How do I cope with rules that cut into my pay by the mile?

You can run your clock perfectly and within the law, and that mastery is real. What wears you down is the deeper unfairness: you are paid by the mile, but the rules cap the miles, so following them honestly costs you money. That is a genuine bind, not a complaint. Being ground down by a system that pits your safety against your pay is completely understandable. Hold onto this. The rules are not your enemy, even when they cost you. They exist because the alternative, exhausted drivers chasing miles, ends in wreckage. The unfairness you feel is real, but its source is a pay model that ties your income to distance, not the safety limits themselves. Aim your frustration at the right target, because that keeps you from resenting the very rules that protect you. What you can do is protect your body and your license, which are the assets your whole living depends on. Beyond that, look for the better-paying lanes or employers over time. For today, run legal, rest fully, and know that the fatigue is the system's failing, not yours.