University Vehicles Cannot Be Taken Home

Hopefully customers know by now that University vehicles cannot be used for personal purposes, only to conduct University business. Well, according to the University Driving Policy, taking a vehicle to one’s home is also considered personal use. This means you can’t pick up the vehicle the night before and drive it home and you also can’t drive to your home at the end of a trip and return the car the next morning. Both instances would be considered personal use and are not allowed. A rental vehicle can be moved to another University parking lot or property if that makes it more convenient, but unfortunately not to your own home.

Check out the full Driving Policy from the University’s Operations manual with all of the rules and regulations surrounding University vehicle use. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to call us!!

Pro Tip - New Fleet Services Requisition

Pro-Tip #2 - Email Subject

The system generated emails customers receive for requisition related communications all start the subject line with [FleetReq]. We did this intentionally so customers would have an easy way to search/sort/filter in their email application and make reservation related emails easier to find. 

Iowa City DMV Moving to Coralville

The Iowa City Driver's License station is moving to Coralville. They will be closing the Eastdale Mall location on Wednesday, July 26 at 4:30pm and it will remain closed the rest of that week. The new location at 2302 Jones Blvd in Coralville will open on Monday, July 31. 

Safe Switching: How to Avoid Lane-Changing Crashes

There is a good article this month from Automotive Fleet with some helpful tips to safely change lanes in a safe manor. Here are several safe driving strategies that will help you stay safe and avoid crashes when switching lanes:

• Adjust your mirrors. Well-adjusted mirrors expand your view of other lanes and help reduce the size of your blind spots.
• Stay focused. Don’t attempt to change lanes while distracted by anything that is taking your focus off the road.
• Look first. Check your side-view and rear-view mirrors first, then look over your before you begin to move out of your lane.
• Use good judgment. If a vehicle in the next lane looks close in your mirror, wait until it passes before attempting to change lanes.
• Always signal. Use your turn signal before changing lanes to indicate your intent, not after you’ve already started to move into another lane.
• Stay cautious. There are certain times when it’s never safe to change lanes: when pedestrians are nearby or when you’re at or approaching a traffic signal.
• Don’t rush. Wait until you can see the other car entirely in your rear-view mirror before moving into their lane, so you leave enough clearance.
• Be patient. Don’t jump from lane to lane in an effort to make up for lost time in traffic. A better approach is to leave early for your workday to allow extra time for traffic or other problems.
• Plan ahead. Anticipate your lane change in advance and make your move well ahead of the exit to avoid cutting off other drivers.

Check out the full article from Automotive Fleet

Piece of Scotch tape on DL

We wanted to share a brilliant little hack we learned from one of our customers recently. When they presented their driver license at the counter, they had a small piece of scotch tape folded over the top to create a pull tab so it was easier to grip and pull out their wallet. Try it out and pass along the tip!

Fleet Factoid

The first road trip across the U.S. was completed in 1903 by Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson. It took 63 days, used 600 gallons of gas, and cost $8,000. The Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator doesn’t go back that far, but ten years later in 1913 $8,000 was the equivalent of a quarter million dollars. Check out the full article from Jalopnik.