What changed
FMCSA's personal conveyance (PC) guidance, published June 7, 2018 (83 FR 26377), remains the reference for the line between permitted and prohibited PC use. PC is off-duty time: the driver must be relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work, and the CMV may be used for PC even if it is laden.
Permitted PC examples in the guidance include: travel from en route lodging to restaurants and entertainment; commuting between the terminal, a trailer-drop lot, or a work site and the driver's residence; travel to a nearby, reasonable, safe location to obtain required rest after loading or unloading (the first such location reasonably available); moving the CMV during off-duty time when a law enforcement officer requires it; transporting personal property while off duty; and authorized travel home after working at an offsite location.
What is NOT personal conveyance
Movement that enhances the carrier's operational readiness, such as bypassing available rest locations to get closer to the next loading or unloading point. Continuing a trip for a business purpose, including bobtailing or pulling an empty trailer to retrieve another load, or repositioning a tractor or trailer at the carrier's direction. Driving to a facility for vehicle maintenance, driving to the carrier's terminal after loading or unloading, and driving to rest after being placed out of service for an HOS violation (unless an enforcement officer directs the move).
The guidance sets no mileage or time limit for PC, and FMCSA declined requests to add one. Motor carriers may set their own limits, including a distance cap, a ban on laden PC, or a ban on PC altogether. If the driver cannot park at the nearest safe location, FMCSA recommends annotating the log.
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. Set your own review thresholds (for example, PC segments over a set time or distance) and check flagged segments against the guidance's list of prohibited uses, such as repositioning toward freight.
What to do next
Update your driver onboarding training to reflect FMCSA's 2018 PC guidance and your company PC policy. Document each driver's PC training in the DQ file. Audit ELD records for suspect PC patterns.
Source: Federal Register, 83 FR 26377 (June 7, 2018): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/06/07/2018-12256/hours-of-service-of-drivers-of-commercial-motor-vehicles-regulatory-guidance-concerning-the-use-of