Bus-46, Use of University Vehicle Policy

I. PURPOSES

This Bulletin establishes the basic guidelines governing the use of University vehicles.

II. REFERENCES

A. Policy on Use of University Vehicles, February 28, 1978.

B. Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-8, Acquisition and Disposition of University Vehicles.

C. Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-19, Registration and Licensing of University-owned Vehicles.

D. Business and Finance Bulletin G-28, Policy and Regulations Governing Travel.

E. Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-35, Vehicle Accident Reporting and Claims Procedures.

F. Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-69, Vehicle Physical Damage Self-Insurance Program.

G. Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-73, Workers Compensation Self-Insurance Program.

H. Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-75, General and Automobile Liability Self-Insurance Program.

I. Business and Finance Bulletin A-47, University Direct Costing Procedures.

J. University Policy Concerning Executive Automobiles, 1988.

K. Delegation of Authority–Third Party Agreements, University Vanpool Programs from the President to the Chancellors, Senior Vice President-Business and Finance, and Directors of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, March 31, 1992.

L. University of California Guidelines on Drivers and Drivers’ Public Driving Records, June 24, 1989.

M. California Commercial Motor Vehicles Safety Act of 1988.

N. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

III. USE OF UNIVERSITY VEHICLES

A. Registration and Identification

1. University vehicles, including those operated by the Associated Students and other University-related organizations, shall be registered in the name of the University of California and licensed in accordance with Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-19, Registration and Licensing of University-owned Vehicles.

2. University vehicles, except executive vehicles and vehicles used for special purposes (i.e, undercover police cars and authorized rideshare vehicles), shall be conspicuously identified as the property of the University of California to be operated for official use only. Identification shall be achieved by use of a decal or other device attached to the front and/or rear of each vehicle. The decals or other devices shall be standardized on a University-wide basis.

3. No other decals, stickers, or other signs, including dealer-identified license plate holders, shall be placed on any University vehicle, except that a Chancellor may authorize exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

B. Official Use

1. University vehicles shall be used only for official University business.

2. Responsibility for determining, authorizing, and controlling official use is the responsibility of the Chancellors and designee(s).

3. The use of privately owned vehicles for University business is generally encouraged, and Business and Finance Bulletin G-28, Policy and Regulations Governing Travel, should be consulted regarding applicable travel and insurance regulations.

4. University vehicles shall not be used regularly for transportation between personal residences and University campuses or other work locations, except those vehicles:

a. assigned to senior University executives (see University Policy Concerning Executive Automobiles);

b. used in conjunction with authorized ridesharing programs which include, but are not limited to, vanpools, carpools, buspools, and guaranteed ride home programs; or

c. used occasionally for transportation to and from personal residences in connection with departure and return from official University business trips, when the appropriate department official has determined that such use is more efficient and economical than available alternatives.

5. Any use of a vehicle for transportation between home and office, other than those stated above, must be specifically authorized in advance and in writing by the Chancellor as an exception to this policy and justified by a special and/or frequent work requirement of the University which cannot reasonably be met by other means of transportation. Drivers using vehicles under this section shall be subject to campus parking regulations.

C. Drivers

1. Authorized drivers shall include faculty, staff, students, and non-University persons, including consultants, provided they have been approved by the appropriate campus official, and the vehicle use is for official University business. As provided by the Delegation of Authority–Third Party Agreements, University Vanpool Programs, March 31, 1992, non-University participants in University sponsored ridesharing programs may be authorized to drive University-owned vehicles if they meet program criteria.

2. Drivers shall hold the valid license/endorsements for the type of vehicle to be used and shall have successfully completed any driver training/safety course required by the campus or State/Federal law, except that short-term (less than 2 weeks) visitors/guests who use a vehicle only for the duration of their stay, and University employees who use a vehicle infrequently (i.e, for occasional travel, emergency departmental needs, etc.) are exempt from the training/safety course requirement.

3. No vehicle will be released by fleet operation unless it has been verified that the proposed driver has been authorized, holds the valid license/endorsement for the type of vehicle to be used, and meets all other requirements.

