Village Vehicle & Take-Home Vehicle Policy Village of North Palm Beach, Florida
Administrative Policy
Title: Village Vehicle & Take Home Vehicle Policy
Adoption Date: September 14, 2006
Effective Date: September 14, 2006
Revision Date:
I. PURPOSE:
To establish and outline the Village of North Palm Beach's policy for the assignment, inspection,
operation, and utilization of Village owned, leased or rented vehicles by Village personnel.
II. DEFINITIONS:
Village Vehicle -Any vehicle that is owned, leased or rented by the Village of North Palm Beach
for the purpose of conducting official Village business.
Take Home Vehicle -Any Village vehicle that is allocated to a Village employee on a 24-hour
basis.
Vehicle Operator -Any part-time, temporary, or full-time employee in actual physical control of
a Village vehicle.
III. CRITERIA FOR ASSIGNMENT:
The Village Manager may authorize assignment of Village vehicles to Departments, individual
employees, or to a general vehicle pool on the basis of work responsibility. Vehicles may be
assigned to individuals solely for use during normal working hours or as a take home vehicle
when deemed appropriate by the Department Head with written approval of the Village
Manager. The decision to assign a vehicle to an employee shall be based upon efficient and
effective service delivery provided by the employee assigned to the vehicle.
The Village Manager will consider the following criteria in determining the eligibility of
employees to take home a Village vehicle on a regular basis:
a. The employee is on-call after his normal working hours.
b. Response time is critical to the point that having to go get a Village vehicle would be a
detriment.
c. The vehicle itself or the equipment carried on or in the vehicle is necessary for the
emergency response.
d. The employee will be required to report to some place other than his normal working
station (place).
e. Use of the employee's personal vehicle is either inadequate or may result in excessive
wear and tear.
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f. The frequency of after-hours response for work requirements must be sufficient to
indicate a realistic need for the vehicle on an ongoing basis. This frequency measure
will be determined on an individual basis.
IV. POLICY:
Village vehicles are to be operated by Village employees in good standing and who have a valid
State of Florida driver's license. Village employees will operate vehicles in a safe and skillful
manner within the guidelines of this policy, Village directives, and Florida State Statutes,
including obedience to all traffic laws and basic rules of courtesy, and shall refrain from illegal
activities. All employees assigned to operate a Village vehicle, a take home vehicle, and/or who
routinely uses their personal vehicle in the course of performing their job duties must have a
signed acknowledgement of this policy in their personnel file.
A. Personal Use of Village Vehicles:
Village vehicles are to be used as necessary to conduct business of the Village and its
operations. Employees shall not operate Village vehicles for the purpose of conducting a
private business or enterprise or any other personal use. However, it is recognized that a
de minimis amount of personal use of a Village vehicle may be required for those
employees who:
1. Are assigned atake-home vehicle and, therefore, commute to and from work in the
Village vehicle;
2. Conduct their daily work in or from a vehicle; and/or
3. Are on Village authorized travel.
De minimis personal use shall be limited to:
1. Commuting to and from work for those employees assigned atake-home vehicle.
2. Driving to and from a restaurant to eat during an approved meal break if no personal
vehicle is available to the employee.
3. Personal emergencies if no personal vehicle is available and the appropriate
Department Head grants approval.
Village vehicles authorized to be driven to the employee's residence should be parked either
in a garage, private driveway, or an otherwise safe and secure place. The vehicle should
not be parked in a roadway or anywhere that it may suffer damage or violate codes or
ordinances.
All employees who utilize a Village vehicle after normal working hours must keep a daily log
showing each trip, time, destination, and reason for trip, excluding take home vehicle use to
and from work.
B. Possession of Valid Florida Driver's License:
Department Directors shall submit in writing to the Human Resources Department the
names and driver's license numbers of employees authorized to drive Village vehicles.
Operation of a Village vehicle by an employee shall be considered consent by that
employee for random checks by the Village to ensure that the employee's driver's license
remains in good standing.
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All Village vehicle operators are responsible for possessing and maintaining a valid State of
Florida driver's license. Additional requirements may be applicable by Federal and State
laws for operators of specialized vehicles such as emergency apparatus, commercial motor
vehicles and heavy equipment. Employees authorized to drive Village vehicles are required
to immediately inform their supervisor if their license becomes canceled, invalid, expired,
restricted, suspended, or revoked. Failure of employees to notify their supervisor may result
in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. The supervisor will in turn notify the
Department Head and Human Resources Manager of the employee's canceled, invalid,
expired, restricted, suspended, or revoked license status before the close of business that
day.
C. Safety Equipment Requirements:
All operators and passengers of Village vehicles will use the vehicle seat and safety belts if
the vehicle is so equipped. Airbags shall not be rendered inoperable on vehicles so
equipped. Employees observed not following these safety equipment requirements shall be
disciplined according to appropriate personnel/safety guidelines. In addition, any employee
injured in an auto crash and found not wearing such protection can have Worker's
Compensation benefits reduced as allowed by Florida Statute 440.09(4).
