Do you run illegal on your logs?

I am actually in the process of looking for a new company or possibly buying my own truck so I can run the way I want to.

 

I know when I was hired, he told me that all he does is put the date and sign his book in the morning, then fills it out at the end of the day or if he is asked for it, they always let him get it current. I don't care to run that way. I really can't do anything right now, he is already starving me enough. Besides, lately they haven't had enough freight to get me in trouble. Just when they do get it, it is usually un-realistic in how one must run to make the trip work.

 

Can they (the law) come after me after I leave them (the company) for log violations?

 

My location has about 25-30 drivers. They seem to be dropping like flies here lately....must see the writing on the wall.

 

I always log and take a full 10 hours.

I tried stretching it once already and got my hand slapped by the office. My 14 ran out as I was leaving a shipper and had to drive past my 14 to get to a parking place. Nearest place was a Walmart 25 miles away. I recorded my 10 at the end of the 14 hours even though I was still moving. Next thing I knew I got a message asking me why the truck was in motion during my 10.

I begged forgivness and got away without a formal reprimand.

 

I was driving through Indiana last week on I-70 around midnight and it was raining pretty good. I pulled over at a rest area to make some home-made coffee but there was no parking. Trucks were parked along the shoulders of the On and Off-Ramps. As I was leaving, I noticed a trooper had pulled up, with his red and blues on, and was going truck to truck waking drivers up and telling them to get moving.

At one of the next exits I tried a truck stop but no parking there. Next truck stop, no parking. So I pulled over on the shoulder of the On-Ramp as I was going to get back on the highway. There were a few other trucks there also. As I was making my coffee, and going over my log book, I see the trooper's flashing lights in my mirror. He was waking up the driver behind me. He pulled up to me and gave me a forceful gesture with his arm, like he was angry, motioning me to get moving. But my log book told me I should stay parked.

I didn't want to tango with the trooper so I went on and drove illegal until I got to Ohio where I found a parking space at a truck stop.

Now I can understand telling drivers to not park on the Off-Ramps. But the On-Ramps are really not a hazard. I know some of you may disagree. They also could be worried about the trash some drivers leave. But on this night it was raining hard also. And here you have this trooper waking up sleepy drivers and forcing them to get back out on the road in the rain. What's up with that?

In order for me to make that delivery on time I had to drive as much as I could that day, so no "load-planning" would have helped me get a parking space. Heck, we all know this kind of thing happens. This is why it is IMPOSSIBLE for most driver's to run legal all the time. And there are plenty of other examples also.

Maybe LogsRus can refresh my memory on some exemption you can put on your log if you can't find parking. It's seems like I remember some log rule that gives you a little extra time, like maybe thirty minutes, in situations like this. In most cases thirty minutes isn't going to help either. Thanks.