Hours, Logs & Compliance · Driver Training VideoPersonal Conveyance — Deep Dive

Here's the rule in one sentence. Personal conveyance is off-duty driving. You can move a commercial vehicle off duty only when the movement is for your own personal reasons — not for the load, not for the company.

And get this straight, because drivers argue it at roadside every day: the load does not matter. You can be loaded and still legally use personal conveyance. It's the purpose of the trip that decides — not what's in the trailer.

So what qualifies? Driving from your truck stop or motel to a restaurant or a store nearby. Commuting between your home and the terminal. Moving your truck during your break because a police officer or safety official tells you to.

That last part is the trap. The moment your movement advances the load, you are driving on duty. Heading toward the shipper. Repositioning closer to the next pickup. Bobtailing to grab another trailer. Taking the truck to the shop for repairs.

One more hard line: if an officer has placed you out of service, personal conveyance will not get you home. You sit until the clock says otherwise — unless enforcement directs you to move.

Your company standard: turn personal conveyance on before the wheels roll, and write a note that says where you're going and why. Stay inside the distance limit in your driver manual.

Because that's exactly what misuse is: a false log. The ELD still records your location in personal conveyance — less precisely, but enough — and auditors read the pattern. A truck that drifts toward its next pickup every night, off duty, tells on itself.

Used honestly, personal conveyance is a tool: dinner, home, a safe place to sleep. Used to steal miles, it's the fastest way to turn your logbook into evidence against you. Know the difference.