UVM students, faculty and staff are eligible to become authorized to drive UVM owned, leased or rented vehicles while conducting University business. Authorized Drivers operating UVM owned, leased or rented vehicles for UVM-related business including UVM-sponsored activities are covered by UVM's automobile insurance.

Check Your Authorized Driver Status
                               or
Apply to become and Authorized Driver

Driver Authorization is required in the below situations:

  • All UVM students who drive UVM owned, leased or rented vehicles
  • UVM faculty and staff where driving is indicated as an essential function of their job per the Human Resources Job Description Form
  • UVM faculty or staff who drive University owned, rented or leased vehicles six or more times per year
  • All UVM faculty, staff and students driving a 8-12 passenger van (vehicles larger than 12 passenger vans are not allowed)
  • UVM faculty or staff who drive UVM students
  • UVM Students driving other UVM students in personal vehicles for University-sponsored activities (personal vehicles use for UVM activities is not recommended.  See FAQ below.)

It can take up to 30 days to complete the driver authorization process.  Please ensure that you have allocated sufficient time between the date you send your driver training application and the date you need a vehicle.

Steps to Become an Authorized Driver

To become an Authorized Driver you must:

  • Be a current UVM student or employee
  • Be at least 19 years old
  • Have held a valid U.S. or Canadian driver's license for at least 6 months
  • Have a driving record that meets the criteria listed in the UVM Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Policy (PDF)
  • Successfully complete the UVM Driver Safety Policy training and the National Safety Council online defensive driving training
  1. Apply
    • ​Fill out and submit a driving training application. (PA, OH and WA drivers - you must fill out an additional form with your state DMV.  Please follow the instructions on our application webpage).
    • You will receive a confirmation email when your application is received.
  2. Motor vehicle record check
    • ​Risk Management will request your driving history from your state's DMV.  
    • If your license is valid and meets the criteria listed in UVM's Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Policy (PDF), you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the required trainings. 
    • If your license is expired or suspended, or your driving record does not meet the criteria listed in the Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Policy, you will not be able to drive for UVM and will you be notified via email. 
  3. Complete the first training
    • The first training covers the requirements specified in the UVM's Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Policy (PDF) and UVM's driver safety requirements.
    • Once this training is complete, you will receive an email with a link and an access code for the second training. 
  4. Complete the second training
    • The second training is the National Safety Council Online Defensive Driving Course. 
    • Use your access code to create an account. 
    • This training has 6 sections and takes about 4 hours to complete.  You do not have to complete the entire training in one sitting (and we recommend you do NOT complete thr training in one sitting).  You can save your place and log back into the training to pick up where you left off. 
    • You must pass a test at the end of the course with a score of 80% or greater.
  5. Receive Authorized Driver confirmation email
    • ​Risk Management receives your test score from the National Safety Council.
    • You will receive an email from Risk Management confirming that you are authorized to drive for UVM.
    • Save this email for your records.
  6. Annual reauthorization
    • ​UVM Driver Authorization needs to be renewed annually to maintain driving privileges.
    • You will receive an email from Risk Management when it's time for your reauthorization, or you can request reauthorization online.
    • A driver's license check and motor vehicle record review is required for reauthorization.

Please email driving@uvm.edu with any questions about driver training and authorization.

First Training

Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Training

The first training is a review of the UVM Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Policy (PDF) and UVM's driver safety requirements. This training takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.  You must successfully pass a quiz at the end of the training. Once you pass this quiz, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the second training.

Second Training

National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course

Log on for the first time as a "New Student";  you will need to choose a login ID and password. Use your netID for your login. DO NOT use your UVM password (please choose a different password for security).  After creating a login ID and password, you will login as a "Returning Student".

Here is what you will see when you go to the NSC DDC training:

National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course Overview

The purpose of this training is to reduce collisions and collision-related injuries and deaths, to save time by avoiding tickets and collisions, and to save money (tickets, fines, wages, insurance deductibles, attorney fees).

This training takes about 4 hours to complete. It has six sections. Additional information and the approximate time required to complete each section is below. The entire course does not need to be completed in one sitting (and we recommend you do NOT complete the entire course in one sitting). However, we recommend completing each section in one sitting because there is a quiz at the end of each section which must be passed in order to advance to the next section. At the end of the course, there is a test. You must get score 80% to pass the test.

