Employees may use County owned vehicles for County business pursuant to the following:
Employee must have a valid driver’s license.
License must be in good standing. Employee is required to provide a photocopy of his/her current driver’s license to the Personnel Officer to be placed in the employee’s personnel file. Employee authorizes Malheur County to obtain employee’s driving record. Employee will sign a release of information, if necessary, for the release of employee’s driving record from state or county agencies. Employee is responsible for notifying the Personnel Officer of any subsequent restrictions, limitations or other change in his/her driving status as soon as possible.
Vehicles must be reserved in advance. An employee shall sign out the vehicle he/she will be driving.
Vehicles must be kept clean at all times. Trash and debris must be picked up before the vehicle is returned.
Vehicles must be fueled before returning. Fuel level must register at full or ½ full.
Smoking in County vehicles is prohibited.
Employees are expected to abide by all state and local driving laws. Employee must obey all traffic laws, posted signs, signals and requirements applicable to the vehicles being operated. Citations issued to an employee when operating a county vehicle must be reported immediately to the Personnel Officer. Citations issued due to the manner in which the vehicle was operated or for other violations that are solely within the control of the employee, such as failure to wear a seat belt, are the personal responsibility of employee.
Malfunctions, repair or maintenance of vehicle must be immediately reported to the Personnel Officer.
Vehicles may not be taken home under any circumstances. Vehicles must be returned to or picked up at the Malheur County Courthouse.
Seat belts must be worn in County vehicles
Every reasonable effort shall be made to operate the vehicle safely, with due regard for potential hazards, weather and road conditions. Drivers are to ensure that the use of prescribed or over the counter drugs do not interfere with their ability to drive and the consumption of alcohol and controlled substances prior to or during the operation of vehicles is prohibited.
Passengers may travel with an employee if the employee receives permission from the employee's supervisor and the administration office. Passengers may only accompany employees to destinations, meals, events or activities that are within the scope of course of employee's duties. Using a county vehicle for activities and destinations outside the scope of employment (for example, driving further west to another resort to sight see) may not be covered under the County's insurance policies and violates the Oregon Government Standards and Practices. For these reasons, employees who wish to combine personal and business travel should take their own vehicles.
Only County employees may drive County vehicles.
Oil, water and tire pressure are to be be checked by driver every 500 miles. The County Shop will service vehicles approximately every 3000 miles.
Local fueling of County vehicles shall be done at the place and in the manner instructed by the County Administration Office.
Each County department using a vehicle from the County's carpool will be billed based on the mileage driven.
Use of a County vehicle is a privilege, which may be lost at the sole discretion of the County.
Only experienced drivers may operate 15 passenger vans. Operators of 15 passenger van must be familiar with handling characteristics of the van, especially when fully loaded.
Unless an emergency exists, using a cellular phone for voice communication or texting while operating a county vehicle is prohibited even if the cellular phone is equipped with a hands-free device. Employees should plan calls or texts wither prior to traveling or while on rest breaks. Cellular phone calls and texts must be made from a car the is completely stopped and parked in a safe location.
