Question:
I'm sure by now you have heard the methods in which a driver running mileage pay is paid.
ie.- practical miles, house hold movers guide, Rand Mc Nally etc...
In some cases it's zip code to zip code. In others it's address to address and so on.
Very little do you get lucky and find a company to pay you "actual miles", or "hub miles". (this is the miles all miles put on the truck on any given trip(s).
The company I am currently with pulls 53' van trailers, hauling mainly Electrolux products, Maytag/Amana products, Quaker Oats products, and scrap (recycling) paper--and Paper Roll Stock, and Mitsubishi products. (any other product is few and far between and is brokered to an area where a regular customer has a need for our service).
We haul mainly Midwest states, Pennsylvainia, one place in New Jersey (Mitsubishi), Georgia, and Texas (and some of the southern states occasionally).
I have been with this company for 7 weeks (8 really but have check stubs for 7), and they pay "Practical Mile" pay system.
In that running area, with that freight, in that amount of time my numbers show that I am doing (on the average) 5.8% free driving.
What does that mean?
It means if I (or you) drive 3,000 miles in a week, I (or you) get paid for 2,826 of them...driving 174 miles for free.
@ .29 cpm that is a difference of $50.46 per week
@ .30 cpm that is a difference of $52.20 per week
@ etc....
Let's face it; that pay check is the main reason we are out there. And I posted this for you newbies to keep in mind while choosing a company.
Companies will vary with their type of operation and method of mileage pay. Some can be as high as 8 to 10% "free driving", and others as low as 2 to 3% "free driving.
I know it sucks, but unfortunately (for now) it is a standard in this buisiness, and is something you should know before you get that first check and scream to payroll "i GOT DOWN IN MY BOOKS THAT I DROVE 2,730 MILES LAST WEEK! WHY DID MY CHECK SAY 2,572!?!?It's apparent this place is never going to change....then again; why should it? It gets the clientel it deserves.
Bette Midler

Answer:
White Dog looks like your chasing Heartland and JB around the country. They pick up the same freight and most likely from the same shippers.
It might be important to first get the book keeping down and then watch the miles. Newbies need to learn to keep a record of every thing. Having every thing in writing relieves some of the confusion should a problem come up later. It's hard to remember all your loads and all the places and circumstances of each load. So write it all down in an organized manner.
But it's true. When you track your mileage you will see any where from around 5 percent upwards of 20 percent of your mileage is not paid for. That is why I am of the beliefe as are some others that you don't really get mileage pay. You actually get a flat rate per trip. But thats another discussion.

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The sad part White Dog is that if you worked by the hour you could sue your employer for short changing your pay.
That is what I don't understand about some drivers. They continue to allow companies to take a part of their pay. If you drive 3,000 miles you should be paid 3,000 miles. It boggles my mind why drivers allow this to happen. They allow companies to pay them HHMG or practical miles. So they continue to get free work out of the driver.
I may be pissing in the wind here, but as long as drivers continue to allow it companies will continue to do it to you(drivers).This is USAF 2T2 and I approve this message.

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and just what should the driver do to stop it? quit and go work for another company that pays book miles? or quit and hope they can find a hub miles company somewhere?

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Yeah. Talk to the company first and try and up your pretend cpm to equal what you're actually doing. Or go somewhere else.
There's a "driver shortage". Now's the best time to look around. Find someone else get the details then present to your current company. Either they will beat it or let you go. DON'T BLUFF! Find a company you like and are ready to switch to, because you just might be going there.
And don't forget to ask how they calculate their mileage!!!http://truckingblog.net
http://adventuresintrucking.com

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What if 1,000 of that is in the wrong direction?

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I am going to play devil's advocate here just a little bit.
How much of your unpaid miles are due to taking the truck home? Some companies will deadhead or allow a loaded driver to go several hundred miles out of route to get home.
How much of the differences between differences in your odometer and how the distance was figured. Even two odometers from the same manufacturer, on the same type of truck with the same set up can end up showing differences in miles driven.
How much of your unpaid mileage is due to stops not required by your company or by federal regulations. Even simply getting off the road at a rest area can add 1/4 to 1/2 of a mile to your trip, and getting off at a truck stop so you can use the restroom or get something to eat can add over a mile to your trip.
How many of your miles is driving to the truckstop tp wait for your next dispatch.
Depending on the real numbers this can add several hundred unpaid miles to your week when you compare miles you are paid for and miles you actually driven that can be easily overlooked.
Now please do not take me wrong on this. I am not coming down on White Dog or anyone else, but some people can overlook these things when complaining. Like I said I am just playing devils advocate here.
While hub miles would be nice, for it to be truly fair all the way around drivers would be unable to use the truck for personal reasons of any kind, would be unable to choose truckstops to eat, fuel or sleep at other than ones used for performing company business at. After all why should a company send 2 trucks on a trip and pay one driver for 150 miles and another for 120 miles.
To date the best compromise I have found is truck practical miles accompanied by the route. While the miles do not always jibe with the odometer it is a lot closer than HHG.
Answer:
UTurn has a good point; that is why I said:
And Stuffs said:
Thank God I have never "personally" seen 20%
Depending on all those variables UTurn mentioned you can and will notice a flux company to company.
I knew this: was going to be said by someone when I began to post this---we could all live in that fantasy world that some here live in; and if you work for a company that gives you everything you ask for and a bag of trail mix, then yippy for you.
But we both know that there (at this particular time anyway) ain't two freak'n drivers that are going to agree to "shut er down" (as in strike) in order to change things---let alone the number of trucks we would need to accomplish such a task.
I would be willing; and you would be willing---but the other 2,000,000 trucks we'd need to make a difference can't afford to sit.
You might just have to continue to (edited) in the wind in your life time I'm afraid.
Don't let this thread turn into a what "could, should, and would" be thread.It's apparent this place is never going to change....then again; why should it? It gets the clientel it deserves.
Bette Midler

