Mileage Pay

[tradesman]

Hi, maybe someone can answer this question I have regarding mileage pay. It seems to me that when you try and figure out your pay and recheck the companies mileage that they state they are paying you for using the Pc-miler program, when I run the numbers on PC-Milerweb.com the numbers are different to the benefit of the company. Also, why is it that you can check the mileage using various different map and mileage programs and the result vary. This to me is a problem, because if you are paid by mileage you can not check your pay for accuracy. It is to easy for the company to not pay you the correct amount, this is another reason in my opinion why drivers should be paid by the hour, even in an OTR position, with the technology today it can easily be done. Your comments are welcome.

[AsphaltVoyager]

If you're working for a GOOD company, they will pay you pretty close to your actual mileage. However, most companies are using their own "formula" for determining mileages and it's usually from the outskirts of the city where you pick up to the outskirts of the destination city, using the absolutely shortest route between the two, which may include roads that you are unable to use. Therefore, the miles you get paid are never going to be anywhere close to your real miles. The companies that TELL you they use PC-Miler, or the HHG movers guide for their mileages usually discount the # given in those by about 10%. So, not only do you not get the actual miles, you don't even get the miles specified by either of those guides.
Most times, as I say, the route chosen to figure miles is going to include roads that are not passable for truck traffic. BUT.... you get an offset of that negative by the fact that when you use interstate roadways, you're going to make a lot better time than their shorter route, which may even make it possible for you to get paid for more miles that week than you'd have gotten using the roads they used to figure their miles.
By the way, there ARE a few companies that pay by the hour. They're few and far between and hard to get hired into. (read as: perfect record with 7+ years exp.)
Just know that when you're a trucker, you're going to get screwed over by whoever you work for 95% of the time. It's an accepted reality if you want to drive.

[Musicman]

If you're working for a GOOD company, they will pay you pretty close to your actual mileage.

There are as many ways to compute mileage as there are companies. The two most common ways are PC-miler “Short Miles” and “Practical Miles”. “Short Miles” to most companies would mean the two closest points between the pick-up and delivery zip codes and then run by the shortest possible route. “Practical Miles” usually means the center of each zip code (or possibly even the actual addresses, but that is rare) and computed by PC-Miler or other similar truck routing software by the shortest practical route that an 18-wheeler could legally follow.

Years ago, many companies actually paid the miles on the odometer or hub-o-meter… my first driving job in 1997 did this, in fact. Over time, companies began jacking up the pay per mile to attract drivers. To make up for the increased RATE of pay, they went to more miserly methods of computing the number of miles driven. There were other reasons for migrating away from the hub method of payment. Before the days of QUALCOMMs and other tracking devices, it was much harder for a company to know when it was being screwed by drivers intentionally driving out of route miles to increase their pay. If I pay you only a set number of miles for a given route, I take away the incentive for you to take a longer route and waste my very expensive fuel.

Ask your company how they compute your mileage. I’ve never worked for one that refused to explain it to me. Also keep in mind that it is quite common for an odometer to be off one to five percent, and that alone can make a big difference between odometer and computer calculated mileage. Also, some companies, like some I have worked for in the past, will only pay a set amount of miles for stops within the same zip code.

[Ronin]

The only company i worked for that paid true odometer was Mid-Con Carriers out of Oklahoma City. They paid full hub miles, but they also checked all trips against microsoft streets and trips (address to address). So they knew exactly how many miles it took.

[GMAN]

Hi, maybe someone can answer this question I have regarding mileage pay. It seems to me that when you try and figure out your pay and recheck the companies mileage that they state they are paying you for using the Pc-miler program, when I run the numbers on PC-Milerweb.com the numbers are different to the benefit of the company. Also, why is it that you can check the mileage using various different map and mileage programs and the result vary. This to me is a problem, because if you are paid by mileage you can not check your pay for accuracy. It is to easy for the company to not pay you the correct amount, this is another reason in my opinion why drivers should be paid by the hour, even in an OTR position, with the technology today it can easily be done. Your comments are welcome.

