# How do you cover travel time for employees?



## RadRemod (Oct 29, 2009)

I was wondering how you guys take care of your employees for travel time? I just scored a small commercial TI job about an hour away. This is going to really help offset my poor summer income:thumbup: In the past for jobs I would just tell the employees that I would cover travel one way at their normal wages($10-25/hr), even if they rode shotgun with me. However, this has only been for small jobs lasting up to 2 weeks or so. This one could keep us busy for a couple months. Now I'm not trying to be cheap but fair to my employees and and client. If I keep my current way to cover travel it will amount to a couple thousand by the end of the job. I'm very happy just with the job in this market and don't want to rock the boat too much. What do you guys do?


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## J L (Nov 16, 2009)

My guys get paid from when they pick up the truck in the morning until they drop it off back at the shop in the afternoon.

And congrats on the big job


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## A. Spruce (Aug 6, 2010)

RemodelGA said:


> My guys get paid from when they pick up the truck in the morning until they drop it off back at the shop in the afternoon.
> 
> And congrats on the big job


That's usually the best, since if the employees feel they're being taken advantage of, they'll find ways to recover their lost income by quitting early, taking more and/or longer breaks/lunches, or not working as hard while on the job.


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## Warren (Feb 19, 2005)

Why would it make any difference if it's a big job or a small job. How did you bid the job? I always bid the far away jobs knowing that I will pay them drive time one way. That's the only fair way to do things. Nobody generally rides with me on a regular basis, but that shouldn't make a difference. Time is money. Yours and theirs!


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## darr1 (May 25, 2010)

pay ? you mean i have to pay these :001_unsure:


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## TxElectrician (May 21, 2008)

Pay them one way? Which way? What if they are in an accident while traveling the other way?

My guys get paid 1/2 their normal rate for travel in a company vehicle.


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

RadRemod said:


> I was wondering how you guys take care of your employees for travel time? I just scored a small commercial TI job about an hour away. This is going to really help offset my poor summer income:thumbup: In the past for jobs I would just tell the employees that I would cover travel one way at their normal wages($10-25/hr), even if they rode shotgun with me. However, this has only been for small jobs lasting up to 2 weeks or so. This one could keep us busy for a couple months. Now I'm not trying to be cheap but fair to my employees and and client. If I keep my current way to cover travel it will amount to a couple thousand by the end of the job. I'm very happy just with the job in this market and don't want to rock the boat too much. What do you guys do?


You pay them as long as they are under your control.

If they go directly from their home to the jobsite in the morning, you start controlling them when they arrive. Same leaving. If they leave the jobsite and go home, the t**ty bar or whatever, they are done. 

If they meet at the shop or stop along the way to pick up supplies,then you are controlling them and need to pay from when that control starts.

That's the legal side, however you want to go beyond that is up to you. I've seen nice bosses pay as above but hand out some gas cards or have the guys stop at the gas station on Friday to gas everybody up... etc...


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## Rodd (May 13, 2010)

I wish I could travel in time, that would be awesome.


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## Heritage (Mar 20, 2007)

Basically all of my work is within a 30 minute radius. When I go over that and take a job (though it's rare) say an hour away each way, I'll build the additional time into the price and pay the guys from that.


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## RadRemod (Oct 29, 2009)

Mike Finley said:


> You pay them as long as they are under your control.
> 
> If they go directly from their home to the jobsite in the morning, you start controlling them when they arrive. Same leaving. If they leave the jobsite and go home, the t**ty bar or whatever, they are done.
> 
> ...


 
Thats what I was wondering. I most of the time will have me meet me at the jobsite. However I will be having one of them meet me at my house in the early am, then pickup another one at HD, to carpool up to the jobsite. I'm paying for gas obvoiusly and just supplying a ride up. I understand if they had to go to my nonexistant shop and drive my nonexistant company van to the job but I'm a couple man show at best.
Still not sure what to do maybe I'll talk to them on the ride up tomorrow....Maybe only pay one way and something like $13/hr for it.


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## Cole82 (Nov 22, 2008)

RadRemod said:


> Thats what I was wondering. I most of the time will have me meet me at the jobsite. However I will be having one of them meet me at my house in the early am, then pickup another one at HD, to carpool up to the jobsite. I'm paying for gas obvoiusly and just supplying a ride up. I understand if they had to go to my nonexistant shop and drive my nonexistant company van to the job but I'm a couple man show at best.
> Still not sure what to do maybe I'll talk to them on the ride up tomorrow....Maybe only pay one way and something like $13/hr for it.


I would pay them one way at there normal hourly rate. I pay both ways because we meet at my place and take my vehicles. Never liked the idea of the guys takeing the trucks home. 

Cole


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## pdmig (Nov 21, 2010)

I charge one way travel. When I start the truck I am on the clock. I like the idea of pay one way. It gets odd when one goes from the shop and the other from HD. I worked on a project near my house and it ended up the other carpenter got an extra 1/2 hour per day due to travel. But that is one way travel. When we work near his house, I get more time. Time is money.


