Personal conveyance rules
Personal conveyance is off-duty driving for your own purposes. There is no mileage cap and the truck may be loaded. There is one test, and it decides every case: the movement must not advance the load.
What qualifies, and what doesn't
| Movement | Personal conveyance? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| From a receiver to the nearest safe rest area | Yes | You are seeking rest, not moving freight — this holds even if you are out of hours. |
| From the truck stop to a restaurant or shop | Yes | Personal purpose, no business benefit. |
| Home from the terminal after unloading | Yes | Commuting, provided you are genuinely relieved of duty. |
| Moving 80 miles up the route to be closer to tomorrow's pickup | No | It advances the load. Distance is not the point; direction and benefit are. |
| Driving to a repair shop | No | Maintenance is carrier business — on-duty driving. |
| Bobtailing to collect a trailer | No | Plainly in furtherance of the load. |
| Past three open truck stops to reach a favourite one | Not safely | "Nearest safe location" is the standard. Passing available parking undermines the claim. |
How it goes wrong
Almost every disputed case looks the same: the driver runs out of hours short of the delivery, uses personal conveyance to move closer, and the ELD shows off-duty driving in a straight line along the route toward the consignee. The status said off duty; the GPS track said the load moved.
If you are out of hours, personal conveyance can take you to rest. It cannot take you to the dock.
Keep the record straight
- Annotate it. Most ELDs let you add a note to the status. "To nearest parking, receiver had none" takes ten seconds and answers the question before it is asked.
- Go to the nearest reasonable place. Not the nicest one.
- Check your carrier's policy. Carriers may forbid personal conveyance entirely or cap it, and their policy binds you even where the rule would not.
- Be genuinely off duty. If you are doing anything for the carrier, including taking dispatch instructions about tomorrow, it is not personal.
Questions
What is personal conveyance?
Driving a commercial vehicle while off duty, for your own purposes, with the movement not furthering the carrier's business. The time is logged off duty and does not count against your driving or duty clocks.
Is there a mileage limit on personal conveyance?
No federal distance or time cap. The test is the purpose of the movement, not its length. That said, a long personal-conveyance move on the same route as the load will be read as advancing the load, and distance is how an officer notices it.
Can I use personal conveyance to find parking?
Yes — driving from a shipper or receiver to the nearest safe place to rest is the clearest qualifying example, including when you have run out of hours, provided you go to the nearest reasonable place and not another 90 miles down the road.
Can the truck be loaded?
Yes. Being laden does not disqualify personal conveyance. What disqualifies it is the movement advancing the load toward its destination.
Can I drive to a repair shop on personal conveyance?
No. Taking the truck for repair is carrier business, so it is on-duty driving even if the truck is empty and you are on your own time.