Question about doing Yard Moves

I haul intermodal as well, we use yard move at the ramps, container depots and on private lots at customers, it's simply part of your 14, just make sure when you clear the gate, you turn off YM and your ELD switches to driving. I've had days where I've logged more YM miles/hours on my 14 than actual driving miles/hours because of time spent at the ramps.

 

Fmcsa told us yard move is acceptable in a truck stop provided there is a "different entrance" than for povs.

But it's all guidance anyways, at least until there is some case law.

 

Last year an "update" from Trimble changed the way our Peoplenet units recorded and saved drivetime.
Don't know if it was a company deal or to be compliant w federal regulations.
Previously it had automatically rolled back from D to OD to when the vehicle stopped.
After the update it requires a 5 minute lag time, staying in D before rolling to OD.
This ate up drive time as well as shorting us 5 minutes of pay each time we stopped. As we're paid for all OD time while on a road run(mileage pay,) it's currently 62 cents per minute.
Each instance of not manually going into YM cost the driver over 3 dollars. Possible use 3 to 6 times daily means 16 to 32 dollars left behind.
I know of nobody willing to take that kind of pay cut.
DT is not a concern for us since we're a daycab operation, returning to plant or a hotel.

Primarily the moves are on customer properties that require an extended traverse or multiple backing maneuvers, while other times it's a pull thru site where the gps coordinates wouldn't change indicating movement.
Our units roll to D at 20mph and have no PC option.

We regularly are on YM as we load and drive around the plant to scale out to leave, as each lap around is a half mile.
Again the use is primarily on private property.
Not sure where the FMCSA authority and enforcement crosses the line between public and private property.

 

A yard move is considered on-duty (not driving). To log on-duty (not driving) it is prudent to only use the “yard move” option when a driver is not on a “highway”, in other words, in an area open to public travel. “Highway means any road, street, or way, whether on public or private property, open to public travel.


Top 10 FAQs About the ELD 'Yard Move' Special Driving.

 

Well I’d like to see the FMCSA try to come on my property and enforce how I spend my time on said property. Or even our truck yard, which I also own. They don’t have any authority with what happens on private property not open to the public, gated or otherwise. Just like you can have non-CDL drivers move trucks and equipment on the yard.

Now I will say, if some bad accident happens on said yard and it ends up going to court, I’m sure the lawyers would bring up any issues with drivers being overworked as a contributing factor.

 

I guess I'm a rule breaker. I use yard move sometimes at the beginning of my day if the place was filling up and decided to park and fuel in the morning. Or at large customers I will use it. Costco, wm, large farms, etc. Say for onions, load it go to scale, do that a few times. All on line 4. Never been bothered. I don't typically drive to the last minute anymore either, maybe that has something to do with it.

 

One annoying thing our PeopleNets do is when using Yard Moves if you shut the truck off it will kick back into regular On Duty status when you start it back up!

JD