Travel Time Compensation
Are you unsure of whether to pay nonexempt hourly employees for travel time? In 2018, the U.S. DOL addressed this issue to clarify when travel time is considered work time, as this can become a complex issue for employers. Generally, travel between job sites during the workday must be counted as compensable time, while travel from home to any job site at the beginning or end of the work day (commuting time) does not.
Travel that cuts across normal work hours is generally compensable. To help determine whether travel time is part of the employee’s normal work hours, the employer should first determine what those hours are. This can be done by using hours worked in a typical work week, average start and end times, or negotiating a reasonable time frame with the employee.
Travel where the employee is performing work, such as driving or navigating is always compensable.
The DOL provides three scenarios in which travel time would be considered hours worked including overnight and weekend hours. Read those scenarios here.