Separate commuting from working travel
Ordinary travel between home and work generally is not paid work time under federal law. Travel between jobsites during the workday is different. Required work at a reporting point before traveling to a site can also affect when the paid workday begins.
- Keep reporting instructions and daily site assignments.
- Compare timesheets with required loading, meetings and travel.
- Identify which company hired, supervised and paid you.
Different complaints can follow different laws
A complaint about race-based slurs or discriminatory assignments raises different questions from a complaint about fall protection. Employment-discrimination protections and workplace-safety whistleblower laws have different requirements and filing routes.
Record the words used, the person receiving the complaint and later changes in assignments or discipline. A difficult foreman or a project ending does not by itself establish unlawful discrimination or retaliation.
Common questions
What employees ask us
Is a distant jobsite automatically paid travel?
No. Distance alone does not decide the issue. Ordinary commuting, a special assignment, required work before departure and travel during the workday need separate review.
Official information
Content updated October 21, 2026. General information; individual circumstances and applicable law matter.