Vehicle Request Policy and Procedures

Article ID: 451

Last updated: 27 Jun, 2018

EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY VEHICLE REQUEST POLICY & PROCEDURES

(Updated 3/18)

Failure to comply fully with this policy may result in loss of vehicle use privileges for the operator and the operator’s department.

Please contact Scott Smith, University Vehicle Coordinator, with any questions by e-mail at smithsc@easternct.edu or at x54326.

GENERAL USE - All use of Eastern and State of Connecticut vehicles is covered under the guidelines outlined in General Letter No. 115 (Revised 4/12) of the State of Connecticut’s Department of Administrative Services and Eastern Connecticut State University’s University & State Owned Vehicle Safe Driver Policy & Contract document. Link: http://das.ct.gov/images/1090/GL115rev2012.pdf

All State of Connecticut laws as they pertain to the operation of motor vehicles and their passengers must be strictly adhered to by all users of Eastern and/or State of Connecticut vehicles. Any and all citations or tickets issued in connection with any vehicle misuse, incident or accident are the responsibility of the vehicle’s operator. Eastern will not reimburse the operator for any fines paid.

As of 6/16/06, the Eastern administration has mandated that the publication entitled “Safety in Student Transportation: A Resource Guide for Colleges and Universities” be read by those individuals who operate Eastern and/or state of Connecticut vehicles for student transportation. The publication is available on-line through any search engine.

WHAT CAN VEHICLES BE USED FOR - Eastern and State of Connecticut vehicles may only be used for Eastern and/or State of Connecticut-related business. Personal use of any kind is prohibited. All passengers must be affiliated directly with the State of Connecticut, Eastern or any of its sanctioned programs.

The willful neglect or misuse of any University or state-owned vehicle is cause for disciplinary action under Connecticut General Statute 4-165 and may cause loss of vehicle privileges for both the driver and their affiliated department.

WHO CAN REQUEST TO USE A VEHICLE - Eastern and State of Connecticut vehicles may only be requested by Eastern faculty, staff or administration representatives. Students may not make vehicle requests unless they are accompanied by authorization from a proper University authority (faculty, staff or administrator).

REQUEST TIMELINE - Requests are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. An advance notice of at least one business day is highly recommended for all vehicle requests. Weekly or extended use requests (for classes or programs) should be made at least a half semester in advance. Last minute or emergency requests are difficult to accommodate because of heavy usage.

HOW TO REQUEST A VEHICLE - All vehicle requests must be made by e-mail to the University Vehicle Coordinator (Scott Smith / smithsc@easternct.edu). All requests must include:

NAME OF REQUESTOR

CONTACT NUMBER

DEPARTMENT/ORGANIZATION

NUMBER OF VEHICLES REQUESTED

TYPE (Van or Car)

NUMBER OF PASSENGERS

(Van capacity is 12 including the driver. Car capacity is 4 including the driver.)

DRIVER NAME(S)*

ARE DRIVER NAME(S) ON UNIVERSITY’S APPROVED DRIVER LIST

*It is the responsibility of the Requester to find approved drivers for their trips.

*The University does not provide drivers.

PICK-UP DATE & TIME

RETURN DATE & TIME

DESTINATION (place, city, state)

PURPOSE OF TRIP (in detail)

Phone inquiries about availability are encouraged, but are not considered formal requests (860.465.4326). All vehicle requests will be confirmed or denied via e-mail.

WHO CAN DRIVE - As of 8/12, Eastern and State of Connecticut vehicles (under lease from Fleet Operations) may be driven by any University representative who has followed the procedures to have their name placed on the University’s Approved Driver List which is compiled by the Campus Police Records Office.

HOW TO GET YOUR NAME ON THE APPROVED DRIVER LIST - All University personnel who drive or may drive University and/or State of Connecticut vehicles must have their name on the University’s Approved Driver List. This process only needs to be done one time while the individual is employed or a member of the University community. If the State of CT or the University changes the driver requirements, test and/or contract, all individuals will be made aware of the requirement change and what would need to be done to keep their driving privileges. It is the responsibility of the driver to assure that they stay in compliance with all of the provisions on the contract.

