including AdBlue where relevant, and the diesel-to-AdBlue ratio must be calculated. Failing to calculate the ratio is a minor action point. Under S5 at Silver, drivers who only need a Category B licence can meet the professional development requirement through a FORS Professional or FORS Approved road-risk Panoramic Interactive Video Training course.

The Bronze requirements are M1 to M11 (Management), V1 to V7 (Vehicles), D1 to D7 (Drivers) and O1 to O6 (Operations). At Bronze, V6 requires side under-run protection and Class V and VI mirrors (or a camera monitoring system) on HGVs. Cameras, sensors and audible warnings are Silver requirements under S6.

What it means for you

• Record fuel and AdBlue use by registration and calculate the diesel-to-AdBlue ratio before your next audit
• Review your FORS documents against v7.2, not v7.1
• Check that licence checks follow the D1 risk-based frequencies (at least every three months for HGV and PCV drivers)
• Budget for the annual subscription, banded by fleet size from £40 + VAT for one vehicle

ISO published ISO 9001:2026 on 16 September 2026, and BSI has issued it as BS EN ISO 9001:2026. The clause structure stays the same, but there are new emphases: leadership must promote a quality culture and ethical behaviour, risks and opportunities are handled separately in clause 6.1, change management is strengthened, and the 2024 climate change amendment to clauses 4.1 and 4.2 is now part of the main text.

Under the Global ACI transition requirements, accreditation bodies must be ready by 31 March 2027 and certification bodies must submit their transition declarations by 30 June 2027. From 31 March 2028, new certifications can only be issued to the 2026 edition. Organisations certified to ISO 9001:2015 have until 30 September 2029 to transition. International recognition now runs through the Global Accreditation Cooperation (Global ACI) Mutual Recognition Arrangement, which took over the scope of the former IAF MLA on 1 January 2026.

What it means for you

• If you hold a 2015 certificate, plan your transition with your certification body; it must be done by 30 September 2029
• If you are starting now, build your system to ISO 9001:2026
• Add quality culture, change control and climate considerations to your management review

Since 1 February 2026, all M and N category vehicle types (cars, buses and goods vehicles) manufactured for sale in Great Britain must hold full GB or UK(NI) type approval. This ended the provisional route based on EU approvals. It is a manufacturer obligation. Vehicles already registered are not affected.

From 1 February 2027, O category vehicles (trailers) that are not approved through Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) must hold full GB or UK(NI) type approval before they can be manufactured for sale in Great Britain. The Vehicle Certification Agency confirmed this on 28 September 2026.

What it means for you

• Ask your dealer or bodybuilder to confirm GB type approval, or IVA, for any new vehicle, body or trailer
• Check delivery dates on trailers ordered for 2027 with your supplier
• Keep approval paperwork with the vehicle file

The recognised standard for food storage and distribution is the BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution, Issue 4. It can be certified with a transport-only scope. BRCGS position statements published in 2026 apply to audits from 10 August 2026. Certification audits are annual.

The legal baseline in England is unchanged: HACCP-based procedures under assimilated Regulation 852/2004, and the temperature rules in Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 (chill holding at 8°C or below, hot holding at 63°C or above). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regulations.

What it means for you

• Check the 2026 position statements against your procedures before your next audit
• Make sure temperature records, cleaning schedules and HACCP reviews are current
• Check each customer’s temperature specification, which is often tighter than the legal limit

On 16 July 2026, the Department for Transport published its response to the consultation on mandating vehicle safety technologies through GB type approval. It will require 18 technologies, including direct vision, blind spot information systems (BSIS) and moving-off information systems (MOIS), on a revised timetable that will be set in legislation. We will publish the GB dates when they are confirmed.

For comparison, under EU Regulation 2019/2144 (the General Safety Regulation), direct vision requirements apply to new HGV types approved from 7 January 2026 and to all newly registered HGVs from 7 January 2029.

What it means for you

• Ask about BSIS, MOIS and direct vision when specifying new HGVs
• London operators: these systems also count towards the DVS Progressive Safe System and FORS S6

Vehicles on UK–EU international journeys must have a version 2 smart tachograph. Analogue and first-generation digital units had to be replaced by 31 December 2024, and smart version 1 units by 19 August 2025. From 1 July 2026, the requirement also covers light goods vehicles over 2.5 tonnes and up to 3.5 tonnes used on international hire or reward work. Those vans also need a standard international operator licence, with financial standing of £1,600 for the first vehicle and £800 for each additional one.

