Use of Privately Owned Vehicles For University Business

When driving a privately owned vehicle for university business, all business conducted must be within the scope of the driver's employment and authority. It should be understood that no insurance coverage for physical damage to an employee's privately owned vehicle will be provided by the State of Oklahoma.

The State of Oklahoma will not recognize liability on behalf of the university employee who commits negligence while acting within the scope of his/her employment or authority, while driving a privately owned or state owned vehicle.

Privately owned vehicles, used for university business, must be insured at the employee's expense, in accordance with Oklahoma Vehicle Liability Insurance Laws. Further, State law requires that a valid driver's license must be in the driver's possession any time a privately or state owned vehicle is driven by a university employee.

Personnel using privately owned vehicles to conduct university business should substantiate that they were in official travel status for liability purposes by either turning in mileage claims for reimbursement on a monthly basis or keeping a log of their business use and filing occasional claims for reimbursement. This will also allow the State Risk Management Office to assess premiums for insurance of state vehicles based on exposure rates. Please contact the University Travel Office, at Telephone 271-2038, for more information regarding mileage reimbursement.