Personal Conveyance Rules 2026: Legal Off-Duty Driving, ELD Logging, and Enforcement Traps
Published July 12, 2026 | TruckerNavi Inc | 11 min read
What is personal conveyance and why does everyone argue about it?
Personal conveyance (PC) is the only situation where you drive a commercial motor vehicle and still log the time as off-duty. The rule comes from FMCSA guidance of June 7, 2018 (83 FR 26377) — full text on federalregister.gov — and it is still the operative rule in 2026: FMCSA cites it in Federal Register notices as recently as June 24, 2026.
The whole test is one sentence: you may log CMV driving as off-duty PC only when relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier. Every roadside argument comes down to whether the move served you — or the carrier's freight. PC is the most useful flexibility in 49 CFR Part 395 and the fastest way to a false log on your USDOT record.
Personal conveyance in numbers (2026)
Parameter
Value
Source
Guidance in force
June 7, 2018 (83 FR 26377), still current in 2026
Federal Register
Federal distance limit
None — reasonableness standard
FMCSA guidance
Canada PC limit
75 km/day, unladen, trailer unhitched
Canadian HOS rules
ELD location precision during PC
Single decimal degree (≈10-mile radius)
49 CFR 395, Subpart B
False/inaccurate log penalty
Up to $1,584/day, max $15,846
49 CFR §386 App. B
Tampering-type false log OOS
10 consecutive hours out of service
CVSA OOS criteria 2026
Limits PC does not reset
11-hr driving / 14-hr window / 60-70 hr
49 CFR §395.3
What counts as legitimate personal conveyance?
FMCSA's qualifying examples — the list an inspector checks your ELD annotation against:
Lodging to food: from your en route motel or truck stop to restaurants and entertainment.
Commuting: terminal, trailer-drop lot, or work site to your residence — if the commute still leaves time for restorative rest.
Rest after loading/unloading: moving to a nearby, reasonable, safe location for your 10 hours — and it must be the first such location reasonably available.
Moving a CMV at a safety official's request during off-duty time.
Transporting personal property while off-duty.
Authorized travel home after working at an offsite location.
Common thread: the freight gets no closer to delivery.
What is NOT personal conveyance — the violations
Logging any of these as PC is a false log under 49 CFR §395.8(e):
Enhancing operational readiness — trap #1: bypassing rest locations to get closer to the next load or terminal.
Bobtailing or pulling an empty trailer to retrieve another load.
Driving to the carrier's terminal after loading or unloading at a shipper/receiver.
Driving the truck to a shop for maintenance or repair.
Driving to rest after an out-of-service order for HOS — unless an enforcement officer at the scene directs you to a location.
Driveaway-towaway repositioning at the carrier's direction.
Driving a passenger CMV with passengers on board.
The direction test. Did the PC segment move the truck toward the next shipper, consignee, or terminal? If yes — and you passed open parking — expect a §395.8(e) citation.
Can the truck be loaded during personal conveyance?
Yes — federally. The 2018 guidance shifted the test from the vehicle's state to the driver's purpose: the CMV may be used for personal conveyance even if laden, because the load is not moving for the carrier's benefit at that time. Two exceptions:
Company policy. Carriers may restrict PC — ban it, cap the miles, or prohibit laden PC. Policy binds you even where FMCSA is more generous.
Canada. PC requires an unladen vehicle, trailers unhitched, max 75 km of actual distance per day. US-legal laden PC becomes on-duty driving at a Canadian inspection — a real issue on NY/NJ-Toronto-Montreal lanes.
Is there a mileage limit? The "reasonableness" standard
There is no federal distance or time limit. CVSA formally petitioned FMCSA to add one; FMCSA never did. What fills the vacuum is reasonableness, judged from your ELD track and dispatch records: 8 miles to the first truck stop is reasonable; 90 miles past three rest areas toward tomorrow's receiver is a false log waiting to happen. Many carriers write 25-75 mile caps into policy to keep roadside conversations short.
And PC never extends your 14-hour window or restores your 11 driving hours — it is off-duty time, nothing more. Full limits in our Hours of Service rules guide.
How do I log personal conveyance in the ELD?
