Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crops Program, Specialty Crops Inspection Division

Travel Charge Policy (November 2023)

SCI Division Administration Series

Page 1 of 5

TRAVEL CHARGE POLICY

The following guidance prescribes applicant charges for travel-related expenses by Specialty 

Crops Inspection (SCI) Division employees for processed products inspections, including 

operational rations inspections, and for travel-related expenses by Federal and Federal/State 

terminal market and cooperative market inspection (TMI) offices when travel occurs within the 

area of coverage encompassed by a local TMI office.

This Travel Charge policy does not determine overtime entitlements, mileage, tolls, per diem, or 

other travel reimbursements paid to SCI employees. Pay entitlements and travel reimbursements 

to employees should be determined in accordance with SCI Division policies without 

consideration as to whether the expense has been charged to an applicant.

Inspection Assignments that Do Not Entail an Overnight Stay

Definitions:

Maximum Charge: The round-trip travel time charge* at the current “Hourly Inspection Rate” for 

the inspection service provided; premium pay (e.g., overtime, night differential, etc.) rates should 

be substituted as appropriate.

Minimum Charge: 1/2 (50%) of the round-trip travel time charge* at the current “Hourly 

Inspection Rate” for the inspection service provided; premium pay (e.g., overtime, night 

differential, etc.) rates should be substituted as appropriate.

• For single-stop assignments, the maximum charge will be assessed to the applicant**. 

Exceptions for non-standard inspection services may be appropriate in certain situations but 

must have the written approval of the Regional Branch Chief or Federal Program Manager

or their designee.

• For multiple-stop assignments***, the travel time charge to be assessed each applicant will 

be established by each Officer-in-Charge or State supervisor. The travel time charge to be 

assessed each applicant cannot be higher than the maximum charge or lower than the 

minimum charge without written approval of the Regional Branch Chief or Federal

Program Manager or their designee. Once established for each applicant, this travel time 

charge should be uniformly applied for every inspection that involves multiple-stop 

assignments. 
SCI Division Administration Series Travel Charge Policy

Effective Date: November 2023 Page 2 of 5

• When more than one inspection is performed for a single applicant at the same location on 

the same trip, the applicant will only be assessed once; the travel costs should be allocated 

equally amongst all certificates. 

• When inspections are performed for more than one applicant at the same location on the 

same trip, each applicant will be assessed a minimum charge.

• Travel overtime should be based on the type of inspection performed (i.e., lot or hourlybased as appropriate). 

* Each Officer-in-Charge or State supervisor will establish, with their Regional Branch Chief’s or 

Federal Program Manager’s (or their designee’s) concurrence, a travel time charge to be assessed 

each applicant (i.e., the round-trip commute time from the inspector’s actual duty point/official 

duty station to the applicant). The travel times will be established in 1⁄4 hour (15 minute) 

increments, rounded up to the nearest 1⁄4 hour. However, the minimum round-trip travel time 

charge to an applicant is 1/2 hour (30 minutes) when the inspector travels by POV or GOV; there 

is no minimum travel time charge when the market is at the same location as the inspection office. 

** For Federal/State inspections, substitute shipper for applicant as appropriate.

*** The Agricultural Commodity Grader visits more than one applicant on the same day without 

returning to their actual duty point/official duty station between inspections. 

Processed Products Inspection Assignments Associated with Year-Round or Seasonal 

Contracts

Travel time and travel expenses (e.g., mileage, tolls, lodging, per diem, etc.) are not charged to an 

applicant with a year-round or seasonal contract; seasonal is defined as four or more consecutive 

40-hour weeks. For year-round and seasonal contracts, only the hours an SCI employee actually 

works on an assignment are charged to such an applicant. However, charging travel expenses to 

applicants when there is a year-round contract may be allowed on a case-by-case basis with 

Regional Branch Chief written approval (e.g., an applicant may, under certain circumstances, be 

willing to pay additional travel expenses involving a year-round contract that does not include an 

overnight stay). 

To ensure cost recovery on seasonal contracts, applicants may be charged travel time and travel 

expenses on a case-by-case basis with approval from the Associate Director of Field Operations. 

On rare occasions, other expenses associated with seasonal contracts may also be reimbursed with 

approval from the Associate Director of Field Operations. 

