Policy 8.17 : Private Use of Agency Motor Vehicles

Community Enterprise Inc. is a non-profit organisation established for the purpose of supporting people with disabilities and their families living in the Shire of Hidden Valley.

The services offered by Community Enterprise include group home accommodation, in-home respite, out-of-home respite, home help and community access.

Community Enterprise is a non-profit, community organisation which is governed by a management committee elected annually by the members. Community Enterprise receives all of its operating funds from the Western Australian Government in the form of an annual grant.

The purpose of this policy is to set out specific procedures in relation to the use of agency motor vehicle for work related and private purposes.  The agency provides motor vehicles to employees within the ordinary course of employment where it is deemed to be in the interest of the agency.  The provision of motor vehicles to employees will be at the absolute discretion of the management committee.  Motor vehicles owned or leased by the agency will be managed on behalf of the management committee by the executive officer.

Motor vehicles shall be used by employees primarily to discharge their employment obligations as directed by the agency.  Private use of motor vehicles by employees is secondary.

This policy applies to all of the agency's programs and activities and to all drivers of agency vehicles. The primary driver of any agency vehicle is the employee to whom the motor vehicle has been allocated. Any employee who is allocated a vehicle for private use has the option of nominating a second driver who may drive the vehicle outside of normal working hours. The primary driver must supply the name and address of the secondary driver to the executive officer prior to the person being authorised as the secondary driver.  It is the responsibility of the primary driver to acquaint the secondary driver with the content of the Policy on Use of Agency Motor Vehicles.

The following procedures are to be implemented to ensure that the agency meets its policy objective of ensuring that all employees are trained and resourced to achieve the agency's mission and objectives.

1. All drivers of agency vehicles must hold a current Western Australian motor vehicle drivers' licence of the correct class for the vehicle being driven and the number of passengers being transported.
2. Agency motor vehicles may be used privately within a 100 km radius of the office.  Motor vehicles may be taken further than 100 km for private purposes only with the prior written approval of the executive officer.
3. Employees allocated a motor vehicle are required to contribute towards its private use outside of the ordinary course of employment. The vehicle levy is reviewed and amended where appropriate by the management committee at the beginning of each financial year. The vehicle levy reflects the existing market conditions, the running costs of the fleet and the anticipated fuel consumption during periods of private use.
4. The levy is collected pre-tax on a fortnightly basis. Employees who change their place of residence, will be required to pay a 25% surcharge on the standard levy if their principal place of residence is more than 40 km from the agency's office.
5. Vehicle levies are also collected from employees during annual, long service, sick/family (up to 20 consecutive days), bereavement and paid study leave. The employee is also required to pay the vehicle levy in the event that the employee's driver's licence has been suspended. During periods of leave or license suspension, the agency reserves the right to recall the vehicle for work related purposes.  During any such period no levy is collected from the employee.
6. The agency provides fuel cards to employees who have an allocated motor vehicle. Fuel cards must be handed into the executive officer whenever an employee is proceeding on leave, of any form, of more than five working days duration. The vehicle must be returned to work at the end of the leave period with a full tank of petrol before the fuel card is returned to the employee.
7. Where a fuel card is lost or stolen it must be reported to the executive officer as soon as possible so that the organisation can cancel the fuel cards immediately. Fuel cards must be stored in a safe place and should not be left in an unattended vehicle.
8. The agency fully maintains all the vehicles in its fleet.  In circumstances where repairs are required outside of the regular service periods the employee must notify management and have the fault corrected by the appropriate dealership as soon as possible.
9. Tyre pressures must be checked regularly to avoid premature wear and correct tyre pressures to achieve optimum fuel efficiency.
10. Agency motor vehicles must remain free from defects, including scratches or dents to the body and damage to the upholstery. It is the responsibility of the employee to notify the executive officer of any vehicle defects.
11. Agency motor vehicles are comprehensively insured. An insurance excess is payable before a claim will be settled by the insurance company. If the vehicle is involved in an accident during private use, the primary driver is responsible for the payment of any excess, up to a maximum of $250.
12. Where an accident occurs that is proven not to be the fault of the employee or the secondary driver, but is determined by the insurer to be the fault of the other party involved in the accident, then no amount of excess shall be paid by the driver of the vehicle.
13. The employee, as primary driver, is responsible for paying all traffic and parking fines incurred by either the primary or secondary driver of the vehicle.
14. Drivers must not drive an agency motor vehicle if their blood alcohol level is above the legal 0.05 limit (or 0.01 for probationary drivers). Drivers must not drive an agency motor vehicle under the influence of illegal drugs.
15. In the circumstance of an agency motor vehicle being determined by the insurer to have been driven under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and subsequently damaged or causing damage to other property, the agency reserves the right to undertake legal action to recover all costs associated with the incident from the individual responsible for the damage.
16. All agency motor vehicles must be kept internally and externally clean. Where a motor vehicle is found in a unsatisfactory state of cleanliness on frequent occasions the vehicle will be cleaned and the cost will be reimbursed from the employee.
17. No smoking is permitted in any agency motor vehicle. If smoking is detected in any motor vehicle a written warning will be issued to the primary driver of that motor vehicle and the cost of commercial cleaning will be reimbursed from the primary driver.
18. Pets must not be transported in an agency motor vehicle.
19. Where an agency motor vehicle is involved in an accident the following procedures are to be followed.
    • Where there are persons injured in the accident attend to them immediately and call the police and/or ambulance. There is a legal responsibility to stop immediately after an accident and, as far as practical, provide assistance to any injured person.
    • No admissions as to responsibility for the accident should be made at the scene of the accident as this may prejudice the agency's insurance cover of the motor vehicle.
    • Collect and write down the following information relating to the other driver(s) and vehicle(s) and any witnesses such as:
      • name and address and driver's license number (please sight the driver's license or other identification)
      • occupation and employer details
      • contact telephone number at home and work
      • registration of the other vehicle(s)
      • name of insurance company and policy number
20. Where a person has been injured in the accident or the total cost of damage to all the motor vehicles is greater than $1,000, the accident must be reported to the nearest police station (except where police have attended the scene of the accident and have taken accident details).
21. Report the accident to the executive officer so that appropriate arrangements can be made for the accident vehicle and for alternative transportation to be found.  Where the motor vehicle cannot be driven and must be towed away, note the name of the towing company and the location the motor vehicle is to be taken.
22. The driver of the motor vehicle must complete a motor vehicle claim form for insurance purposes that outlines all the details of the accident previously gathered. A photocopy of the current motor vehicle driver's license must be included with the completed claim form.  It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure as much detail is given and the form is as complete as possible. This must be given to the executive officer for processing.
23. Where the motor vehicle is still roadworthy, two quotes must be collected from two RAC recommended repairers.  This should be done as soon as possible after the accident. These quotes must be included with the completed accident claim form before the claim can be processed.