Todays LA times has a large article about wrecks caused by tired crews. Do most train crews work 60 +hours per week. Whats the legal limit? In trucking its 70 hours in 8 days,or 60 hrs in 7 days all depending on how the driver logs .
The only limitations that I am aware of are the 12 and 8 “Hours of Service Law” meaning 12 hours on duty maximum, followed by 8 hours off duty minimum. Most “road” train service crews, at least on Class 1’s and most regional rail lines, commonly work 60 - 80 hours per week, although strictly by the Hours of Service Law, it would be possible to be worked even more than that in theory.
if you are on duty for more then 12 hours…you are reqired to have a minimum of 12 hours off too…
csx engineer
Make that 10 hours off and you got a deal
The law requires ten hours off when working a full twelve and not relieved of responsiblity by the end of twelve. NS gives all road crews ten hours UNDISTURBED rest in their home terminal, note that this wouldn’t apply to those being called for yard jobs. Undisturbed means that the phone won’t ring until the end of ten hours.
Altamont Press picked up the story. The link is below.
10 hours undisturbed translates into 12 hours if you get a 2 hour call… so its actuly 12 hours rest…
csx engineer
Yeah, except for that troublesome getting up to answer the phone part.[swg] You’re right, though, that’s how they look at it.
Actually the federal minimum is 10 hours “off duty”, which for railroads with a 2 hour call time, this would mean 8 hours minimum before being called for duty.
This is according to CFR Title 49 Part 228.19(a)(2) which can be accessed online at http://eCFR.GPOAccess.gov/ .
Now many railroads have off-duty requirements that may exceed these numbers, but these are the minimum FRA requirements. [:)]
no…its not…that only applays if are marked off of duty befor your 12 hours is up…if you are on duty longer then 12 hours…( you tie your train down at 12 hours…and then sit for another hour waiting for a taxi…and then another hour dead head back home…you are on duty 14 hours…which means your required to have 12 hours rest…)and being called for duty at 10 hours for a 12 hour call is still considered 12 hours rest
csx engineer
csx engineer
drfizzix has it right.
my bad…i missed a key point… i stand corrected…
please disregard my bablings befor…lol
csx engineer
You had me worried there for a moment [:)]… a I said, this is my understanding of the Federal Law as stated by the above reference. If there is another part of the Federal Code that I have missed, I would certainly like to know, especially as I am still in the training phase of my railroad career with BNSF and really have not had to deal with these issues yet [:)] [banghead] .
I realize that actual railroad operating practices will vary and likely provide additional time beyond the minimum federal requirements outlined by the cited CFR as no railroad wants to risk being in violation of FRA-related laws and regulations. [:(]
CSXEngineer… one dumb question to follow up on this here… so the “tie-up” time after you have parked the train and are waiting for your taxi is still considered “on-duty” for purposes of hours-of-service law, correct? [%-)]
It is not considered on duty for HOS purposes, it is on the clock for pay purposes and the rest period does not start until you have FINALLY put off at the destination terminal.
OK really dumb question time,…do they pay by the hour ot by the trip/mileage?
I ask because I had always assumed they payed by the hour,…but when interviewing for conductor with NS recently, they gave me the impression that it was more a matter of pay for miles per trip than hours…
I have another question, is it the railroad who polices the dispatchers in terms of giving enough time off? And if a violation is incurred who will bear the brunt of the trouble?
To answer one of your questions Chris, generally if the FRA levies fines or sanctions, they are almost always against the railroad company, not against individual railroad employees, unless an employee caused an injury or fatality from grossly negligent behavior.
To attempt to answer your other question (if I understand it correctly), the railroad crew callers (which are seperate from dispatchers at least on Class 1’s and most regional lines) are responsible for ensuring that train serv ice employees are given an adequate amount of rest time under HOS laws, although GCOR states that it is also the trainman’s responsibility to inform the crew caller and / or other supervisors in the event a crew caller makes an error that violates HOS rest time requirements.
The FRA does have the authority to police these violations too, but I am not sure that they do much pro-active policing, especially on shortline railroads, unless they have a specific reason to be concerned about a particular railroad or division.
Well, I have heard of union labor agreements that have gone with both payment methods… all I can say is I hope the poor guys on UP aren’t on the mileage plan, because they certainly would be broke in that case [:D] .
Depends on the local contract, but there is a basic days pay, based on a hourly pay, then mileage, away from home terminal pay, short hand pay, and depending on when you were hired, productivity pay.
If you are ordered to violate a rule, say, couple up the air on more than one double over, the crew can timeslip the railroad, (claim a work rule violation) and get another days basic pay.
If you work the extra board, or pool service, and the crew caller runs around you, (calls the guy in line behind you,even though you were rested and ready for duty, based on when you tied up) thats a days pay on a time slip.
A lot of this depends on the local contract, but the national contract inculdes most of it also.
Dead head counts against rest time, and if you worked the full 12, then have dead head, you are forbidden for performing anything considered work for the railroad, after 12 hours on duty, you cant even tie up in the computer, you have to do that once your back on duty next day…
Your offical rest time starts when you reach the terminal…
So if they leave you out there 5 hours, they have to pay you five extra hours, on overtime, and the time it takes to get you back to the terminal.
When you hog out, you tell the dispatcher when your getting tight on time, although most of them have a good idea how long you been on duty, and often ask you when your hours of service are…the dispatcher will notify a cab, and the crew caller, whose duty is to keep track of all of the crews times, and who is rested, whos not…they will call out the relief crew.
Again, slightly different by road, but thats the basics.
Weird local example…
On my road, if the carrier runs out of extra board men, and takes my helper, moves him to a foreman job on a one man job, like a grain train…he gets to claim a days pay both as a helper, and another days pay as a foreman, as long as he went on duty as a helper before they moved hi