Cemex has continued its drive to ensure its fleet of nearly 900 subcontractors becomes Fors-accredited.

The company said Fors bronze was last year made mandatory for its 70 primary subcontractor hauliers working in the aggregates and asphalt businesses, with 10 already having reached silver status and seven obtaining gold.

Cemex, which gained Fors gold status for its 300-strong own-account fleet in 2014, is now focusing on helping the remainder of its subcontractor fleet to achieve accreditation.

It rolled out a new quality management system during 2015, developed in conjunction with Fors, and has been providing support to its independent hauliers taking steps to achieve accreditation.

By the end of last year, 169 out of 550 subcontractors working in the Cemex Logistics division – which transports aggregates, asphalt, bulk cement and other building products - were Fors registered or accredited.

Of this total, 150 subcontractors were responsible for transporting more than 65% of aggregates and asphalt volumes. The aim for 2016 is for more than 80% of volume to be carried by Fors-accredited subcontractors.

A Cemex spokeswoman told Freightinthecity.com that the majority of those subcontractors gaining accreditation were from outside of the capital, with 18 operating in greater London, demonstrating the increasing national reach of Fors.

In its Readymix concrete division, where the fleet comprises 327 independent haulier contractors, the entire greater London operation of 66 operators is now Fors accredited. Cemex plans to continue this sign-up rate across major cities outside of the capital during 2016.

David Hart, director of logistics, said: “Health and safety audits with all contractors are now aligned with Fors standards to ensure we are consistently achieving a high standard as a fundamental part of our operations.”

He added that 2016 will see a further push towards subcontractor sign-up to Fors. “We only want to work with hauliers that have health and safety as a fundamental part of their business, helping to improve overall road safety and reduce the wider impacts of fleet operations.”