Operation of University Vehicles

This policy sets forth requirements for operating University vehiclesUniversity vehiclesAny licensed vehicle or unlicensed vehicle owned, leased, or operated under University funding.​, whether University-owned, courtesy or leased, during the conduct of official University businessOfficial university businessAny activity that carries out the university's mission of instruction, research and service or that provides support to the university's instruction, research, and service activities.​. It also sets forth requirements for University vehicles, operated outside of Colorado, full-time assignment of University vehicles, personal use of University vehicles, and associated auto liability coverage.

This policy applies to the operation of University vehicles by and for the University of Colorado by studentsStudentAny individual who applies to, is accepted for admission, and enrolls for a course at the University of Colorado. This does not include an individual who has never attended or never enrolled at the institution., employeesEmployeesAn individual who currently holds a University employment appointment, whether full-time, part-time, temporary, seasonal or hourly. or associatesAssociateAn individual who is not employed by the University, but who is actively involved in furthering the University's mission in some fashion. Examples of associates include members of the Board of Regents and off-campus work-study employers. The term associate does not generally include University vendors, non-employee students, alumni, parents of students, university-sponsored conference attendees, employees of University affiliates, official business guests, donors, sponsors, congressional or state legislative members, or members of the general public.​ authorized to drive a University vehicle.

1. General Requirements
   1. University VehiclesUniversity vehiclesAny licensed vehicle or unlicensed vehicle owned, leased, or operated under University funding. may:
      1. Be used only in connection with official University businessOfficial university businessAny activity that carries out the university's mission of instruction, research and service or that provides support to the university's instruction, research, and service activities. or activities.
      2. Not be used for transporting any person not involved in official university business including family members, friends, or relatives; recreational use; transporting or storing personal property unrelated to official University business; support of any charitable philanthropic, religious, political or fraternal entity or activity (unless authorized in accordance with the Administrative Policy Statement #4027 "Donations" as well as in writing from the appropriate Transportation AuthorityTransportation authorityThe manager of the organizational unit with overall responsibility for University Fleet Management at the campus); or any unlawful use.
      3. Be operated only by individuals with a valid automobile driver's licenseValid Auto Driver's LicenseSee Sction III. Definitions and who have completed any required driver training who are employeesEmployeesAn individual who currently holds a University employment appointment, whether full-time, part-time, temporary, seasonal or hourly., studentsStudentAny individual who applies to, is accepted for admission, and enrolls for a course at the University of Colorado. This does not include an individual who has never attended or never enrolled at the institution., or other authorized associatesAssociateAn individual who is not employed by the University, but who is actively involved in furthering the University's mission in some fashion. Examples of associates include members of the Board of Regents and off-campus work-study employers. The term associate does not generally include University vendors, non-employee students, alumni, parents of students, university-sponsored conference attendees, employees of University affiliates, official business guests, donors, sponsors, congressional or state legislative members, or members of the general public..
      4. Not be taken home at night or outside of the State of Colorado without the prior written approval of the appropriate Fiscal PrincipalFiscal principalsAs defined in Administrative Policy Statement Fiscal Roles and Responsibilities, Chairs, Directors and Principal Investigators (or equivalent titles) as the result of their assigned fiscal responsibility.​ or designee and the appropriate Transportation Authority or approved for commuting and/or personal purposes in accordance with paragraph II.B.
      5. Not be used for personal purposes unless:
         1. It is of so small a value that accounting for it would be unreasonable or administratively impractical. An example would be a meal stop between two official business destinations, as long as the meal location is on an essentially direct route between authorized destinations.
         2. Approved for full-time use in accordance with paragraph II.B.
   2. Authorized users are responsible for the proper care, operation, maintenance, and protection of the University vehicle while in their care.
   3. Each campus should, through the appropriate Transportation Authority, develop specific policies and procedures regarding University vehicle use, driver training requirements, and operation, in accordance with its specific needs, that reflect the requirements of this Policy Statement.
   4. If unauthorized usage occurs, the campus is required to take appropriate personnel action, which may include termination. In addition, if the unauthorized usage included unauthorized commuting and/or personal usage, the campus is required to seek restitution for such usage in accordance with the following.
      1. To calculate the restitution amount, the personal miles should be identified from the vehicle's mileage log and multiplied by the University's current mileage rate.
      2. Employees who do not immediately and fully make restitution for personal use of University vehicles must enter into a payroll deduction plan. If restitution is not completed during university employment, the University will add the full valuation of the vehicle(s) reported as taxable income on the employee's IRS Form W-2.
2. Assigning University Vehicles on a Full-Time Basis
   1. The following criteria will be used in determining whether an employee may be assigned a University vehicle on a full-time basis:
      1. The assignment of the University vehicle must be for the convenience of the University, not the employee. Examples of convenience include:
         1. Law enforcement officers required to respond to emergencies or subject to recall while off duty to respond to emergent events.
         2. Employees working in a remote location on a constant, on-going basis requiring a vehicle fulltime to properly perform their job.
         3. Employees assigned a vehicle which has been specifically modified to allow them to perform duties with the assistance of such specifically modified vehicle, or the equipment it carries.
   2. Each assignment of a University vehicle must be approved in writing by both the appropriate President or Chancellor or their designee and the Transportation Authority. Such assignment needs to indicate whether the vehicle has been approved for commuting and/or personal purposes in addition to business purpose mileage.
   1. 1. Only courtesy cars may be assigned for personal purposes, and only if in accordance with paragraph II.F.
      2. University vehicles may be assigned for commuting only if the criteria for full-time basis (see paragraph II.B. 1.) is met.
      3. If the University vehicle is approved for commuting and/or personal purposes, then full valuation of the University vehicle (as defined by appropriate Internal Revenue Service regulations) will be considered compensation to the employee.
         1. The employee's compensation, including the assignment of the University vehicle, must be approved in writing (see paragraphs II.B.2. and II.B.2.c.iii).
         2. The full valuation of the vehicle (as defined by appropriate Internal Revenue Service regulations) will be reported as income on the employee's IRS Form W-2.
         3. The assignment of the automobile, including the commuting and personal usage authorization as a part of the employee's compensation, must be reviewed on an annual basis to determine if the need for the automobile is still valid. Such review will be documented within the annual compensation process, including the annual salary letter.
3. Accidents
   1. Campus Transportation Authorities shall coordinate with University Risk Management to develop policies and procedures for vehicle operatorsOperatorSee Sction III. Definitions to report accidents involving University vehicles.
   2. Operators of University vehicles should not admit fault or liability, nor should any reimbursement be offered or made. All vehicle accidents must be reported to the Transportation Authority and University Risk Management according to campus policies and procedures.
   3. An employee who suffers a personal injury from a vehicle accident while on duty must complete and submit to University Risk Management the Employee's Report of Injury within four days of the injury.
   4. An employee involved in multiple or severe accidents may be referred to a driver training refresher course by their supervisor, organizational unitOrganizational unitA subset of University operations. An Organizational Unit may be a department or any other distinct operational activity with the following characteristics: • Organizational permanency; • Programmatic autonomy; and • An annual operating budget that is fiscally independent. Within the Finance System, these areas are represented on the ChartField tree as Orgs. head, or appointing authority.
4. Use of Rental VehiclesRental vehiclesVehicles rented from a company in that business. on Official University Business
   
