Vehicles
Acquiring + Preparing Your Research Vehicles
If you plan to rent vehicles, either from the University of Alberta Transportation Services or an outside rental company, visit the fleet safety page.
You can rent most types of vehicles from U of A Transportation Services, including passenger vans, cargo vans, crew cabs and cars.
See Rental Vehicles for questions on insurance when renting vehicles for U of A business or research.
Parking U of A Research Vehicles on Campus
If you have a U of A-owned vehicle used for researchers, you will pay fees annually to Parking Services as per the Research Vehicle Protocol . Contact Parking Services at parking@ualberta.ca to find out where you can park.
Car Sharing Program on Campus
Find car sharing details at Parking Services' Sustainability Initiatives.
Log Books
Log books may be required for some rentals. See the rental policies and driver regulations information on log books. Log books are available from the Fleet Safety Officer.
Standard Operating Procedures
It is advisable to develop Standard Operating Procedures for vehicle use for your activity, project or group.
Off-Road Driving with Rented Vehicles
New drivers to the university must complete a mandatory evaluation which includes an off-road component. Please contact the Fleet Safety Officer to book your evaluation.
When renting vehicles that are going to be used for off-road purposes, please note that there are exclusions on rental policies. Please read the fine print and purchase extra insurance if possible.
Driver Preparation
Please see the university driver requirements for any training that may be needed, such as defensive driving, tractor, ATV, etc.
If drivers are using logging roads or resource roads, these are privately owned roads and you will need to follow the companies' own policies on their use. First, check with the corporation that owns the road to see if they have their own specific safety guidelines. Then, search for resources specific to the use of the resource roads in question as information may be available online, e.g., this BC Forest Safety Council's publication on Resource Road User Safety Guide .
Arranging for Drivers or Driving Outside of Canada
University auto insurance does not extend beyond Canada and the U.S.!
The onus is on the researcher to determine insurance requirements in the country that they are renting the vehicle in and what may be included or excluded in the rental agreement. For instance, if a researcher goes to Africa and needs to hire a vehicle and driver to travel, the requirements in several zones may vary depending on who has jurisdiction (e.g., National Parks or rebel-controlled territory).
A hired driver should be covered and paid by the person or business that is supplying the vehicle. However, in third world countries, this is not always the case. It is up to the researcher to determine whether there is insurance in place.
If crossing the US border with a U of A-owned or leased vehicle, please refer to Risk Management and Insurance for more information and to request a Vehicle Border Crossing Authority letter.