Railroad employees can lose their license...

[OwlCaboose2853]

Congressman Mark Schauer's opening remarks http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... ullarticle
...
Mr. Chairman, under current regulations, railroad employees can lose their license to operate a train for exceeding the speed limit by ten miles per hour, failing to make a brake test, or occupying a main track without permission. Truck drivers can lose their commercial drivers license for speeding, making an erratic lane change, following another vehicle too closely or even bottoming out the undercarriage at a highway-rail grade crossing. Those are serious offenses – don’t get me wrong –...

[M.D.Bentley]

YES they can and DO ! But only engineers are currently licenced. In the near future conductors will be licensed also, so the company can have something to take away from them. Right now it's hard to threaten them ( conductors ) with nothing to hold over their heads. Hopefully it comes with alittle more money, just to make it worthwhile.

[esprrfan]

YES they can and DO ! But only engineers are currently licenced. In the near future conductors will be licensed also, so the company can have something to take away from them. Right now it's hard to threaten them ( conductors ) with nothing to hold over their heads. Hopefully it comes with alittle more money, just to make worthwhile.

When the engineer gets pulled from service for speeding, the conductor goes too! Fired is fired.

[M.D.Bentley]

esprrfan, Not always the case. Last year a engineer was pulled out for speeding while pulling a cut of cars too fast while switching cars in the yard. The conductor and brakeman were both on the ground lining switches. Neather one spent time on the street.

[Mr. Tops]

If an engineer gets decertified and both the engineer and conductor get fired, when (if) they come back, they are BOTH conductors, simply because they can hold an engineer's license above his head. In future, when conductors become licensed, in this same scenario an engineer would still come back as a conductor, but a conductor would not come back at all until he got his license back.

[M.D.Bentley]

Right you are. But it's up to the carrier to let the engineer come back and work as a conductor, remember that they are punishing him. Depending on what he got pulled for in the first place. That's why most railroad employees carry job protection insurance. Because it's not when, but how long.

[Mr. Tops]

On UP, we have levels. Each individual infraction is classed as a certain level, level 5 being the worst...termination. If you get a level 3, you will get fired for 5 days, 2 weeks or a month or whatever...if you get another level 3 before that one is off your record, you are terminated because 3+3=6. Even if you have a level 3 and then get a level 2, that's still 5. Now, if you're an engineer and it's a decertifiable event, you'll lose your license and get fired for anywhere from a few days to a couple months and as long as you don't have any prior offenses, you'll come back as a conductor when your time has been served. There's an engineer who had a level on him already when he got another level and ended up getting terminated "permanently". 19 months later now and he has his job back and is back in the saddle again. It all depends on what you've DONE, and what you DID and whether or not it's decertifiable.

[Norm]

Mr. Tops,

Having been an FAA certified mechanic for thirty years I can see where you are coming from. However, I don't think 'fired' is the proper word for a suspension. Thirty days, sixty days suspension does not constitute being 'fired'. The latter word means you are done for good. "Revocation" would be the better word in the case of a flagrant violation, and that is the term the FAA uses and seeks if the offense is egregious enough. I would think it would be the same for railroaders are also under the authority of DOT.

"Fired", to me means you are dismissed from your job with no possibility of returning. OTOH, a suspension for a violation of the rules simply means you have been penalized. I had that happen once early in my career (a thirty day suspension for a minor violation). I did not get fired for it, and after the suspension resumed my work.

[Mr. Tops]

I agree Norm, but I found out "fired" on the railroad isn't as harsh as it sounds. While it does sound like a suspension (and technically is), you can be fired for 5 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months or permanent. When you are sent to investigation and found guilty of your offense, your status goes from "IP" to "LF". That's "investigation pending" and "layoff fired"; like I said, whether it be for a week or a year, or longer. "LF L5", which is "layoff fired - level 5"...the most serious and "permanent" type of fired isn't even so permanent. The engineer I'm currently running with (we are paired up, same # of guys on the engineer & conductor pools) was gone for FOUR years. He's been back since April. He had alcohol problems, (never brought it to work) but once in the rehab program, he violated his probation and was terminated. He's a great engineer and good person. There are a few other engineers that have been gone for a few years that just recently got their jobs back. Even the supposed "permanent" type of "fired" on the railroad isn't necessarily so permanent. The union has a lot to do with it, and each railroad has different policies...

[Norm]

Thanks Mr. Tops,

These days it is tough to determine if you are forever banned from working the railroad or temporarily suspended. The same applies to those of us who've made aviation our career. It can be a tough world if you are regulated by the feds.

[canpac08]

Being fired for 15 days and being fired for a life time from a railroad at this point is railroad to railroad, The NS and the Soo Line part of the Canadian Pacific Railway family have a one and done policy for red signals. CP used to have upt o 3 before you went. Somethings are gov mandated others are carrier mandated and some are a combination of the two

[CSX_CO]

Now, if you're an engineer and it's a decertifiable event, you'll lose your license and get fired for anywhere from a few days to a couple months and as long as you don't have any prior offenses, you'll come back as a conductor when your time has been served.

I'm fairly certain that is a railroad to railroad policy, and based upon the Union agreements thereon. On CSX, if you're de-certified as an engineer, there is no going back to conductor. The Union agreements don't allow for that. You can apply for a 'flow back' to a conductor if you are an active engineer (if you so desire), but suspended as an engineer means suspended period on the CSX.

Practice Safe CSX

[esprrfan]

esprrfan, Not always the case. Last year a engineer was pulled out for speeding while pulling a cut of cars too fast while switching cars in the yard. The conductor and brakeman were both on the ground lining switches. Neather one spent time on the street.

Ofcourse in a situation like that they shouldn't of been as they wern't in the cab with him, had they been in the cab with him running down the mains at 5 or so over I bet it would of been another tune.

[mike nowakowski]

Speking of that what does a License for a railroad employee look like, just wondering

[SD80MAC]

Speking of that what does a License for a railroad employee look like, just wondering

Like any typical drivers license.

[sd70accsxt700]

No not quite. There is no photo on it, at least not on CSX's. There is no color. It is just a plastic white card, with the CSX logo on it. It gives your name, ID, what it is for RCO/Engineer or both. It also has weight, hight, sex, birthday, hair color. Any restrictions date issued and expired. On the back there is six or so lines for the RFE to sign, when you get your yearly ride along.

[Buster Manning]

On ours there is the company logo along with our name and photo and what category engineer you are, the license number that the card was issued, whether or not you are a DSLE or an OJT instuctor, the physical descriptions and DOB and hearing and vision restrictions and when the card was issued and when it expires along with on the back side the area where whoever gives you a check ride to sign and date.