PPS-001 Campus Vehicles

I. Policy Statement

College owned vehicles include motor pool vehicles, department owned vehicles, trailers and utility carts.

1. General
   1. College-owned (College) vehicles are to be used for official Fort Lewis College business only. Drivers of College vehicles are subject to all traffic laws and regulations established by the local jurisdictions through which they travel, and are personally responsible for any parking or moving violations received.
   2. Only college employees or Authorized Driver Volunteers acting within the scope of their duties may drive College vehicles. All drivers are required to possess a current driver's license. Motor pool drivers must have passed required training.
   3. Friends and/or family members of college employees or authorized driver volunteers may not ride in College vehicles unless they are College employees acting within the scope of their duties or Authorized Volunteers.
   4. All occupants, including the driver, are required to wear seat belts.
   5. Persons driving College vehicles shall not be under the influence of alcoholic beverages, cannabis products, medications that may impair physical functions or other illegal substances while driving.  Drivers are responsible for complying with the Distracted Driver policy
   6. Pets,except for a service dog, smoking and vaping are not allowed in any College vehicle at any time.
   7. All College vehicles may be serviced at the PPS Equipment Shop or at local service facilities.
   8. College vehicles shall be not taken out of the Continental United States without prior approval from Transportation Services.
   9. All accidents must be immediately reported to the proper authorities (local police, state patrol, or county sheriff), the College Police Department and the Environmental Health & Safety Department.
2.  Departmental Vehicles
   1. Departments may have possession of vehicles on a long-term basis if such a need exists. All financial obligations are the responsibility of the department that "owns" the vehicle, including disposal and procurement of replacement vehicles.
   2. Departmental vehicles must be titled and registered through the PPS Service Center to “Fort Lewis College, State of Colorado”
   3. All College vehicles must be detailed with the College logo and a “How is my driving?" decal. Detailing is provided at the expense of the department. The department must have the detailing removed prior to sale or disposal of the vehicle.

   4. Operators of departmental vehicles must be familiar with, and follow the College policy titled "Driving Vehicles on Campus Sidewalks and Fire Lanes."

   5. Departments are responsible for lost keys and must pay for expenses incurred to open a locked vehicle.
   6. Departments are responsible for the routine care of the vehicle, including checking proper fluid levels, tire pressure and other scheduled maintenance.
   7. Departments are responsible for having preventative maintenance work performed, including oil and filter changes, brakes, tires, and windshield replacements.
   8. Maintenance work may be performed by the PPS Equipment Shop or an authorized vendor. All expenses for labor and materials will be charged to the department's budget.
3. Utility Carts
   1. Campus departments may procure utility carts (golf carts, Gators, ATV's, and other small-sized electric or gasoline powered service/utility carts) for travel on campus. These types of vehicles are slow-moving vehicles, do not require license plates, and are not "road-worthy" meaning that they are not to be driven on public roads. The department is responsible for procuring storage and determining the location of the storage for utility carts.
   2. Employees operating utility carts are expected to understand and comply with the following:
      1. All employees operating utility carts must possess a current, valid driver’s license which must be in his/her possession at all times during the operation of a utility cart.
      2. All employees operating a cart must adhere to all applicable vehicle and traffic laws of the State of Colorado, as well as Fort Lewis College policies
   3. Any instance of careless, negligent or impaired operation of a campus utility cart will be reviewed/investigated by the Campus Police Department. Employees determined to have been careless, negligent or impaired while operating a campus cart shall be subject to corrective and/or disciplinary action, as well as civil traffic or criminal citation as appropriate.
4. Rented Vehicles
   1. Only college employees or Authorized Driver Volunteers may drive rental vehicles carrying athletic teams, club sports teams or students participating in an off-campus academic program.
5. Accidents and Insurance Information
   1. All accidents must be immediately reported to the proper authorities (local police, state patrol, or county sheriff), the College Police Department and the Environmental Health & Safety Department.
   2. All College vehicles are liability-insured through the college. Liability insurance covers College vehicles only when they are being used for official College business.
      1. If a vehicle is damaged in a manner beyond normal wear and tear, due to negligence or carelessness, or if damage is not reported to Transportation Services upon return, repair costs may be charged to the renting department.
      2. Costs for damages caused through the fault of the driver may be chargeable to the department who rented the vehicle.
      3. Under some circumstances, damages may be chargeable to the driver, especially in cases of negligence, or if the driver was engaged in unlawful behavior at the time of the accident (e.g. driving under the influence of alcohol).
   3. Misuse of College vehicles may result in the driver being personally liable for damages and/or injuries.
   4. Insurance coverage does not include personal injury protection (PIP) or medical coverage. State employees on official College business may submit a worker's compensation claim for bodily injury sustained while traveling in a College vehicle on official College business. Bodily injury claims for any other driver or passenger (students, College visitors, etc.) in a College vehicle are subject to personal insurance coverage.

   5. For more information on vehicle insurance, please contact Bill Donelan, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, at extension 6926 or via e-mail at wjdonelan@fortlewis.edu

III. Responsibilities 

For following the policy: All employees

For enforcement of the policy: Head of department responsible for vehicle

For oversight of the policy: Vice President, Finance and Administration

For notification of policy: Policy Librarian