This summer, the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety conducted an evaluation of the van certification process. In hopes of making the process more efficient and effective, Public Safety enlisted a college insurance representative who helped create a new, four-step van certification process.
As Director of Public Safety Michael Hill explained, in order to take the first step to be van certified, a student must be sponsored by a college department, organization, or club.
“The leadership from each respective group will provide Public Safety with a list of names of the individuals who will be driving for the group,” Hill said. “Those individuals will contact Public Safety and be given a link for an on-line driver’s test.”
Once the prospective van drivers take this test, the next step is to contact Public Safety to fill out the required paperwork needed for a driver’s motor vehicle report. Upon receiving an acceptable motor vehicle report, the individual will set up an appointment for a practical road test. Someone on Public Safety’s shuttle staff, all of whom are certified instructors, will conduct the road test. As the final step in the van certification process, completion of the road test and its preceding steps will be granted permission to operate a college vehicle.
Not only do new van drivers have to go through this process, but already-certified van drivers from previous years will also have to go through an abbreviated process if they still wish to operate a college owned, rented, or leased vehicle.
“They will conditionally be able to drive once they have completed the on-line test,” Hill explained of the certified drivers from past year. “If their driver record review is flagged, they will be contacted. Van road test will be scheduled at a time to be determined in the near future. However, the other two steps in the process must be completed in order for your name to be added to the list of authorized van drivers.”
