College Owned Vehicles

Roberts Wesleyan College 418 Policy and Procedure

I. Policy:

The College provides College vehicles for business use and allows employees with safe driving records to use them.  This policy outlines criteria for determining eligibility to drive a College vehicle.  The goal of this policy is to prevent vehicle accidents and injuries.

II. Definitions:

Drivers:  Employees who meet the Safe Driving Standards and are approved to drive a college-owned vehicle.

Frequent vehicle users:  Employees who drive a college-owned vehicle as a requirement of their employment, as a provision of their employment, on nine or more instances per year, or less than nine instances, but mileage exceeding 300 miles.

Occasional vehicle users:  Employees who drive college-owned vehicles on eight or fewer instances per year and total mileage less than 300 miles per year.

Driver Review Board:  Board made up of the Director of Campus Security, and a representative from Human Resources, Safety Team, and Staff Association.

III. Procedures:

A.  Hiring Process for Positions Requiring Frequent Vehicle Use

When a position is open that requires driving as an essential job function, the driving record of final candidates under consideration shall be evaluated.  This rule applies to full-time, part-time, and time-as-reported employees. The following procedures shall be used:

1. When recruiting for positions requiring driving as an essential job function, job announcements will indicate the driving requirement and make this policy available to applicants.
2.  Final candidates must submit appropriate information necessary for the College to obtain a driver abstract from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
3. The candidate's driving history will be compared to the College's Safe Driving Standard to ensure she/he meets the standard.  The College's Safe Driving Standard is attached.
4. If a final candidate does not meet the College's Safe Driving Standard, she/he will not meet the qualifications for the position and will be contacted by Human Resources.  The candidate may be considered for other open positions on campus for which she/he is qualified.

B.  Process to Determine if Current Employees are Safe Drivers

1. Employees who drive College vehicles must maintain a valid driver's license and continue to meet the College's Safe Driving Standards.
2. Employees shall operate College vehicles in a safe, legal and courteous manner at all times.
3. In order to continue to use College vehicles, current drivers will need to complete the Driving Record Acknowledgment Form.  This entitles the College to request Driver Abstracts from the Department of Motor Vehicles for these employees.
4. Employees must also report any citations received while employed that impact their driving record to their immediate supervisor and the Director of Campus Security.  This includes moving citations for both College and personal vehicles.  Employees arrested or reported for a driving violation while driving on College business may have their driving privileges suspended and/or be subject to disciplinary action.
5. The Driver Review Board will review the findings of the Driver Abstracts and self-reported citations to determine which drivers meet the Safe Driving Standards.

C.  Process if Current Frequent Vehicle Users are Determined Not to be Safe Drivers

1. The Driver Review Board will meet to determine a course of action. An immediate response will be the withdrawal of permission to use College vehicles if frequent vehicle users do not meet the standards.
2. Driving privileges will also be withdrawn from employees who have their driver's license suspended or cancelled for any reason.
3. In cases where driving is an essential function of the job, the Driver Review Board will consider the following options in light of the seriousness of the violation(s), number of violations, and previous employment history with the College:
   • employee's employment with the College may be terminated or suspended
   • driving privileges will be withdrawn until the employee again meets the Safe Driving Standards
   • driving privileges will be withdrawn and the employee will be required to take a Safe Driving Seminar
   • the Driver Review Board may also consider other options or a combination of the above.
4. Appeals of decisions made by the Driver Review Board must be made in writing to the Human Resources Director within five business days.  The Human Resources Director will meet with the affected employee's Department Head/Division chair and make a final decision within ten business days.

D.  Process if Occasional Vehicle Users are Determined Not to be Safe Drivers

If an occasional vehicle user does not meet the College's Safe Driving Standards, the ability to drive College vehicles will not be granted.  The Driver Review Board may offer the opportunity for the employee to take a safe driving seminar in order to be reconsidered as an occasional vehicle user.  The Driver Review Board will decide if this option is available on a case-by-case basis.

E.  Personal Mileage Tracking

The IRS requires that employees using College vehicles provide an accurate accounting of the number of miles traveled for personal use (i.e. commuting to and from work).  Vehicle users must maintain a mileage log each day a vehicle is used.  At the end of each quarter (March, June, September, December) the log is signed by the driver and the driver's supervisor, and then submitted to the Payroll Department.  Personal mileage will be converted into taxable income and reflected in the employee's paycheck at the end of each quarter and in the year-end W-2 form.

F.  Signing Out a College Vehicle

Occasional vehicle users who wish to use a College vehicle for a particular date must follow the sign-out process outlined by the Transportation Department.  For details regarding this process refer to the Transportation Department intranet page.  Individuals who do not follow the outlined process will not be allowed driving privileges.