Forced to drive

Dukester said:

I'm the computer techie for a municipal government in a small town. In the
course of a month I have to travel between city facilities 15 of 20 days,
sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. It didn't start this way; I was hired as the
computer guy for one department in one building, now I'm _the_ guy for
everything. My job description didn't say I had to use my own car (and
still doesn't). And it's not like my job will slow down; I'll only have to
travel _more_ often in the future.

I've been at this job for 7 years and this is the 4th year in a row I've
asked for & refused a vehicle to use for driving between different
departments, carrying equipment, PC's etc. around town. And not because the
city council turned it down, but because my boss refuses to even ask. It is
not a monetary issue; they have the money to buy vehicles and have done so
for everyone else. In fact, it is a fact that I'm the only city employee
who has to use his own vehicle for work.

I digress. I started commuting by bike back in February or March a few
times a week. I love it. I feel 100% better when I get to work and when I
get home. I've rode in the rain, in the July heat...I want to ride all the
time, but the past month or two I have been so busy going to & fro for work,
I have had to drive my car every day.

I woke up this morning and dreaded the week ahead. I was in a bad mood
before I even got out of bed. I know of 3, maybe 4 different days I will
have to drive, including today. It [censored] me off to think I couldn't ride
again this week. I haven't rode in 3 weeks. Today I decided to (*#$ it. I
wasn't doing it anymore and rode anyway. I decided I would force my boss
who has had a free ride (no pun intended) for 7 years to figure how I'm
going to get to places. Yes, it's my responsibility to get to work, and I
do. How I get there is up to me. How I get to places for work is up to
them.

Am I pushing my luck & should just be thankful I have a job at all? Anyone
else face this? What do you do?

--
Cheers!

I don't know what the labour situation is like in your area. I've been
looking for work since the end of June, so, yes, be thankful you have a
job (especially if you actually enjoy it).

Have you considered talking to (ick) HR? Determine, for certain,
whether your job description requires you to provide your own car. If
it does not, consider modifying your car insurance so that you cannot
use it for work as your boss requires you to do so. Then commute by bike.

Alternatively, you could consider picking up a cheap child trailer and
use that to lug gear between locations. Keep track of the time wasted.

Jeff

Dukester said:

I'm the computer techie for a municipal government in a small town. In

the

Quoted message said:

course of a month I have to travel between city facilities 15 of 20 days,
sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. It didn't start this way; I was hired as

the

Quoted message said:

computer guy for one department in one building, now I'm _the_ guy for
everything. My job description didn't say I had to use my own car (and
still doesn't). And it's not like my job will slow down; I'll only have

to

Quoted message said:

travel _more_ often in the future.

The first thing I in my mind is "you do submit an expense report and charge
back mileage, I hope." The second thing is I hope you've seen consistent
pay increases.

Quoted message said:

I've been at this job for 7 years and this is the 4th year in a row I've
asked for & refused a vehicle to use for driving between different
departments, carrying equipment, PC's etc. around town. And not because

the

Quoted message said:

city council turned it down, but because my boss refuses to even ask. It

is

Quoted message said:

not a monetary issue; they have the money to buy vehicles and have done so
for everyone else. In fact, it is a fact that I'm the only city employee
who has to use his own vehicle for work.

You might mention that this is not something your boss wants to read about
in the local newspaper, or his boss wants to find out when you submit an
insurance claim because you were in an accident on city time.

Quoted message said:

I digress. I started commuting by bike back in February or March a few
times a week. I love it. I feel 100% better when I get to work and when

I

Quoted message said:

get home. I've rode in the rain, in the July heat...I want to ride all

the

Quoted message said:

time, but the past month or two I have been so busy going to & fro for

work,

Quoted message said:

I have had to drive my car every day.

Don't drive. Let your boss figure out how you will get from one place to
another. You showed up to work on time.

Quoted message said:

I woke up this morning and dreaded the week ahead. I was in a bad mood
before I even got out of bed. I know of 3, maybe 4 different days I will
have to drive, including today. It [censored] me off to think I couldn't ride
again this week. I haven't rode in 3 weeks. Today I decided to (*#$ it.

I

Quoted message said:

wasn't doing it anymore and rode anyway. I decided I would force my boss
who has had a free ride (no pun intended) for 7 years to figure how I'm
going to get to places. Yes, it's my responsibility to get to work, and I
do. How I get there is up to me. How I get to places for work is up to
them.

Am I pushing my luck & should just be thankful I have a job at all?

In contrast to another post, I've been out of work for over a year, and I
still would not accept this kind of situation. I think your boss is the one
pushing his luck. Make sure there is a paper trail, (make sure the requests
are submitted in writing), and make sure you submit for mileage every time
you use your car. In addition, keep a log of exact start and stop times &
distances.

