What does the CLOCS Standard require of contractors in England?
CLOCS Standard Version 5 is a UK standard. The library holds its duties for three parties: the client, the principal contractor and the fleet operator. Each set of duties binds only on a condition: the client has adopted CLOCS, the client's contract or a planning condition requires it, or the contract that engages the fleet operator requires it.
Demiton is not CLOCS and accredits no one. This is an independent explainer. Every duty below is read from CLOCS Standard Version 5, November 2024, read 21 October 2026.
When it binds
CLOCS is a UK standard written up here for England, and it binds differently for each party. The client's duties are binding where the client has adopted CLOCS. The principal contractor's duties are binding only where the client's contract or a planning condition requires CLOCS. The fleet operator's duties are binding only where the contract that engages the operator requires CLOCS.
So the question on an English job is whether CLOCS applies to this contract, not to the industry. The conditions above name where to look: the client's contract, the planning conditions for the project, and the contract that engages each fleet operator.
How it differs from CLOCS-A
The two schemes share a name and not a structure. CLOCS-A is a national voluntary Standard (s 1) that binds a contractor only when the client's contract requires it (s 3), or once the contractor is accredited. Version 5 reaches a principal contractor through a planning condition as well as the contract, and it sets duties on the client, which the Australian guide does not hold.
The vehicle rules differ too. Bronze, the minimum, is met by at least one standard of each either/OR pair plus every other Bronze standard. For Version 5 the library holds a fleet operator duty to run every construction logistics heavy goods vehicle to the standards described as Silver in the FORS Standard (cl 7.1(b)), and holds no vehicle equipment list. The party that runs the vehicles is called the fleet operator here and the Transport Operator in CLOCS-A.
If you work in both countries, read the CLOCS-A guide beside this one, and the matching chapters: the logistics management plan, the traffic management plan and the Bronze vehicle equipment.
What the library holds for the client
| Duty | Binds | Window and clause | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| As client, make sure planning and design risk assessments identify and assess the risks construction logistics poses to vulnerable road users | Client | none setcl 4.1(a) | a breach of contract |
| As client, investigate and specify, where reasonably practicable, measures that reduce the project's heavy vehicle movements | Client | none setcl 4.1(b) | a breach of contract |
| As client, put CLOCS requirements in the procurement strategy, tender documents and contracts, and require the principal contractor to make its site and fleet operators comply | Client | none setcl 4.2(a)-(d) | a breach of contract |
| As client, make sure the project team develops, implements and monitors a Construction Logistics Plan that meets the Standard's minimum content | Client | none setcl 4.3(a) | a breach of contract |
| As client, monitor CLOCS compliance by requiring independent site monitoring assessments, delivery performance reports, serious incident reports and action plans | Client | 6 monthsThe independent formal site monitoring assessment is "approximately six-monthly", so the 6-month window is the Standard's approximation, not a fixed date.cl 4.4(a) | a breach of contract |
| As client, use the contract to require that serious construction vehicle incidents are investigated, rectified within an agreed timeframe and answered with an action plan, and review the incidents notified | Client | none setThe timeframe is agreed in the contract; the Standard sets no number.cl 4.5(a)-(b) | a breach of contract |
What the library holds for the principal contractor
| Duty | Binds | Window and clause | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make sure risk assessments through the life of the project identify and assess the risks construction logistics poses to vulnerable road users, including high-risk roads, junctions and routes | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.1(a) | a breach of contract |
| Develop, implement and maintain a project-specific Construction Logistics Plan that plans and manages vehicle movements into and out of the project | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.2(a)-(b) | a breach of contract |
| Review and update the Construction Logistics Plan before each new phase of construction starts | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.2(c) | a breach of contract |
| Develop, implement and maintain a Construction Traffic Management Plan that includes traffic guidance schemes and vehicle movement plans | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.3(a)-(c) | a breach of contract |
| Put CLOCS requirements in the procurement strategy, tender documents and contracts, and require every applicable site and fleet operator to comply and give evidence of compliance | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.4(a)-(e) | a breach of contract |
