Dafcon Haulage Ltd – Update

Dafcon Haulage Ltd was founded in 2007. They operate a fleet of tipper trucks from their depot in Ruislip. They have been based there since 2015. They specialise in the removal of waste materials and the delivery of primary aggregates, secondary aggregates, top soil etc Audrey Brannigan, Director and Transport Manager has overseen a number of improvements in the operation which have been achieved with the help of FORS. These include a reduction in fuel use, reduced CO2 emissions, lower NOx and Particulate Matter emissions, an improved road safety record and reduced insurance costs.

We first heard about FORS back in 2013 when our clients started to ask for it. When we looked at the requirements we realised it would really help us in our business. Whilst we were meeting many of the standards already, the FORS framework allowed us to demonstrate this to our customers.

At first we found the whole Bronze audit process quite daunting. However by breaking it down and working through section by section, we were able to pass first time. This gave us the reassurance that we were on the right path and encouraged us to progress to Silver and eventually Gold. These extra accreditation levels opened the way to new clients and jobs we would previously been excluded from.

“Being FORS Gold accredited has given us access to jobs which otherwise wouldn’t have been available to us” – Audrey Brannigan, Director
Once accredited, we really made the most of the benefits on offer. We have found the training provided to be particularly useful – the Safe Urban Driving course has been a real eye opener for many of our drivers and has made them more aware of the issues faced daily by other road users. Attending Environment Awareness training eg LoCity driving, has also brought benefits.

We regularly use the toolbox talks available on the website. The drivers find them very interesting and they usually spark a lively conversation.
“Our drivers enjoy the toolbox talks. They usually lead to a lively chat on the topic being discussed” – Michael Doona, Logistics Manager

Performance Data

Since joining FORS we’ve seen a noticeable improvement in our fuel efficiency, resulting in a reduction in the amount of CO2 we produce. We’ve also managed to reduce the number of PCN’s issued to us. This has been achieved through training the drivers and raising awareness of what the different road signs mean.

• All new drivers complete a medical declaration. This is reviewed annually. If necessary, we will refer a driver to a GP should there be anything we are unsure about in the declaration. We encourage our drivers to live as healthily as possible. Using the resources provided by Public Health England we run campaigns throughout the year encouraging healthy eating, stopping smoking etc. We are aware of the importance of good mental health as well as physical health and encourage drivers to open up to the senior management team if they have any issues.

• We advertise vacancies online using familiar websites like Indeed, Gumtree etc. Recent recruits have come to us via word of mouth. To encourage new drivers into the industry, we offer a full training plan. If a driver doesn’t have experience in operating a tipper, we send them out with a buddy to shadow them until they are confident in working alone. Through working with our insurers we are able to take on younger drivers which wasn’t always the case.

• Our yard is located in an industrial area in Ruislip so noise on site isn’t a major issue. We conduct a noise assessment annually and the noise levels are always within the permissible limits. However we still encourage our drivers to be mindful of the noise they make eg not shouting, turning radios down etc. All our trucks are fitted with White Noise reversing alarms so as not to cause too much noise pollution while out on the job.

• We keep up to date with developments in our industry and would be keen to move to cleaner fuels. Unfortunately there isn’t currently a suitable alternative to the diesel engine for the nature of the work we do. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time but until then, all we can do is run our fleet as efficiently as possible.

Looking to the future, we continue to invest in our fleet to ensure we operate the most efficient vehicles available. We currently have 6 new tipper trucks on order. All will be fitted with the lower passenger door window for increased visibility. We did look at low cab alternatives but found that they weren’t suitable for the kind of work we do.
We will continue with our driver training programme ensuring all drivers complete Safe Urban Driving and LoCity driving courses as well as more tailored training as required eg induction training when new vehicles arrive.

We are proud members of FORS and actively promote the scheme wherever we can. We use the logo everywhere from the cabs of our trucks to the signatures on our company emails. We encourage those who want to work with us to have a minimum of FORS Silver and ideally to have achieved Gold.
Achieving and maintaining FORS Gold is incredibly important to our business. It reassures us that we’re working to one of the highest standards in the industry and in turn this gives our customers confidence that they are working with a professional company.

@Dafcon Haulage