Narrative:

About 1 hour into the flight; ZID asked what route we were on because they were showing us 25 mi off the cleared route they had. We looked and we were on the company 01 route and they had us on a WX deviation route VOR1; VOR2. We cleared up what the real clearance was and they cleared us direct fam on course. This problem began with the dispatch release and my handling of a few items on it. First; in the company route on the top line; it said 'VOR1; VOR2' not the usual 'see filed route' when we are on a nonstandard route. This did not throw me since the top right of the page said in bold print 'nonstandard route.' my confusion began first with the remarks section and this is an exact quote; 'filed to try and avoid en route WX.' honestly; my interpretation was that the dispatcher had tried to file an alternate route but was having difficulty for some reason. No problem; I'll see what we are cleared on ACARS. Pre departure clearance gave me the standard 'as filed' terminology and then had a line '? Nrp....' I don't remember exactly what was written after the '? Nrp.' so I contacted clearance on the radio to see what this was about and intended to ask them what our cleared route was. He was busy and passed me a 'standby.' I had to take a call for lavatory dump and potable water from the back of the aircraft during this; passed it to operations; and then went back to clearance. I contacted him again and said I was off frequency but was now back. He responded; 'I know what you're calling about. Disregard the alternate route; you are cleared as filed.' this is the crux of my failure. I interpreted this to mean dispatch couldn't get a WX route filed for traffic reason or flow to ZZZ or whatever and we were now on the 01 route. That's what I put in and that's what we flew which was all correct until 70 mi prior to hnn when we slowly drifted north of our cleared course (the WX deviation route). The filed route on the release was the WX route which contained 6 different fixes/jet rtes in the middle of the route as compared ot the 01 route. I checked the initial part of the 01 route in the box to the filed route section of the dispatch release and they were the same; so that told me I had the correct route in there. I failed to page forward several times to see the slight variation later in the route. Bottom line: I let nonstandard dispatch comments in the remarks section and ATC clearance verbiage lead me down a path of what the clearance really wasn't. I should have queried dispatch about their remarks section since it didn't make sense to me. I should have read the entire route to clearance delivery after speaking with him rather than letting him rush on to another radio call. I should have caught that the 01 route in the box did not match the 'filed route' section of the dispatch release. We rarely talk to clearance and I've noticed that when we do; they are in a hurry to get done with us. Obviously; if we are calling them; there is a question. We need to force them to hear us and not be in a hurry.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-700 FLT CREW FAILS TO COMPLETELY RESOLVE QUESTIONS AS TO THEIR PDC CLEARED ROUTING PRIOR TO TKOF. TRACK DEV LATE IN FLT RESULTS.

Narrative: ABOUT 1 HR INTO THE FLT; ZID ASKED WHAT RTE WE WERE ON BECAUSE THEY WERE SHOWING US 25 MI OFF THE CLRED RTE THEY HAD. WE LOOKED AND WE WERE ON THE COMPANY 01 RTE AND THEY HAD US ON A WX DEV RTE VOR1; VOR2. WE CLRED UP WHAT THE REAL CLRNC WAS AND THEY CLRED US DIRECT FAM ON COURSE. THIS PROB BEGAN WITH THE DISPATCH RELEASE AND MY HANDLING OF A FEW ITEMS ON IT. FIRST; IN THE COMPANY RTE ON THE TOP LINE; IT SAID 'VOR1; VOR2' NOT THE USUAL 'SEE FILED RTE' WHEN WE ARE ON A NONSTANDARD RTE. THIS DID NOT THROW ME SINCE THE TOP R OF THE PAGE SAID IN BOLD PRINT 'NONSTANDARD RTE.' MY CONFUSION BEGAN FIRST WITH THE REMARKS SECTION AND THIS IS AN EXACT QUOTE; 'FILED TO TRY AND AVOID ENRTE WX.' HONESTLY; MY INTERP WAS THAT THE DISPATCHER HAD TRIED TO FILE AN ALTERNATE RTE BUT WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY FOR SOME REASON. NO PROB; I'LL SEE WHAT WE ARE CLRED ON ACARS. PDC GAVE ME THE STANDARD 'AS FILED' TERMINOLOGY AND THEN HAD A LINE '? NRP....' I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRITTEN AFTER THE '? NRP.' SO I CONTACTED CLRNC ON THE RADIO TO SEE WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT AND INTENDED TO ASK THEM WHAT OUR CLRED RTE WAS. HE WAS BUSY AND PASSED ME A 'STANDBY.' I HAD TO TAKE A CALL FOR LAVATORY DUMP AND POTABLE WATER FROM THE BACK OF THE ACFT DURING THIS; PASSED IT TO OPS; AND THEN WENT BACK TO CLRNC. I CONTACTED HIM AGAIN AND SAID I WAS OFF FREQ BUT WAS NOW BACK. HE RESPONDED; 'I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE CALLING ABOUT. DISREGARD THE ALTERNATE RTE; YOU ARE CLRED AS FILED.' THIS IS THE CRUX OF MY FAILURE. I INTERPED THIS TO MEAN DISPATCH COULDN'T GET A WX RTE FILED FOR TFC REASON OR FLOW TO ZZZ OR WHATEVER AND WE WERE NOW ON THE 01 RTE. THAT'S WHAT I PUT IN AND THAT'S WHAT WE FLEW WHICH WAS ALL CORRECT UNTIL 70 MI PRIOR TO HNN WHEN WE SLOWLY DRIFTED N OF OUR CLRED COURSE (THE WX DEV RTE). THE FILED RTE ON THE RELEASE WAS THE WX RTE WHICH CONTAINED 6 DIFFERENT FIXES/JET RTES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RTE AS COMPARED OT THE 01 RTE. I CHKED THE INITIAL PART OF THE 01 RTE IN THE BOX TO THE FILED RTE SECTION OF THE DISPATCH RELEASE AND THEY WERE THE SAME; SO THAT TOLD ME I HAD THE CORRECT RTE IN THERE. I FAILED TO PAGE FORWARD SEVERAL TIMES TO SEE THE SLIGHT VARIATION LATER IN THE RTE. BOTTOM LINE: I LET NONSTANDARD DISPATCH COMMENTS IN THE REMARKS SECTION AND ATC CLRNC VERBIAGE LEAD ME DOWN A PATH OF WHAT THE CLRNC REALLY WASN'T. I SHOULD HAVE QUERIED DISPATCH ABOUT THEIR REMARKS SECTION SINCE IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. I SHOULD HAVE READ THE ENTIRE RTE TO CLRNC DELIVERY AFTER SPEAKING WITH HIM RATHER THAN LETTING HIM RUSH ON TO ANOTHER RADIO CALL. I SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT THAT THE 01 RTE IN THE BOX DID NOT MATCH THE 'FILED RTE' SECTION OF THE DISPATCH RELEASE. WE RARELY TALK TO CLRNC AND I'VE NOTICED THAT WHEN WE DO; THEY ARE IN A HURRY TO GET DONE WITH US. OBVIOUSLY; IF WE ARE CALLING THEM; THERE IS A QUESTION. WE NEED TO FORCE THEM TO HEAR US AND NOT BE IN A HURRY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.