Two Questions

Use the area on your trip form for explaining your out-of-route miles. Put down the miles for getting to your opti-stop and getting back on route
the same for scales (there and back on route) and other miles you needed to run out-of-route. They can call and verify with you later, or get with your DM about it.
Also check the miles they allow for the trip against the miles it actually IS to do that route. You'll find you always run more miles than the trip pays, but if it's off more than a few, get it corrected with your DM.

As for hours, put yourself in the bunk while loading/unloading, using the truckstop, etc as often as possible. And always do your daily check call and verbally tell your DM when you're getting low that you need a day down or a reset. You'll run far less miles if you end up stopping during a run over hours than if you plan for those days you get so little back. Plus, running out your 70 often gets the DM used to you doing that and they give you less miles to compensate so they don't have that problem as often to deal with.

 

Beyond Smkrs advice, try and do things like your fuel stop and PTI at end of day in one instance. Saves 15 minutes. If you take longer than 15 mins for a fuel stop during the day (due to things like long lines) charge 15 mins for the fuels stop and then the rest of the time on line 1 as break.

 

sounds like you're doing all you can do.
If you log 8.75 hours per day on duty, you can go forever. If you log more (as most of us do) you'll run out of hours somewhere. Just the way it is.

 

Anytime you have a legitimate reason for going out of route, if its enough miles to make a difference, get with your DM before scanning the trip and ask for the miles to be added on. Sometimes they will, sometimes they wont.

As for the 70, Ive found it best to run all my available hours that I can in a day and just do a reset whenever I run out. I usually run my 70 out in 6 days then relax for a day and a half and roll on again.

Look at it like this. If you run 8 - 9 hours a day and the end of 8 days you only have what hours your getting back to run. But if I run my hours out in 6 to 6 and a half days, on that 8th day I have a reset in and a fresh 70 to run.