Shuffling a trailer around the yard shouldn't eat your 11 hours of drive time. That's exactly what the yard-move category is for — used correctly.
A yard move is a special driving category for moving your vehicle on private property — a terminal, drop yard, or DC lot. Instead of recording as driving, it logs as on-duty not driving, so spotting trailers and repositioning doesn't inflate your 11-hour clock.
| Clock | Yard move counts? |
|---|---|
| 11-hour driving limit | No — it's on-duty, not driving |
| 14-hour window | Yes — you're on duty |
| 70-hour / weekly cycle | Yes — on-duty time |
Yard move should auto-cancel back to Driving when you leave the yard or exceed a set speed, so public-road miles are always recorded correctly. TruckSpot confirms the yard-move selection with a quick prompt so a stray tap doesn't accidentally start — or leave you stuck in — the wrong status. It pairs with personal conveyance, the other special category, for off-duty personal use.
Log yard moves the right way — start for $1 →No — it's recorded as on-duty not driving, so it doesn't add to your 11 hours. It does count against your 14-hour window.
Only on private property like a terminal or drop yard — never on a public road. The carrier must enable it and the driver must select it before moving.
Yard move is only valid on private property. Most ELDs auto-switch to Driving above a set speed or when you leave the yard, so public-road miles record as driving.