PC and paid parking

I am assuming you are a green driver. If you stay in this business for long you will see how this works better then you do now.

I can roll into this topic many other topics. The first and in my opinion, the most important is to do your best to maintain a good relationship with your FM/dispatcher. Also unless you are hauling Haz-Mat I advise to stop referring to places to rest as a Safe Haven. This can be confusing to some. I would also advise giving serious thought about changing jobs if your current carrier is giving you a hard time in regard to what your status is after a load or un-load! There is not one bit of sense in doing that to a driver. I have had to face this problem many times during my career. I think the worse was after unloading at a Walmart DC in South Florida at around midnight. At that time it is near impossible to find a place to park. I knew better than to waste my time looking. I headed out to the port of Manatee and parked. Took a while and placed me out of position with my carrier. Don't drive for a carrier that is constantly in your face about how you solve a problem.

With that said I am starting to feel as @G13Tomcat does about PC.

 

Use any term you like. I know a guy that calls his sleeper his crib. He will say I need to go park my crib. Just calling it a safe-haven can confuse people because it really has a much different meaning. If you must call it a haven then use the term Rest haven. Most just call it a place to take a 10.

 

Yep, 'safe haven' is HZ (hazmat) specific. I used to haul Hazmat.

 

I think you're really trying to stick to the letter of the law, and really that does nothing but create more difficulties for you as a driver. I will say this, its easier to ask for forgiveness than it is permission. Basically do what you need to do, and don't worry about it. If there's an issue it will be brought to your attention.

That part of DFW sucks to be in, if you're in a truck and need a place to park.

 

This to me is the bottom line. If you are at acme grocery supply warehouse in anycity USA and out of hours, your stuck. Period, end of story. In a perfect world this would not happen. In a perfect world if it happened they would let you park for a break. Some will. Most won't. A driver can not refuse to leave. If you refuse the business can have you tresspassed and if necessary call a tow truck to yank you out. This leaves the driver with only ONE option. You must leave! The FMCSA has been dealing with this issue for years. The FMCSA is caught between the industry and other groups in how they deal with HOS rules. They have made it clear that carriers and other businesses are not to force drivers to violate the HOS rules. The FMCSA has allowed a driver to leave such a situation PC ONLY to get to a place where they can take a break. Legally and safely. The FMCSA has used their rule making authority to interpret PC as allowed. This makes it binding on the State's. This location can be as far as you have to go. The FMCSA has not issued guidance on distances. I don't recommend passing a truck stop heading to a terminal. The FMCSA means the closest suitable place. I would take this to mean any place where you can park regardless of if there is a payment involved or not. Just get off the road ASAP. In my career I have paid to park many times. I hated to do it. Honestly most of the time it was 10 to 15 bucks. OP? Get parked and get some rest. If the company dings you get another job.

 

PC has govt rules & often company rules. Are you asking about company rules? Paid parking isn't discussed in the govt PC rules.