Once you have completed the exam you will receive an online certificate. Save this certificate electronically for your records.

Session 1: It’s All About Choices (30 minutes)

  • Defensive driving, reasonable actions and preventable collisions
  • What it means to be a defensive driver
  • Your personal driving profile
  • The DDD Collision Prevention Formula
  • The “What If?” strategy

Session 2: Ready for the Road (60 minutes)

  • The factors you can control before you start to drive, including your own physical, emotional and mental conditions and your vehicle’s condition
  • The varying physical, emotional and metal conditions of other drivers on the road
  • Actions you can take to be alert and defensive when sharing the road with these drivers
  • Driving defensively in conditions beyond your control – such as light, weather, road conditions and traffic mix

Session 3: Don’t add Insult to Injury (60 minutes)

  • The characteristics of impaired, distracted, fatigued and aggressive drivers
  • Actions you can take when you experience or encounter these characteristics on the road
  • Techniques to manage your emotions and behavior while driving

Session 4: Success on the Road (30 minutes)

  • The six most unsafe driving behaviors
  • The hazards involved with each of the unsafe driving behaviors
  • Alternatives to speeding
  • Safely approaching and proceeding through intersections
  • Making safe and legal turns
  • Completing safe passes
  • Determining a safe following distance

Session 5: Collision Proofing (30 minutes)

  • Applying the Collision Prevention Formula and the “What Ifs?” strategy
  • Recognizing hazards in collision scenarios
  • Identifying standard road sign colors and shapes
  • Identifying reasonable steps that might have prevented real-life collisions

Session 6: Driving for Life (30 minutes)

  • Ten habits of defensive driving
  • Personal behaviors and decisions you will make in future driving situations to avoid collisions and violations
  • Post Test – you must get 80% of these questions correctly
  • Once you have completed the exam you will receive an online certificate. Save this certificate electronically for your records.

Maintaining Driving Privileges Through Annual Reauthorization

Annual reauthorization is required to maintain privileges to drive UVM owned and rented vehicles. A driver's license check and Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) review is required for reauthorization.

There is no additional training required for annual reauthorization.  However, we recommend that you review the UVM Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Policy (PDF).

Check your Authorized Driver status and request reauthorization.

If you do not request annual reauthorization, your authorization to drive UVM vehicles will be deactivated.  You can request reactivation at any time, however, please remember Motor Vehicle Record reviews can take up to two weeks; please plan accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who needs to be a Authorized Driver?

  • UVM students who drive UVM owned, leased, or rented vehicles
  • UVM faculty and staff where driving is indicated as an essential function of your job per the Human Resources Job Description Form
  • Anyone driving a UVM owned, rented, or leased vehicle six or more times per year
  • Any driving an 8-12 passenger van (vehicles larger than 12 passenger vans are not allowed)
  • Anyone driving UVM students for University sponsored events or travel.

Can I use my personal vehicle for UVM business and UVM sponsored events?

Risk Management recommends employees and students organizations do NOT use their personal vehicles for travel for UVM sponsored events or UVM business travel. Using personal vehicles exposes students and employees financially if there is an accident. Vehicle insurance follows the vehicle, so any claims arising from the use of a personal vehicle will be processed through the vehicle owner’s automobile insurance rather UVM's automobile insurance.

How long will it take to become an authorized Driver?

It can take up to 30 days to complete the Driver Authorization process. Please assure that you have allocated sufficient time between the date you send your application and the date you need a vehicle.

How do I know where I am in the authorization process?

The Driver Authorizatio Self-Status Check provides this information.

How will I know when I have been authorized to drive a UVM vehicle?

Risk Management will contact you via email when your application has been approved. You will receive another email authorizing you to drive once you have successfully passed the National Safety Council (NSC) Defensive Driving course. Note that it can take several days for the NSC to notify us of your successful completion of the Defensive Driving course. Please be patient.

Who should I put down as my sponsor on my driver training application?

Your sponsor/supervisor/advisor needs to be a current UVM staff or faculty member. You cannot list a student as your sponsor or your application will be flagged as invalid. UVM faculty and staff should choose their current supervisor as their sponsor. Students should choose the advisor of the club or sport if they are driving for that purpose, or an academic advisor or professor if they are driving for a class or department.