At the roadside, drivers must be able to produce records for the current day and the previous 28 days on domestic and AETR journeys, and the previous 56 days on UK–EU international journeys. The 56-day rule has applied since 31 December 2024 and was put on a statutory footing by SI 2025/402. Driver cards must still be downloaded at least every 28 days and vehicle units at least every 90 days, with data kept for 12 months.

What it means for you

• Check every vehicle and van on EU work has a version 2 smart tachograph
• Make sure drivers on international work carry 56 days of records
• Apply for a standard international licence before vans start international hire or reward work

On 20 May 2026 the Government extended the 5p fuel duty cut to 31 December 2026 and cut red diesel duty until the end of the year. HGVs get a 12-month vehicle excise duty holiday, with VED of £1, for renewals from 1 July 2026. The HGV Road User Levy is still payable.

What it means for you

• Check that HGV tax renewals from 1 July 2026 are charged at the reduced rate
• Keep paying the HGV Road User Levy alongside the reduced VED
• Plan 2027 fuel budgets on the assumption that the duty cut may end on 31 December 2026

The DVSA Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) inspection manual for trailers (O1 to O4) moved to Version 13, effective for inspections from 11 May 2026. Changes cover lighting installation (section 20), retro-reflectors (21), lateral protection for exempted vehicles (42), tyres, where Table 4 now applies to O3 and O4 trailers (46), couplings including secondary couplings (50A), and the centre-axle trailer definition (1,019 kg).

The lorry manual (N2 and N3) moved to Version 14.1 on the same date, with changes to emissions (alternative compliance), lighting, reversing lamps, rear fog lamps, end-outline marker lamps, headlamp height for N3G vehicles and tyres.

What it means for you

• Brief your bodybuilder or trailer manufacturer on the new manual before IVA inspection
• Check secondary coupling and lateral protection arrangements on new trailers

Lorries over 3.5 tonnes do not pay the Ultra Low Emission Zone charge. They fall under the London-wide Low Emission Zone, which requires Euro VI. A lorry that does not meet it pays £100 a day (Euro IV or V for particulates) or £300 a day (older). Vans up to 3.5 tonnes are covered by ULEZ, which requires Euro 6 for diesel vans.

The Congestion Charge rose to £18 a day on 2 January 2026. Electric vans and HGVs registered for Auto Pay get a 50% discount, which is due to fall to 25% from 4 March 2030.

What it means for you

• Check every lorry that enters London meets Euro VI
• Register for Auto Pay and update Congestion Charge costs in your London rates

The financial standing you must show for a goods vehicle operator licence is:

• Standard licence (national or international): £8,000 for the first HGV and £4,500 for each additional HGV
• Standard international licence for light goods vehicles only: £1,600 for the first vehicle and £800 for each additional one
• Restricted licence: £3,100 for the first vehicle and £1,700 for each additional one

New applications usually need bank statements for the last 28 days, with the latest balance no more than two months old. At reviews, three months of statements are used. The average balance counts, plus unused overdraft or credit limits and invoice finance. Financial standing is not a fee. The money must stay available for as long as you hold the licence. Changes such as a new transport manager, convictions, a new legal entity or a new address must be notified to the Traffic Commissioner within 28 days.

What it means for you

• Check your average balance covers your full authorisation, not just the vehicles you run today
• Keep three months of statements ready for a review
• Notify changes within 28 days

The DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness (last updated 28 April 2025) expects every safety inspection to include a laden brake performance assessment. The accepted methods are a laden roller brake test, an EBPMS report for trailers, or a decelerometer test. Every attempt should be made to do a laden roller brake test. Where a test is not laden, a competent person must carry out and record a risk assessment. Operators without EBPMS should run at least four laden brake tests a year, including the annual test.

Safety inspection intervals are typically 4 to 13 weeks, depending on vehicle age, type and operating conditions. Inspection records must be kept for at least 15 months.

What it means for you

• Make sure every inspection sheet records a brake performance assessment and its method
• Agree with your maintenance provider how vehicles will be laden for testing
• Record a risk assessment wherever a test is not laden

Professional drivers need 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years. Driving professionally without Driver CPC can lead to a fine of up to £1,000. Courses must be approved by JAUPT, on DVSA’s behalf, and delivered by an approved centre.

Since 3 December 2024, drivers who only drive in the UK can use National Driver CPC courses. These can be as short as 3.5 hours, and up to 12 hours can be done by e-learning. Any National course in a driver’s 35 hours restricts them to UK-only driving. International courses remain at least 7 hours.

