One topic sure to raise the blood pressure of many drivers is the issue of fleets using household goods (HHG) miles as the basis for their rate and pay calculations.

Newport Communications' Deborah Whistler takes a look at this hot topic in the February issues of both RoadStar and Heavy Duty Trucking magazines in her "Soapbox" column.
Drivers often complaint hat fleets are gouging them out of money by using the HHG Mileage Guide to set rates. The typical complain is that household goods miles are routinely 10 percent less than the actual hub miles the driver logs. It's a financial issue for drivers, and thus an emotional one, and a frequent source of conflict between drivers and fleet managers.
Whistler explains to both audiences the history behind the use of the HHG Mileage Guide, which dates back to the 1930s. She examines how the mileage is determined and why it can vary so much.
Joseph Harrison, president of the American Moving & Storage Assn., tells Whistler that while the HHG guide determines the shortest route possible between two points, there may be a route that a driver will choose that is better - but that route may be longer that the one in the HHG Mileage Guide.
"It's not because the carrier has tried to figure out a way to cheat the driver," Harrison says. "The carrier is trying to appease their customer by providing a reasonable basis for pricing the transportation service provided."

To read more about the HHG mileage issue, including letters on the topic, see the February issues of RoadStar and Heavy Duty Trucking.