Policy and Procedures Regarding University Vehicles

University vehicles include all motorized, licensed vehicles owned and operated by George Fox University to accomplish university business. This includes, but is not limited to, all 12-passenger vans leased or owned by the university for transportation purposes as well as other vehicles owned or leased by the university for transportation and/or other business functions.

Note: Separate, specific policies and training for non-licensed university vehicles (gators, tractors, riding lawn mowers, electric vehicles, etc.) are maintained and managed by Plant Services and are not included in this policy.

The vast majority of property damage, personal injury and death from motor vehicles are directly attributed to driver error. It is a privilege and a responsibility to operate a university motor vehicle, particularly when passengers are involved. For reasons of safety and liability, George Fox reserves the right to be highly selective in approving drivers.

Policy for Driving University Vehicles

University vehicles must be used only for university business, or sponsored curricular or co-curricular events.

Reserving vehicles is on a first-come, first-served basis, and if a student requires a faculty or staff sponsor. The sponsor is responsible for ensuring that the student driver and/or student group using the vehicle follows all policy guidelines and that all drivers are qualified per the requirements of this policy.

Every driver must:

Have five years of driving experience for university vans, or three years for personal vehicles
Have personal insurance
Be a current university student, employee or approved guest to be allowed to operate a 12-passenger van or other licensed university vehicle

Vehicles are not to be kept overnight or over the weekend unless so reserved. They should be returned as soon as the trip has been completed so they can be made available as soon as possible to others wishing to use them.

All drivers must complete online Vehicle Safety Training and be registered and approved by Plant Services before checking out or operating university vehicles. The training is required annually for student drivers and on a three-year rotation for employees.

A person’s driving record will be checked through the applicable state’s motor vehicle department. This “check” is facilitated by the administrative assistant in the finance office and communicated to Plant Services. This may result in a driver’s removal from the approved drivers list if the university is notified of violations as specified in section IV of this document.

A list of approved drivers will be maintained by the Plant Services department.

Procedures for Driving University Vehicles

Once a trip has been planned, the organizer must follow the relevant procedures outlined below:

Trip organizer requests trip approval from the sponsoring department/office
If a George Fox vehicle will be used for transportation, a request for reservation of a fleet vehicle must be made with Plant Services.
At the time of the request, the applicant’s George Fox driving privileges will be verified.
If an employee, the designated driver must have completed the Plant Services training/certification process within the last three years rotation. If a student, the training must have been completed annually.
A motor vehicle report will be reviewed for any designated drivers to ensure that their driving records are acceptable (facilitated by the administrative assistant in the finance office).
When checking out the vehicle to a driver, Plant Services will verify the driver’s current driver license and personal automobile insurance (even though the university’s insurance will be primary in an accident when a university vehicle is driven).
As a part of the driver approval process, the person seeking approval will need to provide the company name and policy number for their personal automobile insurance. This information will be kept completely confidential and is only used to verify that the individual seeking approval to drive a university vehicle and/or personal vehicle has current automobile insurance.

If the applicant has not completed the Plant Services training/certification process, he or she will be required to do so prior to being allowed to drive a university vehicle.

Each time a vehicle is used, the responsible party (the person who reserved and is using the vehicle or requested someone to check the vehicle out in their name) must completely fill out the vehicle reservation form with:

Date
Odometer reading
Vehicle number
Cost center and account number to which mileage will be charged
Department name
Printed name
Signature
Indication of an exterior visual expectation of the vehicle before use

Failure to complete the form may result in extra charges and/or revocation of vehicle driving privileges.

The driver will need to obtain keys and gas credit cards from the Plant Services office, located in the Thomas Center building at 1101 Villa Road in Newberg.

Vehicles must be picked up from and returned to the correct parking lot as specified on the vehicle reservation form.

Keys, gas credit cards, receipts for gas, and the vehicle reservation form must be returned to the Plant Services office within 24 hours. There is a drop box available in front of the Thomas Center building. Keys must not be returned through campus mail.

The responsible party must ensure that all personal belongings and trash are removed from the vehicle, leaving it clean for the next user. A minimum fee of $25 will be charged for vans returned unclean.

Note: In addition to expectations already stated, unlicensed and/or specialty vehicles (such as gator utility vehicles, riding lawn mowers, utility trucks, vans, and vehicles operated by Plant Services, Event Services, athletics and other university departments) must be operated safely with appropriate training provided by Plant Services.

Drivers who have on-the-job accidents while operating any university vehicle will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the environmental health and safety specialist or his/her designee. This could result in losing driving privileges or losing one’s job if driving is a significant component of his or her job.

Driver Approval Process

The university vehicle driver certification process takes five business days for insurance authorization. Plan ahead so that you can be insured in time for your deadline.

Follow the instructions below to become an approved driver of a university van or vehicle, or an approved driver using a personal vehicle for a university event.

Read the policy
Log into Canvas to watch the "University Vehicle Driver Safety Information Video" and/or the "Personal Vehicle Driver Safety Video," and then complete the accompanying quiz.
- Use your George Fox username and password to log into Canvas.
- Enroll in the University Transportation Policy and Certification site through Canvas.