Alternatively, start delivering equipment by taxi and submitting the taxi
fare bills.

Austin

Dukester said:

Am I pushing my luck & should just be thankful I have a job at all? Anyone
else face this? What do you do?

Hmm. I think the first thing I'd do is get a copy of my job
description, if one exists. I'd guess that would provide the legal
foundation for whatever you do.

I'm assuming it does _not_ say that you must supply your own
transportation to visit other sites. If that's true, you certainly have
grounds to refuse to use your car. (You don't say if they've been
paying mileage. If they haven't, the case is even more clear.)

Regarding whether you should just be thankful for the job: I suppose it
depends on your local market. In many places, computer people are easy
to find now that the tech bubble has deflated, and that could be bad for
you. OTOH, if your knowledge and your systems are somehow specialized,
you're in a better bargaining position. Now's the time to make the
entire system as arcane as possible. ;-)

I'd guess they're unlikely to fire you because you don't want to use
your own vehicle, and they're _really_ unlikely to fire you for just
asking. I'd prepare a cogent case for access to a staff car, do it in
writing, and let your boss know you're very serious about this. If he
won't back you, go over your boss's head. Don't be a doormat.

I'd guess they're unlikely to fire you because you don't want to use
your own vehicle, and they're _really_ unlikely to fire you for just
asking.

--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

"Frank Krygowski" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hmm. I think the first thing I'd do is get a copy of my job
description, if one exists. I'd guess that would provide the legal
foundation for whatever you do.
I'm assuming it does _not_ say that you must supply your own
transportation to visit other sites. If that's true, you certainly have

It mentions nothing at all regarding it, and never did. We just went
through a rewrite of our job descriptions, so they are current.

They reimburse for mileage. I guess I could really push the matter by
submitting reimbursement requests for my bike. ;-)

--
Cheers!
Duke

"Dukester" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm the computer techie for a municipal government in a small town. In

the

Quoted message said:

course of a month I have to travel between city facilities 15 of 20 days,
sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. It didn't start this way; I was hired as

the

Quoted message said:

computer guy for one department in one building, now I'm _the_ guy for
everything. My job description didn't say I had to use my own car (and
still doesn't). And it's not like my job will slow down; I'll only have

to

Quoted message said:

travel _more_ often in the future.

I've been at this job for 7 years and this is the 4th year in a row I've
asked for & refused a vehicle to use for driving between different
departments, carrying equipment, PC's etc. around town. And not because

the

Quoted message said:

city council turned it down, but because my boss refuses to even ask. It

is

Quoted message said:

not a monetary issue; they have the money to buy vehicles and have done so
for everyone else. In fact, it is a fact that I'm the only city employee
who has to use his own vehicle for work.

I digress. I started commuting by bike back in February or March a few
times a week. I love it. I feel 100% better when I get to work and when

I

Quoted message said:

get home. I've rode in the rain, in the July heat...I want to ride all

the

Quoted message said:

time, but the past month or two I have been so busy going to & fro for

work,

Quoted message said:

I have had to drive my car every day.

I woke up this morning and dreaded the week ahead. I was in a bad mood
before I even got out of bed. I know of 3, maybe 4 different days I will
have to drive, including today. It [censored] me off to think I couldn't ride
again this week. I haven't rode in 3 weeks. Today I decided to (*#$ it.

I

Quoted message said:

wasn't doing it anymore and rode anyway. I decided I would force my boss
who has had a free ride (no pun intended) for 7 years to figure how I'm
going to get to places. Yes, it's my responsibility to get to work, and I
do. How I get there is up to me. How I get to places for work is up to
them.

Am I pushing my luck & should just be thankful I have a job at all?

Anyone

Quoted message said:

else face this? What do you do?

--
Cheers!

My advice is to not a point a gun at anyone unless you are willing to
shoot...and the gun have ammo.

Dukester said:

Am I pushing my luck & should just be thankful I have a job at all? Anyone
else face this? What do you do?

leave the car at work & bike to work.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

Dukester said:

They reimburse for mileage. I guess I could really push the matter by
submitting reimbursement requests for my bike. ;-)

Seriously, you wouldn't be the first!

--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

David Reuteler said:

Dukester said:

Am I pushing my luck & should just be thankful I have a job at all? Anyone
else face this? What do you do?

leave the car at work & bike to work.

Ditto. I'll try to drive in on Sunday and cycle home, then commute by
bike all week. Except for afternoon thunderstorms or cold fronts
moving in overnight, works well.

Pat

Email address works as is.

