LTM question

magnolia72 · Apr 3, 2026

Since route mileage cannot be disputed, can anyone tell me how to fix my LTM to match the true mileage for my route? Every month, I sit and watch a car drive my whole route and it's truly driving the whole route, so how is the mileage shorting me 3 miles per day? I did dispute this after the very first RRECS mail survey and was denied. I have downloaded two different apps on my phone and every day, it's a little over what my true mileage is due to delivering packages to the door. Before my next sit down to do watch the car drive the route, what if anything can I do to have the computer actually show the correct mileage? TIA

Chemado · Apr 3, 2026

Get management to do a route inspection. Have them drive the route, or ride with you, and verify the mileage.

magnolia72 · Apr 3, 2026

The very last ride along the PM had on my route, he remembers and it wasn't that long before RRECS started. He take notes and keeps them locked away so I know that he still has the paperwork from that last ride along. He had called an RCA to come in and deliver the big packages so I would only be driving the route without leaving the road.

This is what I am questioning:

Since I can't dispute the mileage and it clearly says that carrier and manager must review the LTM to determine the issue, but how? I'm watching that little car go all around my route, not missing any roads or turns but it's still showing my route as being 3 miles shorter than it actually is so how do I fix it?

Chemado · Apr 3, 2026

So hard to say without knowing your route and seeing LTM. Are the roads on the map lining up properly? Maybe contact union rep and see if they have an answer on how to fix/dispute it.

RammerJammer · Apr 3, 2026

magnolia72 said:
The very last ride along the PM had on my route, he remembers and it wasn't that long before RRECS started. He take notes and keeps them locked away so I know that he still has the paperwork from that last ride along. He had called an RCA to come in and deliver the big packages so I would only be driving the route without leaving the road.

Are you saying that the extra 3 miles everyday comes from turning up driveways & such to deliver to the door? Unfortunately you don’t get that included in the calculated route length. It sounds like your pm notated the odometer and therefore only measured the regular line of travel.

Rt2mailman · Apr 3, 2026

True that we don't get paid for mileage up to the houses, except in the Rrecs parcels to the door distances. It is especially wrong that those driving pov's don't get ema to the door for parcels. Those carriers are paying for that gas without reimbursement. Being the USPS is a non profit organization, those pov carriers should be allowed to deduct that mileage from their taxes.

really · Apr 3, 2026

GPS is point to point and line to line. Does not have to stay on a street for those measurements. So they round corners. 3 miles seems excessive. mines off 1 mile

magnolia72 · Apr 3, 2026

RammerJammer said:
Are you saying that the extra 3 miles everyday comes from turning up driveways & such to deliver to the door? Unfortunately you don’t get that included in the calculated route length. It sounds like your pm notated the odometer and therefore only measured the regular line of travel.

No, on my last ride along the PM had an RCA deliver all of my larger packages so I could just deliver my route and go box to box. I have used my phone apps to track on days where my package volume was light and on those days, I'm barely going 1 mile over what my original mileage was on my last ride along. I have been told that the LTM goes as the crow flies but unfortunately, my POV doesn't. This has been a hot topic for years and when I researched the dispute form, it showed the attachment I posted above. I'm just trying to figure out how to change it in the LTM program since that's supposed to be how my mileage is figured.

magnolia72 · Apr 3, 2026

really said:
GPS is point to point and line to line. Does not have to stay on a street for those measurements. So they round corners. 3 miles seems excessive. mines off 1 mile

Yes, 3 miles per day for however many years since the first RRECS mail survey. Another route in the office is almost 6 miles off.

mail1000 · Apr 3, 2026

Rt2mailman said:
True that we don't get paid for mileage up to the houses, except in the Rrecs parcels to the door distances. It is especially wrong that those driving pov's don't get ema to the door for parcels. Those carriers are paying for that gas without reimbursement. Being the USPS is a non profit organization, those pov carriers should be allowed to deduct that mileage from their taxes.

So so true about the Cariiers with POV and not getting time/credit/mileage for all the driveways-it can REALLY add up on long routes and long driveways...never understood why this was set up like this ( It needs to be looked at by union again and addressed) especially now with more and more pkgs we have to go to doors with-years ago pkgs to door were very rare-it wasnt as much but now it is. Gas prices and vehicle repair prices ARE NOT cheap.

jsthere723 · Apr 4, 2026

Are you not getting paid “out of route driving “ in your evaluation? If you add it does it match or come close to your daily mileage total ? Are you actually concerned about EMA ? It’s a true matter of concern actually

neciat · Apr 4, 2026

You may want to go over your mapping. The LTM is derived from the DPM. Make sure all of your delivery points , dismounts, etc. are plotted correctly and are still in the correct locations. That "system" is notorious for "losing" TCPs, bridges, RR tracks, etc. That 3 miles each day is huge. That is 18 miles a week and mileage is still a base hour change for an increase in evaluation. You can refer to The Guide and on page 44 is where the LTM explanation begins and you'll see that the DPM needs to be accurate before LTM can be plotted correctly. Page 23 in The Guide is where the whole explanation begins starting with DPM.

https://ruralinfo.net/shared-files/104116859/?nrlca-comprehensive-guide-to-rrecs-revised-02.04.25.pdf

magnolia72 said:
The very last ride along the PM had on my route, he remembers and it wasn't that long before RRECS started.

