Question:
And I confirmed it with my Fleet Manager......as of 12/01/05 CFI is going to convert our mileage pay over to "Practical Miles" instead of HHG or whatever they were using. They are going to do exactly what Crete did. Thanks Crete....
So, depending on the run....there will be an increase in 1% to 7% in pay. May not be a ton, but I'll take it!!
Also, I've been getting some pretty good detention pay....one was $200.00 for sleeping overnight in Canada ....It would really be nifty to figure out how to get that "every" night
And I've been getting paid for Hazmat diversion miles as well. All in all, things are not going too badly So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:
Hello Skywalker, How the heck have you been doing.
See, aren't you glad you didn't jump ship!
Things "are" getting better at CFI.
Don't let the professional Dwellers find out CFI pays $200.00 a night to sleep in Canada, CFI will have a flood of Dweller's filling out applications, even Ziggy will be racing to Joplin to fill out an Application. Ziggy wants to get paid to live in a truck, but not have to drive it. That's why Wormer got rid of him.
I ran into Cyanide about a month ago in FL. Finally, after about 3 or 4 years.
We're both on our way to Wi, I'm going to Beloit for Monday morning , Cyanide is coming out of CA. and I'm coming out of McAllen with my load. I'm 40 miles from Beloit.
I believe more and more Companies will be jumping on the "WE pay practical miles" bandwagon to get drivers to quit and jump ship from their carrier that pays HHG miles.
No, I'm not jumping ship, I have it too easy over here.....
In fact, I ran thru Joplin the other day, noticed the CFI bill boards on the hwy.
You should average about $3,000 a year more on the practical miles, depending on how many miles you average a year. I average between 150,000 to 160,000 a year.
Glad to see your doing OK over there. Have fun, make lots of money, and see the Country doing it.

Answer:
I'll bet there are companies out there cussing Crete up one side and down the other. They have started something that other companies are going to have to follow if they want to keep or recruit drivers. Can't see anything but good coming out of this for drivers.

Answer:

Hmmm...whatever they were using? You didn't know? How did you determan if you were being paid the correct amount?

You can bet your life all the routes will be 'short' mile routes.
Whatever mileage program they institute it's to their advantage in the long run.
Answer:
Some, if not all of this "may" have something to do with Swift and that lawsuit on HHG miles/not getting paid for all their out of route miles on their fueling terminals. I haven't heard anything of late on that Swift/driver lawsuit.
CFI was paying HHG miles. Without the proper software, it's is very difficult for a driver to check his paid miles for accuracy.
I use Rand McNally software (TripMaker) and run the 'shortest' route feature to check my miles. I've been using this software since 97 and it always matches the HHG miles within a few miles or less.
Pretty good program for the Money, considering the official HHG mileage guide on CD cost about $2000.00.

Answer:
dak-1
I do the same thing on DeLorme. The "shortest" button produces a rediculous route, but I start tweaking it and usually find something that's truck legal to within 1 or 2 percent. I modify it to make it simpler around urban areas, and it usually averages about 3-4 percent -- 30-40 miles for every 1,000. Anything more than that, I ask dispatch for money. But if we're using HHG, and I suspect we are, it's pretty close. I'd still like to get "practical" if it's really more. I'm not so sure. May just be a similar chart with a different name.... I hear the ad on XM too. The ad says something like, '...tired of not getting paid for enough of the miles you drive?" Perhaps they're talking to someone who doesn't even make HHG? I think most of these truck ads on XM use the usual slight-of-hand to imply something better than they've really got.... "Practical" may indeed be no better than HHG....but in the mean time they've got this buzz going.....

Answer:
"Practical" may indeed be no better than HHG..
======================================
This is true.
Some Companies, like Indian River Transport, tell their drivers, "We pay Rand McNally route miles"..Well, Not exactly, but it is more miles than HHG miles.
I'm very happy with my Rand McNally Software. I've checked it against both Odometer and Hubdometer (when I had one) Impressive. On a 3000 mile trip only 5 miles off on the Hub @ the "Quickest Route"
I check my payroll with it, so I know exactly what I'm paid verses miles run. The paid miles are also on the QC for every dispatch load.
There are some funky numbers out there Carriers use and Yes, I find a lot of drivers that have no idea "how they are paid on miles"
Without the Laptop and the mileage software, Drivers have no clue on the actual miles they are being paid for on HHG or other funky miles carriers are using for driver pay.
Some of these drivers run loads "way out of route" burning up excessive miles and time/hours on their logbook. Then cannot figure out why their sitting at a truck stop by the end of the week or don't have hours for loads because they burned up excessive miles/hours during the week.
Then they BOO HOO they're not making an money....
Smart people that run smart make money, dumb people who run dumb and blind don't make money....
That's why their sitting at home everyday on the computer from morning till night crying and whining how unfair the trucking industry was to them. And it's is/was 'Everyone else that was at fault"
Too many people out here running stupid everyday.

