In an industry where most rules are pretty clear personal conveyance is not one of them. Too many interpretations between the company and DOT leads to misinterpretation and confusion. So as a result some companies don’t even allow personal conveyance for any reason and most will only grant an exception in the event of needing a safe and legal place to park if you’re out of driving time providing of course a shipper or receiver won’t allow you to stay on site. My only request would be that there be a industry wide interpretation and adherence that all companies and drivers can adhere to.
To Commute is a regular journey of some distance to and from one's place of work. "the daily commute". This is the Guidelines saying you can PC home or to the shipper on PC. Commuting between the driver’s terminal and his or her residence, between trailer-drop lots and the driver’s residence, and between work sites and his or her residence. In these scenarios, the commuting distance combined with the release from work and start to work times must allow the driver enough time to obtain the required restorative rest as to ensure the driver is not fatigued.
FMCSA cannot regulate personal conveyance! That is why this is so confusing. FMCSA can only regulate when you are engaged wherein they have the authority to do so. It comes down to "Jurisdiction" They cannot claim "Jurisdiction" where they have none. That is why the FMCSA is so iffy on their comments because it would open them to a lawsuit violating the 4th amendment
I feel like some citation is needed. It states clearly on the FMCSA website that commuting between a terminal and shipper/receiver is not allowed to be PC, but it doesn't state anything about going between a home and shipper/receiver. Could you clarify where you interpreted that going between a home and shipper/receiver is not allowed?
Thanks for the question! Generally, for a trip to be considered personal conveyance, the driver must be off duty and the move cannot advance the load or benefit the motor carrier.
@@OverTheRoadATS Thank you! By that definition, however - if one were to be relieved of all duty (no dispatch) after finishing offloading at the last receiver of the day, couldn't we legally log time spent going directly back to home (not home terminal, but residential home) as PC? There's no advance of a load since there's no dispatch, and the driver is going home and not to a terminal/drop yard. I get that there's an implication of a receiver-to-home commute not being PC allowable because of the "work site" definition, but wouldn't this technically be more of a grey area sort of thing since the FMSCA doesn't actually specify and it still fits the "relieved of duty" and "not advancing the load/benefit of motor carrier" requirements?
Great points-you’re absolutely diving into that “gray area” of personal conveyance! In situations where a driver is fully off duty (no dispatch, no load assignment) after their last delivery and they’re heading directly to their residential home, it can technically align with the FMCSA’s criteria: not advancing a load or benefiting the motor carrier. However, as you mentioned, the FMCSA doesn’t specifically address this scenario. They leave some discretion to carriers, so many companies have their own policies to cover such situations. To stay on the safe side, it’s often recommended to check with your company’s safety or compliance department, as they might have their own interpretation based on their understanding of FMCSA’s intent. Thanks for such a thoughtful question-PC rules can be tricky to navigate!
First off, you did a great job explaining the rules and regulations. But i have a question: Lets say that I have 5 hour left on my drive time. But I have 6 hours to make it home after delivering and that load ended my week. So I am NOT pre-dispatched on another load. Could I use "Personal Conveyance" to help me get home after using my 5 hours of drive?
Thank you! I'm glad you found the explanation helpful. Regarding your question, no, you cannot use PC in this scenario. Returning home or to the terminal from a dispatched trip is considered a continuation of the trip and cannot be classified as personal conveyance. You would need to account for this driving time within your available hours of service. Safe travels!
Crazy how life happens. Just got pulled in for a D.O.T inspection. And once I passed the inspection, I asked the officer the same question that I asked you. And the officer Hull told me that as long as I am not dispatched on my next load and since I am not returning back to the home terminal. I can use PC. But he couldn't tell me how long I could drive on PC. He told me that the transportation department does not have a set answer for that as of now. Hope that helps some driver's.
Interesting. We our resource was the FMCSA website, here: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/personal-conveyance-frequently-asked-questions-0 Really appreciate you sharing your experience!
FMCSA cannot regulate personal conveyance! That is why this is so confusing. FMCSA can only regulate when you are engaged wherein they have the authority to do so. It comes down to "Jurisdiction" They cannot claim "Jurisdiction" where they have none. That is why the FMCSA is so iffy on their comments because it would open them to a lawsuit violating the 4th amendment.
@@OverTheRoadATS .. that’s true but if a company limits your access vs what is legally capable then you are being controlled. Especially if you own your own truck and leased on with a company.
Sorry you feel that way.. We are certainly in tough times right now. But as with every downturn over the last few decades, it will bounce back and the drivers will determine the rates.
In an industry where most rules are pretty clear personal conveyance is not one of them. Too many interpretations between the company and DOT leads to misinterpretation and confusion. So as a result some companies don’t even allow personal conveyance for any reason and most will only grant an exception in the event of needing a safe and legal place to park if you’re out of driving time providing of course a shipper or receiver won’t allow you to stay on site. My only request would be that there be a industry wide interpretation and adherence that all companies and drivers can adhere to.
Well said!
Yes 100-10-1000% AMEN on that 🙏✝️🇺🇲st
To Commute is a regular journey of some distance to and from one's place of work.
