Board of Regents Policy CSCU State Vehicle Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and policies concerning the use of state-owned or state-funded fleet or employee assigned vehicles.

Transportation Administrator: A high-level manager or executive CSCU staff member(s) with fiscal and policy-making authority assigned with oversight of the CSCU’s state vehicles, including institutional assignments.

Pool Vehicle: A state-owned motor vehicle assigned to an agency for use by two or more employees.

State Vehicle: Motor vehicle owned or leased by the State of Connecticut.

General Provisions

Individuals authorized to utilize a state owned or state-funded vehicle must do so in accordance with the following provisions:

• Drivers are permitted to use state vehicles only to conduct official state business.
• Operators must possess a valid driver’s license. Any individual whose motor vehicle operator’s license is currently suspended or has any restrictions is not authorized to operate a state owned vehicle.
• Operators must comply with all driving and motor vehicle laws, the Department of Administrative Services’ (DAS) General Letter 115, as well as CSCU policies and procedures.
• State vehicles are subject to electronic monitoring by global positioning system (GPS) to record movements and vehicle data on a computerized map.
• Personal use for social, recreation, religious, educational or any other such purpose whether on or off duty, is not permitted.
• Not including the employees’ designated parking location to primary worksite commute, travel to alternative worksites is permissible.
• De minimis personal use is acceptable (e.g., a stop for lunch in between two business appointments or work related deliveries).
• Smoking in the vehicle is prohibited. - Transportation of passengers, including CSCU employees, is not permitted, unless this transportation is necessary to perform official CSCU business as determined by the driver’s supervisor or relevant CSCU or institutional leadership.
• Out of country travel is prohibited. The Chair of the BOR, or designee, is responsible for ensuring that all policies are current, compliant with the law, and consistent with other applicable standards.

Purchase or Lease of Motor Vehicles

The Transportation Administrator at each institution has executive oversight for all motor vehicles purchased for use by CSCU. No CSCU department may acquire a motor vehicle from any other source unless approved in writing by the institution’s Transportation Administrator. This applies regardless of whether the acquisition is the result of a gift, purchase, lease or transfer.

Issuance of State Vehicles

State vehicles can be pooled or assigned to an individual employee. If the vehicle is to be assigned to an employee, a request must be submitted to the Transportation Administrator. 

• The request shall include a detailed justification for the need for a state vehicle, including employee’s home address, primary destination points and estimated mileage. Designated parking locations in a state parking lot will be determined by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS).
• State owned vehicles may not be driven, lent, leased or rented by any person, organization or business except when approved by the Transportation Administrator or designee.
• Employees will not be granted a long-term assignment if the vehicle will be driven less than an average of seven hundred miles per month.
• Approval of designated vehicles will also be required from DAS Fleet Operations.
• The more restrictive provisions of the CSCU State Vehicle Policy or DAS’s General Letter No. 115, Policy for Motor Vehicles for State Business will be adhered to.

Treatment of State Vehicle Use for Compensation and Tax Purposes

If a state vehicle is given solely to one employee and it is determined it is part of their compensation that employee must pay a benefit tax as per the applicable tax laws.

If a CSCU employee commutes in or uses a CSCU owned vehicle for personal purposes, there are tax consequences. The IRS views personal use as a taxable benefit to the employee and has established guidelines on how to determine the dollar value of that benefit.

Sworn Police Officer Incidental Use and Tax Exemption

Sworn Police Officers’ personal use of the take home vehicles shall be limited to a de minimus amount and subject to mileage inspections. The IRS considers the personal use of vehicles owned by an employer to be a noncash taxable fringe benefit and the value of the benefit is subject to taxation. An employee’s use of a “qualified non-personal use vehicle” is exempted and not subject to taxation. The Code exempts unmarked vehicles used by law enforcement officers, if the use is officially authorized by the department and personal use is limited to a de minimus amount. The unmarked vehicle must contain law enforcement equipment (radio, emergency lights, siren, etc.), and the officer must be authorized to carry a firearm, execute search warrants, and make arrests.

Care of State Vehicles

The following provisions apply for the care of state vehicles:

• For DAS leased vehicles, maintenance (including oil changes) and roadside assistance are included in the lease provided by DAS.
• For CSCU owned or leased vehicles, the relevant institution is responsible for all related maintenance.
• Staff must treat vehicles with care so they remain in excellent condition.
• Observed issues must be reported within two (2) business days to the Transportation Administrator.
• For pool vehicles, staff shall remove all waste items and personal belongings after each use.
• For pool vehicles, staff shall make their best effort to not return a vehicle with less than 1/4 tank of gas.