Most carriers pay drivers on how they are paid by the shipper or broker. Most pay either household miles or practical miles. Many carriers are getting away from household miles. There used to be a number of carriers who paid hub miles for all miles turned. That was stopped due to some drivers running out of route miles. There were also some who paid by the hour. That was also stopped by most carriers due to the abuse by drivers. Carrier's had no way to make sure when the driver was actually working and when they were kicking back. The problem for carriers when paying hourly is the freight rate. Shippers need to have an exact price for delivering their products. You could have ten different drivers taking the same load and each would do their work a varying lengths of time. That isn't practical for shippers, brokers or carriers. LTL carriers who mostly run local will find it much easier to pay in this manner. It isn't practical for most carriers. Mileage or percentage is the best way for all parties involved. I advocate paying percentage to drivers. I have stated this on a number of occasions. It is more fair for the driver and carriers know their labor costs. Shippers know the freight costs since it is fixed in the rate. With percentage mileage becomes less important for the driver to be adequately compensated as long as the carrier has decent paying freight. To me percentage is the most fair way for drivers to be paid. It still provides an incentive to the driver and enables him to earn more when things are well with the economy and the company is getting better rates. It also works better when times are difficult or the economy is down. The driver still receives his fair share of the freight rate. I would think that those who support fair pay to drivers would find this type of compensation more equitable than mileage or hourly pay. If carriers ever go to hourly pay as the standard, I would expect that most would only pay for a certain number of hours and they would dictate the minimum number of miles that a driver must drive during those hours. It could put more pressure on the driver to drive when he really doesn't feel like driving.

[danske]

If you're working for a GOOD company, they will pay you pretty close to your actual mileage. However, most companies are using their own "formula" for determining mileages and it's usually from the outskirts of the city where you pick up to the outskirts of the destination city, using the absolutely shortest route between the two, which may include roads that you are unable to use. Therefore, the miles you get paid are never going to be anywhere close to your real miles. The companies that TELL you they use PC-Miler, or the HHG movers guide for their mileages usually discount the # given in those by about 10%. So, not only do you not get the actual miles, you don't even get the miles specified by either of those guides.
Most times, as I say, the route chosen to figure miles is going to include roads that are not passable for truck traffic. BUT.... you get an offset of that negative by the fact that when you use interstate roadways, you're going to make a lot better time than their shorter route, which may even make it possible for you to get paid for more miles that week than you'd have gotten using the roads they used to figure their miles.
By the way, there ARE a few companies that pay by the hour. They're few and far between and hard to get hired into. (read as: perfect record with 7+ years exp.)
Just know that when you're a trucker, you're going to get screwed over by whoever you work for 95% of the time. It's an accepted reality if you want to drive.

I find your above statements to be untrue. Companies don't have their own "formula" for calculating miles or take PC-Miler or HHG miles and then subtract 10%. They have a standard they must follow or face labor lawsuits for shorting wages.

If you believe truck companies in fact do this, then you believe your butcher's scales and truckstop pumps are set to weight more product and dispense more fuel than they do.

The reason many or most drivers experience driving 3-15% more miles than they are paid is poor route planning(eg. not knowing the direct, legal truck route from A to B), miles into and around truckstops(eg. exiting the interstate, highway), odometer inaccuracies(eg. tire trend wear), running out of route for personal reasons, etc. Of course, the direct, legal truck route from A to B may not be the faster, but the driver need to know this to make an intelligent decision to deviate from it.

The HHG(Household Goods) is base on a legal, truck route from zip code to zip code. Yes, it is not entirely fair, but it a standard that is/was followed for many years.

A driver needs to know what mileage scale his company/broker is using to calculate mileage and according to his experience what translate to his pay. If I worked for a company that shorted my miles, then I wouldn't work there.

[Fredog]

The company I am with now charges by the 100 weight, it works out pretty good, the farther it goes the more the cost per hundred, the minimum is charge is 1.45 per 100 weight, so even short loads pay pretty decent
I wasnt sure if I would like that way, but so far, so good

[GMAN]

If all carriers paid drivers percentage it would not make any difference.

[Joey Shabadoo]

Hi, maybe someone can answer this question I have regarding mileage pay. It seems to me that when you try and figure out your pay and recheck the companies mileage that they state they are paying you for using the Pc-miler program, when I run the numbers on PC-Milerweb.com the numbers are different to the benefit of the company. Also, why is it that you can check the mileage using various different map and mileage programs and the result vary. This to me is a problem, because if you are paid by mileage you can not check your pay for accuracy. It is to easy for the company to not pay you the correct amount, this is another reason in my opinion why drivers should be paid by the hour, even in an OTR position, with the technology today it can easily be done. Your comments are welcome.

Hourly pay for OTR drivers is probably not realistic due to the irregular-route nature of that biz.
Mileage pay is the fairest way to pay a company driver, but you're right...the methods employed are a joke from a bygone era.
With the technology available today, drivers should be paid dock-to-dock mileage...you should be paid for every mile you drive that's required to get the load there.
If you need to detour due to Hazmat, weather, accident, construction, etc...you should be paid for that, too.

However, this will never ever change because of too many dumb O.O and companies willing to haul for peanuts.
Your best bet is to get away from irregular-route OTR trucking...get into niche areas of the biz like parcel, LTL, over-dimensional, that sort of thing.
Much better pay/bennies/hometime.

