Commuting

[HerkFE]

My old guard fighter unit worked four 10's for as long as I can remember and I'm talking since I was about seven years old (my dad was in when they went to that schedule). The entire place, MX & OPS, was shut down on Monday.

Edited January 20, 2012 by HerkFE

[nsplayr]

Thead bump.

Any pro tips (sts) from guys commuting to their guard job? Anyone living the life right now that wants to comment?

I'm potentially looking at a lengthy commute, i.e. air travel as well as advice for how to work lodging and transpo in the local area with out spending too much $$.

Living in a van (it's a house and a car!) is an option I'm seriously considering...it's like camping for poor people.

Edited July 22, 2014 by nsplayr

[HerkFE]

Thead bump.

Any pro tips (sts) from guys commuting to their guard job? Anyone living the life right now that wants to comment?

I'm potentially looking at a lengthy commute, i.e. air travel as well as advice for how to work lodging and transpo in the local area with out spending too much $$.

Living in a van (it's a house and a car!) is an option I'm seriously considering...it's like camping for poor people.

Not living the life but, if there is an active duty base nearby with a FamCamp and you can get a deal on a camper, that may be an option. I lived in the FC for about a year (post divorce) and it was awesome (seriously). Wrote one check a month for rent/utilities/lawn care, etc. Had cool neighbors stop by often ... "hey dude, got the grill going and some cold beer, come on over"

[Disco_Nav963]

Piggyback... Not that I'm one to be taken advantage of, but if you are a commuter can you "opt out" of receiving per diem/subsidized lodging? I might be okay with just breaking even on my potential Reserve gig if the right civilian job was paying the bills, and I can handle sleeping on a buddy's couch if it's the price of keeping one foot in the jet. Would this get me beaten up as a scab by the commuter union?

[Vertigo]

Our wing puts individuals in hotels with direct billing for those outside the commuting distance. Of course I'm speaking about traditionals.

Did you get a technician or agr gig?

Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

[SocialD]

Thead bump.

Any pro tips (sts) from guys commuting to their guard job? Anyone living the life right now that wants to comment?

I'm potentially looking at a lengthy commute, i.e. air travel as well as advice for how to work lodging and transpo in the local area with out spending too much $$.

Living in a van (it's a house and a car!) is an option I'm seriously considering...it's like camping for poor people.

Based on air travel being required to commute, i'll assume you will be a part timer. If you're a flyer then you should get 48 UTAs, 48 AFTPs and 15 days of AT per year. While on UTAs and AT days, you are entitled to billeting, but AFTPs = no billeting. So as long as you log one UTA period in a given day then you should get a hotel. Keep in mind that if you go on any kind of full time orders then you'll most likely will not be given billeting.

Another option is to make friends with a single person in the squadron with a spare bedroom, and make a deal. $$$/mowing the lawn/stocking the beer/offering to be DD, are all acceptable forms of payment depending on the person.

As far as tranpo, unless you want to be "that guy," the easiest method is to drop a little cash on an "airport car" that you leave wherever your base is located. The tricky part is convenient parking. Is your base on a major airport with airline service? If so you may be able to wheel n' deal with one of the various parking lots for a reduced rate. If that doesn't work and there are FBOs or corporate flight departments nearby, you may be able to negotiate a parking situation with them (helps if squadron mates are employed by said departments). Some local hotels (that have shuttle service from the airport) may even work a deal with you.

Small consolation, but you can write off expenses incurred while commuting to your guard/reserve gig as long as you live >100 miles from your base. As always read the reg or talk to a tax guy.

BTW, commuting sucks! Feel free to PM me with questions.

[nsplayr]

Thanks to all who have replied. To give a little more info in case anyone has specific advice:

- DSG in the ANG, Guard base now will be located > 600 miles from my (newly landed) civilian job so driving is out of the question

- Rated so AFTPs are a factor, although possibly not at first due to aircraft availability at the unit (long story...)

- Open to living in a van down by the river, couch surfing, conning my wife into justifying a motorcycle/beater truck purchase, etc., looking to hear what has worked and what hasn't from guys who have done it

- Guard base is right on the commercial airport although no direct flights so it's a two-leg hop back and forth every time

Overall looking forward to still flying, being a crew dawg and putting on the uniform to fight for the good ole' U-S-of-A but trying to minimize suck factor.

Cheers

[Disco_Nav963]

Small consolation, but you can write off expenses incurred while commuting to your guard/reserve gig as long as you live >100 miles from your base. As always read the reg or talk to a tax guy.

