CDL YARDDOG

And watch out for the trucks running down the road with "farm" tags. They're not required to have a CDL either. Just a good ole driver's license will do. At least in Ohio anywho.

 

I used to deliver lots of new yard dogs for Tico company. They sell a DOT truck for yard and highway. And a non DOT for yard only. You don't legally need any license for yard only.

 

Even though DOT doesn't have a say in this, I wonder if the company's insurance carrier does?

 

Why? Most carriers that have yard dogs are probably self-insured. And why would we think that a driver who has a cdl is a safer driver than a yard dog without one?

 

Now you should know the trucking biz better than that. Sure as 6 o clock follows 5:30, guess who the boss is going to ask to do a crosstown move?

 

I've worked all over airports and industrial locations with lots of equipment working around heavy trucks. A yard mule is no different than any other piece of equipment at any industrial location, such as a forklift for instance, working close to trucks.

Their insurer knows what business they are in and insures them accordingly and there is no need for equipment operators to have a CDL if they aren't on public roads.

 

My last company had a variety of switcher positions and our units [loved those TICO's] were all roadworthy and our 'on-site' fuel supplier would visit those dedicated to remote facilities as did our roving maintenance vendor.

Only one of the dedicated drivers was not a CDL but his father was and the two of them worked the one big box warehouse exclusively.

Half of our spotters were not dedicated to one location but would bounce around from our warehouse to various local customers and often spent their afternoons pulling empty containers back to our yard

We also expected the son to work to obtain his CDL [possibly has by now] and I would really like to see what the examiner would think when he did the alley dock......