POLICY TEMPLATE
Procurement, Lease, Maintenance
and Use of Motor Vehicles
Category:
Approval:
Responsibility:
Date:
Operations
Vice President, Finance and Administration
Vice President, Finance and Administration
Date initially approved: Nov 17, 2008
Date of last revision: January 8, 2014
Approved March 10, 2014
Definitions:
Motor Vehicles mean any self-propelled vehicle designed to carry one or more human
passengers and includes, but is not limited to, trucks, cars, vans, motorcycles, ATVs, airplanes,
boats, snow mobiles, tractors and material handling equipment such as forklifts.
Purpose/Reason for Policy:
Trent University is committed to the safety of all employees and students. This policy provides
employees and students with the necessary information and expectations to procure, maintain
and safely operate Trent owned or leased motor vehicles.
Scope of this Policy:
This policy applies to any Trent employee responsible to procure or maintain a Trent owned or
leased vehicle and any Trent employee or student authorized to operate a Trent owned or
leased vehicle.
Policy Statement:
It is the policy of the university that all vehicles owned or leased by Trent will be in good
mechanical repair and will have valid third party liability insurance coverage in an amount
determined by the Director of Risk Management. Vehicles licenced for use on public roads will
be maintained to the appropriate Ministry of Transportation safety standards at all times.
Departments are encouraged to have the Trent logo and other identifying information applied to
Trent owned vehicles, in support of our external communications strategy, and should consult
with Marketing and Communications to determine which identifiers are appropriate. Only
authorized drivers will be permitted to operate Trent owned or leased vehicles, and only when
in compliance with all requirements of the Drivers’ Agreement and Information Form, available
on the Risk Management Department website.
Due to the increased chance of rollover in an accident, vans purchased, leased or rented by
Trent University that are larger than mini-van size (8 passengers) must conform to school bus
safety standards as determined by the Ministry of Transportation.
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Responsibilities:
Authorized Drivers are responsible to adhere to the stipulations of all applicable legislation and
all provisions of the Drivers’ Agreement when operating Trent owned or leased vehicles.
Unit Heads and Supervisors Responsible for Trent Owned or Leased Vehicles are responsible
to ensure vehicles are purchased, maintained and licensed in accordance with the provisions of
this policy and procedure. They are responsible to authorize drivers, ensure their drivers have
completed a Drivers’ Agreement form and confirm that they are in compliance with the
provisions of the Drivers’ Agreement.
Director, Risk Management is responsible to ensure all Trent owned and leased vehicles are
insured and licensed, to coordinate all motor vehicle accident claims with Trent’s insurer and to
provide up to date information regarding safe vehicle operation to the Trent community.
Procurement Manager is responsible to provide advice and assistance in the procurement and
lease of motor vehicles.
Director, Marketing and Communications is responsible to provide advice and direction on
Trent identifiers and vehicle wrap designs to ensure they are consistent with and supportive of
Trent’s branding and marketing strategy.
Contact Officer
Director, Risk Management
Date for Next Review
March 10, 2019
Occupational Health and Safety Act
Highway Traffic Act
Motorized Snow Vehicles Act
Boating Restriction Regulations
Canadian Aviation Regulations
Procurement of Goods and Services Policy
Related Policies, Procedures and Guidelines
Policies Superseded by This Policy
Nil
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APPENDIX ‘B’
PROCEDURE
CREATING AND REVIEWING UNIVERSITY
POLICY
Contact Officer
Purpose
Manager, Records & Policy
Defines the procedures for purchasing, maintaining and operating Trent owned or
leased motor vehicles.
PROCEDURE
Procedure
Unit head
Procurement or Lease: Contact the Purchasing Office for assistance before
entering into any agreements with vendors. Before the purchase order can be
processed, the requesting department is required to identify a source of funds
sufficient to cover acquisition and all operating costs including gas, oil, insurance,
regular maintenance and repairs.
Trent University strongly encourages the purchase of new vehicles to avoid
excessive maintenance and repair costs.
However, if a department wishes to purchase a used vehicle, the vehicle must be
safety certified and emission tested to Ministry of Transportation standards before
it is operated by any Trent employee or student. As well, the vehicle will be
inspected by an independent qualified mechanic for overall mechanical soundness
before the department agrees to purchase the vehicle.
The Department is responsible to arrange initial license plates.
Once the vehicle is obtained, a copy of the ownership form shall be provided by
the department to the Risk Management Department. Departments are
responsible for all licensing, maintenance, operation and insurance costs for their
vehicles.
Consult with Marketing and Communications to determine the type of Trent
branding that will be applied to the vehicle.
Purchasing
Manager
Provide the vehicle make, model, year, VIN, plate number and a copy of the
leasing or purchase agreement to the Risk Management Department three working
days before the vehicle is picked up for use.
Risk
Arrange insurance coverage and provide an insurance certificate that must be kept
Management in the vehicle at all times.