I'm jumping the gun a bit, but the info I found on the write off on the IRS website specifically addressed writing off mileage expenses. Is there a way to write off actual airfare, or do I just claim the mileage as if I drove even though I didn't (i.e. does the mileage have to be "actual mileage," or is it more like the standard mileages DTS computes)?

[SocialD]

I'm jumping the gun a bit, but the info I found on the write off on the IRS website specifically addressed writing off mileage expenses. Is there a way to write off actual airfare, or do I just claim the mileage as if I drove even though I didn't (i.e. does the mileage have to be "actual mileage," or is it more like the standard mileages DTS computes)?

Not sure on that one...I'm an airline guy, so I've never dealt with airfare.

[hindsight2020]

Ok. Here's the skinny fellas....

I. The contentions of working as a commuting TR are highly dependent on the unit. The units will establish their willingness to pay for the reimbursement of legal traveling and lodging costs for their non-local members depending on how difficult it is for said unit to staff their place. Units in shithole locations, or alternatively units with airframes that are not cool (i.e. not fighters and whatever else shit) will tend to exhibit greater willingness to endure the cost of traveling TRs and the paid travel gravy train. Those units that do not have such need, will likely not play that game and thus resort to the more typical commuting restrictions fighter units have been known for since forever. Figure out what type of unit you work for. The intent of the ARC was based on hometown unit models; the reality of Congressional pork belly has been an effective subversion of that intent and as such the hometown outcome is not universally true. Thence the reality of traveling cost for TRs in shitty locale/shitty airplane units.

II. Some units originally affected by the 2005 BRAC and other force restructurings that led the iron dislocated from their current/qualified members, have been allowed to reimburse commuting TRs for travel to perform IDT status, which in normal units is NOT a reimbursable expense to the member. Lodging cost reimbursement in the form of unit direct billing however, IS an entitlement for non-local TRs while performing IDT duty in all units, not just units approved for "IDT travel" reimbursement. Paragraph I caveats apply to whether or not you find yourself employed by either type of unit. At any rate, the IDT travel reimbursement is 12 vouchers a year, up to 300 dollar actual cash value last time I checked, all receipts must be included (i.e. you can't get away with not submitting receipts under 75 bucks when it comes to an IDT travel reimbursement voucher).

III. GTFO with that bullshit about traveling to work for free on RPA/MPA or AT status God damn it. Lodging only weekends while on a "1" status, living like god damn riddle kids out of a crash pad a la regional airlines because the unit promised you mandays if you play good house------a'. Mother blue loves that. Whoring out your skillset because you love wearing that bag. Rule#1 of the Reserves: you don't show up to work when not in status. Rule #1a: you certainly, DO NOT, travel for free when you're entitled to travel reimbursement, as some sort of a precondition of being given work. Travel entitlements and lodging are the price of freedom and when you give it up to play soldier for free the rest of the bros take it in the checkbook. We don't want to go back to the Country Club days of the Guard/Res; stop that shit. Your unit must have given you the spiel before they decided to hire you. If the place is located in a shithole and people can't make a lucrative living close by, then that's the price they got to pay to get you to work. Otherwise you buck up and move to the location and pursue your duty without the traveling reimbursement or per diem entitlement that's absent to a local area guy. But you do not wipe your ass with the JTFR and set an erosive precedent at the expense of your brothers.

I'm a middle-of-the-road guy by age/rank but an old timer by Reserve longevity and nothing fires me up more than some of the folks within the current crop of AD separatees, anxious as hell to get out of AD but then turn around and turn the Reserves into a low-tier regional airline operation with their work-for-free shenanigans. If you actually want to make it to your 20 year letter you should have a vested interest in internalizing what I'm saying. Y'all want to keep the Reserves a place that's reasonable to not only work in, but to get to. Some new hires are coming in with the touch n go mentality of "ill just do this to finish out my loose ends then I'm outta here" and it's screwing up the place for everybody. Don't be that guy. Be honest with the unit, have a plan, and do not forego your travel entitlements if the unit agrees to hire you as an outside-commuting area guy. Hold the line god damn it, I feel like a teamster rep drawing it in crayons for some of you guys.

Congratulations to all those parolees and welcome to the ARC, where flying, getting paid and not upsetting your civilian employer is our priority...well, at least that is my commitment to my TRs, as one who has BTDT myself. Good luck to all of you making the transition.