Category: Regulations
FRA deems NS’s new hire training program ‘unacceptable,’ mandates fix in 45 days
Norfolk Southern is and has been hiring new freight conductors at a noteworthy rate in 2023. As the labor organization that represents newly hired conductors, that is great news to the SMART Transportation Division. But like most pieces of good news that come from the railroa [...]
Input needed for union’s FTA bus operator safety comment
On April 26, the Federal Transportation Agency (FTA) posted a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) regarding public transportation agency safety plans. The agency is seeking feedback and suggestions from bus employees and other interested parties on what changes federal over [...]
Union launches rail hours of service violation report, updates safety condition and rail technology event report
As kids all over the world know, railroaders tend to work “all the live-long day.” This is baked into the cake and explained at hiring sessions of all the major railroads, but the hours-of-service (HOS) laws in place say, in no uncertain terms, that 12 hours is the extent of [...]
SMART-TD strongly supports bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023
For immediate release March 1, 2023 Phone: (216) 228-9400 Department email: news_td@smart-union.org “This legislation goes a long way toward protecting American families and communities while fortifying the rail industry to be sustainable and safe long [...]SMART-TD statement on DOT Secretary Buttigieg’s letter regarding rail industry safety and accountability
SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson issued the following statement on Feb. 21: “The greatest threat to the American railroad industry and the communities with which it intersects is Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). The changes PSR has brought s [...]
Ohio members: Support is needed for state’s rail safety bill
Ohio members are urged to express their support for H.B. 23, a rail-safety bill that covers two-person crews, requires documentation of blocked crossing incidents and requires state-supervised oversight to ensure the proper operation of wayside defect detectors. In-person tes [...]
From the Ballast: The unavoidable contradiction of rail hiring
“From the Ballast” is an open column for SMART Transportation Division rail members to state their perspective on issues related to the railroad industry. Members of the union are encouraged to submit content by emailing to news_TD@smart-union.org. Columns are pub [...]
BNSF asks the FRA for permission to run trains with 120 CFM of flow in the name of safety
It’s difficult to imagine trying to pass off reducing the braking power of a freight train as a safety precaution, but that is exactly what BNSF attempted to do recently in a request to the FRA for a variance to increase the allowable amount of flow from 90 CFM to 120 CFM. In [...]