All of this information can be found on the Campus Police website or at the following link: http://www.easternct.edu/police/safe-driver-information/

HOW TO BECOME AN APPROVED DRIVER:

Watch the on-line PowerPoint presentation, pass the test at the end of the PowerPoint and print out a copy of the test’s result page.
Print out a copy of the University Driver Contract and staple the result page to it.
Fill out and sign the University Driver Contract.
Bring the Driver Contract to an appropriate University authority (Department Head, Supervisor, Director, Dean or Vice President) who must verify by signature that the potential driver’s Operator’s License is valid.
The entire original document must be brought to the Campus Police Records Office - during business hours - for name placement on the University’s Approved Driver List.

DRIVERS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY - A department may have the need to request that a University Volunteer be allowed to drive an Eastern vehicle when no other University personnel are available to do so.

If this is the case, a member of University’s faculty or staff must submit a formal written request to the Vice President of Finance & Administration (Jim Howarth) for a Volunteer Letter to be drafted; allowing that individual, who is not an employee or student of the University, to drive University vehicles.

The request must include specific information on what the volunteer’s duties will be (including the driving of Eastern vehicles with passengers) and contain assurances that the faculty or staff member has verified that the individual’s operator’s license is valid. The faculty or staff member should also make their department head aware of the volunteer request and provide a copy to them of the official request.

Also, before final approved volunteer driver status can be obtained, the volunteer must view the on-line Driver Safety PowerPoint, pass the test, complete Eastern’s University & State Owned Vehicle Safe Driver Contract, have their operator’s license verified by a an appropriate University authority (Department Head, Supervisor, Dean or Vice President), and bring the document to the Campus Police Records Office for processing.

All volunteer driver requests should be made at least a week in advance of the first desired date of travel to allow time for processing.

TRAVEL AUTHORIZATIONS FORMS - A Travel Authorization Form (TA) must be obtained for all out-of-state travel. TA’s may be obtained from Fiscal Affairs (x55392) and must be filed under the name(s) of all potential drivers prior to the trip’s departure date.

Be advised: All student-based clubs & organizations and some academic departments require TA’s for in-state travel as well. Please check with your club’s, organization’s or department’s travel policy.

VEHICLE PARKING - All Eastern pool vehicles must be parked in the University Police Department Parking Lot in their designated spaces. All vehicles must be backed into their parking spaces upon return to campus.

KEY PICK-UP & SIGN-OUT - Keys for reserved vehicles must be signed out using the VEHICLE KEY LOG NOTEBOOK located at the University Police Department’s Dispatch window and may only be picked up by the individual(s) listed as the “DRIVER(S)” for a particular reservation on the eReserve system.

Valid Eastern ID is required to pick up the key(s) to University or State of Connecticut vehicles.

The operator’s ID will be kept at the Police Department until the vehicle key(s) have been returned.

*FACULTY/STAFF KEY PICK-UP - Members of the Eastern Faculty, Staff and Administration listed as a “DRIVER” may pick up more than one key with their valid Eastern ID or valid Operator’s License. They will then be responsible for the return of all keys in their possession. No other individuals are allowed to pick up reserved vehicle keys without permission from the University Vehicle Coordinator or Campus Police Dispatch.

VEHICLE RETURN / CLEANING / MILEAGE SHEET COMPLETION / KEY RETURN & SIGN-IN - Upon return to campus, the inside of the vehicle(s) must be thoroughly cleaned. The DESTINATION & ENDING ODOMETER READING must be recorded on the appropriate vehicle’s Key Sign-Out/Sign-In/Mileage Log Sheet located in the VEHICLE KEY LOG NOTEBOOK located on the counter at the University Police Department’s Dispatch window.

KEY SIGN-OUT / SIGN-IN / ENDING ODOMETER READING PROCEDURE - The following information is required to be filled out by each vehicle’s driver on the appropriate vehicle sheet in the VEHICLE KEY LOG NOTEBOOK - Make sure you are using the correct vehicle’s sheet in the notebook. The vehicle’s registration number is located in the upper left portion. The following information must be provided for every vehicle used:

PLEASE WRITE LEGIBLY - All information must be passed on to the State of CT DAS Office of Fleet Operations.

