Trucking Terms Guide

ELD and HOS / Logs

Yard Move in trucking

Short answer: A special driving status used for movement in a yard rather than over-the-road driving.

Plain-English explanation

Yard move is a special ELD duty status used when a driver moves a commercial motor vehicle within a yard or terminal rather than on public roads. Like personal conveyance, it is a designated ELD status — but unlike PC, it is for legitimate work-related movement inside a controlled yard. Yard move time does not count toward the driver's 11-hour driving limit, though it does count toward the on-duty time.

With logs and hours, timing matters. A phrase may sound simple, but the ELD record, duty status, supporting documents, and roadside inspection context can change how it should be handled.

Why it matters in trucking

Using yard move correctly reduces unnecessary drive-time consumption during trailer spotting, dock positioning, and short moves within a distribution center or terminal. Using it incorrectly — logging yard move while the truck is actually on a public road — is a falsification of the driving record, which is treated more seriously than a standard HOS violation.

A clean ELD log is easier to defend when the driver and office understand the vocabulary before an edit, annotation, or inspection request comes in.

Example in real use

A driver arrives at a large distribution center and needs to spot three different trailers at different docks before loading. The moves are all within the facility's private road network. The driver logs yard move for those repositioning segments. The ELD records the movement without consuming driving hours. When the driver pulls out of the gate onto the public road, they switch back to driving status.

Common mistakes or confusion

  • Logging yard move while on a public road or highway — any movement on roads accessible to the public must be logged as driving.
  • Not confirming with the carrier or fleet manager that yard move is authorized for the specific location — some carriers restrict its use to specific yards or operations.
  • Confusing yard move with personal conveyance — yard move is work-related movement in a controlled yard; personal conveyance is personal, off-duty movement.

Related terms

Audit Trail A record of changes or events in a logging system that helps explain how driver log data changed. Supporting Documents Business documents used to support or verify a driver's records of duty status. Duty Status A driver log category such as driving, on duty, off duty, or sleeper berth. Personal Conveyance Off-duty movement of a commercial motor vehicle for personal use when conditions are met. On-Duty Not Driving Time when a driver is working but not driving, such as loading checks or inspections. Off Duty Driver time relieved from work responsibility and not performing carrier work.

Related guides

ELD and HOS Terms is the best next place to keep learning this topic.

Sources and last updated

HOS and ELD definitions reflect the current FMCSA Hours-of-Service Summary and ELD regulatory guidance, including the September 2020 final rule. See the sources page for full reference list.

Last updated: 2026-05-10