Route Suggestions. What Does It Really Mean?? Need Expert Advice On This Topic

I just keep thinking about your situation... One of the issues affecting you is the nature of being on a dedicated account. The company has already agreed to specific rates for your customer. The drivers on dedicated accounts have to understand this. Sometimes those rates are decent. Sometimes they aren't.

The customer has a lot of leverage during a downturn while the trucking companies get their chance at the leverage when freight rates are high. Even when rates are good the margins are thin. The company will always apply pressure at cost controls. That's just smart business.

My DM is very protective of his productive drivers. Like I mentioned earlier, yours does not seem to operate that way. You might try negotiating some sort of compromise. This has to be well thought out. It has to be logical. It can't be based on passion or gut feelings.

I know our circumstances are different, but my DM always needs us back to the Hydro plant as soon as possible. That way he can accept more loads. This makes his numbers better, and he can earn more money by being more productive. Yes, we drivers earn more that way also. It's a win for him when we can get back quicker.

In the past, your terminal has usually suffered from a driver shortage on the Hydro account. Most people I've spoken with attribute that problem to your DM.

Do you have any leverage? Can you prove how you could be measurably more productive by running the turnpike? If all you can prove is that you'd be happier, then you have no leverage. If you can show it allows you to return a day earlier, then you have a powerful argument for it. Do you see what I'm saying?

You have to come at this problem with proof it is hurting them by stretching out your time and consuming your available HOS. If all you can muster is an argument that shows how you don't like the way they do things, then you are not going to make progress.

If they are short on drivers, you can argue that the turnpike gets you back quicker so you can take another load that week. Make sure your math is convincing. Make sure you can manage your clock to make it happen. Make yourself more productive and you stand a much better chance at getting them to go along with your defense of using the turnpike.

My company's written policy is that taking toll roads without authorization can become driver's responsibility. I was told in training to try to avoid tolls except around Chicagoland. That said, I take the IN and OH Toll Roads and the PA Turnpike when I see fit and never hear anything about it. Once on a hot load from Michigan to Connecticut I was specifically told I could take the 'big roads.'

My company stopped sending route suggestions/fuel solutions when we switched to an app called Card Control. It can tell you the cheapest approved fuel stop along your route. Admittedly I haven't used this aspect of it yet, I just fuel where/when I need to. I will dive into it at some point. But you need to use the app to give you a 4-digit Control Number for the pump. This is much better than putting in the Job ID which was 7 digits and usually off by 2 or 3 jobs prior!

This has to be well thought out. It has to be logical. It can't be based on passion or gut feelings.

Old School is completely right (as usual). Try to find out what the actual cost to run your truck is. One number I frequently seen thrown around elsewhere is $1/mile. If they want you to save $40 by not using the toll road but it's adding 40 miles to your route is it really saving money while taking extra time off your 70? If you break it down with actual numbers that's your best shot, though as I pointed out in my example it's almost like they get blinders on and hyper focus on one thing. The saying "walk over a dollar to pick up a dime" comes to mind.

I've been thinking about this all day. Not sure if it's different for you as a dedicated but we're paid zip code to zip code based on Rand McNallys household goods moving guide, you may be paid different. Our routes are almost never on a toll road, other than that, they are the shortest possible truck route except for some areas will they will favor interstate over secondary roads. Yet I've taken toll roads including the turnpike all the time, sometimes multiple time a day and never heard anything over it.

Is your suggested route using the turnpike? If it is, but your DM is telling you to take a longer route verbally, yet not adjusting your route, then it's an issue. Not only are you loosing milage, but your also lowering your fuel milage as the added miles aren't counted in mpgs if they're not dispatched. That can effect your fuel bonus and kicker bonus.

If you're playing by the book in this situation, simply ask in writing to have your route and fuel solution updated. Although not exactly the same, here's what I did for an extra job in the pic. I try to get approval before i do the job.

We don't have much leverage as the driver except for our productivity, punctuality and not being forced dispatched, but that can turn into a war of attrition if we're turning down work. Sometimes it is best to bite the bullet.