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

Ditto, I pay one way travel at their hourly rate. 

NOTE - I am charging the client the same. Mostly time and material work.

If I was on fixed price then I would include this cost in my labour cost.

Last big job it was 2 hours to the site. Not much fun, but you gotta do what you gotta do. 

All it's really doing is paying for your gas.


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## RadRemod (Oct 29, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies!!:thumbup: I think I will continue with my normal 1 way pay for travel. That seems to be the norm if they arent meeting at the shop and driving company company rigs. No harm in hoping someone had a cheaper suggestion is there :whistling


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## Rob PA (Aug 30, 2010)

if im on a t/m job then its from the time that i am "on the job" or any helpers are..which means if they are getting supplies or had to go get unexpected stuff or waiting on the HO to catch her cat in the house so we can work..whatever the case might be

i waited today for 45 mins for a storm door?? no my fault..not the customers fault either.. BUT it wasnt my door and by the time the customer gets materials and we take them back it would be more money


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## ASInsulation (Aug 25, 2010)

best way i've ever dealt with this is a salary by the day based pay...sometimes 5 hours, sometimes 12, same rate...but this is with a couple good, reliable, honest, and hardworking guys, which can be hard to find, so i make sure that this works out in their favor and also easier for me in the end...


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## LB Fisher (Nov 27, 2010)

We pay for the drive to the job from the shop. On jobs that are a ways out, we'll typically work 4 10's. Saves a few bucks and guys don't mind the long weekend.


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## AJAX (Sep 12, 2009)

I guess I'm not in the norm here. Nor have I ever been paid for travel when working for other contractors. something I'll have to think about. 

Most all my jobs are an hour or more away. I have guys that live by me. So, I give them the option you can meet me at the job at such and such time or you can ride with me. You can drive 2 min to my house and ride for 60min. Or, you can drive YOUR pos 60min to the job on your dime. Clock starts on the job. Most guys have offered to pay for fuel, I decline. I figure riding with me IS money in the bank for them, so I should pay them on top of that? IDK. 

I had a sub couple years ago give me quote, agreed on price them invoice came and he bills for loading his truck and drive time! I was like WHAT?! 

I could never bill a customer for loading tools and my drive to the job everyday. I just add it to my overhead in the bid.


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## fast fred (Sep 26, 2008)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!

Years ago I worked for a company and we traveled alot to work. Granted I wasn't making a ton of money then, but we would get paid to travel. The best was a job that was over eight hours away on a good day. 

Nothing like getting paid to take a nap in the back. Then again my mentor hit me occasionally when I was sleeping. Telling me to wake up!

Another time we blew a tire on the trailer and I was woken up to yelling. Thats was an odd sensation. Another time I was going to fly to work and I asked if I could get paid for the travel time in the airplane.

Other times we would pro-rate our travel time usually it was an eight hour drive but sometimes in a snow storm it'd take ten hours but we'd only charge for eight.

It was awesome, but then again when we got there it was usually ten hour days six days a week. No fun.


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## Electric_Light (Nov 25, 2007)

RadRemod said:


> I was wondering how you guys take care of your employees for travel time? I just scored a small commercial TI job about an hour away. This is going to really help offset my poor summer income:thumbup: In the past for jobs I would just tell the employees that I would cover travel one way at their normal wages($10-25/hr), even if they rode shotgun with me. However, this has only been for small jobs lasting up to 2 weeks or so. This one could keep us busy for a couple months. Now I'm not trying to be cheap but fair to my employees and and client. If I keep my current way to cover travel it will amount to a couple thousand by the end of the job. I'm very happy just with the job in this market and don't want to rock the boat too much. What do you guys do?


Boy... I really don't have a definitely answer to this, but here's my opinion. Labor disputes are common and HR laws are complex...

Obviously you don't get paid for commuting time from home to work, but if employees are to report directly to jobsite, then I think compensation both ways in the amount of time in excess of normal commute seems fair...

i.e. you're based in Woodburn, OR, employee #1 normally commutes from Salem but site is in Albany. 

If his normal commute takes 30 minutes and travel time for reporting directly to job site is one hour, then 30 minutes compensation both-ways seem reasonable to me. Having him report to shop first would be silly

have a meeting. Come up with whatever you guys can agree to reach a good compromise for all of you.




AJAX said:


> I guess I'm not in the norm here. Nor have I ever been paid for travel when working for other contractors. something I'll have to think about.
> 
> Most all my jobs are an hour or more away. I have guys that live by me. So, I give them the option you can meet me at the job at such and such time or you can ride with me. You can drive 2 min to my house and ride for 60min. Or, you can drive YOUR pos 60min to the job on your dime. Clock starts on the job. Most guys have offered to pay for fuel, I decline. I figure riding with me IS money in the bank for them, so I should pay them on top of that? IDK.


If you crash your car on the way and your employee is injured, who is covering? You're employing them and taking them to the job... but as a "person" or as an "employer"?


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