The Ohio State University

In This Issue...
Going Green | Mileage Logs | Driver Registration | Vehicle Acquisition

Download Autumn 2007 Issue (pdf)

Going Green

How Can We Help Become Scarlet, Gray, & Green?
The University has a new initiative to become more environmentally friendly called Scarlet, Gray & Green. You can help the University by ensuring all Columbus Campus diesel vehicles utilize the on campus fuel station, which dispenses B20 diesel fuel (20 percent vegetable oil and 80 percent Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel). You can also help by reducing the amount of time your departments vehicles run unnecessarily at idle. These few simple things can help reduce the amount of fuel the University consumes as well as reduce the amount of pollution we release into the environment.

Purchase Fuel From Specific Sources?
Fueling at an off site facility when in the general vicinity of the Columbus Campus fueling pumps costs the University money. Vehicles that operate from the Columbus campus are required to use the on-site fuel station located at
2578 Kenny Road. This allows the university to purchase fuel in bulk, and pass those cost savings on to each campus customer. When traveling away from the Columbus campus, a Voyager card should be used, which automatically subtracts the federal tax. Regional campuses without an on-site fueling station should use their Voyager card. No other credit card is authorized for fuel purchases. For more information on obtaining a Voyager card, contact John Marlow at 614-247-7808.

Some Facts Regarding Biodiesel
As of June 2006, all diesel vehicles fueled at The OSU Columbus campus on-site fuel station have been running on B20 bio diesel. At the beginning of October 2007, Transportation was selling B20 cheaper than petro-diesel ($3.05/gal vs. $3.11/gal).

Since 2003, Transportation & Parking Services has successfully powered the CABS fleet using B20 bio diesel. Bio diesel is a cleaner-burning alternative to traditional petroleum diesel. It is produced from virgin vegetable oils (typically soy in the U.S.), used oil or rendered products. Although it is typically blended with conventional diesel, the most common blend and the mixture that Transportation & Parking Services uses, B20 (20% bio and 80% petro-diesel) may be safely used in any diesel engine. The use of this fuel will benefit both the University community and the world as a whole. Bio diesel has greater lubricity, enhances cleansing properties and a higher cetane rating compared with conventional diesel.

Some users also have experienced reduced engine wear and successful extension of oil change intervals. It has slightly lower energy content and winter cold flow issues are successfully managed with use of additives. The B20 blend will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by 15 percent. It also reduces the carbon monoxide, particulate and sulfur dioxide emissions, which have all been targets as public health risks by the Environmental Protection Agency. This is likely a result of reduced deposits on engine components resulting from bio diesel use.

FlexFuel Vehicles and E85
There is a lot of hype in the news today about the use of Flex Fuel Vehicles and E85, however, not much is being said about what specific vehicles can run on it or what E85 is composed of E85 is made up of 85% renewable and domestically produce ethanol and 15% gasoline derived from petroleum. T&P provides a comparison of flex fueled vehicles vs. the more popular choices purchased in the past by OSU Departments at www.tp.osu.edu/fleetservices/fueling.shtml. If you are in the market for a new vehicle, and would like to promote the Scarlet, Gray and Green initiative by obtaining a more environmentally friendly model - we can help.

When should I keep a mileage Log In a state vehicle?

As a State institution, it is important that money be spent on official business and not be used for personal expenditures. With the State beginning to take a closer look at how we utilize our vehicles, we need to ensure that we are using them in an ethical way. In order to help eliminate personal use and abuse of State vehicles, vehicles not designated as service vehicles are required to keep a mileage log that is subject to random audits. Service vehicles are defined as those vehicles that are clearly marked with a permanently affixed OSU logo; used on OSU property or within a defined service area 90% of the time; and are used for maintenance or to provide service and support to field operations. A template log is available for download. Your department is not required to use this specific format and is welcome to develop its own so long as the same basic information still exists. If you have any questions about mileage log requirements, please contact us at 614-247-7808.

Complete a Driver Registration Form

Transportation & Parking Services is responsible for maintaining a list of all eligible drivers for the University. New drivers should have an approved driver registration form sent to Transportation & Parking prior to operating any state vehicle. Departments should regularly review their list of drivers, check for expired licenses and verify all valid licenses. When a license renewal occurs, Transportation & Parking should be notified with a driver registration form indicating the license change. Drivers no longer associated with the University can be removed from your list by contacting Transportation & Parking Services at 614-292-9341 or tpinfo@osu.edu and requesting a removal. To download a driver registration form, please visit www.tp.osu.edu/ forms/driver_registration.pdf.

complete a vehicle acquisition form

Prior to ordering new vehicles, an approved Vehicle Acquisition Form (VAF) must be submitted to Transportation & Parking Services for review and approval of the vehicle. This document gathers all the pertinent details of the vehicle desired for purchase in one document and allows Transportation & Parking to complete the required database. If you are not sure what type of vehicle best fits your needs, T&P can also help – simply fill out the VAF with general information and use requirements and give us a call. We’ll sit down and discuss the best engine/transmission based upon industry standards and repair histories to help you “right size” your vehicle and reduce future maintenance costs.

The vehicle acquisition form needs to be signed by three different department representatives: the initiator; the director/chair of the department; and the vice president/dean (or designee). We generally can process a VAF within 24 hours, but encourage department’s to submit them as soon as possible to prevent any delays with obtaining Purchase Order numbers and/or working with Vendor timelines.

The Vehicle Acquisition Form can be found on-line at www.tp.osu.edu/fleetservices/vehicleacquisition. All previous versions of this form should be discarded as they do not have all the required information.

If you have questions, concerns or need additional information, please refer to our Contact page or you can e-mail tpinfo@osu.edu