When a vehicle is leased by a department for more than 30 days, it will be insured
under Trent’s owned vehicle policy
Provide an up to date list of Trent owned and leased vehicles to the insurer.
Unit Head
or
Supervisor
Drivers: For positions that require the incumbent to operate a Trent vehicle, the
job posting should specify that the successful candidate must have a valid driver’s
license for the country in which the vehicle will be operated and approved for
coverage by the university’s insurer as conditions of employment.
Ensure that all employees, students or volunteers who are required to operate
Trent owned or leased vehicles complete the Driver’s Agreement and Information
Form .
http://www.trentu.ca/riskmanagement/documents/DriverAgreementandInformationForm10.pdf
Review the information provided and conduct a risk assessment of the individual’s
driving record to determine whether the individual should be authorized to
operate Trent owned/leased vehicles. Consider the frequency, severity and
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recentness of any charges and accidents and any remedial training undertaken by
the driver to improve his/her skills.
If the individual is acceptable as a driver, sign the form and provide a copy, along
with a clear photocopy* of the individual’s driver’s license, to the Risk
Management Department.
* If the employee is reluctant to provide a photocopy of their license, the
supervisor is to verify the license number, expiry date, conditions and that the
employee is the person named on the license. A form to document this
verification is available on the Risk Management Department web site.
Risk
Provide an up to date list of drivers to the insurance provider.
Management
Unit Head
or
Supervisor
Maintenance and Safety: Ensure that their vehicles are maintained in good
running condition at all times. The maintenance schedule recommended in the
owner’s manual should be followed.
Require drivers to report any malfunctions or deficiencies before operating the
vehicle. Any malfunction of safety equipment must be repaired before the vehicle
is returned to service.
Once the vehicle has over 100,000 of mileage and/or is five years old, the
Department shall ensure that the vehicle is safety inspected annually to Ministry of
Transportation standards. All required repairs must be made before the vehicle is
returned to service.
All maintenance and repairs should be documented and the records kept as long as
the university owns or leases the vehicle, and three years thereafter.
In any vehicle, if the driver cannot see all around the vehicle from the driver’s
seat, it is recommended that a back-up alarm be installed in the vehicle. If no
alarm is installed, a second individual must guide the driver when reversing.
When employees are traveling out of the Peterborough area, they are to be
provided with the means to summon assistance in an emergency, eg. a cell phone.
Winter tires should be used between December and March, or longer if the
temperature is expected to drop below -7 degrees Celsius when the vehicle is
being operated.
Drivers
Conduct a circle check before operating any Trent owned or leased vehicle and
immediately report any deficiencies or malfunctions to your supervisor.
Comply with all applicable legislation and the provisions of the Driver’s Agreement
when operating Trent owned or leased vehicles.
Accidents: Should a Trent owned or leased vehicle be involved in an accident or
be vandalized, the driver is to observe all legal provisions. If the accident occurs
on a public road and there is:
 Personal injury
 Damage in excess of $1000 or
 Damage to roadside signs, poles, fences or landscaping
the Police must be informed immediately. Campus Security is to be informed
immediately of any accidents that take place on Trent property. The driver is to
exchange insurance information with any other involved parties, complete an
Accident Reporting Form and inform the Risk Management Office that day,
regardless of the amount of damage incurred. If the accident occurs outside
working hours, the driver is to inform Campus Security who will in turn inform the
Risk Management Department. The Department is responsible to pay any
insurance deductibles and will determine whether to make any repairs that are not
safety related eg. Cosmetic body work. The department will consult with the Risk
Management Department to coordinate any insurance claims. Departments are to
ensure Accident Reporting Forms are kept in each vehicle.
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Unit Head
Disposal. Consult with Purchasing to sell, trade or dispose of a vehicle.
Inform the Risk Management Department once the ownership has been transferred
so that the vehicle can be removed from Trent’s insurance policy.
Ensure all Trent logos or other identifying markings are removed if the vehicle is
likely to be returned to service with another owner.
Date Approved
March 10, 2014
Approval Authority
Vice-President, Finance and Administration
Date of Commencement
November 17, 2008
Amendment Dates
Nil
Date for Next Review
March 10, 2019
Related Policies,
Procurement of Goods and Services Policy
Procedures and Guidelines
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APPENDIX ‘C’
GUIDELINE TEMPLATE
DRIVERS AGREEMENT
Contact Officer
Director, Risk Management
Purpose
To provide Drivers with Trent’s expectations and the necessary information to safely operate
Trent owned or leased motor vehicles.
Guideline
Additional information regarding safe motor vehicle operation, vehicle maintenance and
insurance is available on the Risk Management website.
Related Policies / Procedures
Nil.
Links
http://www.trentu.ca/riskmanagement/documents/DriverAgreementandInformationForm10.pdf
Date Approved
March 10, 2014
Approval Authority
Vice President, Finance and Administration
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