Drive time policy template

Download the drive time policy template

The full policy is on this page, so you can copy it into your handbook. The PDF has the same text on printable pages with the blanks highlighted by brackets.

• Drive time policy templatePDF · The eight policy sections below with bracketed blanks to fill in.

What do the federal rules say about drive time?

Federal regulations separate commuting from travel that is part of the job. 29 CFR 785.35 says normal travel from home to work is not worktime, whether the employee has one fixed location or moves between jobsites. 29 CFR 785.38 says travel that is all in the day's work is worktime.

A policy that pays more than the federal minimum is allowed. A policy that pays less than a state requires is not. The blanks below let you choose.

1. Scope: who and what the policy covers

The scope section says who the policy applies to and what counts as travel. Copy and fill in the lines below.

• This policy applies to all hourly employees of [Company name] who are paid by the hour, including [crew titles, such as journeymen, apprentices and laborers].
• It covers local travel within the day between [home, the shop and jobsites]. It does not cover overnight travel away from home or per diem, which are handled in [policy name or HR contact].
• Where state law, a union agreement or a prevailing wage requirement gives employees a better result than this policy, that rule applies.
• This policy takes effect on [date] and replaces [previous policy name, if any].

2. Home to the first site

Normal travel from home to the first jobsite is not paid under the federal rule, so the policy states that clearly and says when the exception applies.

• Normal travel from home to the first jobsite of the day, and from the last jobsite back home, is the employee's own time and is not paid.
• This applies when the employee goes directly between home and a jobsite and is not asked to do anything for [Company name] on the way.
• If the employee is asked to pick up materials, tools or other employees on the way, that stop and the travel after it are paid. The employee tells the foreman before making the stop.
• [Optional, if you pay more than the federal minimum: Travel over [number] miles from the employee's home to a jobsite is paid at [rate] for the time over [number] minutes.]

3. Travel between jobsites

Travel between jobsites during the workday is paid time, and the policy should say so in direct words. Foremen need a rule they can apply in the truck without calling the office.

• Travel from one jobsite to another during the workday is paid from the time the employee leaves the first site until the time they arrive at the second.
• If the employee is told to return to the shop, a supply house or another stop at the end of the day, the travel from the last jobsite to that stop is paid.
• Drive time is recorded under [the destination jobsite / a drive time code] so that the labor goes to the correct job.
• Personal stops, such as lunch or errands, are not paid. The foreman or the employee records the time of the stop and when the drive resumes.
• [Optional: Travel under [number] minutes between sites is paid and recorded as part of the work shift without a separate entry.]

4. Shop starts

When a worker must report to the shop first, the day starts at the shop. The policy should state the start of the paid day and what is paid after it.

• If the employee must report to [shop address] for instructions, tools, materials or a crew assignment, paid time starts when they arrive and begin the task or clock in, whichever is earlier.
• Travel from the shop to the first jobsite is paid.
• If the employee is not required to report to the shop and goes directly to the jobsite, section 2 applies.
• The shop start is recorded on the timesheet as [Shop] with the start time.
• Time spent loading, fueling, cleaning or returning equipment at the shop is paid.

5. Company vehicles

Company vehicles raise two questions: who may drive, and whether commuting in a company vehicle is paid. The policy answers the first and leaves the second to your counsel.

• Only employees authorized by [role or name] may drive a company vehicle, and they must hold a valid license and follow [Company name]'s vehicle policy.
• The driver is responsible for [fuel, tolls, tickets and reporting damage]. Passengers wear seat belts.
• Drive time in a company vehicle between sites follows section 3.
• [Choose one: Employees who take a company vehicle home are / are not paid for travel between home and the first or last jobsite. Have an employment lawyer confirm this line for your state before you adopt it.]
• A company vehicle is for work use only unless [Company name] allows limited personal use in writing.

6. Per diem and overnight travel are out of scope

This policy does not cover per diem, lodging, mileage reimbursement or travel that takes an employee away from home overnight. Those rules involve separate federal and state requirements and often a union agreement.

• Per diem, lodging and overnight travel are governed by [policy name or union agreement].
• Mileage reimbursement for use of a personal vehicle is governed by [policy name].
• Questions go to [name or title] at [email or phone].

7. How time is recorded

Policy is only useful if the record shows it was followed, so this section says how drive time is written down and who checks it.

• Employees record drive time on their timesheet as a separate line with the start time, end time and the two locations, or as the system [name of system] shows it.
• The foreman checks each sheet against the day's work and signs it by [day and time].
• A drive entry without a destination or a time is returned to the foreman and is not rejected, so the employee is still paid for the time while it is fixed.
• Corrections are made by the foreman or the office with a short reason. The original entry stays on record.
• Records are kept for [number] years, or longer if state law requires.

If you use a construction timesheet template, give drive time its own row and note the two locations. If your crews carry a badge that records each shift and the time between jobsites, travel appears as its own category; see drive time tracking.

8. Review and changes

A drive time policy should be reviewed on a schedule and whenever the law or your work pattern changes.

• [Company name] reviews this policy every [12] months and when state or federal rules change.
• Managers review drive time exceptions each [week] as part of timesheet approval.
• An employee who believes drive time was recorded wrongly may ask [name or role] for a correction at any time. [Company name] does not retaliate for asking.
• Changes are given to employees in writing before they take effect on [date].
• Employee acknowledgement: I have read this policy. Name: [name]. Signature: [signature]. Date: [date].

Which minutes of a day are paid under this policy?

Under this template, the example crew member below is paid for 9.75 hours, 2.0 of which are travel. The 20 minutes from home to the shop and the 25 minutes from the shop to home are not paid.

How do you roll the policy out?

• Fill in every bracket, and delete any optional line you do not want.
• Have an employment lawyer or your state labor agency check it against local rules.
• Give it to every hourly employee in writing and keep a signed acknowledgement.
• Brief foremen on sections 3 and 4, since they apply the rules in the field.
• Make sure the timesheet has a place to record drive time as its own line.
• Review the first month of timesheets for drive entries with no destination or time.

For the reasoning behind each choice, see drive time policy for contractors and travel time between job sites.