4. No vehicle assigned to a department on a periodic basis will be driven unless it has been verified by the appropriate department official that the proposed driver holds a valid
license for the vehicle to be used, and meets all other requirements.

5. Each campus shall obtain, from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) pull notice system, a periodic report of each drivers’ public drivers, for any other University employees who routinely drive a University vehicle in the course of their regular employment and for all drivers of University-owned rideshare vehicles. Criminal penalties may be assigned
against the University for hiring, continuing to employ, or permitting to continue to operate as a driver, any person who has had a disqualifying action taken against his/her license or certificate (i.e, DMV suspension or revocation).

6. All drivers of University-owned rideshare vehicles, which require a Class B or C license and other specialized vehicles shall be required to pass a physical examination every two years.

7. All drivers of University-owned rideshare vehicles shall authorize the University to review their driving records by means of the DMV’s pull notice system.

D. Fleet Operations

1. Each Chancellor shall establish a fleet operation unit to manage all University-owned and operated vehicles at that campus.

2. The fleet operation shall be responsible for establishing all vehicle rental rates. Such rates shall be established at levels sufficient to recover all allowable costs of operation and may be set at levels sufficient to establish a reserve for vehicle and other equipment acquisition and/or replacement, and facility renovation and/or construction. As appropriate, fees charged to Federal contract accounts must be in accordance with A- 47, University Direct Costing Procedures.

3. The fleet operation shall be responsible for the acquisition, inspection, and record keeping for all general purpose vehicles, including those assigned for long-term use to other departments, and specialized vehicles, as appropriate.

4. The fleet operation shall be responsible for the legally mandated emission testing of all University-owned vehicles, at that campus, including those rented/operated by other
departments on a long-term basis.

5. The fleet operation shall assign general purpose vehicles to most users on a trip-by-trip basis. However, departments may be assigned a vehicle on a long-term rental basis if such assignment serves the department needs more efficiently and economically than any alternative. Such exceptional assignments must be approved by the Chancellor or designee and
renewed on an annual basis. A copy of the department’s request for assignment and the appropriate approval will be maintained by the fleet operation.

6. The fleet operation shall be responsible for the maintenance and service of all general purpose vehicles including those assigned to a department on a long-term basis. Long-term user departments shall be required to adhere to maintenance schedules established by the fleet facility unless different arrangements are approved in writing by the Chancellor or
designee. Vehicles at field offices or remote locations may be excluded from this requirement by special approval of the Chancellor or designee.

Maintenance and servicing of specialized vehicles shall be the responsibility of the user department unless such responsibility is specifically transferred by the user department to the fleet operation.

7. Specialized vehicles (i.e, mobile clinics, fire apparatus, waste collection vehicles, fork lifts, farm tractors, and motor scooters), if used by a single department, may be designated by the Chancellor or designee for permanent assignment to that department.

E. Procedures for Vehicle Use

1. Each campus shall establish procedures to identify properly authorized, trained, and licensed drivers, and to provide a record of each trip. In developing campus policies and
procedures, the following items should be considered:

a. delegations of authority to appropriate department officials;

b. procedures for authorizing and controlling vehicle use;

c. provisions regarding certain types of use (i.e, out-of-state, foreign travel, various rideshare programs) or certain types of users (i.e, students or non-University employees);

d. requirements for reporting vehicle accidents and moving violations;

e. requirements of the DMV pull notice system; and

f. programs to foster traffic safety consciousness.

2. Departments with assigned vehicles and departments responsible for rideshare vehicles shall maintain records which document vehicle users and uses and which demonstrate compliance with State and Federal laws and University policies and procedures. Usage reports shall be prepared periodically, but at least annually, and sent to the fleet operation and to other appropriate campus administrative officials, and shall be reviewed to verify both the proper use and the continued need for the assignment of such vehicles.

3. Each campus shall establish methods to inform vehicle users of their responsibilities and of the limits of appropriate use.