Now, if your DM is routing you as I would think, based on not using toll roads, then it should reflect in your dispatched miles, although inconvenient, it's not really an issue. I adjust my routes as needed for weather, safety and direct routes but do get approval.

Everyone's input has been greatly appreciated. I first want to say I'm not trying to bash my company, I'm just looking for information and knowledge on this topic from different drivers. And you all have provided that.

I just want to vent and say this is insane. It's insane that billion dollar companies disrespect, rob and take advantage of drivers. Dont they know without drivers they wouldn't have a business? The driver is the foundation of the company. Take away the driver and the whole thing crumbles. The body cannot walk without legs, cannot function without a brain, cannot move objects without arms. It's foolish for one part of the body to degrade another part. Everything has its function to make the body whole.

I was employed in Nov. 2021 and my first solo run was Dec 2021. My DM told me the turnpike was unauthorized in mid Jan. of this year. From Dec. 2021 to mid Jan 2023 I have ran the turnpike with no problems. While I was in orientation they did not mention anything about "unauthorized" routes. Nowhere in writing did I receive notification about the turnpike being unauthorized before mid Jan. The economy is bad and the companies solution to save money is to make the drivers do extra miles for free? That is ludicrous! Oldschool you are 100% on point about my terminal and my DM. There is no forming a relationship with him, I tried. He is only concerned with himself and I have come to the conclusion that he despises drivers and his coworkers in the office. I say that from what I have observed being here.

I am a very productive driver. Im not saying im the best driver at the terminal but I am a hard worker and I bust my ass at this company. Productivity is not an issue for me. I have told my DM that avoiding the turnpike is unproductive and not efficient. I have a notepad where I have taking notes for 6 months and shown him the difference in time, miles and I did bring up the fact that it is unfair to the driver. Also that it is burning more fuel and putting more strain on the trucks with those hills on I-80. But he response in the utmost corporate way.

From the responses I have received here I understand that this is a trucking issue. Some companies are worse than others but all in all this is a industry situation. This has to change, it is very unfair to the driver. Also how is this not illegal? Do the labor laws not apply for OTR truckers? I do understand being paid pratical miles over hub miles, I don't like it but I can eat that. What I can't do is drive 60 plus miles for free. So now I have a decision to make.

Thank you all for the responses. It truly helped

Davy, it's the same. We are paid zip to zip also. But the calculations for paid pratical miles are running the turnpike. They then set our paid miles and route us going around the turnpike. The route suggestions are routes avoiding the turnpike but our pay does not reflect that. Ending up with us driving an additional 50 to 100 miles more without compensation. It wouldn't be a problem if they paid us pratical miles avoiding the turnpike but they don't. Our paid miles are based on us running the turnpike.

I have asked other Knight drivers from different terminals if they are going through the same situation and they say they are not. But to be fair, the drivers I asked were dry van , not on a dedicated account and from out West.

Rob T, of course Old School is right. What he said is spot on about my terminal , DM and TM. Yes, I have approached my DM with facts and logic. It's hard for me to figure out the exact cost to run the truck on each load but I have shown him from my records how avoiding the turnpike is not logical. You are correct in saying they have blinders on and from my records I can only assume they are being "a penny wise, dollar foolish" but I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong in my assumption. My DM cares nothing about the drivers 70 because it is up to us to, and I quote "manage your clock better"....

Davy, it's the same. We are paid zip to zip also. But the calculations for paid pratical miles are running the turnpike. They then set our paid miles and route us going around the turnpike. The route suggestions are routes avoiding the turnpike but our pay does not reflect that. Ending up with us driving an additional 50 to 100 miles more without compensation. It wouldn't be a problem if they paid us pratical miles avoiding the turnpike but they don't. Our paid miles are based on us running the turnpike.

I have asked other Knight drivers from different terminals if they are going through the same situation and they say they are not. But to be fair, the drivers I asked were dry van , not on a dedicated account and from out West.

