Mileage pay sounds simple, but the number on a rate sheet is only one part of the calculation. Drivers should know which miles qualify, whether empty miles use a different rate, and how adjustments appear on the final settlement.
PTPC is a truck driver app for calculating and recording expected pay, including mileage-based trip estimates.
This guide is educational. Your carrier agreement and settlement statement control your actual compensation.
Start with the mileage source
Ask whether the fleet calculates miles using practical miles, household-goods miles, hub miles, or another method. Two systems can produce different totals for the same route.
Separate loaded and empty miles
Record loaded and empty miles independently when the pay rates differ. Compare each total with the corresponding settlement line rather than relying only on the grand total.
Keep a trip-level record
A simple trip record makes it easier to identify a missing load or mileage adjustment before too much time passes.
For each trip, record the trip number, delivery date, loaded miles, empty miles, and the rates you expect. If your carrier pays a fuel surcharge, note whether it is paid per mile or per load. Keep detention, stop pay, tarping, and other additions separate so they are easier to match.
Work a simple example
Suppose a trip has 850 loaded miles at $0.62 per mile and 90 empty miles at $0.30 per mile. The mileage estimate is:
- Loaded pay: 850 × $0.62 = $527.00
- Empty-mile pay: 90 × $0.30 = $27.00
- Mileage subtotal: $554.00
Any stop pay, detention, fuel surcharge, reimbursements, or deductions should be recorded separately. Keeping those pieces separate helps you explain why the final settlement differs from the mileage subtotal.
Compare estimates with the settlement
When the settlement arrives, compare the trip number, mileage categories, rates, and additions line by line. A difference is not automatically an error: a carrier may use a different approved mileage system, apply a cutoff date, or carry an item into the next pay period. The goal is to identify the reason for the difference and ask a specific question when something does not match.
Questions worth asking payroll
- Which mileage system determines paid miles?
- Are empty or deadhead miles paid, and at what rate?
- Which delivery date or cutoff assigns a trip to a pay period?
- Where do mileage corrections appear?
Keep the answer with your compensation documents. Consistent records turn a vague concern about pay into a focused conversation about one trip, one rate, or one line item.