How are miles per load determined?

HHMG, with every goat trail between point a and b, the route you choose may be more or less however.

Company almost always comes out out on the better end.

 

Not every company uses the same method. I drive for a company that pays Practical Miles. They are based on city center to city center. I have tracked my dispatched miles vs. hub miles vs paid miles. Hub miles are always more, partly because you don't always travel the exact route. For example you stop for lunch, fuel, rest breaks, and of course to sleep. Getting off the highway and back on can be 1,2 or more miles round trip which you will not be paid for.

I have found the biggest differences % wise on short trips. Drive from the east side of Sacramento, Ca. to the port area in Stockton (west side of town) you will be short 15 miles on 78 mile run. If you have a GPS and program it to run city to city with no address it will show the same miles on the same route as Rand McNally. PC miler has a program for your PC that will match also. When you see significant variations it is usually caused by variations in the routing.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

 

Some outfits (including ours) still use the old NA Van Lines measurement which runs from city outskirts to city outskirts, including those you encounter en route. My last run to Minnesota (following their route) showed a difference of 251 miles between odometer miles and their quoted miles.

For some wierd corporate reason they believe this gives them an advantage with the customer when quoting loads and refuse to change. Corporate execs are as dumb as a box of rocks.

 

I was told a few years ago that some type of household movers program is used. from zip code to zip code. however, the computer system uses the shortest route possible. such as getting off the interstate, running state roads, side streets, and anything and everything that would save a few miles over the entire course of the trip. quite a few times, i drove less than what the load paid. not often, but it happens once in a while.

 

but the one thing that always killed me was delivering in Chicago (southside), then deadheading to Chicago (northside) which may have taken 30 minutes or more, and deadhead miles were ZERO..lol..(other major cities are same way)

 

Google maps is going to show you passenger car routing and miles address to address.

PC Miler, or Rand Commercial applications are based zip code to zip code.

 

That is not zip code to zip code however. In addition if they are getting it through a broker he or she may be paying HHG that is always way short.

The program they are using probably isn't free as it probably provides routing, fuel tax criteria......... I do not know that but most companies utilize them. But I highly doubt anyone is using Google Maps for their dispatch so your numbers will probably not match all the time.

If you think the numbers are way off you can dispute it with dispatch, or ask them specifically which program they use and see if there is a cheaper version.