Lead States Team Support

Travel Guidelines

To qualify for travel reimbursement related to AII activity, obtain approval from the AII Focus Technology Lead States Chair, or from the AII Program Manager, prior to the trip. Travel purposes should be indicated on the Focus Technology's work plan. Travel expenses will be reimbursed for member department (State DOT) employees only.

Travel expenses will be reimbursed to the extent of only the AII related activity. For example, during an "AII meeting within another meeting," only those days affected by the AII purpose and travel will be reimbursed. Expenses outside the scheduled AII meetings or other purposes will not be reimbursed.

Presentation and Speaker travel will be reimbursed for only those days traveling to and from meeting and day of presentation. Therefore, if you stay for the entire conference, AASHTO will not pay for the additional hotel stays unless previously authorized by the AII Program Manager.

As a general guideline, AII expenses should be reasonably comparable with those expenses paid for by member departments. The following are to be used as guidelines, and are not to be considered per diem. Rather, actual expenses should be reported on travel expense forms with accompanying receipts to the AII Program Manager in a timely manner.

1. Travel on Amtrak and airlines should be by coach class, with an effort made to utilize any special fares. Any departure from this practice should be approved in advance by the Focus Technology Lead State Chair or the AII Program Manager.
2. Travel to and from the airport and between the airport and a hotel, etc., should normally be by airport shuttle type transportation when available as opposed to taxi cabs. It is understood that special luggage problems, tight time schedules and the like will not always make this possible.
3. Use of rental cars should be limited to those instances where they provide the only practical local transportation means.
4. Use of a personal car for AII travel should receive prior approval by the Focus Technology Lead State Chair or AII Program Manager. Travel by personal car will be paid at the Federal government rate, and for long trips made in an automobile by personal choice the total cost should not exceed the lowest available air fare.
5. Any documented actual expenses will be reimbursed, however the maximum amount reimbursable for meals is $46/day. All meals, regardless of cost, require a receipt. Costs for meals provided during your meeting should not be expensed. For example, if breakfast and lunch is provided at your meeting/conference, only your dinner costs are reimbursable.
6. Miscellaneous expenses, i.e., tips other than meals, newspapers, dry cleaning, etc., should not ordinarily exceed about $10.00 per day.
7. Hotel accommodations should be at the lowest rate or government rate, and if this rate is not available, at the most modest rate appropriate to the circumstances.
8. When AII Lead​ State Team members select meeting sites and dates, consideration is to be given to the cost of travel for the participants, room rates, and meal costs. Unnecessarily expensive locations and dates should be avoided, and the availability of a government room rate for participants should be determined.
9. AASHTO Expense Statement (April 2017) [XLS] is to be completed and legible and submitted in a timely manner, and all items should be entered and documented, when documentation is available. Completed vouchers and receipts shall be emailed back to the AASHTO program manager (kplatte@aashto.org​​) when possible. If the receipts and other documents cannot be sent via email, then they may be mailed to the following address:

   Keith Platte(AII Program Manager)
   AASHTO
   444 North Capitol Street NW
   Suite 249
   Washington, DC 20001

AII must efficiently utilize budgeted travel funds, while accommodating necessary travel expenses. Excessive expenditures are to be avoided, and reasonable documentation maintained. Questions regarding this travel policy may be forwarded to kplatte@aashto.org.