Swift Mileage Calculation Method Used for Driver Pay Determination

I hear this a lot about different companies, the general rule is add a minimum of ten percent of the miles given.. keep track by the hub (its zip code to zip code)

 

yes, my company uses PC Practical Miles Program to pay us. (pc miler) or the old way of saying it; zip code to zip code

 

Swift uses Rand MacNally Mile Maker for calculating the miles and Rand MacNally Inteliroute for the fuel route. Mile Maker can be progamed for either practical miles or HHG miles ... Swift uses HHG miles. Mile Maker calculates on zip code to zip code, either address zip code or city main zip code ... Swift uses city main.

 

zip to zip is a pretty common one for business reasons. It is an easy standard to base rates on that every company will use the same mileage to give a quote so everything is equal. I remember fuming when delivering in LA and picking up across the city because I would lose tons of miles in the process. I never thought it was fair but understood why the companies did it. Some companies that paid hub stopped because the drivers would pad the miles every week for extra pay. When the qualcom systems started being put in the trucks so they could be actually tracked many took a look at the routes and said no way. Easier would have been to warn and then fire the driver but easier to use a giant hammer.

 

when given a load and figuring out how long it would take I always added 10% to the mileage and the time seemed to come out ok.

 

All the stories I found were from last year. Any update? I'm wondering how the lawsuit went forward as this has been standard practice for decades and if I remember correctly Swift told me when I started that that was how I was paid. If your informed of this then your suing because you don't think your being paid enough? It's a good thing for the industry, however, for the drivers to get paid what they drive as I often fumed at the extra 10-15% I drove without getting paid every week.

 

As an owner/operator how close the paid miles are to what's required to get here factor into my decision whether to take the load or not.

An example of a destination I'm wary of is Pueblo, CO. The paid miles from Phoenix is about 680 yet the actual miles is a bit over 750. I found the same shortage last week on a load I took to Pueblo from St. Paul, MN.

The load I'm currently on pays 1480 miles and the actual is 1510. I ran several that were nearly exact, usually from small town to small town.

Phoenix is one the worst to pick up or deliver to. Took me a half hour to drive to the airport from the terminal and you guessed it, got paid 1 mile. Yet Tolleson, AZ is a 5 minute drive from the terminal and we get paid 9 miles. El Paso is pretty bad as well.

 

You are also aware as an Owner Op (using that Term loosely), you don't have to follow the route at all.So, in some cases you will actually be able to get right on the miles.

 

Atlanta GA is another bad one for this. If you empty out on one side of Atl and have to go pick up your next load on the other side of the city they will route you straight across and pay you just 10 miles, we all know trucks have to follow the toilet bowl ring freeway around which is about 34 miles.

 

I love the analogy of the toilet bowl ring. Will have to pass it on to husband.