With the truck parking situation how it is today, most drivers have, on occasion, had to get a little “creative” with their parking situation. Eventually, someone will take issue with where you’ve decided to get your federally mandated rest time, call the local authorities, and you’ll get saddled with a hefty fine. What’s the most you’ve ever paid for a parking fine? $200? $500? How about $200,000? That’s how much driver Darrel Gashette is being fined for parking his rig in his own driveway.

Gashette has lived in the same home outside of Houston, Texas since 1999. His driveway is extra wide and extra long to be able to fit the cab of his rig when he’s at home, and since he’s an OTR driver, that’s not very often. He says that he doesn’t like to park his rig in the street for other people’s safety because it’s a big black truck and someone driving at night might not see it and end up hitting it.





“I don’t like it on the street for fear of other people’s safety. It’s a big black truck. Somebody could run into it at night,” he said.

The neighbors were all friendly enough, so parking in his driveway was never an issue… that is until new neighbors moved in about a year ago. The neighbors complained about the truck to a city attorney, pointing to a violation of deed restrictions. Gashette noted that these were the same deed restrictions that were so outdated that they still have a section that says that “none of the lots shown shall be used, owned or occupied by any person other than the Caucasian race.”

The issue was argued about for months until the city finally hit Gashette with the fine for $202,000.

“Two hundred and two thousand dollars. They wanted a thousand dollars a day for every day since the complaint was filed,” Gashette said. “I’m on the road. I’m a truck driver. I probably wasn’t home 200 days last year.”

The court agreed to waive the bulk of the fine after Gashette challenged them, but the court told him that, per the deed restrictions, he will not be allowed to park in his driveway any more. He instead will have to park on the street.

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Source: khou