I live in a dorm. What address should I use on my driver training application?

Please enter the address that is printed on your driver's license, even if you no longer live there. If the address we provide when requesting your Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) does not match the address on file for your state's DMV, our MVR request will be denied. Do not use your University address or dorm address.

What should I do if I get into an accident?

If there are any injuries, call 911 and notify local police. Inform your supervisor or advisor as soon as possible. If you are driving a rental vehicle, notify the rental company immediately. Notify UVM Risk Management within THREE days of the accident by called 802-656-3242 or emailing risk.management@uvm.edu.

Can I drive a UVM vehicle in Canada?

Yes. However, a CDL is required to drive a van designed to hold 7 or more passengers. For example, you may drive a minivan to Canada but not a 12 passenger van. The Canadian fines are substantial, and you will not be reimbursed by UVM.

How do I update my driver training application?

You can make changes to your driver profile at any time by logging into your driver profile page and clicking on the button at the bottom of the page that says, "you may edit the above information".  You may need to update your profile when you renew your driver's license, change your address, or get a new advisor/sponsor.

I no longer need to drive for UVM. What should I do?

Please let us know by emailing driving@uvm.edu and we will deactivate your driver certification.

Where can I find UVM's policy on driver safety and motor vehicle use?

Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use (PDF). The policy is also listed on our Forms and Policies page.

 

Electric Vehicle (GEM) Training and Certification

Additional training is required before driving a UVM GEM (Global Electric Motorcars) vehicle. Current UVM Driver Certification status is a prerequisite for GEM driving. GEM drivers must complete two trainings - an online course and a driving test. Log in with your NET ID and Password. GEM Electric Car Training is under Specific Hazards.

Once you have completed the online portion, email driving@uvm.edu to schedule the driving test.

Trailer Towing Training and Certification

Towing a trailer with a UVM vehicle or towing a UVM owned trailer with any vehicle require additional training.

Complete the online training for trailer towing here!

Choose "Trailer Towing Safety" under the "Specific Hazards" menu:

The Department of Risk Management reccommends hands-on trailer training to be provided by your department in addition to the online training.  If this is not an option, reach out to Risk Mangement for support at driving@uvm.edu

You can check the completion status of your Trailer trainings at our UVM Laboratory Safety Training Records Look Up page:

Please Note:  Our contracted rental agencies, Enterprise and Hertz do not allow towing with their vehicles.  This holds true for most rental agancies.  If a UVM tow vehicle or trailer is not available, one solution is to rent through U-Haul.  When doing so, select the additional CDW/Safetow insurance options.  Using a personal vehicle to tow is highly discouraged becuase all liability of vehicle, trailer, and contents will rest on the driver's personal automobile insurance.

Supervisors

Supervisors and advisors are responsible for checking the Driver Certification status of their supervisees/advisees. This includes advisors for student clubs.

Supervisees are responsible for alerting their supervisor/advisor of all moving violations and accidents even if these occur in a non-UVM vehicle because this may affect the supervisees eligibilty of drive UVM vehicles and to be covered by UVM's automobile insurance.

The Supervisor Tool allows supervisors to view the status of all drivers for whom they are listed as a supervisor.

Fleet Managers

The AllCert List provides real time information on the Authorized Driver status of all drivers.

We recommend each department designate one or two people. To request access to the AllCert List, email driving@uvm.edu.

Tips for using the AllCert List:

  • This report provides the training record, drivers license expiration date and Authorized Driver expiration date
  • Yellow dates indicate expiration is within the month
  • Red dates indicate expired status

Commercial Driver's Licenses

A commercial driver’s license (CDL) is required of anyone who drives a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 pounds; a vehicle designed to transport more than 16 passengers, including driver, or any size vehicle that requires a hazardous materials placard.  UVM employees who are required to hold a CDL as part of their jobs must receive information about UVM's Guidelines for Commercial Drivers Concerning Alcohol and Substance Abuse (PDF).

When driving in Canada, a CDL is required to drive a 12-passenger van.  The Canadian fines for driving a 12-passenger van without a CDL are substantial and will not be reimbursed by UVM.  A CDL is not needed to drive a minivan in Canada; minvans are the largest vehicle that can be driven in Canada without a CDL.