No one is saying self regulate here - not me or anyone else - but the rules need to flexible - the spirit of the rules is supposed to require that a driver gets

No one is saying self regulate here - not me or anyone else - but the rules need to flexible - the spirit of the rules is supposed to require that a driver gets 10 hours of off duty time, with the idea that they'll get 8 hours of sleep in there. If you're requiring drivers to shut down on the side of the highway (lack of parking for trucks is a real issue), then I dont think thats helping safety much. Being able to shutdown where I can get a parking space at a place with a bathroom, a shower, and a hot meal is better than on the side of the interstate, the next best place is a rest area on the side of the highway. Particularly in the case as a parallel commenters noted of a driver who runs out of hours 20 min from home.