University Vehicle Management

Scope

This policy applies to the operation of vehicles owned by the University of Nebraska.

Policy Statement

Authorization

The head of the department or designated department vehicle coordinator to which the vehicle is assigned must authorize the use of a University owned or leased vehicle. The use of all University owned or leased vehicles will be confined strictly to the conducting of official business of the University. At no time is personal use of University owned or leased vehicles allowed. Personal use examples: Weekend driving unrelated to University business; Vacation driving; Commute mileage; Midday drive away from regular workplace solely or primarily for personal reasons; Loan of vehicle to authorized driver(s) for use unrelated to University business; Transport of personal pets (service animals while performing their duties and on-duty police dogs are exempt).

There may be situations where the best interest of the University is served by having the driver retain possession of the vehicle during non-duty periods and authorization to do so should be cleared with the department head and University Fleet Management (UFM) Director.

University vehicles are not to be used for personal use per Nebraska Statute No. 81-1024

"No officer or employee of the State of Nebraska shall use any motor vehicle owned by the State of Nebraska for any personal use whatsoever. Any officer or employee who shall violate any of the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a Class V misdemeanor, and in addition thereto the officer or employee shall be deemed guilty of official misconduct in office for palpable omission of duty, and upon conviction thereof the court shall have the power to add to the judgment that any officer or employee shall be removed from office or employment."

Every driver of a University vehicle is vulnerable to public criticism. Many complaints and reported misuse can be avoided if each driver adheres to the following rules:

• Do not use a University-owned vehicle for any personal transportation as per State Statute 60-1005.
• Do not use a University-owned vehicle for towing, unless towing has been approved by University Fleet Management.
• Do observe all traffic rules and regulations.
• Do drive carefully, safely and courteously.
• No alcoholic beverages are allowed in or are to be consumed in any University vehicle.
• Smoking is not allowed in any University-owned vehicle as per University of Nebraska policy.
• Seat belt usage is required for all passengers in all State-owned vehicles as per University of Nebraska policy.
• Passengers are not permitted to ride in the box/bed of pickup trucks.
• Radar Detectors are not to be used while operating a State-owned vehicle as per Executive Order by the Governor of The State of Nebraska.

University vehicles are subject to the same parking rules and regulations as personal vehicles such as “No Parking” zones, restricted curb zones marked in red-yellow-blue, sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks, barricaded or closed lots, or handicap parking.  University departments and affiliated government departments may park a state or government vehicle, leased or owned in non-reserved parking lots, and may park the vehicle temporarily in Service and Delivery spaces. State or government vehicles may not park in reserved parking areas unless authorized by the campus specific Parking Services Department. Citations for all parking and traffic violations will be the personal responsibility of the driver. This includes parking tickets received while parking on the University campus.

Utilization Standards

UFM has established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each class of vehicle to determine if a vehicle is properly utilized or not. Permanently assigned and department owned vehicles average utilization must meet the vehicle class KPI in one or more area. Vehicles with specialized equipment (soil probes, weather monitoring equipment, grain trucks, etc.), with documentation may be exempted from the Utilization Standards.

UFM periodically reviews the utilization of vehicles assigned to departments to determine continued eligibility to retain the vehicle assignment. UFM may choose to recall any University vehicle, which annually does not meet established utilization standards.

Established KPI's for all vehicle classes are defined in the following link: https://fleetmanagement.unl.edu/vehicle-kpi

Motor Vehicle Travel on Campus and Research Centers

The University of Nebraska recognize that our changing campus and parking congestion combine to make access to our facilities and campus worksites a challenge for all service units. Our individual and collective activities on the campus must work together to help form a positive University image. We want our campus spaces and walkways to be safe and inviting for all pedestrians, especially for those persons with limited physical capabilities. An increasing number of incidents of motor vehicles crossing the paths of pedestrians points to the need to clearly identify guidelines for safe operation of service vehicles within the campus. The guidelines provided here govern operation of all departmental use and contractor or vendor-operated motor vehicles within the scope of all University operations.

Cars, vans, trucks, and other motor vehicles operated on campus will travel only on campus or city streets, obey all traffic laws and regulations, and park in approved spaces for service or vendor vehicles under normal service and operating conditions.

If emergency conditions or other necessity requires that a motor vehicle be operated on campus sidewalks or other pedestrian paths to reach a worksite, the safety of the University campus community must be the first consideration. When a vehicle must travel to a worksite by a route other than a city or campus street, it must be operated with great caution, at a speed of no more than 5 miles per hour, and emergency flashers must be in operation. Whenever possible, vehicle travel in non-street areas should be avoided during class change periods when pedestrian traffic is heaviest. When necessity or emergency require that a vehicle be driven on sidewalks or other non-street areas, a direct route which reduces the likelihood of pedestrian conflict should be taken to and from the worksite. All University-owned, motorized vehicles will be prominently marked with a unique identifier. Violations of these guidelines will be addressed by normal administrative procedures.

Vehicle Anti-Idling

Vehicle idling gets zero miles per gallon; unnecessary idling wastes fuel and pollutes. Running an engine at low speed (idling) also causes twice the wear on internal engine parts compared to driving at regular speeds. The break-even point for shutting off and restarting gasoline engines as compared to leaving it to idle is 30 seconds - from the point of view of both emissions and fuel consumption.

