Taking and returning vehicle keys

What this guide covers

How a driver records taking and returning a vehicle's keys — the key custody flow. This is the core control of the Fleet module: it ties a person to the vehicle while they have it, and it is what attributes GPS trips to a driver. It also covers who is allowed to take keys, the usage-policy sign-off, the one-vehicle-at-a-time rule, and how to message whoever is currently holding the keys.

Where to find it

Open Fleet → Vehicles. The list is grouped top to bottom into My keys, Available, and Keys held by others. Each vehicle card shows its status, whether it is online, the current key holder (name and photo), and a key button:

• Take keys — when the vehicle's keys are free.
• Return keys — when you are holding them.
• Held by … — when someone else has them (with a chat icon to message them).

The key button is only shown to users with the Driver (FLEET_DRIVER) role.

Who may take keys

Seeing the button is not enough. When you press Take keys, the system checks that you are an eligible driver, in this order:

1. You are a registered fleet driver — you have a record under Fleet → Drivers. If not, you are asked to have a fleet administrator add you.
2. Your driver profile is active — an inactive profile is blocked.
3. Your driving licence is not expired — if your licence-expiry date has passed you are blocked until it is renewed. (A driver with no expiry date on file is allowed; capturing the date starts enforcing it.)
4. You have signed the current usage policy (below).

This applies to everyone who physically drives — there is no administrator bypass.

Sign the usage policy

The first time you try to take keys (and again whenever a new policy version is published), the system checks that you have signed the current Vehicle Usage Policy.

• If you have not signed it, taking keys is blocked and you are shown a Read & sign usage policy button. Open it, read the document, and sign the acknowledgement in the EDMS.
• Once signed, return to Fleet → Vehicles and take the keys.
• The exact policy version you accepted is recorded against that key pickup — a permanent record of which policy you agreed to each time.

Taking the keys

1. Find the vehicle on the Vehicles page.
2. Press Take keys.
3. Confirm in the dialog.

The card switches to show that you hold the keys, the pickup is timestamped (with GPS coordinates where available), and from this moment any trips the vehicle makes are attributed to you.

One vehicle at a time

You may normally hold the keys to only one vehicle at a time. If you already hold one vehicle's keys and try to take another, the action is refused. If your job genuinely requires holding several at once, an administrator can grant you the multi-custody (FLEET_MULTI_CUSTODY) authority, which lifts this limit.

Returning the keys

1. Open Fleet → Vehicles and find the vehicle you hold.
2. Press Return keys and confirm.

The custody record is closed (timestamped), the keys become free for the next driver, and the card returns to Take keys.

Always return the keys in the app as soon as you hand the vehicle back. The system flags a vehicle that moves with no open custody, and it raises an after-hours alarm if you stay clocked out holding the keys without an approved take-home period — see Taking a vehicle home.

Who holds the keys, and messaging them

When a vehicle's keys are held by someone else, the card shows Held by … with the holder's photo and name. Use the chat icon on the card to open a direct chat with the current key holder.

Private vehicles

For a vehicle marked private, only people on its access list can take its keys, and a driver may be given a one-time grant (a single take-and-return). See Private vehicles and access control.