Being paid for travel time (Tennessee)

Factual Questions
1

I am an auto mechanic on the flat rate system. Part of my job involves driving to other cities (usually 6 to 8 hr drives) every few months for training sessions. When we have to do these training activities they usually last 3 or 4 days and we stay in a hotel, then drive back home when we’re done.

We are paid 8hrs per day of training, as well as being paid for drive time ONE WAY. So if I have to drive 6 hrs to Atlanta, do training for 3 days then drive six hours home. I get paid a total of only 30 hours. I don’t get paid for the drive back home.

In the state of Tennessee does this run foul of any labor laws, or national labor laws? It’s only six hours but I’ve been to training over 10 times in the last few years. That’s 60 hours, so it adds up.

2

I misread this a “being paid for time travel”. Darn. :frowning:

3

No idea but no matter where I’ve worked I have always been paid for both ways.

4

Confused by this. Do you receive a salary or are you paid hourly? If the latter, then you should be paid for the travel time.

In general, hourly employees should be paid for travel time that is not home-to-work within the normal commuting area. See the DOL website.

You should also be reimbursed for mileage, which seems like a considerable amount per trip – probably more than your hourly pay, given gas prices.

5

Do they have to reimburse mileage? I thought it was either they reimburse mileage or you get to deduct it off of your taxes.

6

Employers are generally not required to reimburse you for mileage, and you’re right… if they don’t, you can claim it as an itemized deduction. Getting reimbursed is preferable, though, especially if the OP has 10 trips of 600 miles each.

In my opinion, it’s unusual for an employer to ask you to do travel on this scale and not have a well-defined policy for travel time and mileage. Maybe it’s a small business and they’re winging it. But if this is a widespread they’re opening themselves up to a class action suit.