I read this entire thread from the beginning. As a 25+ year tech who has been all over the map, I found this to be a timeless topic. I have been everything from the shop dog to service manager, technical trainer and everything in between. Currently a road tech, my favorite place. I finally got a raise and am up to making what I did back in 2002. Man, I could write a book on everything mentioned. My current employer has GPS on the vans and watches like a hawk. I don't really care, but it gets annoying when they micro manage. I have over a half million miles logged in company vans with never a charged accident and 2 speeding tickets. The GM gets an email if we go over 72 mph and we show up on the overspeed report. After my first week my road supervisor says I was speeding twice. I said holy crap, that's all! My driving record is not good or very good, it's exceptional and now all of the sudden it's not acceptable? Go scratch your ***! I've not heard a word about it again.
In my interview, I asked about travel time. They asked what my current employer gave, I said first and last 30 minutes. Service manager says "well ours is better than that!" Should have asked him to elaborate, took him at his word. I live 45 minutes from the shop and that's what I was told to give, after filling out my time card giving 30 minutes for the first week. I asked about a SOP manual, standard operating procedures. They have 30 techs but no SOP. I asked a road foreman about all this and he said everybody has their own deal so there will never be a SOP.
I heard someone mention something about the GPS. something about mass floggings downing morale. So true. When I was service manager I gave my guys plenty of rope. But I also told them if need be, I would hang them with it. My good guys loved me, the slugs hated me.
Sorry if I rambled. If anybody in the northeast Pa, NY NJ area is looking for a dedicated tech, lemme know.

He cant add anything, he's too busy cloning American technology!:)
Yes travel time is still current ! Just as debatable now...we're not out of the woods yet and may soon have to make more concessions. That right to work legislation may hit this side of the border too.
I don't mind traveling to work half an hour on my own time. I'm still way ahead of my previous job as an auto tech where I worked 50 hrs to get 35-40

Hi sonialuo, this subject is still very l current, and is rearing it's head in a lot of circles, I am sorry to you that it does not concern people in China, but if you don't really have anything to add, why bother posting at all?

OLD TOPIC

I'm with you proshadetree. I give a little to get a little. Those who seek to be compensated from leaving home to returning home might consider what can happen to them, they might be charged for stopping at a store, or any such convenience. That constitutes personal use. One company I know of began that program because they had so much bickering over pay. GPS will tell them where you stop, how long you stop, and when you stop. I don't mean to say that you give the farm away either, but be cautious how much you push. Fair is always a compromise.

Still alternate jobs for those who look. I for one still have the same opinion. Half an hour is not to much to give up for driving the van home. But my company will also overlook a personal errand every now and again as long as it isn't abused. As far as parking it when they want it they can still have it.

so, this thread was almost all in 2008, and now, it is almost 2014, with some very lean years in between for the US Economy.
I am wondering if anyone has changed their opinion, including those who felt there were plenty of jobs if you were less than pleased with your current [at that time] employer's procedures and would have felt they could negotiate a more proper method with some other employer.

Ill park it then take extra tools back home.Threats of parking vans dont go to well for equipped techs.Cost of 2 runns for tools or carrying lifts to shop would eat up all savings.And you know full well they wont buy every van special tools.

Let's say that a dealership normally pays the road tech travel time and also collects it from the customer. What happens when the road tech reports to the shop first thing in the morning. For those who think he should be paid, how fair would it be to the other employees? He not only gets paid to drive to work but is also supplied with a vehicle and fuel to get there.
When given the choice I have a hard time believing that those road tech's that give in the morning to get back in the evening lwould rather pick up and drop off their van at work every day.
Be careful what you ask for....

Thank you for response bigGlittlestar. In these tough times we all need to pay attention to whats happening to us, and if your dealership is stealing your time and benefiting from it then you may want to contact your states labor division and collect your back pay like we did.

Just curious. What if the customer is charged travel time, portal to portal from the shop and not from the road techs house. Depending on where he is dispatched from the sometimes the dealership wins and sometimes it loses.

Through some of the management seminars I have attended that included labor law issues. I have purchased a fair bit of reference material. As a service manager myself, the dealerships I have worked for have had similar agreements (1/2 hour in 1/2 hour home). But to the best of my knowledge from the 6 or 8 books that I have purchased. My interpretation is from the time your butt hits the seat in the morning to the time you hit the driveway at home in the evening you are to be paid.

The agreements that different companies have really dont matter if you get a disgruntled employee that drops a dime to the wages and labor division. I was a tech for a dealer that it happened to. Not only did they have to go back and pay everyone, it also cost them a thousand dollars per violation (or somewhere in that area).

After that was settled the cure was everyone left the service vans at the branch and drove their own vehicles in and picked up the vans and dropped them back off in the evening.

In Florida there are many companies that do the same thing. Mostly air conditioning and plumbing type companies and at least one John Deere dealer.

I have been out of the industry for over a year now folks and let me tell you the grass is greener. If you are being abused by your employer now is a good time make a move. If you have been in the business a while you won't be turned down for any mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic work. Don't let this economy scare you there is always work for us common folk who aren't afraid to get our hands dirty. I now hold a salary job with paid overtime mainly mechanical work and the pay is just as good. I'll never touch the material handling industry again, there are better jobs for more or equal pay. If you have been in it for more than five years you have probably reached you plateau and your not going to be getting those one dollar raises anymore. So open your potential and see whats out their.
Just face it this industry won't get better if you keep turning your cheek every time upper management takes a benefit away, omits the Christmas party / employee picnic, or demands you work longer for less pay. The best way to show your company they need to make a change for the better is to take that better job.

Well I thought I would follow up after my check came in from the state. Almost $1300. after a settlement to go back only two years and reimburse my unpaid travel time. I haven't signed any papers for this the DOL made them do it. Here is a link to the posted letter from the state for all who are interested. http://www.flickr.com/photos/19266691@N02/2647402955/sizes/l/

Or use this with www in front of it.flickr.com/photos/19266691@N02/2648273912/sizes/l/
Any how to make a long story short if your customer is paying for travel time that your not getting paid for you should call your DOL rep. and collect like the rest of us did.

The amount shown in the pic is net after taxes and yes CT taxes a lot.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), time spent traveling during normal work hours is considered work time and employees must be paid for this travel time. Generally, time spent commuting is not work time. The FLSA is administered and enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration.

Travel to your first customer is considered normal working hours and your should be compensated, but travel home is considered your commute and is not payable. Only exceptions are if you sign a contract waving right to get paid for travel. (signing for your employee handbook, etc)

Its the law. Make sure your employer pays for your travel time.