Operating Policies and Procedures Manual

Effective Date: 01/12/01
Policy Number: 04-24
Section: Facilities and Services
Subject: University Vehicles 

POLICY

Purpose

This policy is designed to assist ASU faculty, staff and students in having a safe and convenient trip while using a university vehicle. The policies are intended to place controls on the use of university vehicles. The term “university vehicles” includes university owned and leased/rental passenger cars, pickup trucks, station wagons, buses, and vans.

General Policies

1. University vehicles are to be used for official business only and are not to be used for personal business.
2. All employees are encouraged to use university vehicles rather than personal vehicles for official business when possible in order to increase utilization and decrease costs of reimbursement.
3. All university vehicles shall be parked at an agency location at night and on weekends when not in use for official business.
4. University owned vehicles shall display red State license tags, front and rear, with appropriate university side decals. Regular license plates will be used on leased and rental vehicles.
5. All university vehicles shall be pooled (i.e., not assigned to any individual for his or her own exclusive use).
   1. Exceptions to 3, 4, and 5 may be obtained only upon written approval of the Governor. Exceptions approved are valid only during the biennium in which granted.
6. No smoking is allowed in university vehicles according to ASU policy 03-05.
7. Any person who is assigned a university vehicle must be properly licensed and be in compliance with the State Vehicle Safety Program.

Requirements for Drivers

1. Authorized operators of university vehicles shall be (a) members of the faculty, members of the staff, and graduate assistants and (b) other persons who have been authorized by the appropriate vice president/chancellor or the Director of Athletics and the university travel administrator. Professional drivers may be utilized for university buses and passenger vans.
2. Each driver of a university vehicle must hold a valid operator’s license and have the license in his/her possession when operating a university vehicle.
3. Buses and Passenger Vans – Special Provisions
   1. Operators of passenger vans with capacities of 15 or fewer passengers and a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 or less pounds must meet the following additional criteria:
      1. Must be 21 years of age or older (unless approved according to Section 1. (b)).
      2. Must complete an in-service training session on the safe operation of a passenger van and successfully complete a road test given by the instructor of the in-service training session;
   2. To be qualified to operate university buses and passenger vans with a capacity of 15 or more passengers or a gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 pounds, the operator must meet the following additional criteria:
      1. Must be 21 years of age or older (unless approved according to Section 1.(b));
      2. Must have a current and appropriate commercial driver’s license with passenger endorsement;
      3. Must successfully complete a road test in the vehicle. The test shall be given by a person designated by the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities who is competent to evaluate and determine whether the person who takes the test has demonstrated that he/she is capable of operating the vehicle;
      4. Must comply with the university’s DOT Drug and Alcohol Testing Program;
      5. Professional drivers can be used on a “trip” basis if currently employed by a common carrier and operating a similar vehicle. This requires approval by the Director of Environmental Health and Compliance, as well as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities

Procedures for Requesting University Vehicles

1. Transportation service is supervised by the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities and is part of the service structure of the university. Vehicles are charged at a minimum mileage rate or a minimum trip fee, whichever is greater.

   Motor Pool Rental Rates 

   Type of Vehicle	Mileage Rate
   Car	$40/day or .38 cents/mile
   Mini-van	$45/day or .40 cents/mile
   8 Passenger Van	$50/day or .46 cents/mile
   14 Passenger Van	$75/day or .55 cents/mile
   24 Passenger Cruiser	$100/day or .90 cents/mile
   31 Passenger Cruiser	$100/day or .90 cents/mile

   Vehicle daily charges are calculated as follows:

   Vehicles scheduled for pick-up before noon will be charged the day rate. Vehicles scheduled for pick-up after noon will be charged one-half the day rate for that day. Vehicles returned after 9 am but before noon will be charged one half the day rate for that day; after noon, the day rate will be charged for that day.

2. Vehicle assignments are based on the maximum benefit to the university, no department or person receives priority over another in scheduling vehicle usage with the exception below. The varsity cruisers, owned by Athletics, are available to other departments on a limited basis.

3. Any university account holder is eligible to use transportation service in conducting official university business.

   1. All official university business travel charges are billed to an approved university account.
   2. All requests for vehicles must be authorized by the person who has responsibility for the account to be charged.
   
   
4. Each individual must be approved by the travel supervisor prior to driving a university vehicle. This is accomplished by submitting Form RM-VS 100, Acceptance of Privilege to Operate a State Vehicle, Form No. RM-VS 200, Authorization to Obtain Traffic Violation Record and a photocopy of the individual’s drivers license to the travel supervisor’s office.
5. All individuals requesting a motor pool vehicle must certify that they will be the sole driver of the vehicle, or they must list all additional drivers. Additional drivers must complete all forms and provide all information required in paragraph 4.
6. All individuals picking up a motor pool vehicle must present a valid drivers license before the vehicle is released into his or her possession.
7. The security and operation of the vehicle and the security and return of credit card(s) issued with the vehicle is the responsibility of the person to whom the vehicle is assigned. This responsibility cannot be delegated to others and ceases only after the vehicle has been returned to the east side of Facilities Management and the keys and credit card(s) have been returned or placed in the key drop box on the east side of Facilities Management.
8. All requests for the use of those vehicles should be made to the Office of Assistant Vice Chancellor of Facilities and the assignment of those vehicles will be made by the Motor Pool staff.
9. Requests for university vehicle assignments should be made as far in advance of use as possible. In the event of questions about the appropriateness of vehicle use or assignments, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities will consult with the university travel administrator.
10. If a scheduled vehicle is not needed, a cancellation notice should be given to the Motor Pool as soon as possible.
11. Cancelled trips may be charged to the department if the department does not notify the Motor Pool in time to re-issue the vehicle.
12. Vehicles are generally not issued for trips inside the city limits or for trips in excess of 500 miles one way with only one passenger.