4. Each campus shall establish procedures for reviewing instances of possible misuse of a vehicle by drivers and/or responsible authorizing officials, and shall take appropriate action up to and including termination of employment. Such action may include a requirement for reimbursement of costs incurred by the University through misuse; withdrawing or limiting permission to use a University fleet vehicle; and/or canceling authority to authorize use of vehicles. Reimbursement for any associated costs may be obtained from the driver, the authorizing official, and/or the budget of the using/responsible department.

F. Insurance

University insurance programs provide coverage for the following:

1. The University’s General and Automobile Liability Self-Insurance Program, Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-73, covers personal injury and property damage to others which is
caused by University vehicles when they are operated in the course of official University business, including authorized ridesharing programs. This coverage is in effect whether or not the driver is a University employee.

2. Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurance Program, Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-73, covers personal injuries to University employees resulting from vehicle accidents occurring during the course of authorized trips on official University business.

3. Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurance Program; Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-73; covers employees for injuries sustained during the direct round-trip commute between home and the authorized worksite for all University employees participating in vanpools, buspools, guaranteed ride home programs, and other ridesharing programs utilizing University vehicles.

4. University’s Vehicle Physical Damage Self-Insurance Program, Business and Finance Bulletin BUS-69, covers general purpose, rideshare, and specialized vehicles administered by the fleet operation or by other University departments. Costs for damages due to the careless operation or intentional misuse of vehicles shall not be recovered through this Program.

University insurance programs do not provide coverage for the following:

(1) Personal injuries sustained by non-University employees driving University vanpools.

(2) Personal injuries sustained by students and non-University individuals driving general purpose vehicles.

When damage to a University vehicle is caused by a third party, the University will attempt to recover full damage costs from the third party.

Payment/reimbursement of all costs associated with the damage to any University vehicle resulting from misuse or careless operation by an authorized driver shall be from the driver, or the departmental budget, contract, or grant of the authorizing official. Such costs shall not be covered by University insurance programs.

G. Traffic/Parking Citations

1. Traffic/parking citations shall not be paid from any source of University funds.

2. The driver of a University vehicle is responsible for the payment of any traffic/parking citations incurred on or off University property during the time that said driver is responsible for the operations of the vehicle. University parking citations have the same legal authorization as those issued by municipal or State law enforcement authorities.

3. Guidelines on preparing reports of moving violations and on disciplining repeated violators can be found in University Guidelines on Drivers and Drivers’ Public Driver Records.

H. Alternative Transportation Programs

1. The University of California encourages all campuses to offer ridesharing programs (i.e, vanpools, carpools, buspools, guaranteed ride home programs, etc.), to encourage use of public transit, and to participate in transportation management organizations or other appropriate cooperative arrangements for the purposes of furthering such activities.

2. To ensure growth in ridesharing programs and use of public transit, specific incentives may be developed. Such incentives may include, but are not limited to, the following:
discounted rates for riders, cash compensation for drivers, personal use mileage for drivers, guaranteed ride-home programs, transit pass subsidies, and use of University vehicles (those assigned to a department on a long-term basis) as authorized carpool vehicles in conjunction with ridesharing programs.

3. Participation in University ridesharing programs by non-University employees is permitted provided the campus maintains signed, annually updated participant and employer agreements outlining program elements, requirements, and responsibilities.

4. The University supports campus development of various guaranteed ride home programs. Such programs may include limited use of University vehicles by public transit riders,
or participants in authorized ridesharing programs (including non-University employees) who need to leave the work place for emergency reasons in advance of normally scheduled departures, or who must work late.

IV. CHANCELLOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Each Chancellor is responsible for:

1. the control and use of University vehicles under his or her custody;

2. establishing and maintaining procedures for approving authorized drivers;

3. appropriate campus delegations, directives, and procedures to implement University policy;

4. the provision of supplemental campus policy as needed; and

5. forwarding a copy of campus policies and procedures which implement this Bulletin, and any future modifications, to the Office of the Assistant Vice President – Facilities Administration, attention Director Business Analysis.

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