Routes must be ridden / inspected at least one time per year. From The M-38 ;

512 FREQUENCY
All routes must be inspected at least once each calendar year. An inspection must be conducted
either during or immediately preceding the annual count of mail and all special counts of mail.
Additional inspections may be made at other times of the year.

Old Fart · Apr 4, 2026

Chemado said:
Get management to do a route inspection. Have them drive the route, or ride with you, and verify the mileage.

Should be done once per year........

blamethesub · Apr 4, 2026

GPS also does not account for changes in altitude. If your route is at all hilly, the mileage will be short even if the LTM is correct. The ride along might be the only way to show the discrepancy.

RammerJammer · Apr 4, 2026

On the day that your pm rode with you and you didn’t make any turns off the line of travel, what was the difference in your odometer and 4241A rt length? If you don’t have success in resolving the issue, there is a way that you could achieve the result possibly for the next evaluation but it would require much dedication. Pick however many house’s driveways with the longest out of route driving distances that overall add up to 3 miles or more. Preferably ones that you consistently have door parcels for anyway. You have to drive these extra distances every day that you work and the breadcrumbs will fool tracker into thinking your route is an extra 3 miles. Just keep it down home cuz.

If you drive up to some house and the dogs are barking and someone comes out just act like you goofed up. Or say you thought there was a pickup for their address. I know everybody probably thinks I’m joking but who knows til you try it. I know I drive around the apartment complex everyday when I work and the system thinks my route is 2 miles longer than it is because that’s how much they cut off of me but my mileage never changed. Or it could be that it’s rigged anyway so you’ve got to do things to even the playing table.

magnolia72 · Apr 4, 2026

jsthere723 said:
Are you not getting paid “out of route driving “ in your evaluation? If you add it does it match or come close to your daily mileage total ? Are you actually concerned about EMA ? It’s a true matter of concern actually

On my 4241M, yearly it shows out of route mileage but that's not added into my EMA. I'm not sure if I am understanding your question.

jsthere723 · Apr 4, 2026

magnolia72 said:
On my 4241M, yearly it shows out of route mileage but that's not added into my EMA. I'm not sure if I am understanding your question.

This is actually a legitimate demand . Although out of route driving is credited for the work done , time taken but no EMA for pov . There should be a class grievance for that on behalf of all the pov

Old Fart · Apr 5, 2026

RammerJammer said:
On the day that your pm rode with you and you didn’t make any turns off the line of travel, what was the difference in your odometer and 4241A rt length? If you don’t have success in resolving the issue, there is a way that you could achieve the result possibly for the next evaluation but it would require much dedication. Pick however many house’s driveways with the longest out of route driving distances that overall add up to 3 miles or more. Preferably ones that you consistently have door parcels for anyway. You have to drive these extra distances every day that you work and the breadcrumbs will fool tracker into thinking your route is an extra 3 miles. Just keep it down home cuz.

If you drive up to some house and the dogs are barking and someone comes out just act like you goofed up. Or say you thought there was a pickup for their address. I know everybody probably thinks I’m joking but who knows til you try it. I know I drive around the apartment complex everyday when I work and the system thinks my route is 2 miles longer than it is because that’s how much they cut off of me but my mileage never changed. Or it could be that it’s rigged anyway so you’ve got to do things to even the playing table.

Sidebar -- you have apartments. None of RRECS gives credit for climbing steps. Delivery point is center of first floor for most.

jsthere723 · Apr 12, 2026

Old Fart said:
Sidebar -- you have apartments. None of RRECS gives credit for climbing steps. Delivery point is center of first floor for most.

This is a legitimate question. It should have been resolved by now

Augsburg · 2026-05-10T20:32:30-0500

Rt2mailman said:
True that we don't get paid for mileage up to the houses, except in the Rrecs parcels to the door distances. It is especially wrong that those driving pov's don't get ema to the door for parcels. Those carriers are paying for that gas without reimbursement. Being the USPS is a non profit organization, those pov carriers should be allowed to deduct that mileage from their taxes.

Just because USPS doesn't make a proffit, doesn't make them "non-proffit"