I guess I could really push the matter by submitting reimbursement requests
for my bike. ;-)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Seriously, you wouldn't be the first!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I wonder what the IRS considers a proper mileage allowance for a bicycle.

BTW, unless you are driving an expensive gas hog, you probably make money
being reimbursed for your car mileage. Maybe you should leave well enough
alone.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Leo Lichtman said:

I wonder what the IRS considers a proper mileage allowance for a bicycle.

A slab of 99-cent pizza-by-the-slice is good for about 5 miles
of rushed, deadline-beating riding.

So, $2.oo per 10 miles.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

"Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

BTW, unless you are driving an expensive gas hog, you probably make money
being reimbursed for your car mileage. Maybe you should leave well enough
alone.

It's not about being reimbursed. It's about how I get to work, in this
case, via bicycle. And, as another poster said, I shouldn't be treated like
a doormat..

But if you want to consider only the monteary issue,...

mileage reimbursement doesn't cover my drive in and back home if I have to
drive. Parking expenses, everyday wear & tear, the miles on the vehicle etc.
are also not included. And, if my truck is wrecked while driving around for
work, where do I get reimbursed for that? Yeah insurance "should" cover
repairs, but that's only the repairs, and I still have a deductible to meet
first. And that's "if" my insurance covers it in the first place since it
is not listed on my policy as being used "every day for work purposes." I
assume that if I delivered flowers from it I'd have to carry a different
policy than one for just driving to work. Why should it be different if I'm
delivering computer equipment?

--
Cheers!

Leo Lichtman said:

I guess I could really push the matter by submitting reimbursement requests
for my bike. ;-)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Seriously, you wouldn't be the first!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I wonder what the IRS considers a proper mileage allowance for a bicycle.

BTW, unless you are driving an expensive gas hog, you probably make money
being reimbursed for your car mileage. Maybe you should leave well enough
alone.

But do check your car insurance: mine has always had limits on how far
I could drive to commute to work in a given period before my premiums
would go up. And I'm not certain that travelling between locations
would count as "commuting". If it doesn't, you may have to get an
additional rider on your insurance (lest you be uninsured).

If your insurance premiums need to go up in order to cover the driving
for work purposes, and you're not required by job description to provide
your own car, don't use your car.

Jeff

Jeff Williams said:

If your insurance premiums need to go up in order to cover the driving
for work purposes, and you're not required by job description to provide
your own car, don't use your car.

Most corporate insurance plans cover employees driving while doing
company business, as does Workers Comp and related. The former isn't
to protect the employee, its to protect the company. Any injured party
could step past the employee and go for the company anyway, so the
company may as well make sure they are covered.

If your company is reimbursing you for the use of the bike, the IRS
isn't a major concern. As long as the reimbursement policy is
reasonable, they rarely make an issue of it. The IRS's opinion and
rates are at issue when you decide to take a deduction on your taxes.

FWIW, some companies reimburse for the purchase of bikes, for health
reasons. My wife help pay for a bike that way. So go for reimbursement
for the bike for health reasons, then go for the whatever your company
pays for mileage. If nothing else, the guys in accounting will know
you by name...

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Leo Lichtman said:

I wonder what the IRS considers a proper mileage allowance for a bicycle.

BTW, unless you are driving an expensive gas hog, you probably make money
being reimbursed for your car mileage. Maybe you should leave well enough
alone.

Or motorcycle. I recently had to do a round trip for buisness from
Portland, OR to Seattle, WA. Naturally, I chose 2-wheel
transportation. I used about 1.5 tanks of gas, for a net cost of <$20.
My expense check was ~ $130.

😄 Ken

Dukester wrote:
:: I'm the computer techie for a municipal government in a small town.
:: In the course of a month I have to travel between city facilities 15
:: of 20 days, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. It didn't start this way;
:: I was hired as the computer guy for one department in one building,
:: now I'm _the_ guy for everything. My job description didn't say I
:: had to use my own car (and still doesn't). And it's not like my job
:: will slow down; I'll only have to travel _more_ often in the future.
::
:: I've been at this job for 7 years and this is the 4th year in a row
:: I've asked for & refused a vehicle to use for driving between
:: different departments, carrying equipment, PC's etc. around town.
:: And not because the city council turned it down, but because my boss
:: refuses to even ask. It is not a monetary issue; they have the
:: money to buy vehicles and have done so for everyone else. In fact,
:: it is a fact that I'm the only city employee who has to use his own
:: vehicle for work.
::
:: I digress. I started commuting by bike back in February or March a
:: few times a week. I love it. I feel 100% better when I get to work
:: and when I get home. I've rode in the rain, in the July heat...I
:: want to ride all the time, but the past month or two I have been so
:: busy going to & fro for work, I have had to drive my car every day.
::
:: I woke up this morning and dreaded the week ahead. I was in a bad
:: mood before I even got out of bed. I know of 3, maybe 4 different
:: days I will have to drive, including today. It [censored] me off to
:: think I couldn't ride again this week. I haven't rode in 3 weeks.
:: Today I decided to (*#$ it. I wasn't doing it anymore and rode
:: anyway. I decided I would force my boss who has had a free ride (no
:: pun intended) for 7 years to figure how I'm going to get to places.
:: Yes, it's my responsibility to get to work, and I do. How I get
:: there is up to me. How I get to places for work is up to them.
::
:: Am I pushing my luck & should just be thankful I have a job at all?
:: Anyone else face this? What do you do?

