This is one thing I learned real quick about some of the guys I worked with on the TPW. They like to sharpshoot the board. One Enginner would always make it where he would be off on the weekends. If there was a train headed to Galesburg he would get on it.
Sounds similar to when they said no more claiming the hot meal on the ticket. I don’t believe the American CN employees get it but up here a normal work day is up to 8 hrs, if we are required to work OT (company is supposed to inform us if we are required to work overtime, though they never do)we give our rest notice (Hot Meal by 9 hours and relief by 10(for a conductor only assignment) or 11 hours(for a full crew assignment). If we work up to or if it appears we will be working past 8 hours and 51 minutes we are entitled to a Hot Meal. We can either claim the Hot Meal on the ticket(at least in Vancouver, not sure about the other Terminals) or take the Hot Meal and go eat. One of the higher-ups saw a lot of crews working one or two hours OT and claiming the HM on the ticket, which shows up as an extra hour. They said “No More”, now crews had to go for the hot meal.
A taxi was ordered and the crew was taxied to the nearest restaurant. Instead of crews tying up at 9 or 10 hours with the HM extra hour claimed on the ticket, crews were now tying up around 12 or 13 hours. By the time it took the cab to pick the crew up, take them to a restaurant, have the crew eat, and taxi the crew back, they were getting 3 or 4 hours OT, not to mention all the money CN was spending on cab fare.
That lasted a few weeks until they changed their mind and let us claim the hot meal on the ticket again. CN’s reasoning behind it was:Everyone wants to go home with the 1 or 2 hours OT rather than getting in a taxi to go eat. It back fired on them, crews went to eat costing CN more in the long run than if they had let us claim it on the ticket.
This last time they did it was not the first time, it happens every few months, you’d think they’d learn by n
Like I said “If” you were an actual customer, you’d understand. CN has a program called “IMX” which stands for Intermodal Excellence. The excellence factor is only for the RR, certainly not the customer. It requires a clearance before you bring on any new business, reservations for your load a day or more in advance, restricted ingate windows and other encumberances that make it easier and cheaper to move over the road than w/ CN. By the way, if you want CN to mail you an invoice, vs. electronic invoices, that will cost an additional $8 per load. Now mind you, if there’s a problem (error) with that invoice, that’s your tough luck and your time spent getting it resolved. Hunter hasn’t acheived a 61 Operating Ratio by dealing with real live competition. He did it by walking on the backs of customers and employees alike.
I have heard that dealing with the CN IMX system is a pain. You seem to verify it. Makes one almost wonder out loud: does anybody run a simulation of these programs on a test basis before implementing them to the customers?
I had a similar problem to your $8.00 charge for mailed invoice with my electric company. Last November I lost my bill in the Thanksgiving/Christmas Holidays extra stuff in the mail routine. I called to make an electronic payment so as to be on time and not be disqualified for my equal payment plan. The “service represenative” informed me there would be a $25.00 convienence fee for the electronic payment. Now this is the same company that wants you to do your bill paying by automatic transfer from your account and tells you every month in their bill how easy, safe and convienent it is. When she told me this I just about lost it. I thought it is not inconvienent for you to do this for me IT"S YOUR JOB. It’s not inconvienent for the power company either. It’s just another one of those hidden fees we seem to gladly pay. Remember how using our ATM cards was supposed to lower the cost of banking?
Saxman
This is going back 15 or 20 years now but i always understood the Canadian guys had it made. Their engines had microwaves or stoves and lumbar support for the back. Their cabooses were always nice and clean. Things have changed!
On this subject, we have gotten several CN Wide Bodies down here on the UP, and they have all had two microwaves in the nose and a hot plate on the conductor side. I don’t know if this is standard on all CN power or not, would have to have a CN employee let us know if this is the case, but it would be nice if UP would follow suit on their power for those long 15, 16 hour trips, rather than spending the extra money on the bright red LED “in-your-face” conductor’s side speedometers…lol. [;)]
Microwaves are standard on CN Road Power only. I have yet to have a yard engine with a Microwave. The former BCR locomotives have convection ovens.