A few weeks ago a friend suggested that I write a piece about efficient logging with an ELD. Then she 
posted on the Women in Trucking page asking drivers what they did to save time. It was an interesting follow. Most of the ideas presented had nothing to do with paper or ELD. They worked on either one.
The first safety meeting that I ever attended wasn't about safety at all. It was about what we could get away with. You had to match dates on things like toll tickets and BOLs. Fuel tickets had to match at least within an hour if you used the company credit card. If you paid cash all bets were off. It isn't that way any more. Fuel and toll tickets have to match exactly – cash or charge. That does not mean that some gamesmanship can't come into play.
Taking your 30 minute break between 5.5 and 8 hours is efficiency. Taking it while you are unloading 
is a gray area. Technically, if you at at the dock waiting it is on duty. Some warehouse take a lunch break, mine can coincide with theirs. I will combine my exercise with my efficiency and ask how long it will take and if I can leave. I will take a walk or a run and log it off duty. You have to be careful here. DOT officers will perk up if they see that you are taking breaks at shippers. The best bet is to log it as you do it.
One suggestion was to do your pre trip before you start your 14 hour clock. Once the pre trip is completed and the truck is good – log on duty. Log 10-15 minutes and fill in your inspection. That way if you have a flat tire or light out you have not started your clock Clearly this is not legal. Just as clearly, you are not apt to get caught. As long as the truck isn't moving, that ELD doesn't know what is going on. Your best bet is to do a thorough post trip.
Some of the ideas have always made sense. Once you start, keep that left door shut. I am not saying to replace your driver's seat with a commode. Get your coffee exchange done before you start your clock. Whenever possible take your 10 hour break at your customers. This eliminates searching for a parking place as well as the “what if” time that you take to make sure that you are on time. That is efficiency. 
Not starting the 14 hour clock until you're almost done, that is gamesmanship.
Gone are the days when a truck stop will put any date you want on a fuel ticket. I was written up for being not current in my log book, 25 minutes after my last entry. I had gone from driving to on duty to by fuel at 11:00. It was a small fuel center and I left immediately after fueling. At 11:25 about 12 miles from the fuel stop, I got checked and had not gone back to driving. Clearly the noose is tightening, and we all have to adjust. Hopefully, the industry will adjust and pay drivers for all on duty time. It is better to eliminate the incentive than to eliminate the ability to cheat.