Field managment

Of course....it depends and many factors.?ÿ Some are more beneficial to the employee than the employer and client and vice versa.?ÿ Whatever you do, be clear and put it in writing.?ÿ?ÿ

Our party chiefs don't typically take the trucks home so this isn't an issue.?ÿ But, when they do, they are on the clock the second they leave their house (consider it a temporary branch office).

My feelings on this have always remained the same:?ÿ If an employee is in a work vehicle for a work purpose, regardless of what location they start or end from, then they are on the clock.

If you can't trust your field guys to be honest about start/stop times, then why bother keeping them as employees?

If they're taking trucks home, they're charging batteries and drying out equipment on their dime so drive time from the house isn't unreasonable.?ÿ

In addition to the above comments, consider the fact that the crews don't have to detour out of the way to go to the office before driving to the job site. Saves the client and the firm time & money every single day.

You do realize the employees who use trucks for transportation to and from work is considered taxable income by the IRS, plus you as an employer have to report it and pay taxes on that income as well. ?????ÿ

FWIW -- and this is 40-year-old information -- when I was in the union (OE Local 3) the rule was that you're on the clock from the time you leave the office in the morning (7:00 a.m.) until the time you leave the jobsite (3:30 p.m.), minus a half-hour lunch break.?ÿ The PCs all took the trucks home.

It appears to me that there is already a de-facto policy regarding travel time pay in place, and messing with it first thing is probably the worst thing, politically, that you could choose to mess with. Unless upper management has identified this as something that needs to be dealt with immediately I'd leave it alone for several months at least.

First thing I'd be looking how to make the field crews life easier. Like how calcs and plans are supplied. Then I'd be looking at how data comes back from the field in the form of raw data and notes.?ÿ

I should ad that I never feel comfortable taking the work rig home. And I try not to because I don't want to assume the responsibility. I like to go to happy hour after work and sometimes I like to have one too many and I'm not going to leave a work truck full of "stuff" in the True Value parking lot over night?????ÿ

Work hard, play hard, die hard

@jed?ÿ

I know of many examples of this going badly.?ÿ And one of them was on a travel job, where the idiot parked at the bar which was maybe 300 yards from the hotel, instead of parking at the hotel and walking to the bar.?ÿ Then hit a couple cars when he left the bar to drive to the hotel.

@norman-oklahoma

First thing I'd be looking how to make the field crews life easier. Like how calcs and plans are supplied. Then I'd be looking at how data comes back from the field in the form of raw data and notes.

?ÿ

Amen.

Also, doing this - and actually following through on improvements - would put you ahead of 98% of firms I have worked for, or with, or heard about in my entire career.

It's all about the moderate, incremental gains. I was at a recent conference where a very well-known tech guru told the crowd that all of his work was not trying to find the Next Big Thing, or hit it out of the park, but solving small problems and making minor improvements that make the average person's life easier. Those small things are also easier to swallow financially.

One of the first lessons I learned when dealing with field crews and work vehicles is that many of the party chiefs care a heck of a lot more than I do about the particular make and size and the rules in general.?ÿ If you find yourself saying things to yourself like, "What's the big deal, it's just a truck", use this to remind yourself that you're not a lifetime party chief and you need to consider things from the perspective of someone who is.?ÿ Bad management is that which cannot relate to those being managed.?ÿ You may want to have some private discussion with some of the PCs to explore their thoughts on the matter.

?ÿ

@flga-2-2 Screw the IRS.?ÿ Whatever mileage to/from a private residence gets added to the client's chargeable mileage, no different than charging mileage direct from the office.?ÿ Uncle Sam gets enough of business's and employee's hard earned money, their is no reason to give them more. /end rant.

I have learned not to fear receiving mail from the IRS.?ÿ Generally, it is a good thing.

Received a letter from them this past Saturday.?ÿ It was a reminder that we had received some interest from them for taking so long to send us our refund and that we should report that interest in the appropriate location on the 2022 form I will get around to filling out about April 16 or 17 this year.

In situations like this is your company paying for your drive time from the site back to your home or are you off the clock when you leave the site??ÿ

If I'm not getting paid to bring the truck back, then what obligation am I under to bring the truck back? That's my time I'm not getting back and so deserves compensation. Marching and fighting pay the same.

That's my time I'm not getting back and so deserves compensation. Marching and fighting pay the same.

That deserves a thumbs up. ????ÿ

Thanks for all the comments on this. It opened my eyes on a few perspectives I wasn't thinking about.?ÿ

This is a great thread and realistic. My boss tried immediately to introduce a change from a previous company in this regard. The company we are at now pays from the time you leave home to time you return. Unless you come to the office then it starts when you reach office. But from home to site is all on the clock. My boss wanted to say only while on job site. I said you expect to keep crew chiefs to drive 2 hours on their own dime. He said its a privilege to have a company truck. I said ok advertise for a crew chief and make it in writing they must have own work truck. A crew chief could easily spend a half hour some days swapping and charging batteries cleaning up equipment etc. So he has not pushed the issue yet hard but is planning on not paying the return trip home. Some of our jobs its a hour to 1.5 hours with no traffic. I have taken 2 hours on trip home when itƒ??s usually a hour in non traffic. I charged an hour ate the other hour. But that was a week straight. This is where the work life balance has to be considered also. The wives or husbands at home seeing their spouses work and come home late but some of that time doesnƒ??t convert to dollars for the family. In lean times I might tell my crew chief look things are tight we need to make budget. Bare with me send me an email with extra drive hours. Then when i can i get that back to them in pto or other means. ?ÿTake care of the employee and they will take care of you. ?ÿNow that doesnƒ??t mean you donƒ??t correct them when needed.?ÿ

My boss wanted to say only while on job site. I said you expect to keep crew chiefs to drive 2 hours on their own dime.

This is what happens for our union field crews by what I understand. Company truck, 1 hour commute both ways unpaid. Crews are paid for time on site and time beyond the 1 hour commute both ways.

I am aware of a fellow who sometimes takes the truck home and sometimes doesn't.?ÿ It comes down to a matter of practicality.?ÿ At the moment, the truck and four-wheeler and all necessary equipment is at his home.?ÿ He will leave before sun up Monday morning to head to a job that is 100 miles from his office, but, only 80 from his home.?ÿ He will put in at least an extra hour of productive work that day.?ÿ His return from a different job in a different direction was 20 miles shorter to his home than if he went back to the office.?ÿ Another productive hour happened on Friday on a job only 30 miles from his home.?ÿ As a business owner, I have learned how valuable that extra hour can be.?ÿ Frequently, this allows the surveyor to wrap up the field work instead of returning for what truly only requires an extra hour but can be several hours when the drive time is added in.