Can you cheat an eLog?

While true, but not always. Alot of it depends on where you are, and what time you're shutting down. As a example, if you're on I-10 in Louisiana during Mardi-Gras, at night, I wish you luck in finding spot at Pilot, Flying J, etc. Likewise with Laredo at night (especially a Sunday night). Or if you're on a US-Route that doesn't have truck parking for 4+ hours. It'll happen, no matter how well you try to prepare yourself.

You can't predict that a TA will be completely full when you get there, and I'll be willing to bet that you ran into that situation a few times. We all have.

This is the main reason why I prefer to drive at night, as when I shut down at 10ish, I'm pretty much guarenteed I'll find a parking spot anywhere I go. But this is not always possible.

 

I am well acquainted with what the regulation says. Your extremely loose interpretation is not one I would bank on.

{NOTE: The interpretation has not been re-written since the last rule change, so the referenced 10-hour rule is the current 11 hours of driving and the referenced 15 hours is currently 14 hours.}

So, in spite of what you have posted, the FMCSA does not "give you 2 extra hours a week to park or complete the run." IF you can justify the adverse driving conditions exemption, then you can drive up to 13 hours, but you do not get to add two extra hours to your 14, nor your 70. That's pretty clear.

Piss-poor planning on part of a driver ("I couldn't find a place to park") does not qualify under adverse driving conditions.

While your logs may pass a road-side inspection, they are wide-open to violations discovered in an audit, especially if you "use this all the time." It's only a matter of time.

 

The absolute antithesis of the adverse driving conditions exemption... entirely predictable scenarios.

 

I just love how all of you are automatically judging my trip-planning.

My logs have been audited a few times, and I'm at Level 0 (no violations).

I'm not suggesting I use this every chance I get to extend my hours, so I don't know where you got that idea from, but I have used it occasionally. As long as you inform the logs dept at your company the reason why you went over, they won't care much and will remove the violation.

And not finding a place to park is a good reason. You can't possibly know in advance if your planned TA/Petro/Pilot/Flying J/etc stop will be full. You guys sound like you never drove in New England before.

 

Your words, not mine.

I sure hope they don't have you acting in any kind of training/advisory/mentoring capacity.

Obviously you're certainly free to do pretty much whatever you want, and while your company may accept the way you operate, giving false advice on a public forum is pretty disingenuous and misleading. Some companies do care and a full truck stop doesn't meet the criteria for the adverse driving conditions exemption... whether you or I agree with it or not.

 

Nothing in my advice is false. This is actually required EOBR training material that all major carriers give during orientation. If you can't comprehend the regulation you quoted then you aren't worth debating with.

 

Why is it so hard for certain people to understand a reg? Not being able to find a place to park is not poor trip-planning, and it's not abusing a reg. You guys can't possibly tell me that you were able to find a spot anywhere at anytime within the maximum HOS. That is not possible. If so, then you have never driven in New England, through construction zones, major cities at night, etc.

 

You need to re-read my posts. I never said anything about not knowing where to park. My argument is based on your planned spot being full when you get there.