MECHANICAL ISSUES - Any and all mechanical or physical problems with any of the vehicles should be reported promptly to University Police and the University Vehicle Coordinator so appropriate work orders may be submitted. Every effort will be made to provide an alternate vehicle in case of a sudden mechanical or physical problem, but may not be possible given scheduling conflicts. If a vehicle is removed from service for a mechanical or physical problem, as much notice as possible will be given to those affected by its removal. If available, a substitute vehicle will be provided. This is not always possible, however due to the large volume of requests.

ACCIDENTS / DAMAGE - Please contact University Police at 860.465.5310 and the University Vehicle Coordinator at 860.465.4326 to report any accident as soon as possible. In case an accident or any physical damage occurs to the vehicle, no matter how minor, a DAS Vehicle Incident/Accident Report, which is available on-line at following web address: http://das.ct.gov/fleet/VehicleAccidentApril5[1].pdf, must be filled out completely and submitted to University Police. All damage, no matter how minor, must be reported. Unreported damage will be attributed to the last user of the vehicle.

This form must be submitted to the State of Connecticut DAS Office of Fleet Operations and the Comptroller’s Office within 48 hours.

OFF-CAMPUS ACCIDENTS - It is the operator’s responsibility to obtain a copy of any written accident report and provide a copy to University Police and the University Vehicle Coordinator.

If the vehicle must be towed, be sure to get the name of the towing company and the address of where the vehicle is being towed to and contact University Police at 860.465.5310 for more assistance.

Any and all traffic violations or tickets are the responsibility of the vehicle operator. Eastern will not reimburse operators for fines paid.

GAS - Be sure that the vehicle is fully gassed prior to leaving Eastern. Gas is available from Eastern’s Heating Plant and most State of Connecticut Department of Transportation garages or campuses. The computer fob attached to the vehicle’s key ring is all that is needed to obtain gas at any CT State DOT gas station. Place the fob into the pump monitor and follow the directions on the screen. There is no direct cost to the operator or the operator’s department for this gas. Eastern departments/organizations that own pool vehicles reserve the right to charge other departments for gas costs on a monthly basis. This arrangement will be made prior to any trip if applicable.

Please be sure there is at least a ¼ tank of gas remaining in the vehicle upon return to campus.

GAS CARDS - Eastern Voyager Fleet cards are attached to each vehicle’s key ring and are provided for gas or vehicular EMERGENCIES ONLY. All Voyager Fleet card use reimbursement is the responsibility of the operator’s department. Any Voyager Fleet card receipt should be signed and the user’s department name should be written on the receipt. Receipts should be sent to Fiscal Affairs, Gelsi-Young Hall Room 344. Additional Voyager Fleet cards may be requested by contacting Fiscal Affairs at 860.465.5370. If the Voyager Fleet card is damaged or missing on the key ring, please alert the University Police Dispatcher and Fiscal Affairs as soon as possible.

NO PETS - No pets of any kind are allowed in Eastern or State of Connecticut vehicles. Guide dogs are permitted, however.

NO SMOKING - SMOKING IS PROHIBITED in Eastern or State of Connecticut vehicles

VEHICLE POOL - As of 7/17, the Eastern vehicle pool consists of the following vehicles (subject to change): Eleven 12-passenger* vans (Pool (5) 46-30, 46-37, 46-40, 46-44, 46-51; Housing (2) 45-5 & 46-59; SGA (4) 46-19, 46-66, 46-67, 46-75) and one 4-passenger* Focus car (AC-51426).

*Total includes the driver.

CONTACT INFORMATION

UNIVERSITY VEHICLE COORDINATOR UNIVERSITY FLEET MANAGER / VOLUNTEER DRIVERS

Scott Smith, Athletic Equipment Manager Jim Howarth, VP for Finance & Administration

Sports Center Room 118 Gelsi-Young Hall Room 230

Office: 860.465.4326 Cell: 860.604.6618 Office: 860.465.4418

Fax: 860.465.4696 Fax: 860.465.5188

E-mail: smithsc@easternct.edu E-Mail: howarthja@easternct.edu

VEHICLE MAINTENANCE CAMPUS POLICE

Jeff Smith, QCW/Mechanic Main Number: 860.465.5310

Facilities Building Room 103 E-mail: dispatch@easternct.edu

Office: 860.465.0126