 
SCI Division Administration Series Travel Charge Policy

Effective Date: November 2023 Page 3 of 5

An applicant that requests additional inspection staff during heavy production times not covered by 

a year-round or seasonal contract can be billed any associated travel costs incurred by the 

additional staff.

Processed Products Inspection Assignments Not Involving Year-Round or Seasonal 

Contracts

For processed products inspection assignments that do not involve a year-round or seasonal 

contract, applicants are billed for travel time and the hours the SCI employee(s) worked on the 

assignment. Travel expenses at the inspection site (e.g., mileage, tolls, lodging, per diem, etc.) 

may be charged on a case-by-case basis with written approval from the Associate Director of Field 

Operations.

Processed Products and TMI Inspection Assignments that Necessitate Air Travel

For any inspection assignment that necessitates air travel via a common carrier, unless there is a 

year-round or seasonal contract, the applicant pays for all travel expenses (e.g., common carrier 

ticket, baggage fees, taxi, car rental, tolls, etc.).

• In addition, the actual time in travel status will be charged as follows:

o Travel Time: Charge actual travel time from official duty station, last temporary 

duty point or residence, as appropriate, to the inspection service site rounded up to 

the nearest quarter hour at the hourly-based inspection rate.

o Premium Time Travel: Travel performed outside of an employee’s regularly 

scheduled work hours (i.e., overtime work or work performed on a holiday) 

rounded up to the nearest quarter hour at the appropriate premium time rate.

Example of Computing Common Carrier Travel Time and Premium Time Travel: Employee 

travels by common carrier for a total of 3 hours to and from site Y for a Quality and Condition 

inspection on a lot of tomatoes. The 1.5 hours of return travel are performed during an overtime 

period. As an example, only using an hourly inspection rate of $100.00/hour and an hourly 

inspection overtime rate of $150.00/hour* (again, example only), the total travel time charged in 

this example would be:

Total Travel Time: 3 hours x current hourly inspection rate ($150 each way) = $300.00

Overtime Travel (an additional charge): 1.5 hours x current hourly inspection overtime 

rate* = $75.00 ($225 less the $150 already charged as travel time)

Total Travel Time Charged: $375.00**

*The travel overtime should be based on the type of inspection performed (i.e., lot or 

hourly-based). 
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Effective Date: November 2023 Page 4 of 5 

**This is in addition to all related travel expenses and the applicable inspection fee. 

TMI Inspection Assignments Associated with a Contract

If the contract specifically addresses travel charges, the contract will be followed. If the contract 

does not address travel charges, this policy will be followed. 

Other Significant Costs Incurred on TMI Inspection Assignments

Lot fees (carlot and less-than-carlot fees) are set to recover the cost of on-site TMI service time, 

supervision and certificate processing. In addition to the lot fees, other significant costs incurred in 

the performance of a TMI inspection will be charged directly to the applicant requesting the 

inspection service whenever practical.

Per Diem Charges to TMI Applicants

Applicants must be notified of any likely per diem charge before providing inspection service. Per 

diem charges will be determined as follows:

• Federal Employees

When an employee incurs per diem expenses while traveling within the area of coverage 

encompassed by a local terminal market inspection office, the appropriate U.S. General 

Services Administration (GSA) per diem rate will apply. Any related lodging charges, 

hotel taxes, parking fees, etc., will also be charged as appropriate. 

• Federal-State Employees

When a Federal-State employee incurs per diem expenses when traveling within the area of 

coverage encompassed by a local terminal market inspection office, the appropriate State 

per diem rate will apply. Any related lodging charges, hotel taxes, parking fees, etc., will 

also be charged as appropriate.

Procedures for Charging Travel Expenses When Travel Occurs Outside the Area of 

Coverage Encompassed by a Local TMI Office

When an employee is assigned to perform work at a temporary duty station (e.g., performing a 

relief assignment in another terminal market office, etc.), en route travel expenses will not be 

charged to an applicant without written approval of the Regional Branch Chief or State Program 

Manager. Once the employee is at the temporary duty station, the above procedures that address

charging travel expenses when travel occurs within the area of coverage encompassed by a local 

TMI Office will be followed.
SCI Division Administration Series Travel Charge Policy

Effective Date: November 2023 Page 5 of 5 

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