Since 1 February 2025, drivers whose Driver CPC lapsed between 60 days and 2 years ago can return through a 7-hour course, then complete the remaining 28 hours within 12 months. Exemptions depend on how the vehicle is used, not on licence category.

What it means for you

• Record which drivers have taken National courses and keep them off international work
• Track each driver’s Driver Qualification Card expiry date
• Document the reason for any exemption you rely on

The CLOCS Standard Version 5 was published in November 2024. Where a client has adopted it, fleet operators must make sure construction logistics HGV operations meet the requirements described as Silver in the FORS Standard. Since Version 4 (August 2022), other accreditation schemes or management systems can be used to show this. FORS Silver is the most common route, but FORS certification is not itself mandatory.

What it means for you

• Check the CLOCS wording in your construction contracts
• Plan FORS Silver, including the S6 vehicle equipment, early if you work for CLOCS clients

Every HGV over 12 tonnes driven in Greater London needs an HGV Safety Permit. Since 28 October 2024, vehicles need a DVS rating of three stars or more, or must be fitted with the Progressive Safe System, to get one. Vehicles given a grace period had until 4 May 2025. Driving without a permit risks a penalty charge of up to £550.

The Progressive Safe System aligns with FORS Silver requirement S6. TfL will review the scheme again in 2028, with any further changes introduced from October 2030.

What it means for you

• Check every HGV over 12 tonnes has a valid permit before it enters London
• Keep fitting records for Progressive Safe System equipment

GOV.UK lists seven charging Clean Air Zones: Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead). Euro VI lorries meet the standard. Greater Manchester has no charging zone: in January 2025 the Government backed its investment-led plan instead. London has its own Low Emission Zone and ULEZ.

What it means for you

• Check each registration on the GOV.UK Clean Air Zone service before taking regular work in a zone
• Build any charges into your rates

Workplace fire risk assessment, including for transport operating centres, depots and offices, comes from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, as amended by the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022. Since 1 October 2023, every responsible person must record the fire risk assessment in full, whatever the number of employees.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 apply to multi-occupied residential buildings such as blocks of flats. They do not apply to a transport operating centre.

What it means for you

• Make sure your fire risk assessment is written down in full
• Review it regularly and after any significant change to the site or operation

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 were amended by the PPE at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2022, in force from 6 April 2022. The amendment extended employers’ PPE duties to limb (b) workers, which can include casual and some agency workers, not just employees. Operators using agency drivers or subcontract labour must make sure PPE is provided and maintained for them too.

What it means for you

• Check who on your sites counts as a limb (b) worker
• Make sure PPE is provided free of charge, maintained and replaced for them as for employees

The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require a thorough examination at least every 6 months for lifting equipment used to lift people, which includes tail lifts where the operator rides the platform, and at least every 12 months otherwise. Alternatively, intervals can be set by a written examination scheme drawn up by a competent person (HSE SIM 05/2009/01).

The competent person must be sufficiently independent and impartial, and should not be the person who does the routine maintenance. Keep each report until the next one is made, or for two years, whichever is later (LOLER regulation 11). FORS V1 also expects LOLER records within a 15-month maintenance history. BS EN 1756-1:2021 remains the design and manufacture standard for goods tail lifts.

What it means for you

• Confirm whether each tail lift is ridden, and set the interval or examination scheme to match
• Keep reports for at least two years, or until the next report if that is later
• Train operators on the specific lifts they use

In Great Britain, the Guidelines on Good Distribution Practice of Medicinal Products for Human Use (2013/C 343/01), as they stood on 31 December 2020, continue to apply under regulation C17 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 until the MHRA publishes replacements. We have found no separate UK GDP guidelines. MHRA’s Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Distributors (the “Green Guide”) brings the guidance together.

The Falsified Medicines Directive safety features stopped applying in Great Britain on 1 January 2021 and continue only in Northern Ireland. In transport, medicines must be kept within the storage conditions on their label or marketing authorisation.

What it means for you

• Make sure Quality Agreements reference the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and the GDP Guidelines as they apply in GB
• Check that vehicle qualification and temperature records match each product’s labelled storage conditions

Since 1 January 2024, what used to be called “retained EU law” has been called assimilated law (Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023, section 5). GOV.UK now refers to the assimilated rules on drivers’ hours (Regulation 561/2006) and tachographs (Regulation 165/2014). The rules themselves did not change on that date.

What it means for you

• Update references to “retained EU law” in your manuals and handbooks