Ask your boss to let you use his car. He can file for reimbursement.

Dukester wrote:
:: "Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:: news:[email hidden]...
:::
::: BTW, unless you are driving an expensive gas hog, you probably make
::: money being reimbursed for your car mileage. Maybe you should
::: leave well enough alone.
::
:: It's not about being reimbursed. It's about how I get to work, in
:: this case, via bicycle. And, as another poster said, I shouldn't be
:: treated like a doormat..
::
:: But if you want to consider only the monteary issue,...
::
:: mileage reimbursement doesn't cover my drive in and back home if I
:: have to drive. Parking expenses, everyday wear & tear, the miles on
:: the vehicle etc. are also not included. And, if my truck is wrecked
:: while driving around for work, where do I get reimbursed for that?
:: Yeah insurance "should" cover repairs, but that's only the repairs,
:: and I still have a deductible to meet first. And that's "if" my
:: insurance covers it in the first place since it is not listed on my
:: policy as being used "every day for work purposes." I assume that
:: if I delivered flowers from it I'd have to carry a different policy
:: than one for just driving to work. Why should it be different if
:: I'm delivering computer equipment?

Bring your bike in on your truck and ride at lunch. Just another option.
I'd ask your boss to let you use his car for company business, however.

Jeff Williams wrote:
:: Leo Lichtman wrote:
::
::: I guess I could really push the matter by submitting reimbursement
::: requests for my bike. ;-)
::: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
::: Seriously, you wouldn't be the first!
::: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
::: I wonder what the IRS considers a proper mileage allowance for a
::: bicycle.
:::
::: BTW, unless you are driving an expensive gas hog, you probably make
::: money being reimbursed for your car mileage. Maybe you should
::: leave well enough alone.
:::
:::
::
:: But do check your car insurance: mine has always had limits on how
:: far I could drive to commute to work in a given period before my
:: premiums would go up. And I'm not certain that travelling between
:: locations would count as "commuting". If it doesn't, you may have
:: to get an additional rider on your insurance (lest you be uninsured).
::
:: If your insurance premiums need to go up in order to cover the
:: driving for work purposes, and you're not required by job
:: description to provide your own car, don't use your car.

That's a good point. If he had an accident with company equipment inside
the car, things might get expensive....also, if he is doing company work
while having an accident, then the company becomes liable.

Leave your car at work, bicycle in to work and back home, and use your car
through the day for the travelling you have to do.

If you're not happy with the reimbursement you're getting for use of your
car, or if you're concerned about insurance issues, leave the car at home
and cycle to work. When they ask you to drive somewhere in the course of
your job, offer one of the following excuses:
1. I'm sorry, my job description didn't say I had to provide a vehicle. Is
there a city car I can use?
2. I'm sorry, my car broke down and I've been too busy to get it fixed. Is
there a city car I can use?
3. I'm sorry, I didn't expect to have to drive today, so I left my car at
home. Is there a city car I can use?
You get the idea. And yes, maybe you should go over your boss's head if you
truly are not happy using your car on city business.
--
mark

Sell your car. Tell your boss you are tired of spending 3,000-10,000 a
year for payments, maintenance, insurance, fuel. Tell him you plan on
renting when you have to drive, eg out of town trip.

mark said:

Leave your car at work, bicycle in to work and back home, and use your car
through the day for the travelling you have to do.

If you're not happy with the reimbursement you're getting for use of your
car, or if you're concerned about insurance issues, leave the car at home
and cycle to work. When they ask you to drive somewhere in the course of
your job, offer one of the following excuses:
1. I'm sorry, my job description didn't say I had to provide a vehicle. Is
there a city car I can use?
2. I'm sorry, my car broke down and I've been too busy to get it fixed. Is
there a city car I can use?
3. I'm sorry, I didn't expect to have to drive today, so I left my car at
home. Is there a city car I can use?
You get the idea. And yes, maybe you should go over your boss's head if you
truly are not happy using your car on city business.
--
mark