Fleet Services Biofuel Update – E15 and B20

E-15 fuel is here and dispensing. For customers with non-automotive engines that cannot use E-15 we can still order you a WEX fuel credit card so you can purchase non-alcohol blended fuel at gas stations in town, let us know and we can order you a card for this purpose.

B20 Diesel fuel is coming in the middle of April. We will soon be increasing our diesel fuel blend from 5% biodiesel to 20% biodiesel. 20% biodiesel will be the maximum bio percentage with the blend being adjusted down in winter months.

Need to Add a Vehicle?

If you think you are going to need an additional assigned vehicle in the next year, please contact Mike immediately. We are expecting manufacturers to open their ordering windows for new vehicles soon.  Also, if you need a short-term lease for the summer, please let us know.  We may be able to find something for you.   

New Fleet Services Online Requisition

For over a year now Fleet Services  have been working diligently with the Business Services IT staff to develop a new Fleet Services online requisition. The new form is in the testing phase, and we can’t wait for it to be unveiled to our customers. Some new features coming include the ability to save a list favorite drivers and a list of favorite MFKS.  The new form will also allow customers to make changes to a submitted form 24-hours a day, 7-days a week without having to contact Fleet Services by phone or email. Stay tuned for more updates. One important change to point out is the new form and process will require a requisition to be fully approved in Workflow before the vehicle can be picked up. The new Requisition is in the final testing phase, and we can’t wait to start the transition.

Iowa City Traffic Alert Notifications

With nicer weather incoming you can expect road construction activity to pick up around town. Luckily the City of Iowa City has a very useful tool that notifies citizens of upcoming road work, construction, and road closures. They give you the choice to receive email or text notifications.  When signing up It will present you with a long list of topics to be notified about; click on “Road Construction and Street Closures” in the Service Notices section. Check out an example of one of the notifications from this month.

Authorized Passengers – Who Can and Cannot Ride?

Who is allowed to ride in a University vehicle? The answer is anyone who has a justifiable business purpose to be in the vehicle for the specific authorized trip. Authorized passengers include riders of the Cambus and patient transportation programs, employee vanpool participants, University employees, students, agents, or volunteers while on authorized University business. Authorized passengers may also include people who are on campus at the University's request, for example, for potential employment at the University, to provide contracted services, or for participation in a University event or program. Other examples of authorized passengers include visiting faculty/staff, visiting artists or speakers, government representatives, members of visiting athletic teams, or community organizations.

Some examples of unauthorized passengers would be an employee's spouse, children, or other family members, friends, or neighbors of a University employee driver, or members of the public. Even if your spouse, child, friend, etc. are employees or students at the University, they are unauthorized passengers unless they have justification to be in the vehicle for the specific approved trip. Check out the full Driving Policy from the University’s Operations Manual.

Fleet Factoid

During the Spring Break period this year, Fleet Services sent out 108 vehicle rentals with destinations ranging from the Cedar Rapids airport to Cincinnati, OH; Washington, DC; Dallas, TX; and Panama City, FL.  During this period our vehicles (and the vehicles provided by our outsourced provider) travelled over 110,000 miles.