Calculated miles

The mileage a load is paid on — the driving distance from pickup to drop — as opposed to what the odometer says.

Also called: Paid miles, Practical miles, Dispatched miles.

Calculated miles are the distance a truck takes between the stops on a load, from a mileage guide or a map, not the miles actually driven. Wrong turns, fuel stops and a detour for lunch do not change them.

Paying on calculated miles is the norm because it is the same number on the carrier’s settlement, and because nobody has to argue over an odometer. The carrier’s settlement usually shows the loaded calculated miles for each load.

Empty miles to the pickup and back to the yard are a separate matter; the carrier does not pay them, and whether the owner pays the driver for them is the owner’s rule.

Read next

• Empty miles — Miles driven without freight: from the yard to the pickup, and back to the yard after the drop.
• Mileage rate — What a driver is paid for each mile on a load, set per driver with a start date.

Every term, A to Z

Made with the free calculated miles at loadtally.app/tools/glossary/calculated-miles — LoadTally, loads, settlements and driver pay for owner-operators.