"the daily commute". This is the Guidelines saying you can PC home or to the shipper on PC.
Commuting between the driver’s terminal and his or her residence, between trailer-drop lots and the driver’s residence, and between work sites and his or her residence. In these scenarios, the commuting distance combined with the release from work and start to work times must allow the driver enough time to obtain the required restorative rest as to ensure the driver is not fatigued.
FMCSA cannot regulate personal conveyance! That is why this is so confusing. FMCSA can only regulate when you are engaged wherein they have the authority to do so. It comes down to "Jurisdiction" They cannot claim "Jurisdiction" where they have none. That is why the FMCSA is so iffy on their comments because it would open them to a lawsuit violating the 4th amendment
I feel like some citation is needed. It states clearly on the FMCSA website that commuting between a terminal and shipper/receiver is not allowed to be PC, but it doesn't state anything about going between a home and shipper/receiver.
Could you clarify where you interpreted that going between a home and shipper/receiver is not allowed?
Thanks for the question! Generally, for a trip to be considered personal conveyance, the driver must be off duty and the move cannot advance the load or benefit the motor carrier.
@@OverTheRoadATS Thank you! By that definition, however - if one were to be relieved of all duty (no dispatch) after finishing offloading at the last receiver of the day, couldn't we legally log time spent going directly back to home (not home terminal, but residential home) as PC? There's no advance of a load since there's no dispatch, and the driver is going home and not to a terminal/drop yard.
I get that there's an implication of a receiver-to-home commute not being PC allowable because of the "work site" definition, but wouldn't this technically be more of a grey area sort of thing since the FMSCA doesn't actually specify and it still fits the "relieved of duty" and "not advancing the load/benefit of motor carrier" requirements?
Great points-you’re absolutely diving into that “gray area” of personal conveyance! In situations where a driver is fully off duty (no dispatch, no load assignment) after their last delivery and they’re heading directly to their residential home, it can technically align with the FMCSA’s criteria: not advancing a load or benefiting the motor carrier.
However, as you mentioned, the FMCSA doesn’t specifically address this scenario. They leave some discretion to carriers, so many companies have their own policies to cover such situations. To stay on the safe side, it’s often recommended to check with your company’s safety or compliance department, as they might have their own interpretation based on their understanding of FMCSA’s intent. Thanks for such a thoughtful question-PC rules can be tricky to navigate!
@@OverTheRoadATS Thank you very much for this response. You've at least earned a like/sub from me!
Thanks! I'm happy to help!
First off, you did a great job explaining the rules and regulations. But i have a question:
Lets say that I have 5 hour left on my drive time. But I have 6 hours to make it home after delivering and that load ended my week. So I am NOT pre-dispatched on another load. Could I use "Personal Conveyance" to help me get home after using my 5 hours of drive?
Thank you! I'm glad you found the explanation helpful. Regarding your question, no, you cannot use PC in this scenario. Returning home or to the terminal from a dispatched trip is considered a continuation of the trip and cannot be classified as personal conveyance. You would need to account for this driving time within your available hours of service. Safe travels!
Additionally, since pc is guidance, you should refer to your company’s pc policy prior to using.
Crazy how life happens. Just got pulled in for a D.O.T inspection. And once I passed the inspection, I asked the officer the same question that I asked you. And the officer Hull told me that as long as I am not dispatched on my next load and since I am not returning back to the home terminal. I can use PC. But he couldn't tell me how long I could drive on PC. He told me that the transportation department does not have a set answer for that as of now.
Hope that helps some driver's.
Interesting. We our resource was the FMCSA website, here:
www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/personal-conveyance-frequently-asked-questions-0
Really appreciate you sharing your experience!
I have no idea what is true anymore. I hate when even the people that are in place to regulate driver's daily doesn't know the laws that they enforce.
THANK YOU FOR THAT 🙏✝️🇺🇲st
FMCSA cannot regulate personal conveyance! That is why this is so confusing. FMCSA can only regulate when you are engaged wherein they have the authority to do so. It comes down to "Jurisdiction" They cannot claim "Jurisdiction" where they have none. That is why the FMCSA is so iffy on their comments because it would open them to a lawsuit violating the 4th amendment.
My company only allows personal convenience to be no more than a hour and no more than 49 miles some companies more than that
Hey Ronnie, thanks for sharing!
So basically it’s useless because a company can control your life.
It does have it's limitations but open communication with your employer can help strike a balance between work and personal life.
@@OverTheRoadATS .. that’s true but if a company limits your access vs what is legally capable then you are being controlled. Especially if you own your own truck and leased on with a company.
Let’s make a vague rule that we can arbitrarily hurt drivers career and raise their cost we will call it PC
Haha, exactly! Personal Conveyance might just be one of the most confusing rules out there.
Trucking sucks now
Sorry you feel that way.. We are certainly in tough times right now. But as with every downturn over the last few decades, it will bounce back and the drivers will determine the rates.
@@OverTheRoadATS I will be retire before it retires me as other driver's have. 😤😤
Used to be fun until some ruined it for all