Unless exempted in the following section, no University vehicle or piece of equipment is to be idled in a non-emergency situation. The operator of the vehicle/equipment is to turn-off the unit and the keys are to be removed from the ignition.

Exemptions

At no time is the vehicle to be left unattended while idling. The following situations will allow idling, as needed:

• Vehicles at job sites requiring the use of emergency lights, PTOs, and/or other powered accessories to accomplish their assignment; and
• Inclement weather situations where the supervisor authorizes the use of the vehicle/equipment heater-defroster or air conditioner for the work crew's comfort according to these guidelines.

  If the outside temperature is:

  • Between -10 and 32 degrees F; 5 minute maximum
  • Below -10 degrees F: 15 minute maximum
  • Greater than 90 degrees F, maximum idling time to cool air conditioning equipped vehicles for the work crew's comfort is 5 minutes.

Vehicles Requiring Special Equipment

Departments requiring special equipment on University Fleet Management vehicles must coordinate these requirements with University Fleet Management. Approval of University Fleet Management must take place prior to any installation or commitment for installation. Departmental vehicle coordinators will arrange for special equipment on department owned vehicles. For University Fleet Management vehicles, special equipment acquisition and installation can be handled in one of the following ways:

• Purchased and installed by the University Fleet Management with all special equipment costs charged to the requesting department and rental rates remaining as published.
• Purchased and installed by University Fleet Management with the rental rate increased to recover the additional expense.
• Purchased and installed by the department. Upon termination of the lease and subsequent return of the vehicle to University Fleet Management, the vehicle will be restored to its original configuration by the user or, if the user desires, by University Fleet Management with cost of restoration charged to the department.
• Purchased and installed by University Fleet Management or the using department. Upon termination of the lease and subsequent return of the vehicle to University Fleet Management, the vehicle will be remarketed with installed equipment.

Any department having requirements for special vehicles or special equipment installed on existing rental vehicles must initiate a request in writing to University Fleet Management. Please include the following information:

• Type of vehicle (and unit number if known)
• Special equipment needed
• Suggested vendor
• Approximate cost
• Anticipated length of use
• Overall justification for purchase and use

Requests should be made as soon as possible in order to afford adequate time for approval, vehicle or special equipment procurement, and installation of the special equipment.

Note: No roof mounted devices for cargo; luggage or observation platforms are allowed without previously written authorization from University Fleet Management. Departments will be billed the entire cost of repairs from damage caused by the use of roof mounted devices.

Rental vehicles (excluding pickups) will not be used for towing without prior authorization from University Fleet Management.

Reason for Policy

Every driver of a University vehicle is vulnerable to public criticism. Many complaints and reported misuse can be avoided if each driver adheres to the guidelines laid out in this policy. We want our campus spaces and walkways to be safe and inviting for all pedestrians, especially for those persons with limited physical capabilities.

Procedures

Vehicle Operation Log

The purpose of travel for all University vehicles is official University business; personal use, including commuting to and from work, is not permitted.

As per Nebraska Statute 81-1025 - Each operator of a motor vehicle in which a state agency holds the title shall follow the policy and use the travel report form which shall be established by the director or designated head of the state agency owning such vehicle. The form shall include, but not be limited to, the name of the operator, the license number of the vehicle, the total daily mileage or total hours of daily operation, and any other information the director or designated head deems relevant.

This requirement can be met by using the Daily eLog from a smart phone or computer. Entries must be made at the start and end of each day the vehicle is used. The Daily eLog eliminates the need to use a paper log, enter in the paper log information at the end of the month, and store paper logs for two years.

If using the paper monthly mileage logs instead of the daily eLog, then for each day the vehicle is operated, record the date, starting & ending times, starting & ending odometer readings, destination/use and driver identification. Multiple drivers operating a single vehicle the same day should initial the log in sequence of operation and record their name elsewhere on the log. Do not combine multiple vehicles on a mileage log or include more than one month travel on a mileage log. Each vehicle requires an individual mileage log, and (except for short term daily rental vehicles) an individual log for each month the vehicle is operated.

Approved University of Nebraska Log Sheet (single department)

Approved University of Nebraska Log Sheet (multiple department)

Mileage logs are not required for special use vehicles (tractors, mowers, ATVs, or other non-licensable equipment).

Submitting Vehicle Operation Log 

End of month odometer readings and number of days the vehicle was operated (0 to 31 days) must be submitted by the seventh day of the following month on-line at https://scsapps.unl.edu/MileageEntry/DeptVehicle.aspx.

Note: If a vehicle is not operated (driven) in the month, enter 0 (zero) days.

End of month mileage readings should be entered only by the department head or authorized agent. Upon submitting end of month mileage readings, the department head or authorized agent attests all travel has been approved by the department for University business. After transmitting end of month odometer readings to University Fleet Management, the completed mileage log MUST be retained in the department for two years and upon request copies shall be provided for inspection. Upon return of rental vehicles to University Fleet Management, the most recent mileage log must remain in the vehicle. University Fleet Management will process and retain mileage logs for returned rental vehicles.

Note: Failure to comply (log vehicle usage or submit end of month odometer reading) may result in a $10.00 per month administrative charge to the responsible department's cost object.

Forms

• University of Nebraska Mileage Log Sheet (Single Department)
• University of Nebraska Mileage Log Sheet (Multiple Departments)

Related Information

• Established Key Performance Indicators
• Rental and Department Vehicle Mileage Entry

History

• This policy was reformatted in 2020. No content edits were made.