Yard Truck and Trailer Movement
Yard spotter operations for moving trailers between the gate, the parking rows, and the dock, covering yard truck pre-use checks, coupling and uncoupling with fifth wheel and landing gear verification, backing into a dock position, communication with the dock through signal lights and radio, and pedestrian exclusion in the yard.
- Audience
- Yard spotters and shag drivers, dock supervisors, shipping office staff, and any employee who walks in the yard
- Review cycle
- annual
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- Revision
- 1
What is in the procedure
10 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.
- 01
Purpose
FixedThis procedure establishes how trailers are moved in the yard and spotted at the dock.
- 02
Scope
CustomizedThis procedure applies to every trailer, container, and chassis moved on the property by a facility yard truck, shag tractor, or over-the-road tractor, including moves between the guard gate, the parking rows, the...
- 03
Responsibilities
CustomizedYard spotters perform the yard truck pre-use check, verify coupling and landing gear on every move, confirm a position is released before pulling a trailer, and refuse a move they cannot make safely.
- 04
Procedure: Yard Truck Pre-Use Check
CustomizedBefore the yard truck is placed in service each shift: 1. Walk around the unit and check tires, wheels, and lug condition, and look for leaks under it.
- 05
Procedure: Coupling and Uncoupling
FixedCoupling: 1. Confirm the trailer brakes are set and its wheels are chocked where the trailer sits on a grade or where facility rule requires it.
- 06
Procedure: Landing Gear and Dropped Trailers
CustomizedA dropped trailer standing on its landing gear carries the weight of the loaded forklift as well as the freight, and it can upend, collapse a leg, or sink into soft ground.
- 07
Procedure: Moving and Spotting at the Dock
Customized1. Take the move instruction from the shipping office and confirm the trailer number and the destination position before starting.
- 08
Procedure: Pedestrian Exclusion in the Yard
CustomizedThe yard is a vehicle operating area, and no one goes into it on foot without a reason and a route.
- 09
Exception Handling: Unsafe Trailers, Weather, and Incidents
CustomizedRefuse the move and notify the supervisor if the kingpin or upper coupler is damaged, the landing gear is bent or will not raise, the rear impact guard is missing or damaged so a dock restraint cannot capture it, the...
- 10
References
Fixed29 CFR 1910.178 Powered industrial trucks, including paragraph (k) trucks and railroad cars.
OSHA references
Yard Truck and Trailer Movement: 29 CFR 1910.178(k)(1)
Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.
| Standard | Title | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 1910.178(k)(1) | Powered industrial trucks: trucks and railroad cars | The brakes of highway trucks must be set and wheel chocks placed under the rear wheels to prevent the trucks from rolling while they are boarded with powered industrial trucks. |
| 29 CFR 1910.178(k)(3) | Powered industrial trucks: fixed jacks for semitrailers | Fixed jacks may be necessary to support a semitrailer and prevent upending during the loading or unloading when the trailer is not coupled to a tractor. |
| 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1) | Powered industrial trucks: operator training | Where a yard truck is used as a powered industrial truck on the property, its operator must be competent to operate it safely, demonstrated by successful completion of training and evaluation covering the equipment and the workplace conditions in the yard, before operating without direct supervision. |
| 29 CFR 1910.22(a) | Walking-working surfaces: surface conditions | All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, service rooms, and walking-working surfaces must be kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition, and walking-working surfaces must be maintained free of hazards such as sharp or protruding objects, loose boards, corrosion, leaks, spills, snow, and ice. |
| 29 CFR 1910.22(c) | Walking-working surfaces: access and egress | The employer must provide, and ensure each employee uses, a safe means of access and egress to and from walking-working surfaces. |
| 29 CFR 1910.176(a) | Handling materials, general: use of mechanical equipment | Where mechanical handling equipment is used, sufficient safe clearances must be allowed for aisles, at loading docks, through doorways, and wherever turns or passage must be made, and aisles and passageways must be kept clear and in good repair with no obstruction that could create a hazard. |
Compliance checklist
What an inspector looks for
Trailer brakes are set and wheel chocks or an engaged restraint hold the trailer before any powered industrial truck boards it
29 CFR 1910.178(k)(1)
Per facility rule, dropped trailers not coupled to a tractor are supported by fixed jacks or trailer stands before a truck enters, as 29 CFR 1910.178(k)(3) contemplates for preventing upending during loading and unloading
29 CFR 1910.178(k)(3)
Yard truck operators are trained and evaluated on the equipment and on the yard conditions where they operate
29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)
Yard surfaces, lanes, and the dock apron are kept clear and free of ice, snow, spills, and debris
29 CFR 1910.22(a)
A marked walking route and crossings provide safe access and egress for anyone on foot in the yard
29 CFR 1910.22(c)
Sufficient safe clearance is maintained at the dock approach, through doorways, and wherever mechanical handling equipment must turn or pass
29 CFR 1910.176(a)
Yard lanes and trailer turning areas carry sufficient clearance for a tractor and trailer under the facility yard traffic plan
The coupling is verified by pull test and by sight of the closed locking jaws before any trailer is moved
A trailer is pulled from a dock position only after the dock confirms it is clear of people and equipment
Waitlist
Generate this SOP for your facility
At launch you answer the facility questionnaire once and this template comes back with your equipment, your titles, and your sign-off sheet attached.
This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.