Personal Conveyance
Off-duty use of a commercial vehicle for personal purposes, not counted against HOS driving time.
Personal Conveyance in Practice
It's Not a Free Pass on Distance
Many carriers cap personal conveyance at a certain number of miles or set a maximum distance from a delivery point, since FMCSA guidance leaves interpretation somewhat open. Checking a carrier's specific policy prevents an honest mistake from looking like a logging violation.
Direction Matters to Inspectors
Driving away from a delivery to find a hotel is a reasonable use. Continuing in the direction of the next delivery under personal conveyance status, even if not hauling a loaded trailer, is the kind of pattern that draws scrutiny during a roadside inspection.
It Still Shows Up in Records
Personal conveyance use is logged and visible on ELD records, even though it doesn't count as driving time. A pattern of frequent or lengthy personal conveyance entries can still draw questions during a safety audit.
Personal Conveyance: What It Means and Why It Matters
Personal conveyance lets a driver operate a commercial vehicle off duty for personal reasons, such as driving to a restaurant or a hotel after finishing a shift, without that driving time counting against hours of service limits. Because it's logged as off duty rather than driving time, it's one of the more scrutinized areas of HOS compliance, and carriers typically set their own guidelines around what qualifies, on top of the baseline FMCSA guidance. Using it outside those boundaries, such as continuing toward a delivery under personal conveyance, is a common way drivers run into trouble during an inspection or audit.
How Personal Conveyance Works
Personal conveyance covers movement of a commercial vehicle that isn't in furtherance of a commercial purpose, meaning the driver isn't advancing a load, working, or otherwise on duty. Common examples include driving from a delivery point to a nearby hotel, or making a short trip to get a meal after going off duty for the day. Because it's logged as off duty, the time spent driving doesn't count against the 11-hour driving limit or the 14-hour on-duty window.
FMCSA guidance leaves some room for interpretation about what qualifies, which is why most carriers set their own internal policy defining acceptable personal conveyance use, often including a maximum distance or a rule against continuing in the direction of the next load. Drivers are generally expected to follow whatever their specific carrier's policy states, not just the baseline federal guidance.
A Practical Example
A driver finishes a delivery in the evening and goes off duty for the day. Rather than sleeping in the truck at the receiver's lot, the driver drives 15 minutes to a nearby truck stop with better parking and amenities, logging that short trip as personal conveyance. Because the driver had already gone off duty, wasn't advancing toward the next pickup, and stayed within a reasonable distance, this is a straightforward and defensible use of the provision.
Why Personal Conveyance Matters for Owner-Operators
Getting personal conveyance right gives an owner-operator meaningful flexibility, such as reaching better parking, food, or rest facilities without burning drive time needed for the next load. Getting it wrong, by using it to effectively continue toward a delivery under an off-duty label, risks a logging violation during a roadside inspection, which can affect both the driver's record and the carrier's CSA data.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is using personal conveyance to continue moving toward the next pickup or delivery, even without a loaded trailer, which most carrier policies and FMCSA guidance treat as furthering a commercial purpose rather than genuine personal use.
Another mistake is not knowing a carrier's specific personal conveyance policy, such as a mileage cap, and logging a trip that technically violates company rules even if it seems reasonable to the driver. Checking that policy before relying heavily on the provision avoids an unexpected write-up.
Related Calculators
Related Regulatory & Compliance Terms
Carriers on Personal Conveyance
“I use personal conveyance to get to better parking after I'm done for the day, nothing more. Sticking close to that line has kept me out of trouble at every inspection.”
“I didn't know my carrier had a mileage cap on personal conveyance until it got flagged. Reading the actual policy instead of assuming would have saved me the headache.”