If Im at the customer at 8am and my time dont start till 8:30 Im going to jail dont pass go and then when I get bond Ill go to labor board.As far as raises go they come here when they want to but so far as I can tell its the same at other companys and I do alright compared to them.Stealing is stealing and when a company dips in to your check them its time.I havent heard of that here.But I have kind of gripped about the guy 7 min away when I drive 1.5 to 2 hrs to get to some of the lifts I service.In the end it works out most of the time as long as I dont look at what whos doing or getting.

This post has become a personal view's. Bottom line is if the company is getting payed the tech should be payed. I too came from the same company dan d and jaslyman. This company just doesn't care about the tech's. I got messed with more than the rest. i worked 4 1/2 years there with only 2 reviews. the first one at almost my 4 th year.... 12 months past due. (In there employee hand book it states and i quote. "In the event that reviews are past due raise increase will be retro payed to the employee back to the date review was due".) They told me it was going to be retro ed. and i only got retro ed back only 2 months... I went to the service manager. and he told me he would make it up to me at my next review. So i got my next review 9 months late.... instead of making up for shafting me last one. They told me that they were moving my anniversary date up by 5 months. shafting me out of my retro pay. Telling me that it would benefit me in the end. Oh yeah that was the same day i gave my 2 weeks HA! about 30 seconds after my review was done...... This company looks for every chance to low ball the techs. And now my new company i work for is pulling the same crap..... On the travel time. i live 1 1/2 hours away with out traffic from the shop... there zone charge in my area is 2 hour travel. For six months i went to this customer that is 7 mins from my house, ( the start time..... after giving up the half hour is 8:00am) i went to this customer almost every day..... and still they took..... the 30 mins out of my time for the day. even thou i was at the customer at 8... which is wrong. they knew i live 7 mins from there and still forced me to give up that half hour. You know what they say "Same sh*t! Different color van"

I dont care if my company is getting paid an hour a day that I dont.As far as van being at shop Ive done let my company know all but required tools come out.We done had a converter stolen and Ill be crud if Ill leave my tools siting for some one to help themselfs to.Im good with my travel time and 5 hrs a week wouldnt hurt my fellings but it wont break my bank.

Why isn't the inverse true? When you have a call back (rework) do you reimburse your employer for labor, travel and parts? In that case you are charging your employer but he is not charging the customer. Why isn't that considered a "ripoff"?
How about the automotive industry. When a tech is on flat rate and there is no work they have to stand around and wait for a customer to come in without getting paid.
If we were in a high profit industry where upper management and ownership make upteen times more than you do I might be a little more sympathetic.
Your employment relationship is a 2 way street. You give, they give. Unfortunately for you, you don't own the company so typically if you don't give first then you probably won't receive as much in return as the other people that do.

Its not about being an opportunist; but our complaint is more about you not getting paid for travel and the customer paying for a travel charge. The company is benefiting by "ripping the customer off" if the technician is not getting paid for the trip in than the customer should not pay a travel charge.

Furthermore the dealer I worked for actually had to pay fines to the state because it failed to document and enforce its policy practices regarding travel time. None the less time are tough and I don't a company for attempting to take advantages of an opportunity if one comes along...just don't do it at my expense.

If dealers would just charge portal to portal travel charges this would be a great compromise for all of us. The customer pays legit travel time and the technician does not get paid for the trip home. (unless its more than a 1/2 hour) Lets keep it simple, if your company is benefiting from charging travel than the technician should most certainly be getting paid to.

It seems to me that having resident technicians is one of the few win-win situations in an emploment relationship. All of the dealer principals that I have spoken to feel the same way. If you have a problem with the possibility that the Company (which includes you) may profit from your benefit of a free vehicle then why don't you leave the van at the dealership and drive your own vehicle to and from work. And if it's that bad when a technician is offered a position on the road why doesn't anyone say "sure but I still want to use my own vehicle to get to and from work"? Nobody said that you HAVE to accept the free ride.

I just received a letter in the mail from the Connecticut dealer ship I formerly worked for. I don't know if I should scan and post the letter, but it states that they had some "administrative shortfalls" and was required to pay penalties and some wages to the state of CT and to some employees. This letter stated that employees will receive payment from the DOL directly.

Looks like any payment at all is an admittance of faulty practices. Its nice to see the little guys win battle now and again. To bad this company didn't have an open ear to its employees and they could of nipped this thing in bud before employees felt forced to contact outside help to remedy this apparent problem.

I have read all of your comments and I think we are all missing something, If your vehicle is a tool required for you to do your job and there is no way to complete your job with out it than it is my understanding of federal regulations that your employer is required to pay all of your travel time.
If Dan stated that this company is in a dispute with the state, that must mean the state recognizes their is a definite problem that must be addressed. Dan I am curious about what the outcome of events will be please keep us posted.

i'd say that sums it up...dol makes it pretty clear that time to and from the normal work location is not paid. Insurance coverage is a seperate topic and most policies cover you in a company vehicle at any time..ie company cars etc.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, makes the following statement on its web site at DOL.GOV:

Work Hours/Travel Time

"Time spent traveling during normal work hours is considered compensable work time. Time spent in home-to-work travel by an employee in an employer-provided vehicle, or in activities performed by an employee that are incidental to the use of the vehicle for commuting, generally is not "hours worked" and, therefore, does not have to be paid. This provision applies only if the travel is within the normal commuting area for the employer's business and the use of the vehicle is subject to an agreement between the employer and the employee or the employee's representative."

A very lively topic......
It's nice to see that the majority of you are appreciative of your job as road techs and what benefits go along with it.
Being a member of this forum and participating in it shows that you are all dedicated to your profession as well as having forklift trucks in your blood, as I do. We need more of us.

My brother-in-law was hurt at a company picnic, off the clock and missed work for six months. Workman's Comp covered medical and wages. You are covered in your van unless you are using it for personal, like weekend's. Way to work and home is not considered personal.
My tools are covered in my van no matter where the van is located. However, our regular insurance only reimbursed $3,000 for tools. Buys about a ratchet and hammer from Snap-On. However, if I submitted a detailed list of all the tools and equipment in my van that I own the insurance would cover everything, no deductible. Make sure you have a detailed list and check with your employer if your tools are FULLY covered. If not you can get a rider on your home-owners/renter's to cover your tools.

Being on the road without constant supervision, able to control own time (productive) and providing good service to customers is not easy. The use of the van/tools, shopping on the way home etc. is a fair trade and companies know that. 30 min. each way is what many use here. If the customer is 5 minutes away time starts at the customer location, if 1 hour first 30 min. on me. The tech writes the time on the WO and controls fairness to customer/self. We all have taken advantage of the situation at times, being reasonable doing it is important. As long as the billing/productivity/callbacks (lack of) are there no company will complain. When in the van workplace insurance covers the tech. There is always a job down the road and it is a very small world. Alternative: leave a steady job and go on your own, done it 2.5 yrs. ago. I don't regret it but not easy at time. Good workplaces are the ones that support/help their people. If you are questioning your company's commitment to their people start looking.

- At our place we are all satisfied with our deal, I posed the question because it seems we find out "after" something happens where we stand. You know how it is, no matter what industry or occupation you are in someone has to get hurt before "the guard gets put back on the machine" or who is responsible for what "after" the fact, it's always good to know before hand.

I know my company covers you as long as your in that van
after 10 years you see it more than once,Guy hit deer 5 min from house and set off airbag company didnt sue for van and matter of fact paid him for a week till insurance came through he was out for 60 days or so.My company isnt every company.If you feel your getting the shaft move on and let someone else have it.Lots of jobs to few good techs