   Rental vehicles must comply with the procedures set forth in Section IV.B.1.
5. Use of Personal VehiclesPersonal vehiclesVehicles owned by an individual. on Official University Business
   1. The University does not provide insurance coverage for personal vehicles when used for official University business. Personal vehicle insurance as required by Colorado statute CRS 10-4-601 et seq., particularly §10-4-620 "Required coverage" for primary coverage.
   2. Employees are responsible for all expenses related to operation of their personal vehicles, and may elect to submit an Employee Reimbursement Report in accordance with procedures set forth in Section III.
6. Use of Courtesy VehiclesCourtesy vehiclesA vehicle loaned to the University by a sponsoring car dealer in exchange for goods and/or services (but not cash) provided by an organizational unit not to exceed the value of the annual lease of the vehicle (such as Athletics tickets and Athletic event parking).
   
   An organizational unit must establish and continually maintain a Courtesy Vehicle Program that, at a minimum, complies with the procedures set forth in paragraph IV.B.2.

1. Italicized terms used in this Administrative Policy Statement are defined in the Administrative Policy Statement Glossary  or if specific to this policy are defined below:
   1. Operator is generally the vehicle driver, but includes employeesEmployeesAn individual who currently holds a University employment appointment, whether full-time, part-time, temporary, seasonal or hourly. responsible for the use of University vehicles.
   2. Valid automobile driver's license is a motor vehicle operator's license acceptable for driving in the State of Colorado or the locale in which the vehicle is driven.

1. Administrative Policy Statements (APS)
   1. Fiscal Roles and Responsibilities #4014
2. Procedures
   1. Rental vehiclesRental vehiclesVehicles rented from a company in that business. and reimbursement for personal vehiclePersonal vehiclesVehicles owned by an individual. usage must adhere to the Procurement Service Center Travel Authorization & Travel Reimbursement procedures.
3. Guidelines
   1. Address questions and request guidance regarding interpretation of this policy to the appropriate campus Transportation AuthorityTransportation authorityThe manager of the organizational unit with overall responsibility for University Fleet Management at the campus, who will consult with the University Controller and University Risk Management as appropriate, for a response.
   2. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the University Controller.
4. Other Resources(i.e. training, secondary contact information)
   1. Educational resource including driver training, guides, automobile insurance coverage, training announcements, and newsletters are announced and available on Procurement Service Center, University Risk Management, and the following Transportation websites:
      1. Boulder, Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, System Administration www.colorado.edu/pts
      2. Colorado Springs http://www.uccs.edu/~pts/

• • 01/22/2018           Removed reference to discontinued Finance Procedural Statement “Courtesy Vehicle Program Requirements”.
  • 01/01/2012           APS “Operation of University Vehicles” revised
  • 08/15/2007           APS “Operation of University Vehicles” revised
  • 08/15/2007           APS “Operation of University Vehicles” adopted; replaced APS “Use of University-Owned Automobiles”
  • 08/15/2007           APS “Use of University-Owned Automobiles rescinded; merged into APS “Operation of University Vehicles”
  • 08/01/1989           APS “Use of University-Owned Automobiles” replaced
  • 12/01/1988           APS “Implementation of Risk Management Procedures for Use of University- and State-Owned Vehicles

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