| Use a delivery management system that schedules deliveries, captures vehicle and driver details, controls peak hour traffic and tells operators the routes and site rules | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.5(a) | a breach of contract |
| Risk-assess and select the safest vehicle routes to and from site, and make every subcontractor, fleet operator and supplier aware they must use them | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.6(a)-(d) | a breach of contract |
| Keep the site's ground conditions suitable for the vehicles that service it, and review them regularly | Principal contractor | none set"Regular": the Standard states no interval, so no window is recorded.cl 5.7(a)-(b) | a breach of contract |
| Keep site access and egress clearly marked, managed and clear of obstacles, and apply traffic management principles that minimise hazards | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.8(a)-(c) | a breach of contract |
| Appoint competent site access traffic marshals with formal approved training that included practical experience | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.9(b) | a breach of contract |
| Check vehicles and drivers against the CLOCS Standard by observation and frequent formal checks on a checklist, keep the records, and risk-assess and address every non-compliance at once | Principal contractor | none set"Frequent": the Standard states no interval, so no window is recorded.cl 5.9(c)-(d) | a breach of contract |
| Load and unload on site on a stable, graded surface as far as practicable, and use an off-site area only with consent and a risk assessment | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.10(a)-(b) | a breach of contract |
| Arrange independent formal CLOCS site monitoring assessments and give the client the evidence | Principal contractor | 6 monthsThe assessment is "approximately six-monthly", so the 6-month window is the Standard's approximation, not a fixed date.cl 5.11(a) | a breach of contract |
| Report fleet and site performance to the client every quarter, including the site access gate check results, trends and remedial actions | Principal contractor | 3 monthscl 5.11(b)-(c) | a breach of contract |
| Report serious construction vehicle incidents to the client as soon as reasonably practicable, and investigate them to a level that matches their severity | Principal contractor | none set"As soon as reasonably practicable" states no number, so no window is recorded.cl 5.11(d) | a breach of contract |
| Obtain and monitor an action plan wherever a site monitoring assessment or a gate check finds non-compliance, and review action plans for the risk to vulnerable road users | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.12(b)-(d) | a breach of contract |
| Consider engaging local schools and the community on the risks of construction traffic | Principal contractor | none setcl 5.13(a) | no penalty stated |
What the library holds for the fleet operator
| Duty | Binds | Window and clause | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belong to a recognised independent fleet accreditation scheme, or run a management system that covers management, vehicles, drivers and operations, and give the procurer evidence of it | Fleet operator | none setcl 7.1(a), (c) | a breach of contract |
| Run every construction logistics heavy goods vehicle to the standards described as Silver in the FORS Standard | Fleet operator | none setcl 7.1(b) | a breach of contract |
In this guide
Three chapters take the duties on the construction logistics plan, the construction traffic management plan and the fleet operator. The Standard, clause by clause is on its own page.
- Construction logistics planWhat CLOCS Standard v5 requires of a construction logistics plan, who must keep it and when it is reviewed, each duty with its clause.
- Traffic management planWhat CLOCS Standard v5 requires of a construction traffic management plan, vehicle routing, site access, traffic marshals and gate checks, by clause.
- Fleet operators and FORSWhat CLOCS Standard v5 requires of a fleet operator, how it points to FORS Silver, and the cited note on London's Direct Vision Standard.
What the library does not hold
It holds the 25 duties above. It holds no row for the Standard's scope or definitions, and none for the schemes that sit beside it, such as London's Direct Vision Standard. Read the Standard for those, and the contract for which parts bind you.
What this page is, and is not
It is the section text this library holds for England, from The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (Great Britain), Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, Part II (Construction Contracts), The Scheme for Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998, as amended for England, and Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS) Standard, Version 5, with the window and the consequence. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the Regulations, the Act, the Scheme, the CLOCS Standard and the contract you signed.
These pages explain the Standard. They do not mean Demiton checks a job against it, and the duties above are the ones the library holds, not every duty the Standard sets.
Clauses read from the obligation library, release v22, last checked against the source on .