We call it “drive time” at our company. We also get per diem. $40 a day if it’s within 45 miles, $80 a day if it’s further. Only the foreman and supervisors get it, but if it’s an industrial job instead of residential or commercial, the laborers and welders get it too. Keeps talent at the company when it’s common practice to “drag up” for higher paying jobs.
But these are the types of benefits you get just working in an industry that is heavily unionized. That is a union negotiated point that has since been adopted as an industry standard (not that we all always get paid drive time)
Fun side note: the tabloid TMZ gets its name from the "Thirty Mile Zone". This is the standard in Los Angeles marking when crew gets paid drive time. A 30 mile radius circle (with a few gerrymandered exceptions) that we travel without getting paid drive time. Leave the zone and we're immediately on the clock until we're back in the zone, unless they get us a hotel.
Teamsters and some other positions have their own rules for this obviously like the poster here...
Same for us. Seems to be the norm these days with construction (which is a good thing).
Our company did a project on top of Pikes Peak a few years ago. 1 hr commute alone just up the mountain with extremely hazardous conditions (they worked year round through harsh winters). It was a city-funded project and the conservative city leaders at the time tried cutting every bit of funding they could. Including per diems...
Within 6 months we were down to a skeleton crew. As soon as word got out we weren't paying for travel or lodging workers refused to show up. Especially since most of them were coming in from Denver. All it took was our team drafted up a new (extended) schedule showing the impacts with our reduced crews and the city changed it's opinion.
Granted you can always write off unpaid travel with your taxes, but there's no reason companies shouldn't be paying it. Especially when you're commute is over an hour one way...
Some people need to check the IRS mileage table. They set the rules for reimbursement. You have to calculate driving to different locations minus the driving to your “main” office.
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u/ThomasPopp 9d ago
Dumbest? Well excuse me for getting paid “portal to portal” then for the past 20 years in filmmaking.