The two special driving categories
| Status | Counts as |
|---|---|
| Personal conveyance Moving the truck for personal reasons while relieved of all work by the carrier. | Off duty — no effect on the 11-hour, 14-hour or 60/70-hour limits or the 34-hour restart. |
| Yard move Moving the truck within a yard — a terminal, shipper's or receiver's lot — not on public roads open to traffic. | On duty, not driving — counts toward the 14-hour window and 60/70, but not the 11 hours of driving. |
Neither is available by default. The carrier decides whether to enable each one in its ELDs, and the driver must select the category before the movement starts, deselect it when it ends, and annotate the record when the ELD asks. §395.28(a)
Personal conveyance: what qualifies
The test is the reason for the drive, not the distance and not whether the truck is loaded. A loaded truck can be personal conveyance, because the load is not moving for the carrier's benefit at that time. FMCSA's examples of appropriate use:
- Driving from en-route lodging (motel, truck stop) to restaurants or entertainment and back.
- Commuting between home and the terminal, a trailer-drop lot or a work site — if the drive still leaves time for full rest.
- After loading or unloading, driving to the first reasonably available safe place to take the required rest — even with hours used up, and even if it lies toward the next dispatch.
- Moving the truck during off-duty time because a safety official told you to.
- Carrying personal property while off duty.
- Driving home after working at an off-site location, when the carrier allows it.
And what is not personal conveyance:
- Moving the truck to help the carrier: skipping available rest spots to get closer to the next pickup or delivery.
- Bobtailing or pulling an empty trailer to get the next load, or repositioning equipment at the carrier's direction.
- Taking the truck to a shop for maintenance.
- Driving to the carrier's terminal after loading or unloading.
- Driving to a rest location after being placed out of service for hours-of-service violations — unless an officer directs it.
- Stopping at home on the way because home is closer to the next pickup.
If the nearest safe spot is full and the driver has to go on to the next one, FMCSA recommends noting that in the log. Carriers may set stricter limits — a mileage cap, no personal conveyance when loaded, or none at all.
Yard moves
Yard moves cover short movements on private property: shuttling trailers at a terminal, moving to a door at a shipper's or receiver's lot, an intermodal yard. ELDs record them as on-duty, not driving. Driving on a public road open to traffic is driving, even between two lots across the street. ELD rule, 49 CFR 395 subpart B appendix A §4.4.1.1(b); FMCSA guidance 395.2 Q9
In January 2021 FMCSA proposed spelling this out — including a public road briefly used only while traffic is held back by gates, lights or flaggers — but that guidance has not been finalized. Keep yard-move segments short, on the property, and annotated.
How auditors catch misuse
- Distance and direction. Long personal conveyance segments, or ones that end at the next pickup, look like driving time in disguise.
- Timing. Personal conveyance right after the 11- or 14-hour limit runs out, without the required rest following it.
- Supporting documents. Fuel receipts, dispatch messages and bills of lading that put the truck somewhere other than where the log says. §395.8(k), §395.11
- Yard moves at speed. GPS showing highway speeds or public roads during a yard-move segment.
Misused statuses become false-log and hours-of-service violations — the HOS Compliance BASIC in your CSA scores.
Personal conveyance policy, written and checked
We help you write the policy your ELDs are configured to, and review personal conveyance and yard-move segments against GPS and dispatch in our log reviews.
Sources: 49 CFR 395.28 and part 395 subpart B appendix A §4.4.1.1(b); FMCSA regulatory guidance on personal conveyance, 83 FR 26374 (June 7, 2018), as posted on fmcsa.dot.gov; FMCSA guidance 395.2 Q9 on yard moves (2020); proposed yard-move guidance, 86 FR 179 (Jan 4, 2021), not finalized. General information, not legal advice. IFTAX is not affiliated with FMCSA or any government agency.