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Yard move vs personal conveyance comes down to duty status. A yard move is moving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inside a yard, and it is logged as on-duty not driving. Personal conveyance is driving the CMV for personal reasons after the carrier has relieved you of all work, and it is logged as off duty. Both are optional electronic logging device (ELD) categories the carrier must turn on.
| As of October 2026 | Yard move | Personal conveyance |
|---|---|---|
| Duty status it records | On-duty not driving | Off duty |
| Counts against the 11-hour driving limit | No | No |
| Counts against the 14-hour window and 60/70 hours | Yes (it is on-duty time) | No |
| Where it can happen | A yard: confined, private property or a restricted area | Anywhere, including public roads |
| Purpose | Work for the carrier (moving equipment on site) | Personal, with no commercial benefit to the carrier |
| Legal basis | 49 CFR 395.28 plus FMCSA guidance | 49 CFR 395.28 plus FMCSA guidance |
| Carrier must enable it on the ELD | Yes | Yes |
What a yard move is
A yard move is a "special driving category" that ELDs must offer and carriers may enable (49 CFR 395.28(a)). The ELD records it as on-duty not driving time. FMCSA's 2021 notice on yard moves says the ELD rule's technical specifications record "yard moves" that way (appendix A to subpart B of part 395, section 4.4.1.1(b)), and that FMCSA declined to define the term in the 2015 ELD rule (86 FR 179, Jan. 4, 2021).
The reason a yard move isn't driving time is the definition of a highway. "Driving time" means "all time spent at the driving controls of a commercial motor vehicle in operation" (395.2), and the rules apply to CMVs used on a highway, defined as "any road, street, or way, whether on public or private property, open to public travel" (49 CFR 390.5). FMCSA's 2021 notice puts it plainly: because yard moves "occur on private property within the confines of a yard and not on a public road, this time does not constitute 'driving time.'"
FMCSA guidance posted February 28, 2020 (the version the 2021 proposal would replace). Question 9 to 395.2 asks how a driver should record time jockeying CMVs "in the yard (private property)." The answer: "On-duty (not driving)." That replaced 1997 guidance that called the same time driving (86 FR 180).
Proposed, not final. In January 2021 FMCSA proposed a fuller answer with examples of what is and isn't a yard (86 FR 180–181):
| May qualify as a yard (proposed) | Does not qualify (proposed) |
|---|---|
| An intermodal yard or port facility | A public road without traffic control |
| A motor carrier's place of business | Public rest areas |
| A shipper's privately owned parking lot | |
| A public road, "but only if and while public access to the road is restricted through traffic control measures such as lights, gates, flaggers or other means" |
A Federal Register search on October 20, 2026 found no notice finalizing that proposal. Treat the examples as FMCSA's stated thinking, not settled guidance, and check FMCSA's guidance portal before relying on them.
What personal conveyance is
Personal conveyance is the other special driving category in 395.28. Under FMCSA's 2018 guidance, time driving a CMV may be logged as off duty "only when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier" (83 FR 26377, June 7, 2018). The truck may be loaded. The carrier may ban it or limit it. Our full guide to personal conveyance lists the 7 uses FMCSA allows and the 8 it rejects.
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Where the two categories meet
The line between them sits in the same parking lot. FMCSA drew it in a February 2020 FAQ, quoted in the 2021 notice (86 FR 180–181):
- A move "may be considered as personal conveyance if the driver is off-duty and the movement is not for the motor carrier, shipper or receiver's commercial benefit." FMCSA's examples: "moving a CMV from one parking space to another at a shipper or port, or driving to a truck stop, rest area or any other location." The move should go "no farther than the nearest reasonable and safe location to complete the rest period."
- "An on-duty yard move, such as moving the vehicle a short distance while waiting to load, would not qualify as personal conveyance."
The test is the same short move, judged by why you're making it. Waiting to load is work. Repositioning during your rest is personal.
