The Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education has a small vehicle pool available for class field trips and field research. College owned vehicles are provided for official Pott College business only. Reservation eligibility is contingent upon completion of policy standard requirements.
The purpose of the Pott College Vehicle Policy is to ensure the safe operation of the vehicles used in accomplishing the Pott College mission. The Policy will also delineate procedures for reserving and maintaining the Pott College fleet.
This policy is intended to supplement existing University of Southern Indiana Policies on fleet operations, field trips, and travel. In the event of conflicting information, the more restrictive requirements should be met. Individual departments within the Pott College may supplement this document with their own policies that are more restrictive. This policy applies to all operations with the Pott College vehicles, even if driven by University employees who are not part of the college.
Failure to adhere to this policy could result in loss of driving privileges with the vehicles. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Dean of Pott College or his designate.
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DRIVERS OF POTT COLLEGE VEHICLES MUST:
- Be faculty/staff or faculty sponsored student of Pott College (some exceptions apply for external reservations).
- Be a USI Authorized Driver
- Read and be familiar with the following policies:
- Pott College Vehicle Policy
- Pott College Authorized Driver Policy
- USI Vehicle Safety Policy
- Risk Management's Vehicle Accident Reporting Procedures
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BECOMING AN AUTHORIZED DRIVER:
Meg Wagner or Terah Hoskins in the Dean’s Office will let you know your Authorized Driver status when you submit your vehicle reservation. If you are not an Authorized Driver, please see below. Authorized Driver training for faculty and staff must be completed at least 2 weeks before trip.
If you are not an Authorized Driver: You will receive an email from Risk Management with links on how to complete the authorized driver training.
- This training is online and takes about 45 minutes to complete.
- Risk Management will send a notification email when everything is processed to let you know that you are an Authorized Driver.
- Forward that notification email from Risk Management to Meg Wagner and Terah Hoskins in the Dean’s Office.
Currently, USI Authorized Driver status lasts for 2 years. At the end of the 2 years, you will be required to complete the process again.
Student Drivers
- Supervising faculty or staff should send the name, ID number, and email of the student(s) who will be assisting with driving to the Pott College Administrative Associate (Meg Wagner) at least 3 weeks before the trip.
- If the student is not already an Authorized Driver, the Dean’s Office will begin the process for getting the student authorized. Because this process relies on multiple departments, last minute changes of drivers (less than 10 days before trip) are not possible. It would be helpful for you to provide an “Alternate” student driver that we could also get authorized, as a backup.
Vehicle keys will only be released to Faculty or Staff. If Faculty or Staff is taking a trip with multiple vehicles, keys will only be released if an Authorized Driver has been approved for each vehicle.
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MAKING RESERVATIONS
Reservation requests will be made through the vehicle reservation page.
Requests for vehicles will be processed through the Pott College Dean’s Office. You will receive email notification when your request has been through the approval process. Your vehicle reservation is not final until you receive confirmation from the Dean's office. An inspection of the Pott College vehicle will take place after each usage.
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VEHICLE USAGE
Vehicle keys come with a Vehicle Usage Form. Vehicle Usage Forms are to be filled out by supervising faculty or staff, not student drivers. Previous drivers sometimes leave the vehicle display on Trip A, Trip B, etc. Please make sure to write down the actual odometer readings, not the Trip milage.
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FUEL
Fuel for Pott College vehicles should now be included on all travel authorization requests. Fuel purchases should be made using your travel card not the credit card included in the vehicle packet. *Some exceptions may exist for local travel. Speak with office staff in the Dean's Office when you pick up your travel packet if you are not sure which card to use. Please fill up gas tank before returning vehicle.