Fuel

Individuals authorized to use state-owned vehicles are required to obtain fuel at fuel stations authorized by the Connecticut State Department Administrative Services. Approved individuals will be provided a key fob allowing them to obtain fuel at state fueling locations. Individuals may only purchase gasoline/oil from a commercial station when they are operating the state-owned vehicle when fueling stations are not accessible, such as after hours, out of state, or in case of emergencies.

Parking

In most cases, state vehicles must be parked overnight at a state-owned or leased facility. To request at home garaging on a continual basis, departments must obtain approval from the Director of DAS Fleet Operations. The Director of DAS Fleet Operations will consider the merits of each request on a case-by-case basis. However, in general, permission is likely to be limited to the following situations:

• Employees who are subject to 24-hour calls; and
• Field personnel who carry CSCU-owned equipment in a vehicle that cannot be garaged in a secure area.
• Parking of DAS leased vehicles will be determined by DAS Fleet Services.

Insurance and Liability Coverage

CSCU will maintain up-to-date insurance with minimum liability coverage of:

• Minimum Third-Party Liability: $25,000/$50,000
• Minimum Property Liability: $25,000.

Drivers are not required to maintain additional insurance. However, state auto liability insurance and workers compensation coverage does not cover when a vehicle is misused or operated outside of official business and/or any other case of unauthorized use.

Accident Reporting

Drivers must report any accident or incident involving a state vehicle within 48 hours. In addition to notifying their supervisor and the Transportation Administrator, drivers must submit a completed DAS Vehicle Incident/Accident Report to fleet.accidents@ct.gov. This provision applies to all state-owned vehicles. 

Usage Reports and Record Keeping

Whether the state vehicle is a pool vehicle or assigned to a specific employee on a long-term basis, reporting requirements must be documented according to applicable state policies and procedures. This includes maintaining daily mileage logs for each state-owned vehicle assigned to them and daily operator assignments for pool vehicles. The operators must certify these logs as true and complete to the assigned Transportation Administrator monthly. Records must be maintained in accordance with State Records Retention guidelines. 

Training and Education

The Transportation Administrator will issue employees who are assigned a state-owned or state-funded vehicle a copy of this policy as well as the State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services’ General Letter 115, which serves as the state’s Policy for Motor Vehicles Used for State Business prior to first use of a state-owned or state-funded vehicle and annually thereafter.

Enforcement

To ensure compliance with this Policy, institutions must designate a Transportation Administrator responsible for the oversight of the following enforcement measures:

• Monitoring and Auditing: Quarterly monitoring and auditing of state vehicle documents and records to ensure adherence to the policy. Transportation Administrators shall request DAS usage reports to identify misuse and violations of the policy. The Transportation Administrator may also review a vehicle’s telematics data to ensure vehicle utilization is compliant with operational guidelines and relevant policies. Any discrepancies or violations will be flagged for further review.
• Reporting Violations: Employees, students, and members of the public are encouraged to report any suspected violations of the policy to the Transportation Administrator. The Transportation Administrator, or designee, will investigate any allegations of improper State Vehicle use. The Transportation Administrator must, absent extenuating circumstances, notify the Director of DAS Fleet Operations of the outcome of any investigation within 30 days of receiving the complaint.
• Consequences for Non-Compliance: Non-compliance of this vehicle policy and any related policies and procedures may result in appropriate disciplinary measures administered by the Department of Human Resources in accordance with state and federal laws, as well as other CSCU policies such as the Employee and Student Code of Conduct, State Ethics provisions and applicable collective bargaining agreements. Vehicles will not be assigned on a long-term basis to individuals who have been the subject of two or more valid complaints over a six-month period; OR have been convicted of or has made payment for two or more motor vehicle violations while driving a state-owned vehicle in a six-month period. Violations of this policy may also result in disciplinary actions, including but not limited to:
  • Reimbursement denial for unauthorized expenses.
  • Requirement to repay any funds improperly claimed.
  • Formal warnings or reprimands.
  • Removal of vehicle privileges.
  • Recall of the state issued vehicle.
  • Termination of employment or other contractual relationships.