Hi, I work for an IT consulting firm in NJ. I am using my personal vehicle to travel from client to client throughout the day. I am paid hourly, work 9-5. Sometimes i need to goto my main office first in the morning. Sometimes I leave straight from my home to goto my first call. Throughout the day I can travel to 3-4 calls. Some ranging 30 miles or more. I need to know if my employer should be compensating me for miles traveled throughout the day from call to call. I dont expect to be compensated for the first call of course. Even though I am traveling from client to client throughout the day I am still being paid my normal hourly salary. But my car is racking up miles and the gas is killing me. Should my employer be paying me for this travel time as in cents per mile? Can someone please fill me in on the travel laws and mileage? I would really appreciate it because I am at a total loss.

Thanks
Mike

There is no federal labor law requirement that employers reimburse employees for business expenses, including mileage. California is the only state with such requirements.

Now not all law is labor law, and there is a possibility that a general or small claims court action might be sucessful (or not).

Thanks for the fast response daw. But am i wrong in thinking that I should be compensated for some sort of mileage. It really just gets to me as our company charges a travel fee everytime we travel to a client, and i do 90% of all field service calls and never see a dime of that travel fee. (we charge $35). I Want to approach my boss in the matter, but i wanted to have something to back me up on the matter but looks like I dont. In the 6 months i have had my car i have already over 15,000 miles on it. And 10,000 of them are from work alone. I am just not sure what to expect or should I not bother?

What "should" happen and what is legally required to happen are two different things.

So basically what you are saying is I am being screwed by my boss and there is nothing I can do? I was just looking for some info onthe subject because I do know alot of other IT firms that either A, supply employees with company cars, or B. Pay them per mile. Also another thing that I am worried about is I do not have business type insurance on my vehicle. Should i be responsible for this? The way i see it is why should I have to pay any additional charges on my insurance when its being used for business use? Just please give me some insight. I would like to approach him on these topics, but if i am in the wrong in my thinking I wont bother. I mean dont most places pay for these things?? I just feel as if im really being taken advantage of.

Thanks
Mike

We are saying that your employer (based on what you have said) is not breaking the law. We are not saying that your boss is in any danger of being awarded a prize in Stockholm by the Nobel Committee.

The law says what the law says. Not every bad or unpleasant thing is against the law. Most things are not. You can certainly try talking to your boss. You can certainly join a labor union. You can certainly try to find a better employer to work for. You can certainly talk to your elected representatives to have the laws changed.