The version of this rule that includes
live links to associated resources is online at
https://www.ohio.edu/policy/47-001.html
(A)
Purchase of
vehicles
The university will select specific
vehicles and equipment and its method of procurement and ownership appropriate
for the identified need. To ensure safe vehicle operations and minimize the
risk to Ohio university and to its employees, the university may deny access to
any vehicle at any time if safe and legal operation is in doubt.
(B)
Responsibility for vehicles
It is the responsibility of the
department to which a vehicle is assigned to coordinate with the university
departments identified in this policy for the vehicle's proper acquisition,
use, care, safe operation, and disposition.
(1)
Transportation
and parking services is responsible for acquisition of vehicles via procurement
services, securing titles and licensing, performing pre-purchase inspections
and annual safety inspections, receiving vehicle mishap reports, and
disposition of all vehicles.
(2)
Environmental
health and safety is responsible for oversight of all vehicle safety programs,
the mishap and crash review board, and the fifteen-passenger van training
program.
(3)
The Ohio university police department (OUPD) is
responsible for documentation of vehicle mishaps and violations occurring
within their jurisdiction.
(4)
The office of
risk management is responsible for ensuring appropriate insurance coverage and
for processing claims.
(C)
Appropriate and
legal use
The planning unit head, to which the
vehicle is assigned, or his or her designee, has the responsibility for
ensuring that the vehicle is used for official university business. The
planning unit head, or designee, must establish a system that verifies that all
drivers possess a valid US driver's license and that their driving history
reflects safe behavior behind the wheel. Approved drivers and passengers in
university vehicles are limited to employees, students, or guests of the
university who are on official business. The university is not financially
responsible for traffic or parking violations incurred by persons using its
vehicles and the responsibility for all penalties for said violations is
assumed by the vehicle operator. The assigned department is responsible for
establishing a system for knowing and documenting the driver of any particular
assigned vehicle at any particular time.
(D)
Vehicle mishaps
and crashes
Drivers of vehicles are responsible for
the proper care of the vehicle while in their possession. An automobile
insurance packet, containing an insurance card and a copy of the "Ohio
University Vehicle Crash Report Form" (OUVCRF) shall be in each
vehicle.
In the event of a mishap or crash the
driver will check to see if there are injuries, leave the vehicle in place
unless doing so presents a risk of further damage or injury, and notify the
appropriate law enforcement authority and emergency medical personnel. The
driver shall complete the OUVCRF before leaving the crash scene and return it
to the transportation and parking services garage immediately upon return to
campus. Failure to immediately return the OUVCRF may result in the department
or organization being held responsible for all related expenses. OUPD is
responsible for documentation of vehicle mishaps and violations occurring
within their jurisdiction.
(E)
Driver training,
selection, and evaluation
The employing department shall check
the driving history of all persons who will be operating university vehicles,
going back five years prior to initial operation of a university vehicle and
annually thereafter. The employing department is responsible for all aspects of
these checks. If a driving record reflects repeated unsafe behavior, the
employing department should not allow the driver in question to operate
university vehicles. The employing department will make this determination. The
crash review board is charged to reduce the incidence of vehicle collisions and
abuse. All departments shall participate in this activity according to
established procedures. All university vans shall have a copy of the "van
driver check sheet" for review prior to operating. All operators of
fifteen-passenger vans must receive van training conducted by the environmental
health and safety department prior to operating a fifteen-passenger van.
Effective July 1, 2012, fifteen-passenger vans are prohibited from being owned,
leased, rented, or in any manner used by the university. Drivers of university
vehicles shall review the "Vehicle Pre-Trip Inspection Form" before operating
the vehicle. The university provides the initial training for holders of
commercial drivers licenses (CDL) and the testing is provided by the state of
Ohio. For other specialized-use vehicles, the university provides any specific
training needed.
(F)
Vehicle repairs, inspections, and service
Servicing of vehicles is provided by
transportation and parking services. Annual safety inspections shall be
performed on all vehicles. The transportation and parking services garage will
perform the inspection and is authorized to charge departments a fee. If a
vehicle is found to be unsafe and the repairs are not authorized, the manager
of transportation services shall hold the vehicle and notify the department
head that the vehicle is not to be operated until the vehicle is certified
safe. In the event of vehicle damage, the department must turn the vehicle in
to transportation and parking services so that it can be repaired or
replaced.
All vehicles are also scheduled for
routine maintenance once a year. Transportation and parking services will
notify each department when a specific vehicle requires servicing. The cost
related to servicing of vehicles will be charged to the owning department.
Transportation and parking services may remove from use any vehicle requiring
maintenance or safety inspections until the department is able to pay for the
work. Regional campuses may utilize local maintenance and inspection services
with the approval of transportation and parking services.
(G)
Acquisition of vehicles
Acquisition of any new, used, donated,
or leased motor vehicle, regardless of the method obtained or source of funding
or intended use, requires approval of the authorizing department's vice
president or dean (in conjunction with the provost) and the director of
transportation and parking services. Departments shall not commit to buying a
vehicle before all established approvals are in place and a purchase order has
been issued. The "Vehicle Acquisition Form" must be used for all vehicle
acquisition activities.
(H)
Receipt,
acceptance, and registration of vehicles
Transportation and parking services is
the point of contact for all university vehicle transactions. They maintain all
legal documents pertaining to all vehicles. The procurement services department
authorizes titling of vehicles and coordinates registration and licensing with
the lessor and transportation and parking services. All vehicles owned or
leased by the university must display a state license plate as assigned by
transportation and parking services. The requesting department is responsible
for all "costs of ownership" associated with procurement, maintenance, and
insurance of a vehicle. All vehicles will be entered into the transportation
and parking services database to ensure timely required safety inspections and
planned preventative maintenance. Any transfer of vehicles must utilize the
"State Vehicle Reassignment Form."
(I)
Return or
disposal of vehicles
Transportation and parking services and
the moving and surplus department will facilitate the disposal or the transfer
of vehicles and cancel the registration and insurance, as appropriate. Vehicles
returned at the termination of leases or donation periods must be processed
through transportation and parking services. The "Vehicle Disposition Form"
shall be used for all vehicle disposal activities.
The version of this rule that includes
live links to associated resources is online at
https://www.ohio.edu/policy/47-001.html