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Travel50.06 Student Travel Procedures Issued: October 31, 2001 1. General The following procedures apply to faculty, staff, students, and volunteers who engage in transporting students off campus in a University owned, rented, or chartered vehicle on any University business or related travel activities. Travel in personal automobiles is specifically exempted from the requirements of these procedures. These procedures are considered to be minimum standards; departments may mandate additional procedures. Failure to comply with these procedures may result in the suspension of student travel for the director/department responsible for arranging the trip. The University President or his designated representative (the Vice President for University Operations) may authorize exceptions to these procedures on a case-by-case basis. 2. Student Drivers 2.1 No student will be authorized to drive a University-owned or leased vehicle to transport students off campus on any University authorized and/or funded trip. The only allowable exception to this requirement would be in the event of an extreme emergency situation (i.e. the primary and secondary driver become ill or incapacitated during the trip.) 2.2 No student will be authorized to use their personal vehicle to transport students on any University authorized and/or funded trip. 2.3 A student may be authorized to travel on his/her own on University related business or activities, but said travel must be authorized using the Travel/Leave/Travel Advance Request form and the student must have attended the University provided travel safety training class. 2.4 Any individual who holds an employed position at the University, and whose employment status does not depend on their status as a student, may be certified to transport students. 3. Student Group Travel Requirements and Planning 3.1 Designated staff member(s) and/or faculty will accompany each student travel group. 3.2 Prior to the trip, faculty or staff traveling with students must complete a Travel/Leave Request form, a Student Travel Itinerary (Attachment 1), and a Travel Passenger List (Attachment 2) and submit through the appropriate approval channels (See Administrative Procedure 50.01). [Note: At the time the leave request is submitted, it is recognized that the Travel Passenger List will not include the students' signatures; however, all other information should be on the form.] 3.3 A copy of the Student Travel Itinerary and Travel Passenger List (including signatures of students' actually traveling in University owned, rented or chartered vehicle) for all approved travel involving students must be filed with the University's Department of Public Safety on the day of departure.
3.4 If the travel will be by motor vehicle, the following requirements apply. 3.4.1 Groups of 26 or More Groups of 26 or more should travel by commercial/chartered transportation whenever possible. [Note: Texas A&M University's commercial buses may be considered for this purpose.] 3.4.2 Groups of Less than 26 Groups of less than 26 may travel by University owned, leased, or rented vehicles or by privately owned motor vehicles. The following requirements apply except in the case of privately owned vehicles, which are specifically exempted from these procedures. a. Drivers for these trips must be approved by the head/director of the division/department that is arranging the trip and must meet the following requirements: * Is not a student * Be 18 years of age or older * Possess valid Texas Class C Operator's License * Attend travel safety training offered or sponsored by the University * Have a good driving record during the past 12 months. * Complete all required travel forms. b. The number of occupants in a vehicle may not exceed the number of working seat belts in the vehicle. c. University owned vehicles must have a valid State of Texas inspection sticker. d. Travel will be by interstate or major highway, to the greatest extent possible. e. For trips outside the State of Texas, the Travel Office will provide the driver with a copy of the rules of the road guidance provided by a travel agency. 4. Travel Safety Training 4.1 Drivers will be provided travel safety training by the University on an annual basis. The training will consist of the defensive driving course taught by a vendor which has been approved by the State of Texas. 4.2 Employees who have received the travel safety training will receive a document indicating they are certified to transport students. A copy of the document will be provided to the Travel Office and a copy will be placed in the employee's personnel file. 4.3 In addition to the safety training, drivers will be provided with a copy of the travel safety guidelines developed by the University (Attachment 3). 5. Driving Record Verification 5.1 Drivers will be required to complete the Driver Checklist form (Attachment 4) to authorize the University to perform a driving record verification. 5.2 Verification of driving record will be made with a Texas Motor Vehicle Records check by the University's Department of Public Safety. Information obtained will be provided to the driver's department head and to the Travel Office. Contact: Travel Coordinator |