California ticket advice please

I think you're right, under another thread, it was discussed that CDL holders are exempted from the license protection that traffic school provides.

 

Mate, I'd love to drop those trailers at the CA/AZ state line and tell 'em to come and get it . . . believe me. There's really only one attorney in the Joshua Tree area that deals with CMV tickets, and I'm unsure of his ability to really go to bat on it, or if his kids go to school with the judges grandkids . . . and they play golf together and have a good laugh about it all - or if I can pitch a better argument in a written submission. It's another BS ticket, and I know what they're like . . . but that's trucking (well, in CA anyway)

 

Here's how I wound up in this predicament.

I started driving at Lake Havasu, went in to Rialto, dropped trailers, fuelled and left out. NOW - this is where I usually chew up the 30 minutes. I put it in 'Sleeper', at the yard in Rialto, and then ticker about hooking up the new set of trailers and fuelling and using the bathroom. YES, I know that I'm on duty and working while the e-logs say I'm in sleeper, BUT - I'm getting a little fresh air and exercise and taking care of the DOT's little 30 minute break at the same time. Judge at will.

Problem this night - I had to do a couple of laps of the yard finding a trailer. The elogs sense the distance travelled, and automatically put me into 'On Duty', before the 30 minutes was up. I didn't catch this fact before I left the terminal to drive back out of California. If I had, I would have put it back in Sleeper, checked the hours, and waited. Should have, Could have, didn't.

So - my beloved little e-log box pops up with "You have 59 minutes before your required 30 minute break" , at about the 95 mile sticker on I-40, eastbound. Mind starts ticking . . . can't quite make it to Havasu. Don't know of anywhere in Needles to hide a set of doubles, umm, Essex rest area (I should have hit the Oasis, but didn't want to wake the wife on the bumpy road), yeah, the rest area . . . .(approach rest area - absolutely stacked on top of one another full) . . . OK - shoulder up top of the last drop into Needles. Saw EMERGENCY PARKING ONLY sign. Bugger. Well, quiet night, little traffic, I'll stop here. Risk it. Should have , Could have.

What I should have done is kept driving. I would have had a little company deal to sign off on, no problem, they're getting a lot of drivers still getting accustomed to the new rule, and stopped at Havasu, where I normally would.

So that's the honest truth for all of you who had great advice about planning my day better. Some times you have a little slip up. What is it , "Man plans, God laughs" ?I had thought afterward about the whole triangles out, hood up, make like I'm calling for assistance - but again, Should have, Could have.

Thanks again to all who have posted links and info, I'll post a later update - might be able to help someone out going forward. Cheers, Blair.

 

Yes, thanks. Laughter is the best medicine. Hope it helped your day.

 

OK. Now I'm going to go outside in the fresh air, take a deep breath, drink several beers, and mow the lawns, clean the pool wash the pickup, and weld some brackets. Because if I stay in here, in front of this computer, I will surely bash my head on the desk until I am sore. And then, I will truly remember that it's ALL MY FAULT.