Becoming a DOC Driver
Summary: If you want to drive vehicles for DOC activities, talk to Kathy in 119 Robinson.
The Dartmouth Outing Club believes strongly in enabling students to plan, organize, and run their own trips and activities. Crucial to this process is making sure students can get themselves safely to their destinations. The College has a vehicle fleet available for student trips, but students need to get approved before they can use them.
There are three levels of student driver certification at the College:
- sedan/minivan
- van
- microbus
Sedan/minivan (ie. car/minivan) certification is required before you can become van or microbus certified, but van and microbus are not prerequisite for each other. Most DOC trips and activities will require either a van or microbus certification.
First-year students are not allowed to drive for DOC activities (the College has its own restrictions on first-year students driving which make it too difficult for us), but we recommend that first-year students, who are active with the club and expect to continue taking on more responsibility in the club, get their van and/or microbus certifications completed by the end of their first year, so that they’ll have it when they need it (especially if you might want to be on one of the summer crews). It’s annoying wanting to lead a trip and not being able to because you’re waiting for your paperwork to clear. Start at the Outdoor Programs Business Office in 119 Robinson Hall at the beginning of spring term (the earliest first-year students can start the process).
Driver certification at Dartmouth is handled by the Office of Integrated Risk Management and Insurance (usually just called Risk Management), but the DOC can streamline many of the tasks for you — so start with us.
Sedan/Minivan Certification
The College has a number of sedans (cars) and minivans available for use. Sedans hold four or five, and minivans can hold up to seven passengers (including the driver).
There are three things you need to do to become sedan/minivan certified to drive for DOC activities:
- submit an office or department-sponsored (ie. DOC-sponsored) Driver Application to Risk Management (including a copy of your driver’s license),
- complete an online Defensive Driver course, and
- get your DOC driver card.
Start at the Outdoor Programs Business Office in 119 Robinson Hall. The Business Manager there (Kathy) has copies of the Driver Application and she’ll help you fill it out and let you use the photocopier to make a copy of your license. Kathy will then send your paperwork to Risk Management to get the process started — or you can take the application and photocopy down to Risk Management in Suite 212 (second floor) of the Nugget Arcade (mini-mall across from the post office and next to the movie theater) — or you can mail it to HB 6012.
When your Driver Application is submitted to Risk Management, they will request a Motor Vehicle Report from the state in which your driver’s license was issued. They’ll check to make sure your driving record is (reasonably) clean. Once your Motor Vehicle Report has cleared, Risk Management will also check with the Dean’s Office to make sure you are in good standing with the College. This can all take a few weeks, depending on your state. When Risk Management finishes checking your record they’ll blitz you and tell you to take an online Defensive Driver’s course. Once you’ve completed the online course, your name should show up on the list of approved student drivers in a day or two.
Risk Management keeps records of student drivers online and available to all offices, but for DOC activities students need to be able to pass vehicles off to other students in the field where they can’t check the Risk Management list to make sure they’re giving the vehicle to someone authorized to use it. So the DOC has its own system of keeping track of drivers: driver cards. These are cards issued by the Outdoor Programs Office which says that this student is approved to drive College vehicles for DOC activities. These cards can be checked in the field. So the last step to drive vehicles for the Dartmouth Outing Club is to stop back and see Kathy in 119 Robinson — she will check that you are on the Risk Management list and then issue you a driver card.
Van Certification
Many DOC trips and activities will require a vehicle larger than a sedan or minivan. In addition to microbusses (see below), the College has both modified vans (van bodies modified to hold fifteen passengers, but then the back two seats are taken out to make room for gear and improve road safety, so they only seat eight) and sprinter vans (diesel vans which hold ten). The modified vans will probably be phased out of the fleet in 2005/6.
Students must get their sedan/minivan certification before they can get their van certification. Once students have their sedan/minivan certification, the only thing they need to do to become van certified is to take a van road test. To take a van road test, contact Brian Kunz (Brian.Kunz@dartmouth.edu) to arrange a time. You could also arrange a van test through Risk Management — by email at risk.management@dartmouth.edu or by phone at (603) 646-2441. There is a fee for their test, but the Dartmouth Outing Club will cover it for you (ask Kathy for the College account number to give to Risk Management). Once you’ve completed your van test, head back to see Kathy to get issued a van-approved driver card.
Microbus Certification
There are more steps to get microbus certified, but microbusses can hold up to fifteen people so they are more useful for trips and activities than vans or minivans which can only hold seven or eight people. Microbusses are like short school busses.
Students must get their sedan/minivan certification before they can get their microbus certification. To get your microbus certification, you need to do three things:
- get a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical (a medical check-up),
- attend a Special Bus Safety Review Program with Risk Management, and
- attend a microbus road training/testing class.
The DOT physical can be scheduled through Dick’s House. Call them at (603) 650-1400 and ask them to schedule a DOT physical for you to become microbus certified. There is a fee for this physical, but the Dartmouth Outing Club will cover it for you (ask Kathy for the College account number to give to Dick’s House).
The Bus Safety class should be scheduled through Risk Management — again, by email at risk.management@dartmouth.edu or by phone at (603) 646-2441. Again, there is a fee for this class, but the Dartmouth Outing Club will cover it for you (ask Kathy for the College account number to give to Risk Management).
To take a bus road test, contact Brian Kunz (Brian.Kunz@dartmouth.edu) to arrange a time, or contact Risk Management to take their test. There’s a fee for this too, but the DOC will cover it for you (ask Kathy for the College account number to give to Risk Management).
When you’ve completed these steps, stop by the Outdoor Programs Business Office to pick up your microbus driver card from Kathy.
Loss of Certification
Your DOC driver card has an expiration date on it, the same date as your state-issued driver’s license expires. Usually by the time your driver card expires, you’ll have your new driver’s license. Bring your new driver’s license to Kathy in 119 Robinson Hall and she will issue you a new DOC driver card.
You can also lose your driver certification from Risk Management — by getting into an accident or getting moving violations (like speeding tickets, warnings, etc.), or a few other bad things we really shouldn’t have to tell you not to do. If your driver certification is revoked by Risk Management, you will not be able to drive vehicles for the Dartmouth Outing Club or any other office or department on campus. An appeals process is available if you need to challenge the revocation of your certification (you would appeal to Risk Management, not to the DOC).
Use of Personal Vehicles
In order for students to use non-College vehicles for College activities, they must be College-approved drivers (at least sedan/minivan) and they must file an Owner Approval Form with Risk Management for the vehicle to be driven. The legal owner of the vehicle must consent to the use of their vehicle for College activities (so if you’re driving a car registered in your parent’s name, they’ll have to sign the Owner Approval Form). You can get the form from Kathy in 119 Robinson Hall and she will help you fill it out.
If you want to use your own car on a DOC trip, you have to be an approved driver and you have to file the form.
