Dec. 15 – Starting this March, carriers hauling military freight for the U.S. Department of Defense will have to calculate mileage with a new electronic system, the Defense Table of Official Distances.
Domestic household goods carriers will have to start using the system in May.
The system is known commercially as PC*Miler, developed and marketed by ALK Associates, Princeton, NJ. It replaces several sources for distance information used by
the DOD, including the Rand McNally TDM Mileagemaker System, the Household Goods Carriers’ Mileage Guide, and the DOD Official Table of Distances.
Military haulers won’t have to buy the PC*Miler system, says Ethel Anderson, project manager, Military Traffic Management Command. But if there is a mileage discrepancy, PC *Miler will prevail.
Cost concerns of small carriers were considered when selecting a system provider, she said. The full PC*Miler system can cost as much as $30,000, but a CD-ROM version is available for about $2,000. Mileage information can also be accessed through the Internet. An annual subscription fee of $375 gives subscribers 500 “look-ups” on the Internet.
DOD has been working on the switch since 1996 and selected ALK as its software and
data source late in 1997. PC*Miler is in its 11th edition and used by more than 9,500 motor carriers, shippers, logistics companies and government agencies for freight rating, costing, dispatch, driver pay, fuel tax computation and driver log auditing.