New Face in the Office

Geoff Proffitt joined our team last month as the new Dispatcher. As Dispatcher, Geoff will be the primary point of contact for daily rental reservations and vehicles. Welcome aboard Geoff!

Automatic Vehicle Location Devices (AVL) Available

For those vehicles that are assigned to departments, Fleet Services can provide Automatic Vehicle Location devices to help you keep track of the vehicles you lease from us. These devices can give real time vehicle location, actual speed compared to posted speed and they have other features. You can even add forward facing and rear cameras for additional security capabilities. If you are interested in these devices or have questions, please call Mike at (319) 384-0564.

University Vehicles Cannot Be Taken Home

The University Driving Policy strictly prohibits the use of University vehicles for personal purposes, vacations, or trips; or to conduct personal business. A rental vehicle can be moved to another University parking lot or property if that makes it more convenient, but not to one’s own home.

If you are curious to read all of the rules and regulations surrounding University vehicle use, check out the section in the University Operations Manual that deals such policies. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to call us!!

Unreported Damage, You Could be on the Hook

If you have an accident or incident in a University vehicle, please make sure Fleet Services is contacted. In instances where damage is not reported in a timely manner or when un-reported damage is found by Fleet Services the department may be responsible for the first $1,000 of the repair cost. So, report it all, no incident is too small!

GPS Assistance Device, What is it?

When filling out a Fleet Services requisition for a rental vehicle there is a question that asks, “Would I like a GPS Navigation Assistance Device?” with a drop-down menu to select Yes or No. This is referring specifically to a standalone windshield mounted GPS device, like those made by Garmin or TomTom, at an additional cost of $5.00 per day. We have seen some confusion lately with folks not knowing exactly what this means or what they are requesting. This has led to a lot of GPS cancellations at the counter and unnecessary work for Fleet Services staff. If you are submitting a requisition for someone else and aren’t sure, we would prefer you to just mark it no, the customer can always request a GPS device when they pick up the vehicle.

Low Tire? Fill it Up!

With temps starting to drop below freezing at night we are approaching low tire light season. If the tire pressure light is on, add air to the correct pressure and drive a few miles; that should reset the light. There is an air hose available for customers to use at the SW corner of the Cambus barn. If air is needed while traveling away from campus, check out this website freeairpump.com to find a location near you with a free air hose to use. If the light comes on again in a couple of days, bring it in to the shop so we can check for a slow leak. Remember, the recommended tire PSI is on a sticker inside the driver’s door or in the owner’s manual, not on the tire. The pressure printed on the side of the tire is range for that tire and not a specific value for your vehicle.

Parking for State Plated Vehicles

Parking and Transportation supports it campus partners that operate a University Fleet Vehicles on-campus.  University vehicles are allowed to park in any campus ungated parking lots. University Fleet Vehicles must abide by the University rules and regulations under Section 6.J- Parking Regulations for University Fleet Vehicles.  Questions or special requests for parking accommodations please contact the Parking and Transportation Department by email parking-office@uiowa.edu.

Fleet Factoid

According to a recent study by iSeeCars.com, when it comes to popular car colors, the answer is literally black or white. iSeeCars surveyed over 6.1 million cars on the road and found that white is the nation’s most popular color, making up 25.8% of cars, followed by black, gray, and silver.