Top Oil achieves TruckSafe Gold Standard
Top Oil is the latest company to achieve the TruckSafe Gold Standard, awarded by FTA Ireland.
The definitions of supply chain management suggests that it is a complex undertaking that extends beyond the scope and capabilities of a single organisation. Significant effort is needed to build and maintain a supply chain network.
This involves a tremendous action list that requires expertise, time, and money, establishing strategies, building relationships and roles, aligning processes, developing people, implementing technology, and investing in capacity.
Given these requirements and challenges, it is logical to wonder whether the pursuit of supply chain management capabilities is worthwhile. The clear answer is yes because organisations need strong supply chain capabilities to profitably compete in the marketplace. Their key goals for supply chain management should be to achieve efficient fulfillment of demand, drive outstanding customer value, enhance organisational responsiveness, build network resiliency, and facilitate financial success.
Understanding costs associated with the distribution is vital in ensuring supply chain efficiency. Understanding operational costs, continuously reviewing and updating route optimisation, delivery and collection times all aid the drive towards operational efficiency. This also create a culture within organisations of continual and sustained operational efficiencies.
The TruckSafe standard was developed by FTA Ireland Members for commercial fleet operators to provide independent verification of operational compliance of Driver and Vehicle Road-worthiness compliance.
TruckSafe Standards represent the current minimum best practice standards required to ensure the safe and sustainable operation of commercial fleets. Members undertake an annual audit of their compliance. This process demonstrates members commitment to compliance and safety standards and also affords recognition for the company and team for the work being done to attain the highest possible compliance standards.
The Standard has 3 levels:
- Bronze Standard – The company has systems in place to meet the standards in fatigue, road-worthiness, driver competence, road traffic rules, safe and legal loads, dangerous goods, road haulage operator licensing, professional competence, sustainable operations, contractor and agency management.
- Silver standard – all of the above Plus monitoring of sustainable operations, vehicle and driver encounters.
- Gold Standard – all of the above plus KPI and quality monitoring with continuous improvement for fatigue, driver competence load safety and sustainable operations.
The FTA Ireland TruckSafe standard focus at Silver & Gold level is on how commercial fleet operators are managing their fuel burn. It audits operational compliance in the areas of road safety, haulage operations, road-worthiness, working time and environmental efficiencies. The TruckSafe™ audit is encouraging members to have sustainable and pro-active management systems in place. This has the added benefit for members by helping them reduce their carbon emission, reduce costs associated with fuel purchasing and aid their transition to alternative fueling technologies whilst staying safe on the road.
Members are required to submit a three-year fuel efficiency and management plan as part of the annual audit. Litres used, and Kilometres driven are collected from members to the scheme each quarter. To Date, FTA Ireland members have saved over 2.5million litres of diesel fuel on this programme (This is the equivalent of over 7million Kg of CO2.