Answer:
Sorry Uturn all that doesn't jive with facts. Thoise 1/4 mile stops in a rest area or TS and the short hops to find a place to wait for dispatch dont come close to actual free miles driven. making some lame claim that driving the truck home affects the free miles is nuts. Those miles home usually do not add up to or even come close to the miles driven to the shop for repairs and for some the out of route miles for fuel and not forgetting the hours a drivers waits weekly to load and unload.
It is a silly claim to make.
You need to think about that a little bit more. It is very easy to pay actual accurate miles.
It has been known by drivers and has been happening to drivers for a very long time as I suspect it will continue to go on. Mileage pay is never and will never be the same as actual miles driven for a load unless you are paid HUB.
You never really were a driver were you? I say that because that would have to be one of the craziest one sided things I have ever heard and I know a driver wouldn't say it. I doubt any company reps would say it. I suppose you would say we are blessed and should give large amounts of thanks to companies for being so gracious they allow us to stop and eat, use the rest room and sleep.
Since the company decided to hire OTR drivers it is their responsibility to get you home. If it means taking their truck there it is still their responsibility. There is no comprimise to it. using the rest room, stopping to eat etc doesn't add up to close the free miles most will drive. It is something that is either accepted or a different career might be a better choice. Might be anyway.

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There is good and bad no matter how you are paid.
If you get paid by the hub then you risk being fired if you happen to be out of route by a relatively slight margin.
If you get paid practical routed mile and given the route with your disptach you can get you butt chewed if you elect to take another somewhat longer route that you know to be faster.
If you get paid HHG miles then companies dont often care how many miles you drive as long as you make it from point to point on time.
I agree with WHitedog. Newbies do need to be aware of the different ways companies pay, and what that can mean to them.
Unfortunately most companies still pay by some form of HHG miles though they may call it something else like Rand Mcnally miles, or PC Miler, which can compute miles in several different ways (HHG, Shortest, etc). Even companies that pay hub miles may use practical routed miles in order to audit a drivers pay sheet to see if they are being cheated.
Get paid by HHG and you often have a lot more freedom choosing your own routes which can possibly benefit you by saving driving time.
Get paid Practical Routed miles and you can get paid a lot closer to what you drive on a dispatch but you may have to follow a certain route.
Get paid by the hub and you may have to justify every extra stop or detour you took to get to your destination and maybe why you got lost.
Most things in life have a trade off of some sort.
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I agree with UTURN. I do get paid HHG and like the flexibility of pretty much choosing my own route. There is a twist to this that I guess I use to keep it simple for myself.... All the milage BS aside... I look at it this way.... I get paid a flat rate to get from Point A to Point B. The company may call it miles but the miles convert to a dollar amount. If I made the same trip next month it would pay the same amount of money thus... a flat rate. I have checked out actual milage against paid miles for a few months and have found that about 20% of the time I do in fact get paid for more than actual miles. Not alot mind you. I guess if I looked at it in a way other than getting paid a flat rate i would be upset everytime I drove more miles that I got paid. My 2 cents....
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I think he was, and I know I am, and I agree with everything Uturn said here. So there
And to add to White Dog's numbers, before this turned into the usual pizzing contest ( ), I'm running about 6.5% unpaid miles averaged over several months.
_________________________
Remote from Mountain Top, PA

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best thing to do is ask them how many miles are there
from {insert city here]to[insert city here] then check it with
mapquest or any other one,and see where there passing,i was with one
that even if i was taking cow trail's i would be missing 30 miles ,
shop around,now im getting more miles paid with interstate highway miles
not cow trail's,even with the better comp out there there is always something
to check........good post white dog
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Donateing those free miles is small compared to all the other freebies
Drivers willing donate to Carriers.
Good topic anyway Whitedog.
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got that right,it's when you ad them up,that you see the industry is sick