What is Personal Conveyance?

As a definition, personal conveyance is the use of a truck for personal business after your motor carrier has released you from your duties and responsibilities to the company for that day during your off-duty hours. Personal conveyance cannot be used to undertake company business in any way, cannot happen during on-duty hours, and can only take place if the driver isn't fatigued or ill - in other words, you must be in good shape to drive.

What are Some Examples of Personal Conveyance?

Here are a few examples of what is often considered to be personal conveyance:

• Moving between lodging and food or entertainment: If you've checked in at your hotel, it's personal conveyance to take the truck to a restaurant to eat or to a theater for a movie.
• Commuting: If you use your truck to move between home and your worksite, home terminal, or trailer drop lot, these miles are considered personal conveyance.
• Driving to a nearby safe resting location after loading or unloading: This is considered personal conveyance, but only when traveling to the first reasonable location, not excess distance.
• Moving due to safety personnel instruction: If a law enforcement or other safety officer instructs you to move your truck, this is personal conveyance.
• Pickup or dropoff of personal items: If you're picking up parts for that vintage muscle car you're restoring or otherwise handling personal errands, it's personal conveyance.

When is it Not Personal Conveyance?

Of course, some grey areas can make it difficult to determine whether the situation falls under personal conveyance rules or not. These include:

• Moving to prep for next pickup: Moving to reduce the next day's drive time isn't considered personal conveyance, because it's being done as part of your professional occupation.
• Returning to pick up another trailer: After dropping off a trailer, you can use personal conveyance. However, when you go to pick up again, personal conveyance no longer applies.
• Driving empty or bobtail: Because this is part of your professional job, moving your truck to get to your next load is still considered part of your job and not personal conveyance.
• Carrying non-off-duty passengers: Off-duty drivers going to a common destination may be in your truck as personal conveyance, but no other passengers are allowed.
• Bringing your truck for repair or maintenance: Because these actions benefit the carrier, this is considered part of the job instead of personal conveyance.
• Travel between work locations: Moving from one location to another between jobs is still part of your profession, and is not considered personal conveyance.
• Traveling after out-of-service: Unless so directed by law enforcement or DOT officials, undertaking additional travel after the 14 hours of service is not personal conveyance.
• Driving luggage only in a bus: This is specific to passenger buses, and because it benefits the bus line as a part of the job, it's not an example of personal conveyance.

Above All: The Company Policy

Even if federal, state, and local laws allow you to do specific things with your truck, there's another factor to consider unless you're an owner-operator: company policy. If you're driving a company truck, your company may have strict requirements about when you may or may not use a truck for personal conveyance. With the technology in today's semis, it's safe to assume that your movements are being tracked, and that "a quick trip to the store" won't go unnoticed.

In Conclusion

By paying attention to policies and laws regarding personal conveyance use of your semi, you can avoid potential problems, fines, and even loss of employment down the road. Personal conveyance can be a complicated subject in the trucking industry, but at TruckerJunction.com, you'll find all the information you need. Until next time, keep it greasy side down and the wheels rolling!