Agile User Profiles, Distracted Driving, Winter Preparedness and more in this month's newsletter

Call Us At: 515-294-1882

February 2022

Transportation Services Newsletter

Director's Dashboard

Impressive

Impressive, is the first word I think of regarding the phenomenal compliance response of our drivers and their Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) checks.

At the beginning of the Spring semester new guidance was provided for MVR checks and drivers of university vehicles. The first phase was to have all daily drivers be a registered user in Agile Fleet Commander and compliant with an approved MVR check prior to their travel and annually thereafter. Phase one has been impressive to say the least.

The second phase is now in effect and all yearly and seasonal drivers must be in Agile Fleet Commander and have an approved MVR by the end of March, and annually thereafter. This applies to all drivers of university vehicles and is the last phase of this process. During the past month staff members from University Transportation Services and the Office of Risk Management have been working behind the scenes to make it easier on supervisors of multiple drivers. The following pdf instructions will direct supervisors how to upload multiple drivers that need their MVR checked and how to monitor the status.

Again, thank you all for your continued trust in University Transportation Services and for the impressive responses.

All the best,

Kathy Wellik

Director, ISU Transportation Services

kwellik@iastate.edu 515-294-1657

AGILE TIPS AND TRICKS

Registering a profile

The Agile Fleet Commander system is the easy way to make a reservation and pick up a University vehicle 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. To access the system, all drivers and requestors, including students and staff, need an active profile. Making a profile is easy!

Visit the Agile Fleet Commander sign up form to register. All drivers must have an approved Motor Vehicle Record check before activation. Once the user profile request is submitted, please allow up to 48 hours for processing. For urgent requests, send an email to transdispatch@iastate.edu to quickly process your profile request.

ADOBE SIGN

University Transportation Services customers now have a faster and easier way to make requests for one-way airport Enterprise rentals and shuttle driver request forms. Powered by Adobe Sign, these simple to use fill in forms remove the step of printing the document, signing then sending them to our office. The signature is added in Adobe Sign, then the form is automatically sent to our office. To use the new forms, simply visit our website under Forms.

EMPLOYEE VAN POOL

Do you live around Boone, Ogden, Jefferson, Ankeny, Des Moines or Urbandale? Are you a full time employee or faculty member? If you are looking for a safe and stress-free commute to and from campus, the university employee van pool might work for you! One member drives and is responsible for the van; other riders pay a low monthly fee to support the operating cost. For more information, contact Teri Jensen at 515-294-0181 or jensentl@iastate.edu.

Technician Tip

WINTER WEATHER MAINTENANCE

Our service department would like to remind you it is never too late to prepare your car for winter driving. Here are some tips provided by the National Safety Council:

Test your battery as power drops as the temperature drops.
Make sure your coolant system is in good working order.
Check the tread on your tires and replace them if there is less than 2/32 of an inch remaining.
Check your tire pressure, which can drop as the temperature drops. This is not applicable for nitrogen filled tires.
Replace your wiper blades every 3 to 6 months.
Add windshield wiper fluid rated for -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep your fuel tank at least half full to avoid gas line freeze.

Maintaining your vehicle is

important throughout the year.

Before you start out:

Clean your car's external camera lenses and side view mirrors.
Remove dirt, ice and snow from sensors to allow the assistive-driving features to work.
Warm up your car before driving it in frigid temperatures.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, never leave a vehicle running in your garage.

Shift-on-the-Fly for Safety

DISTRACTED DRIVING

Distracted driving is any activity that takes the driver's attention from the road. Common distractions include talking or texting on the phone, eating, talking to others in the vehicle, or interacting with the vehicle's entertainment or navigation system. If the driver is distracted for only 5 seconds going 55 miles per hour, the car traveled the length of a football field without attention.

Ways to prevent distracted driving is have the vehicle set up as you need before you put the vehicle in gear. Set the seat and mirrors appropriately. Turn on navigation before you set out if you should need it to travel to your destination. Store your gear securely to prevent tipping while driving.

Place your phone in a place that it will not distract you. Turn the phone to silent or vibrate so if it does ring you won't be tempted to answer it. Federal regulations prohibit a person from texting or using a handheld mobile phone while operating a commercial motor vehicle, Iowa Code section 321.449.