What changed

FMCSA published updated personal conveyance (PC) guidance on November 20, 2025 addressing repeated questions on the line between permitted and prohibited PC use. The guidance reaffirms that PC may be used for genuine off-duty personal travel but clarifies several edge cases.

Permitted PC: traveling from a load site to a residence, terminal, or short-term lodging at a "reasonable distance"; running personal errands during off-duty time; relocating between safe parking spots after the 14-hour clock has run.

What is NOT personal conveyance

Repositioning toward a dispatched load (even an empty backhaul). Moving the truck to advance toward a delivery (regardless of whether the carrier or driver initiated the move). Any movement that benefits the carrier's business operations.

The "reasonable distance" qualifier is fact-specific. FMCSA enforcement guidance suggests 50 miles or less is presumed reasonable for lodging-related PC; longer distances require articulable justification.

How carriers should train

Pair driver-side PC training with dispatcher-side training. Some PC violations originate in dispatcher pressure (the dispatcher tells the driver to "PC closer to the next load"). The driver can't selectively follow the rule when dispatch is pushing the wrong direction.

Audit ELD records monthly. Identify drivers with consistent PC patterns longer than 30 minutes or distances longer than 25 miles. These patterns often correlate with the prohibited "repositioning toward freight" use case.

What to do next

Update your driver onboarding training to reflect the November 2025 guidance. Document each driver's PC training in the DQ file. Audit ELD records for suspect PC patterns.