[Orangetxguy]

Hourly pay for OTR drivers is probably not realistic due to the irregular-route nature of that biz.
Mileage pay is the fairest way to pay a company driver, but you're right...the methods employed are a joke from a bygone era.
With the technology available today, drivers should be paid dock-to-dock mileage...you should be paid for every mile you drive that's required to get the load there.
If you need to detour due to Hazmat, weather, accident, construction, etc...you should be paid for that, too.

However, this will never ever change because of too many dumb O.O and companies willing to haul for peanuts.
Your best bet is to get away from irregular-route OTR trucking...get into niche areas of the biz like parcel, LTL, over-dimensional, that sort of thing.
Much better pay/bennies/hometime.

Yes!!! ....He needs to move to Boston! In Boston.......he could work with Joey........maybe they could van-pool to work! Where is it he needs to apply??

NEMF? Is that the place? Northeast Trucking, Truckload Carrier, Freight Services, Third Party Logistics, LTL, NEMF


Maybe Joey would get you hooked up with some under the table work, hauling mail on the weekend too!!

[Joey Shabadoo]

NEMF? Is that the place?

Yeah, there ya' go.
That'd be a fine place for you to work, Stan.
You'd fit in real good there.

[Orangetxguy]

Yeah, there ya' go.
That'd be a fine place for you to work, Stan.
You'd fit in real good there.

LOL! You a funny guy there J-C-F-M!!! Seriously....He needs to move to Boston.......You need to take him under your wing and teach him how to be a "union" driver!


I don't pull trailers that are rectangular shaped....didn't you know that??

[AsphaltVoyager]

If you believe truck companies in fact do this, then you believe your butcher's scales and truckstop pumps are set to weight more product and dispense more fuel than they do.

Not only do I believe that, but I also believe that there is a group that represents the trucking industry to Rand-McNally that pays RM to falsely state that two cities are closer together each year in their software. Can I prove it? No, but that doesn't mean I don't believe it, especially when it happens so frequently to so many truckers. Cities with no construction having taken place in their cities to expand the city limits and that have had no route change in the same year either, suddenly becoming xx miles closer?? Umm... let's just say there's something definitely not kosher there.

The reason many or most drivers experience driving 3-15% more miles than they are paid is poor route planning(eg. not knowing the direct, legal truck route from A to B), miles into and around truckstops(eg. exiting the interstate, highway), odometer inaccuracies(eg. tire trend wear), running out of route for personal reasons, etc. Of course, the direct, legal truck route from A to B may not be the faster, but the driver need to know this to make an intelligent decision to deviate from it.

For MANY companies, the QUALCOMM would go sqawking like crazy as soon as you deviate from their "accepted route" and demand you report to your fleet manager right away EVEN IF you have cleared your route with him/her prior to deviating from their designated route.

The HHG(Household Goods) is base on a legal, truck route from zip code to zip code.

??? You think it is LEGAL to route a truck the shortest possible miles for 4-wheelers when those roads might be impassable to trucks??

A driver needs to know what mileage scale his company/broker is using to calculate mileage and according to his experience what translate to his pay. If I worked for a company that shorted my miles, then I wouldn't work there.

You'll rarely find a company that is going to explain their pay formula to you, except in the most vague terms. For them to say they BASE, or DERIVE, their miles paid on PC-Miler is vague unless you're one of the types that believe every word that spills from the lips of politicians or FAUX News. If that's the case, then there's no help for you in the first place.

[AsphaltVoyager]

If all carriers paid drivers percentage it would not make any difference.

Agreed. HOWEVER.... how are you going to know if the company is telling you the truth and giving you the full percentage agreed to?

I suppose, in the end, what really matters is that you get paid what you think is fair. But, that's going to vary from driver to driver.

[GMAN]

Agreed. HOWEVER.... how are you going to know if the company is telling you the truth and giving you the full percentage agreed to?

I suppose, in the end, what really matters is that you get paid what you think is fair. But, that's going to vary from driver to driver.

If you are working on percentage then you are entitled to see the rate confirmation for each load.

[Jonathon51]

One SMALL advantage to the companies using PC Miler or HHMG...is when you're doing your log, SUBTRACT 10% from your miles driven that day and bump up your average speed as much as you possibly can...you'll be able to "gain a little" in the long run.

[GMAN]

One SMALL advantage to the companies using PC Miler or HHMG...is when you're doing your log, SUBTRACT 10% from your miles driven that day and bump up your average speed as much as you possibly can...you'll be able to "gain a little" in the long run.

You may not want to do that, Jonathon51. There is software available that can match your route with the posted speed for that road and match it to your logs.