A field-service employee may spend hours driving across the Houston area before reaching a customer site, equipment yard, or temporary work location. The important question is not simply whether the employee is behind the wheel. It is whether the travel is part of the employer’s work activity or merely the employee’s ordinary trip from home to work. That distinction can affect Houston travel time overtime pay.
For oilfield and field-service workers in Texas, travel may involve company vehicles, specialized tools, dispatch instructions, multiple job sites, or long-distance temporary assignments. When that time is left off the time record, the employee’s total weekly hours may be understated. Moore & Associates helps employees understand the difference between ordinary commuting and potentially compensable work travel.
This article explains the general rules, how travel between job sites may be treated, what records can clarify a claim, and when a conversation with an employment attorney may be useful.
When Houston Travel Time Overtime Pay May Apply to Field-Service Travel
Generally speaking, the Fair Labor Standards Act distinguishes ordinary home-to-work commuting from travel that occurs during the workday or is required for the employer’s business. Texas employers generally must follow federal overtime requirements for covered, nonexempt employees, although exemptions and special facts can change the analysis.
Ordinary commuting is usually treated differently
Travel from home to a regular work location is commonly viewed as a normal commute. This is often true even when the commute is lengthy or the employee drives a company vehicle, provided the trip otherwise falls within the ordinary commuting rules. A company vehicle alone does not automatically turn every mile between home and work into paid time.
The analysis may change when the employee must report to a designated location, pick up equipment, meet a crew, or receive instructions before traveling to a customer or job site. For example, time spent at an equipment yard loading tools may be work time even if the drive from home to that yard is not.
Travel between work locations is a separate issue
Once an employee has reported for the workday, travel from one job site to another is often more closely connected to the employer’s business. Examples may include:
- Driving from an equipment yard to a customer location;
- Traveling from one well site or service location to another;
- Transporting tools, parts, testing equipment, or coworkers;
- Moving between assignments at the employer’s direction; or
- Returning equipment to a required yard after a field assignment.
The facts matter. A Houston worker’s travel between job sites may be compensable even when the employer describes the activity as “driving time” rather than work.
Company Vehicles, Tools, and Temporary Assignments in Texas
Field-service travel can be difficult to classify because the trip may begin at home but still serve a business purpose. Texas employees often work across the Houston metropolitan area, the Texas Gulf Coast, or remote oilfield locations. The more an employee is carrying out assigned duties during the trip, the more important the details become.
Driving a company vehicle
Driving an employer-owned vehicle does not automatically make a commute compensable. However, an employer’s rules may provide important context. Relevant questions can include whether the employee is required to keep the vehicle at home, whether personal use is restricted, whether the employee must respond to dispatch while driving, and whether the vehicle is loaded with equipment needed for the assignment.
These facts do not create an automatic answer. They may help show whether the employee is simply commuting or beginning the employer’s work before reaching the first location.
Transporting tools or equipment
An employee who must load, secure, inspect, or transport specialized tools may be performing more than a routine commute. Time spent preparing equipment, checking materials, or handling required job supplies can be work time under general wage-and-hour principles. The driving portion still requires a fact-specific review, particularly when the trip begins at home.
Temporary assignments and special travel
Travel to a temporary work location can involve additional rules. A short-term assignment away from an employee’s regular work area may require travel during hours that overlap the normal workday, while an overnight trip may raise different questions. The purpose, timing, employer instructions, and whether the employee is traveling as part of the crew can all matter.
For Houston employees, the Texas Workforce Commission may provide general information about wage complaints, while federal wage-and-hour rules may also apply. An attorney can help evaluate which forum and legal framework may be relevant to a particular unpaid travel time claim.
How to Evaluate and Document Potentially Unpaid Travel Time
Employees considering whether field service travel time was omitted from pay often benefit from organizing facts before seeking a legal evaluation. The goal is not to reach a legal conclusion alone, but to preserve information that can help clarify the work performed.
Useful records may include:
- Time sheets, payroll records, and pay statements;
- Dispatch messages, route instructions, or assignment schedules;
- Vehicle logs, mileage records, fuel receipts, or electronic time data;
- Dates and locations for equipment-yard, customer, and job-site travel;
- Records showing when tools or materials were loaded and returned; and
- Written policies about travel, reporting locations, vehicles, or timekeeping.
Employees should also note whether they were required to perform work before leaving home, report to a yard, pick up coworkers, or travel directly from one assignment to another. A consistent personal log may help identify patterns, but records should be kept lawfully and without taking confidential customer information that the employee is not authorized to retain.
A common mistake is to assume that a supervisor’s statement that “travel is not paid” resolves the issue. Another is to record only time spent at the customer’s location while leaving out required movement between assignments. Classification also matters: some employees may be exempt from overtime, while others may be covered nonexempt workers. Because the answer depends on the complete work arrangement, an employment attorney may review the records and explain available options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does driving a company truck from home to a Houston job site count as overtime?
Not automatically. Ordinary commuting is generally treated differently from travel performed during the workday. The result may depend on whether the worker first reports to a required location, must perform duties before departure, transports equipment, or receives work assignments while traveling. Driving a company truck is an important fact, but it does not by itself establish that all travel time is compensable under Texas or federal wage law.
Is travel between two customer locations paid time in Texas?
Often, travel between work locations is more likely to be treated as work time because it occurs after the employee has begun the workday and serves the employer’s business needs. The specific route, timing, instructions, and job duties still matter. If the travel pushes a covered, nonexempt employee above 40 hours in a workweek, the additional hours may raise an overtime question under applicable federal law.
Can oilfield workers receive overtime for transporting tools to a remote assignment?
Possibly. Loading, securing, inspecting, and transporting required tools may involve compensable work activity. Whether the associated travel is paid can depend on where the trip begins, whether the worker reports to a yard, whether the assignment is temporary, and how the employer tracks time. Oilfield travel overtime issues are highly fact-specific, particularly when employees travel as part of a crew or across remote locations.
What if my employer told me not to record travel time?
A verbal instruction may be relevant, but it does not by itself answer whether the time was legally compensable. Employees may wish to preserve available pay records, schedules, messages, and personal notes about the travel. Depending on the circumstances, an attorney may evaluate whether the employer’s timekeeping practice affected unpaid wages or overtime. Laws and filing procedures vary, so prompt legal guidance can be useful.
How Moore & Associates Can Help
Moore & Associates is dedicated to helping Houston employees understand potential unpaid overtime and travel-time issues. The firm can review how assignments were scheduled, where the workday began, whether employees transported equipment, and how travel appeared—or failed to appear—on time records.
The attorneys are committed to fighting for workers’ rights while explaining the legal issues in clear terms. If you have questions about field-service travel time pay, oilfield travel overtime, or unpaid travel time in Houston, the team is ready to evaluate your situation. Contact Moore & Associates for a free consultation or case evaluation to discuss your legal options.
The information in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contact a qualified attorney licensed in Houston, TX; Texas for advice specific to your situation.