Answer:

Since my out of route has traditionally been between 1% and 3%, I haven't worried about it too much. They said it was HHG...but I tend to run too close to the miles dispatched to believe it. I ran from Carrollton TX to Sacramento, Ca....where I am now....and my out of route compared to dispatch miles was a whopping 7/10's of 1%. And thats on the old mileage system. Not bad, eh?
Like some of the others.....I run a laptop with MS Streets and Trips, do short route vs fastest, and also have PC Miler.....so I know that I am being paid what I am supposed to be.

[quote="RABELAM"]
Not quite....re-read my comments above. For those of us who know how to route and aren't addicted to the interstate system.....it will be found money. I've even beat paid mileage on some of the loads. Not as often as I'd like, but often enough to make me happy!! As to whether or not it will be to their advantage or not remains to be seen...but if they are going to keep good drivers, well...I guess they'll have to share the money, eh? I do believe that here pretty soon all the companies are going to have to go to "practical miles" and then it will end up being "hub miles" on a published and fully legal route.
But in any event...it will be interesting to see how much the difference actually pans out to be.
Yep, at the present time....I'm happy I stuck around!!So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:

Amen brother. Laptops are pricey for a new driver, but sooner the better -- start learning how to work a routing program (even if you're not running gps) and make better routing decisions that get you there sooner.
The biggest surprise you'll find is:
Most mainstream mileage charts (HHG, etc) are actually very close to the shortest legal truck route. The only significent diffference may be the surface driving once you get there -- like driving another 25 miles to the far side of town, etc.
The second biggest surprise you'll find using routing software is:
You can actually do pretty good time on some of those two-lane roads, even through small towns, without speeding or driving unsafely. Out west, the two-lane gets faster in the long run at about 6 miles shorter (per hour) than the interstate. Most drivrers choose 2-lane around 10 or 15 miles shorter miles per hour than the interstate. Too high. The two-lane routes are more difficult to drive and navigate, but many are quicker than they look.
In my regional OTR (for example) I'll spend less time behind the wheel running the more complex routes most of the time -- a pretty straight line between A and B -- than adding more than about 6% interstate instead.
Laptop navigation gives you real data you can use -- not just what the company tells you and eye-balling the orange lines to see which is shorter.
It can help you shorten the work time behind the wheel for the fixed amount the load pays.....also called increasing your "hourly wage" .... .... if that's important to anyone....

Answer:
Should see a good difference Skywalker. We have been running practical miles since leaving CFI and are able to stay on the "big road" a lot more.
Hubby also had low OOR percentage running HHG miles. Its all in what you get used to. But I wont argue with sticking to (and getting paid) for running a practical route since most of our freight is time sensitive.
Laredo to Taylor, MI, prime example, PC Miler shortest route (close to HHG pd miles) 1566 miles, PC Miler practical route 1630 miles.
Answer:
I drive for Crete and have already noticed a difference in the mileage. They forgot to update the database on a load offer and when the actual load assignment came across the miles were about 50 more. Gotta love being paid for miles driven. First trip on new system was about 5 miles over what was paid.
Yea, I bet the other companies are thanking Crete about now .
BTW, Skywalker I met you when I worked at CFI. It was a few years ago in Otey Mesa. Glad to see its working out over there. Take care.
Greg

Answer:

I know you said that "tongue in cheek"

Wow, that was a few years ago.....cuz' its been at least that long since I was out there!!! Been in that neck of the woods but not to Otay. Was that at the dirt lot with the snakes or the concrete one
Glad to hear everythings working out for you at Crete!! PM me your tractor number and I'll keep an eye out for you!! I'll PM you mine.So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:
Listen to SIRIUS instead of XM radio - I own stock in that.

Answer:

Can't. CFI originally equipped our new tractors with XM, and now they pay for the service as a "bennie". Sorry..... Maybe you should dump Sirius and buy XM?
And in addition to OK Pikepass...EZ pass (accepted now in IL) we also have company paid for Prepass....
Now all we gotta do is get OH and IN off their duffs and with the program!!So I like what I do, you don't, too bad, get over it. Get on with your life, I am.

Answer:

Who else would pay for it??????