Rob T, of course Old School is right. What he said is spot on about my terminal , DM and TM. Yes, I have approached my DM with facts and logic. It's hard for me to figure out the exact cost to run the truck on each load but I have shown him from my records how avoiding the turnpike is not logical. You are correct in saying they have blinders on and from my records I can only assume they are being "a penny wise, dollar foolish" but I'm pretty sure I'm not wrong in my assumption. My DM cares nothing about the drivers 70 because it is up to us to, and I quote "manage your clock better"....

I disagree with the advice about figuring out the cost per mile for your truck. It doesn’t really matter as far as you’re concerned because you’re a company driver and you’re not currently in a position where your driver manager would listen to you anyway. I think the bottom line is…don’t take the turnpike if they tell you not to take it. But if they don’t adjust your miles accordingly and you are driving the extra distance completely for free I would address that with them. If they refuse to do anything about it I would either quit or suck it up and just deal with it. Me personally, if they didn’t adjust my miles I’d quit because it’s illegal and unethical to not pay you for work performed.

I’d have to do some research to confirm this but I believe there was a law suit many years ago concerning HHG miles and pay discrepancies resulting from it and the difference between miles paid and in-route miles driven cannot be more than 10%.

I’d have to do some research to confirm this but I believe there was a law suit many years ago concerning HHG miles and pay discrepancies resulting from it and the difference between miles paid and in-route miles driven cannot be more than 10%

I'm not aware of this, and it sounds a lot like truck driver lounge talk. I'm just sounding a warning to anyone taking this as legitimate information. Pianoman rightfully gave it a little disclaimer (thank you sir!).

I will say this... 10% over has always been my threshold. If my actual miles are 10% over the miles allotted me on the load, my dispatcher and I will have a discussion about how to compensate me.

We have to realize that sometimes our employers sell these customers a better rate by cutting the miles on the load rather than the rate per mile. In that case they pay the driver the miles they quoted their customer. They eventually push the miles back up and it's automatically incorporated into the driver's dispatch and pay.

It's an old sales tactic in trucking. It is easier to raise the miles back up to the proper level without making the customer feel they are having to eat another rate hike.

I always consider my pay on each load as a "contract" price between me and my employer. I look at the paid miles and actual miles. If the contract stays within that 10% limit I've set, then I'll roll with it. If it goes over my limit, then we agree to a new contract price.

They may adjust it by giving me some sort of additional pay like "breakdown" or "tarp pay." My DM gets creative at times with ancillary pay. This is easily accomplished because of our long time mutually benficial relationship.

Reading all this makes me glad I'm paid door to door miles on any dispatch. Loaded, empty, or bobtail doesn't matter, no guess work no trying to negotiate pay for the work I did. No giving up pay because the company had to take the load on the cheap.

Companies always wonder why can't we attract more people to trucking or retain them. Then they go and short people on pay and make them fight for money they've earned. Maybe that is a reason people quit?

We're then told to shut the truck off anytime we get out to open/close doors. Is that small amount of time actually saving enough money on fuel to account for the costs of wearing your starter out earlier and potential road service call

My terminal does the exact same thing, our shop even said hey we are tearing up starters. Didn't matter they are still concerned about idling. The guy I used to do a meet with is out of one of our largest terminals with 600 linehaul drivers, he idles his whole break since his yard doesn't care.

Companies always wonder why can't we attract more people to trucking or retain them. Then they go and short people on pay and make them fight for money they've earned.

Just for clarification...

Some of the advice I gave here is specific for the situation TwoSides finds himself in. He and I work for the same company. I do not have the issues he faces. I do know the people he works with, and they have a unique proclivity for making life difficult for their drivers. While we work on the same "dedicated account," we work out of different terminals. Our company's terminals are very independently operated. Each of them has unique qualities or lack thereof.

My comments about having my DM adjust my pay when the miles are insufficient is something I rarely need to do. In fact, over the last nine years, I could count on one hand the times I needed to do it.

I just wanted to help him understand different ways he can try to deal with the issues he's having.