1. After a vehicle is assigned to a person for use on a given day, the person may pick up the keys and credit card(s) at the Motor Pool during normal working hours (Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). If a trip will begin before normal business hours, the keys should be picked up prior to the close of business on the last working day before the trip.
2. Vehicles should remain parked at the Motor Pool on weekends when keys are picked up on Friday but the trip begins the following Monday. State vehicles should not be parked at an individual’s home when possible.

Returning vehicles:

1. Upon returning the vehicle to the university Motor Pool lot on the east side of Facilities Management, the driver is responsible for the following:
   1. Locking the vehicle.
   2. Informing the Motor Pool of any problems concerning the interior or exterior of the vehicle as well as any mechanical difficulties.
   3. Placing the credit card(s) and keys in the drop box on the east side of Facilities Management or returning these items to the Motor Pool.
   4. If an emergency arises which prevents returning the vehicle at the scheduled time, the driver should notify Facilities Management Motor Pool personnel.
2. Failure to return vehicles at the pre-arranged time may result in additional charges to the department.
3. Cellular phones are provided in fleet vehicles. All calls made while the vehicle is issued will be billed to the requisitioning department.

Parking of University Vehicles

1. On-campus parking. University vehicles may be parked in any campus non-restricted parking lots while being used, except in visitor and handicapped spaces. The improper parking of university vehicles is subject to parking tickets. Fines incurred by improper parking will be the responsibility of the person to whom the vehicle is assigned.
2. Off-campus parking. The driver must make arrangements for storage and/or security of the vehicle when the vehicle is to be kept out of town at night. Parking fees or vehicle storage fees may be reimbursed on a travel reimbursement form (TR-1).

Fuel Purchases and Repair of Vehicles

1. All state vehicles will be serviced at the gas tanks located on campus by university personnel only.
2. Any purchase of fuel off-campus will be billed to a credit card issued with the vehicle. Vehicle users must ensure that the receipts reflect the license number of the vehicle, the number of gallons purchased, the price per gallon, vehicle mileage, total cost of the fuel, and signature of driver.
3. All off-campus purchases for gasoline for university vehicles must be from self-service pumps.
4. Non-compliance with the requirements noted in (3) above may result in the charge being billed to the person to whom the vehicle is issued.
5. Credit card purchases of gasoline in Jonesboro are prohibited except when Facilities Management is closed.

General Repair

1. In the event the vehicle develops mechanical problems while away from the Jonesboro area, the driver should take the vehicle to a garage handling the make of vehicle being driven, have repairs made and request that the billing for services not covered under warranty be made to Finance and Administration. The Motor Pool will pay for costs incurred for vehicle repair, but other costs due to the delay may be at the expense of the user or department.
2. The driver must retain one copy of the billing and turn it in to the Motor Pool upon completion of the trip.
3. If the service garage will not extend credit, the driver should first attempt to pay for the services with the university credit card issued with the vehicle or secondly, pay the bill from personal funds. The itemized bill for repairs must be submitted to the Motor Pool, which will, in turn, send the material to Finance and Administration for reimbursement.Note: If repair needs seem extensive, please check via a collect call to Facilities Management during regular office hours (7:00 am-5:00 pm, Monday through Friday) or contact the Public Safety Office who will coordinate repairs with Facilities Management for authorization of the work before work is begun.

Involvement in Accident

1. f involved in an accident, obtain the following information:
   1. Name of the driver(s) of other vehicle(s).
   2. Name of passenger(s) in other vehicle(s).
   3. Address of driver(s) and passenger(s) in other vehicle(s).
   4. Drivers license number of driver(s) of other vehicle(s).
   5. Name of the insurance company of the driver(s) of other vehicle(s).
2. The person(s) involved in the accident should obtain the name of the company insuring the university vehicle. Make sure the person(s) involved in the accident knows to contact Facilities Management for information concerning the accident and/or insurance.
3. Anyone involved in an accident must make a detailed report on the accident, including the name, address and phone number of the officer investigating the accident and all other pertinent information regarding the accident.
4. The police MUST make an investigation of the accident and the authorized driver of the university vehicle should obtain a copy of the policy report and turn the report in to Facilities Management.

Vehicle Safety/Reporting Requirements

1. Every driver and front seat passenger in a State owned or leased vehicle is required to use a seat belt.
2. The following passenger and weight limits must be strictly enforced by person/persons who operate a vehicle:

   Type Vehicle	Maximum Passengers (Including Driver)
   Car	5
   Mini-van	7
   8 Passenger Van	8
   14 Passenger Van	14
   24 Passenger Cruiser	24
   31 Passenger Cruiser	31

     
3. Safety requirements make it essential that individuals operating the vehicles also ensure that the vehicle’s weight limits are not exceeded. Drivers are responsible for the loading of the vehicle and for ensuring that the load is within the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
4. Drivers of vans and buses will be responsible for seeing that seats are available for all passengers and that no passenger stands in the aisle or leaves the vehicle until it has come to a complete stop. All vehicle drivers will remind passengers to use the automobile safety seat belts installed in the vehicle.
5. State Vehicle Safety Policy requires any traffic accident/citation which is received while operating a state vehicle must be reported within (24) twenty-four hours of occurrence to the Motor Pool. The driver of the vehicle is responsible for the payment of any traffic citations.
6. Drivers of university vehicles are required to report any malfunction of the vehicle or its equipment to the Motor Pool. On extended use, drivers are expected to perform routine vehicle inspections and fluid level checks.

This page is maintained by Cassey Tune
Last updated on 12/20/07