Carrier enables it. Under 49 CFR §395.28(a) the carrier switches on "authorized personal use" for your account. No configuration — no PC button.
Select PC before the wheels move, or the ELD creates a driving segment you cannot erase.
Annotate: "Shipper prohibits parking, moving to nearest truck stop for 10-hr break." That sentence is your audit defense.
Know what gets recorded: location at ≈10-mile precision, but movement, odometer, and time are still there.
End PC deliberately; on power-up the ELD asks whether to continue PC — clear it, or the next segment inherits the wrong status.
CVSA's 2026 out-of-service criteria sharpened how officers treat suspicious PC:
§395.8(e)(1) — classic false log: the inspector can reconstruct your real driving and rest — citation, fine exposure, you continue if not over hours.
§395.8(e)(2) — tampering-type: PC entries masking load movement are treated like ELD tampering. Last real rest undeterminable — 10 consecutive hours out of service at the scale.
Cross-checks: dispatch messages, bills of lading, GPS, weigh-station timestamps. A PC arrow pointing at the consignee is indefensible.
Illustrative case (composite) — Matvey, Brooklyn NY: finished loading in Elizabeth NJ with zero minutes left in his 14-hour window; the shipper ordered him off. He selected PC, drove 9 miles to the first truck stop with open spaces, annotated the reason, took 10 hours. A Level III inspection: short segment, not toward the receiver, annotated — no violation.
Illustrative case (composite) — Savely, Northeast Philadelphia: loaded in Philadelphia, delivery in Cleveland. Out of hours, he flipped to PC and ran 92 miles west on I-76 past three service plazas. At the Bedford PA scale the officer matched the PC segment to the load's direction: false log §395.8(e), 10-hour OOS, penalty exposure up to $15,846 — and a lasting hit to his carrier's HOS BASIC.
A written policy is your audit armor. It should state:
Who may use PC; ELD accounts configured under §395.28(a);
Distance cap (typical: 25-75 miles); laden PC allowed or not;
Mandatory annotation before the wheels move;
Banned scenarios from FMCSA's list — toward terminal, toward next load, to the shop;
Canada rule (75 km, unladen, unhitched) for cross-border lanes;
Discipline for misuse — the carrier absorbs the BASIC damage.
How TruckerNavi keeps your PC clean
Safety Compliance СТАРТ $189/mo (1-3 trucks) includes monthly ELD log audits that flag suspicious PC segments before FMCSA sees them; РОСТ $349/mo adds a written PC policy and driver training in Russian; ПРЕМИУМ $499/mo adds a dedicated manager — details on the Safety Compliance page. Starting out? The Authority Bundle $799 sets up MC, DOT, and your compliance file from day one. A Mock DOT Audit $399 finds PC abuse for a quarter of one federal fine.
Off-duty CMV driving for personal reasons per guidance 83 FR 26377 (June 7, 2018) — valid only when relieved from work and all responsibility for it. Still operative in 2026.
Can I use personal conveyance with a loaded trailer?
Federally yes — laden PC is allowed. Your carrier may ban it; Canada requires unladen + unhitched with a 75 km/day cap.
Is there a distance limit for personal conveyance?
No federal limit — a reasonableness standard applies. CVSA petitioned for a hard limit; FMCSA declined. Carriers often set 25-75 mile caps.
Can I drive PC to a truck stop after loading at a shipper?
Yes — to the nearest reasonable safe rest location, the first one available. Passing open parking toward your receiver converts it into on-duty driving.
Can I use PC to reach my terminal after running out of hours?
No — that is "enhancing operational readiness." After an OOS order you may only move if an officer directs you to a location.
How do I log personal conveyance in an ELD?
Carrier enables authorized personal use per 49 CFR 395.28(a); select PC before moving, annotate, end the status when done. Location records at ~10-mile precision.
What happens if an inspector decides my PC was false?
False log under §395.8(e): up to $1,584/day, max $15,846. Under CVSA 2026 criteria, a tampering-type false log means 10 consecutive hours out of service.
How does TruckerNavi help with personal conveyance compliance?
Safety Compliance $189-$499/mo: ELD log audits, written PC policy, Russian-language training, DataQ disputes. Mock DOT Audit $399. Call (315) 871-0833.