Refueling, Air Conditioning, Fog Safety and more in the April Transportation Services Newsletter!

Call Us At: 515-294-1882

April 2022

Transportation Services Newsletter

Director's Dashboard

NAFA 100 BEST FLEETS AWARD

AND

NEW CARS ARRIVING

Thank you for your continued support of University Transportation Services. Spring has sprung and many exciting things are happening in fleet.

The past two years have been extremely challenging for the fleet world, just like other industries. There have been many industry delays with chip shortages and cancellations of vehicle orders. While there are still major delays, we are finally receiving some new vehicles, which is a welcome sight. Watch for the new trailers, cars, SUVs, and trucks as they are added to the ISU fleet.

In April, I attended a national fleet conference called the NAFA Institute & Expo. While attending the conference on behalf of our department I was honored to teach a class on Asset Management and Business Management as they relate to fleet and provide a case study to put the education in everyday terms.

Finally, I was also honored to receive on behalf of ISU Transportation Services two fleet awards. The first award was the 2022 Presidential Choice Award from Agile Fleet. This award is a special recognition of a fleet professional who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the industry. While I was humbled to receive this award it would not be possible without the great team that we have at University Transportation Services, from our staff to our customers. Together we make great things happen.

The second award placed our fleet as #15 in the NAFA 100 Best Fleets. This award is based on 12 Criteria for Fleet Excellence: Accountability, Use of Technology & Information, Collaboration, Creativity, Celebration, Evidence of a High Trust Culture, Performance Recognition, Doing it Right thte First Time, Quick Efficient Turnaround, Competitive Pricing, Staff Development and Resources Stewardship. To learn more about the award, visit https://www.nafa.org/awards/the-100-best-fleets/. ISU Transportation Services staff pride themselves in working together to provide excellence in our services to you, our customers. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

Technician Tip

AIR CONDITIONER CHECK

It may not feel like it now, but summer is right around the corner. Is your car's air conditioner ready for the challenge? A car's air conditioning system works by manipulating refrigerant, also called freon, between a liquid and gaseous state. When the freon level is low, the air conditioner is unable to effectively cool the air.

Checking if your air conditioning system is working properly takes just a few minutes. The air conditioner can be checked anytime it is warmer than 60 degrees. Do not wait until hot temperatures come to Iowa to check if it works, as repair shops may not be able to schedule your car in right away.

Start the engine and turn the A/C on maximum. Within a few minutes the temperature of the air coming out of the vents will decrease. If the ambient air temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the air temperature coming out of the vents should be 20 to 30 degrees less, or colder. If the temperature coming out of your vents does not decrease, take your vehicle to an automotive technician for proper diagnosis of the problem. If you drive an ISU vehicle, our staff are ready to help. Call our shop at 515-294-7552 to schedule an appointment for the University vehicle. We can provide you with a loaner vehicle while your department's vehicle is in our shop, eliminating downtime for your staff.

Agile Tips and Tricks

REFUELING UPON RETURN

When a vehicle is picked up from University Transportation Services, the vehicle is cleaned and full of fuel, ready to go on your business trip. Returning a vehicle full of fuel pays it forward for the next user. The fuel pumps at University Transportation Services on Haber Road are the most cost effective way to refuel the ISU vehicle.

Fuel pumps are activated with the WEX fuel card that came with the vehicle's key. The pumps will ask for a user ID, found in the "What To Do In Case" packet in the glove box or at this link, and the vehicle's current odometer reading.

It is very important to enter the correct mileage anytime an ISU vehicle is refueled. All fuel transactions for ISU vehicles, both locally and outside of Ames, are imported into the Agile FleetCommander system daily. For long-term rentals, the mileage entered at the pump drives the miles billed each month. For questions regarding the WEX card, or billing, contact Teri Jensen at jensentl@iastate.edu.

Shift-on-the-Fly for Safety

FOG SAFETY

On Thursday morning, April 21, Ames experienced a very thick "pea soup" fog in the area. Fog is dangerous to drive in, similar to any other low-visibility weather event. When driving in fog, the National Weather Service provides these helpful tips:

Manually turn headlights on. Note: Not all ISU vehicles have automatic headlights. Check with our office if you have questions.
Slow down and leave earlier for your destination.
Never use high-beam headlights.
Leave extra distance between you and the vehicles around you.
Follow the lines of the road with your eyes to stay in the proper lane.
In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to turn on your hazard lights and pull into a safe location.
If you must pull off to the side of the road, turn on your hazard lights and pull off the road as far as possible.

*National Weather Service

Win a Transportation Services Swag Bag!

Answer the below question and your name will be put in a drawing for one of three University Transportation Services swag bags.

Entries must be completed by

May 13, 2022 to be eligible for the prize drawing.

What ranking did ISU Transportation Services receive in the 2022 NAFA 100 Best Fleets?

Select

100

Select

Congratulations to the winners of the March Trivia.

Sara Harris
Terrasa Mouw-Grewell
Ashley Pick

Last month's trivia answer

"How many miles did ISU motor pool vehicles travel over spring break?"

The correct answer is 41,648.

Iowa State University

Transportation Services

919 Haber Rd

Ames, IA 50011

515-294-1882

This month's featured photo is from Andy Alexander (2018). Your photo could be here! Send a photo of your University car to transdispatch@iastate.edu and it could be featured in a future newsletter.