Decision table: 10 movements and the right status
Built only from 395.2, 390.5, the 2018 personal conveyance guidance and the 2020–2021 yard move guidance quoted above. Your carrier's policy can be stricter.
| # | Movement | Status | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jockeying trailers around the carrier's own terminal yard | Yard move | Guidance Q9: "On-duty (not driving)" |
| 2 | Pulling forward in a shipper's private lot while waiting to load | Yard move | FMCSA's own example of an on-duty yard move |
| 3 | Moving to another space at a shipper during your 10-hour break, for your own rest | Personal conveyance | Off duty, no commercial benefit (FAQ 12) |
| 4 | Driving from the receiver to the nearest safe truck stop to sleep, after unloading | Personal conveyance | Allowed use in 83 FR 26380, if it is the nearest reasonable safe place |
| 5 | Crossing a public street between two parts of a facility with a flagger stopping traffic | Yard move (proposed guidance) | Proposed example 4 in 86 FR 181 |
| 6 | Crossing the same street with no traffic control | Driving | A road "open to public travel" is a highway (390.5) |
| 7 | Bobtailing to pick up the next load | Driving | 83 FR 26380 lists it as not personal conveyance |
| 8 | Driving to a maintenance shop on public roads | Driving | 83 FR 26380: taking a CMV for maintenance is not personal conveyance |
| 9 | Moving a truck to another spot inside a public rest area | Not a yard move: driving if on duty, personal conveyance if off duty and resting | Proposed guidance lists public rest areas as not yards; FAQ 12 covers off-duty repositioning |
| 10 | Driving home from the terminal after release, with carrier permission | Personal conveyance | Commuting is an allowed use in 83 FR 26380 |
How each category is recorded on an ELD
Both categories work the same way on the device. Under 395.28(a), as of October 2026:
- The carrier decides. "A motor carrier may configure an ELD to authorize a driver" to use authorized personal use and yard moves. If the carrier hasn't, the option isn't there.
- The driver selects the category "before the start of the status" and deselects it "when the indicated status ends."
- The driver annotates the record "when prompted by the ELD, describing the driver's activity."
Yard move status after the engine is turned off. The ELD rule resets a special driving category to none after a power cycle, except for personal use. In 2017 FMCSA granted an exemption allowing "all motor carriers to configure an ELD with a yard-move mode that does not require a driver to re-input yard-move status every time the tractor is powered off" (82 FR 48883, Oct. 20, 2017). FMCSA provisionally renewed that exemption for 5 years in October 2022, to October 21, 2027 (87 FR 64837).
Common mistakes with yard moves and personal conveyance
- Leaving yard move on after leaving the yard. Once the truck is on a road open to public travel, it is driving time.
- Using yard move at a public rest area. FMCSA's proposed guidance names public rest areas as not yards.
- Using personal conveyance to get closer to the next load. FMCSA calls that a move for "operational readiness," and it is driving (83 FR 26380).
- Treating yard moves as "free" time. They don't use driving hours, but they are on-duty time. They count toward the 14-hour window and the 60/70-hour limits in 395.3. See on-duty not driving for what else lands in that status.
- Assuming a short public-road hop is a yard move. In July 2026 FMCSA requested comments on one carrier's application for an exemption to log brief public-road moves between two of its facilities as yard moves (91 FR 44952). Comments closed August 17, 2026, and no decision had been published by October 20, 2026. Without an exemption, an unrestricted public road is driving.
What a fleet policy should settle
A written policy keeps both categories honest. Each point ties to the rule text above.
- Who gets each category enabled on the ELD (395.28(a)(1)).
- Which of your locations count as yards. List them: terminal, drop lots, regular shippers' private lots. Note any public road crossings and whether traffic control exists.
- The annotation standard. For yard moves: the site. For personal conveyance: the reason, and why a nearer safe spot was passed if one was.
- That dispatch never asks for personal conveyance. A move to position for the next load is driving.
- Who reviews the data, and how often. ELD records show where and how far the truck moved in either status.
Related questions
Does a yard move count against the 14-hour clock? Yes. It is on-duty not driving time, and on-duty time runs the window under 395.3(a)(2).
Can a driver use yard move without carrier approval? No. Only a carrier can configure the ELD to authorize it (395.28(a)(1)).
Is there a speed or distance limit for yard moves in the federal rules? The regulation sets none. The test is location: a yard, not a road open to public travel.
How do these fit with the four duty statuses? Drivers record off duty, sleeper berth, driving or on-duty not driving (395.8). Yard move is a flavor of the last; personal conveyance is a flavor of the first. Our hours of service rules guide covers the limits, and the off duty not driving explainer covers why that phrase is not an FMCSA status.
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This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm requirements against the current regulation text and with your compliance counsel.
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