Driver Information

All drivers of College of Natural Resources (CNR) vehicles must be NC State University employees.

If you plan to drive a Forestry and Environmental Resources (FER) vehicle, you must provide Sydna Willis with a clear photo or photocopy of your driver’s license (front and back). Files may be submitted as a JPEG or PDF. All drivers must also pass a driver’s license background check before operating an FER vehicle.

For background check coordination:

• Faculty: Mary Hicks
• Undergraduate students: Sally Petters
• Graduate students: Steve Griffin

FER vehicle requirements

Any faculty, staff, graduate student, or undergraduate student who wishes to drive an FER vehicle must complete all of the following:

• Complete the Vehicle Condition Form located in the key bag.
• Review the required online instructional safety courses (listed below) and pass the quiz for each course.
• Email Sydna Willis the following before reserving a vehicle:
  • Certificates of completion for each required course
  • A clear photo of your driver’s license (front and back)
  • A completed Driver’s Personal Data Sheet

Screenshots or emails showing quiz scores are not accepted. Official certificates are required for each course, with no exceptions.

FER vehicles are provided to support research and fieldwork. Thank you for helping maintain this shared and valuable resource.

Vehicle Information

Available vehicles

• Four 4WD trucks (one with a camper shell; three open-bed)
• Five 15-passenger vans (capacity includes the driver)
• One 12-passenger van (capacity includes the driver)

Rental rates

Rates increased in December 2025.
Mileage rate: $0.26 per mile (no maximum)
Daily rate: $55 per day (no maximum)

Course Information

These courses are required for anyone who will be driving a vehicle.

1. 15 passenger Van Safety-EHPS-GS100 Learn safe driving considerations along with specific hazards and precautions when driving a large 15 passenger van.

2. Driving Safely – Autos/SUVs/Pickups – EHPS-IRM-01 This course will provide drivers of NC State vehicles awareness of the major activities that lead to accidents. The training is produced by our automobile insurance carrier, Travelers Insurance. Students will review the following topics and be presented with quiz questions to assess understanding:
• Speeding
• Tailgaiting
• Frequent Lane Changes
• Failing to Yield the Right-of-Way
• Inattentive Driving
• Distracted Driving

3. Distracted Driver Safety Training – EHPS-GS101  This training reviews what it means to be a distracted driver and how to share the road safely with distracted drivers.

Reserving and Returning a Vehicle

Reservations

When reserving a vehicle, please use the Vehicle reservation form and provide the following:

• Name of person using the vehicle
• Destination
• Purpose – if research or extension, provide an account number; if educational, provide professor and course number
• Phone number
• Professor (PI) you are working under

Returns

• Fill out the  mileage and fuel form (place a copy of this in blue key bag when complete)
• Top off fuel tank (no exceptions)
• Remove all trash (no exceptions)
• Park behind Weaver Labs
• Return keys/bags to Jordan 3136 or the wall safe outside the office

If this is not completed properly, you will be contacted to return and complete clean up if needed.

Gas Cards

NCSU has a new vendor for gas cards, WEX (abbreviation stands for Wright Express) that we will now be using for all of our CNR vehicles. The WEX cards work at essentially any gas station (view card guide and stations list). They can also be used for minor repair costs (if needed) when far from campus. You do not need to save the receipts as we will have an online reconciliation process that will act as the receipt. But, all users will be required to state the purpose of their trip when making a vehicle reservation (Educational, Extension, Research, Other) and provide a project number if for Research, Extension or other purposes. To use the WEX card:

• swipe it like a credit card
• enter the odometer of the vehicle (no tenths of miles)
• enter the PIN code/ Driver ID (will come with each vehicle set of keys)
• fill up!

Equipment Room Information

The College of Natural Resources has field equipment available for checkout. Please see the schedule below for equipment room hours and contact information.

Field Safety Equipment

• Review the Safety Equipment available for researchers and students working in the outdoors

Contacts

• Reserving Vehicles Email: Sydna Willis
• Checking Out Equipment Email: Reid Pitts

Schedule

Visual schedule (image)

Accessible schedule (text-based)

Monday

• Available: 9–11:30 a.m.
• Unavailable: 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Available: 4–6 p.m.

Tuesday

• Available: 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
• Unavailable: 12:30–3:30 p.m.
• Available: 3:30–6 p.m.

Wednesday

• Available: 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
• Unavailable: 1–6 p.m.

Thursday

• Available: 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
• Unavailable: 12:30–3:30 p.m.
• Available: 3:30–6 p.m.

Friday

• Available: 10–11:30 a.m.
• Unavailable: 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.