Use of Government—owned Trucks 

Letter from Mr. C. W. Boyle, Acting Solicitor, dated March 7, 
1930, answering questions with respect to the use of a Government truck 
by employees in going from their lodging to their place of duty, and from 
their place of duty to lunch, the nearest place where lunch is served 
being some distance from the duty station: 
"I have received your letter of February 21, 1930, enclosing 
a letter from Mr. J. E. Graf, Assistant Chief of the Bureau of 
Entomology, in which he submits several questions relative to 
the use of a Government truck by employees in going from their 
lodging to their place of duty, and from their place of duty 
to lunch, the nearest place where lunch is served being some 
distance from the duty station. In order to answer these ques— 
tions specifically, I am copying them in the order in which 
they are given in Mr. Graf's letter. ] 
"1, (a) If authority may be given an employee to use a Depart— 
ment truck or other Government conveyance in daily 
trips from his lodgings to a laboratory which may be 
located more than a mile from a small town where there 
is no other means of transportation. 
(b) If under the same conditions an employee may use the 
truck or other conveyance in going to and from lunch 
when there are no lunch rooms in the vicinity of the 
field station? 
Lp If it is found that a Department truck can not be used 
for the purpose mentioned in Par. 1 a and b, would it 
be advisable to utilize the truck to transport an en— 
ployee to and from the laboratory on the regular daily 
trips to town for mail? 
Lee If it is permissible to allow an employee to use a 
Department conveyance under either of the conditions 
mentioned, to what extent would he be considered in 
a duty status in the event of an accident resulting 
in an injury to the employee? 
"Answer No. l(a). A Government officer would not. be auth- 
orized in giving permission to an employee to use a Department 
truck or other Government conveyance in daily trips from his 
lodging to the laboratory even though the laboratory may be 
located quite some distance from the town in which the employee 
lives and there is no other means of transportation. The 
Comptroller has repeatedly held that employees are required to 
place themselves in a duty status and it is no function of the 
Government to do so. 
"In 23 Comp. Dec., 452, the Comptroller, in disallowing a 
claim for travel between the United States Custom House Build- 
ing to the Marine Hospital, New Orleans, said: 