D. Vehicle Inspection:
Vehicles shall be inspected by the operator prior to use to insure all parts, equipment and
accessories are in safe operating condition and free of any damage or defect. No vehicle
shall be put into service until defects or safety violations have been corrected. If body
damage is discovered, the employee shall check to see if the Village's standard Accident
Report has been completed and a copy forwarded to Vehicle Maintenance Division. If no
Accident Report has been completed, the employee should make note of the damage in
writing to his/her supervisor immediately.
E. Vehicle Collisions:
All employees, if involved in any vehicular collision in a Village vehicle or in a private vehicle
while performing Village duties, shall:
• Call the appropriate law enforcement agency (9-1-1};
• Call the employee's immediate supervisor, or main department number if unable to
reach supervisor;
• Allow the department supervisory personnel or the appropriate law enforcement
agency to determine if the vehicle should be towed; and
• Complete the Village's standard Accident Report and forward copies to:
o Human Resources Department, and
o Vehicle Maintenance Division (if Village vehicle is involved).
Employees will be required to submit to drug and/or alcohol testing in accordance with
Village Policy if they are involved in vehicle collisions where information that an employee
has caused, or contributed to, or been involved in an accident while at work which:
1. Caused property and/or vehicle damage, or
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2. Which resulted in an injury to an employee and/or any other person which required
medical care within twenty-four (24) hours after the event.
F. Safeguarding Issued Equipment:
Employees are responsible for safeguarding Village-issued equipment associated with their
assigned vehicles. This includes (but is not limited to) issued equipment which is normally
left in the assigned vehicles. For example, if an employee leaves his or her assigned
vehicle for repairs or maintenance (temporary or take-home), the employee shall insure that
all equipment is safeguarded prior to leaving the vehicle. If any equipment is subsequently
stolen/missing, the employee may be subject to disciplinary action.
G. Tobacco Products Prohibition:
Smoking and other tobacco products are not allowed in any Village vehicle at any time.
H. Persons other than Village Employees in Village Vehicles:
The carrying of non-employee passengers in Village vehicles is permitted only when:
1. in the furtherance of Village business;
2. related to the job activities of the Village employee,
3. approved in advance by the Village Manager, or
4. for personal emergencies.
I. Operation of Village Vehicles:
Permission to operate a Village vehicle is a privilege, not a right. Village vehicles are to be
operated in a safe, responsible manner at all times. Employee responsibilities include, but
are not limited to:
1. Obeying all traffic laws and regulations as defined by the State of Florida as well as
departmental rules for public safety at all times;
2. Ensuring that all drivers and passengers are wearing seat belts at all time, in
accordance with Florida State laws;
3. Operating the vehicle in a manner that ensures maximum life expectancy of the
vehicle;
4. Ensuring that no smoking occurs in Village vehicles.
Irresponsible use of a Village vehicle may result in a revocation of driving privileges of
Village vehicle and disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Irresponsible use
may include, but is not limited to:
1. Speeding;
2. Reckless operation or discourteous use of a Village vehicle;
3. Operating a Village vehicle while under the influence of alcoholic beverages and/or a
controlled substance;
4. Driving without a valid license;
5. Violation of any Village, State, or Federal vehicle or traffic regulation;
6. Failure to properly report vehicle damage or a vehicle accident/incident; or
7. Inappropriate use of a Village vehicle as otherwise defined in this policy.
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Take home vehicles (as outlined herein this policy), except those covered by a separate
contract, shall be allowed for a maximum distance of within Palm Beach County or twenty
five (25) miles from Village Hall, given a straight line from point to point. For any distance
between Village Hall and the Village employee's home not within Palm Beach County and
greater than twenty five (25) miles, the employee shall pay to the Village the prevailing
Internal Revenue Service rate (currently 44.5 cents per mile), which may be amended from
time to time for all miles not within Palm Beach County and greater than twenty five (25).
Such payment shall be made through the payroll system.
J. Violation or Non-Compliance:
Any violation or non-compliance with the requirements and responsibilities of this policy may
result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Approved by:
qzy~
Mark Bates Date
Village Manager
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Village of North Palm Beach
Village Vehicle & Take Home Vehicle Policy
Employee Acknowledgement
I acknowledge that I, , received a copy of the
Print employee name
Village of North Palm Beach Village Vehicle & Take Home Vehicle Policy.
Further, I understand that my employer, the Village of North Palm Beach, has a policy
for the assignment, inspection, operation, and utilization of Village owned, leased or
rented vehicles by Village personnel, and the procedures set forth therein must be
followed.
Employee Signature Date
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