Owning a Vehicle

Policy

Administrative Guide Memo 8.4.1, “Vehicle Acquisition, Ownership and Disposition,” covers buying, owning and disposing of a university vehicle, including golf carts, trailers and equipment (lifts and tractors). 

Acquisition

Academic and administrative organizations must notify Fleet Management Office when a new vehicle arrives on campus. The Fleet Office is available to assist departments in identifying their organizational needs and developing appropriate specifications.

Selection Criteria

The following should be considered when preparing to purchase a new vehicle:

• Trim level should align with departmental needs and vehicle should be right sized for application.  Accessories or premium packages (including leather or heated seats, sound systems, alloy wheels, paint schemes, navigation, entertainment systems or large engines, such as large-displacement power plants) should be avoided unless the organization has a clear business need for the feature.  

• Golf carts must include the following safety features:
  • Rear view mirrors.
  • Turn signal indicator.
  • Headlights
  • Tail and brake lights
  • Horn
• Service Vehicles
  • Should be purchased with base trim level or with equipment appropriate for the department’s application. For example, most vehicles will be 2-wheel drive unless the vehicle is used off road.
  • Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) will be considered prior to purchasing a service vehicle to avoid under or overburdened vehicles.  Some vehicles, trailers or configurations of the two may require a CA Commercial Driver’s License.
  • Special equipment such as hoists, light bars, etc., may be added to meet the needs of the organization.
  • Require back-up beepers.
• Electric Vehicles:
  • Requires a charging station. Before purchasing an electric vehicle, the organization should contact Parking & Transportation Services and the Planning Office to determine the location of the nearest charging station or where a charging station can be installed.

Registration and Insurance

• All street-legal vehicles must be registered with DMV (to The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University).  When a vehicle is purchased through a dealership, vendor will process registration as part of sale.  Any other assets will be registered through Fleet Office.
• Stanford owned vehicles are automatically insured by Risk Management; an annual Certificate of Self-Insurance can be obtained from Fleet Office.  For more information, please see Administrative Guide Memo 8.4.1.

Delivery and Inventory

• Vehicles should be delivered directly to the customer location.
• Fleet Management Office must be notified prior to delivery so that vehicle can be assigned an asset number and Stanfordized promptly.
• The owning department is responsible for entering the fleet number and property tag (SUID) number into the Sunflower Assets System.  Department is also responsible for placing a copy of Administrative Guide Memo 8.4.2, “Vehicle Use,” in the glove compartment for drivers’ reference.

Maintenance

Organizations should obtain all maintenance through the Fleet Management Office or get advance written permission from the Fleet Manager to have their vehicles serviced elsewhere. Vehicles must receive preventive maintenance and repairs in accordance with the Fleet Management Offices’ requirements, regardless of where they are serviced. The Fleet Management Office can provide maintenance guidelines and PM task list.

Fuel

The University has its own fuel pumps off of Bonair Siding Road, adjacent to Public Safety Building (09-010).  Contact Fleet Management Office for access.

Dispose

The vehicle may be transferred to another organization, disposed of through Surplus Property Sales or scrapped. An organization that wishes to dispose of a vehicle must processes an Excess (SPARC) Request in the Sunflower Assets System and notify Fleet Management Office. If the vehicle is government-owned, was donated, is leased or is under the terms of a University financial loan, please see Administrative Guide Memo 8.4.1, “Vehicle Acquisition, Ownership and Use,” for additional information.