Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
The bravado expressed by the some of the T&E respondees ignores the truth that you guys are operating 5000 to 10,000 Ton freight trains at 40 to 60 MPH through American communities of all sizes at NOT your best state of alertness and sharpness. Not to mention the fact the during the course of your career your kids don't know who the hell you are! Just a guy or gal who shows up at weird hours and plops on the bed and soon arises at the next telephone call from the crew dispatch center. So much for "family values"! As a narcotics detective in NYC I know what is like to work all kinds of tours with at all kinds of irregular times with as little as 4 hours between tours of duty. There were more than a few times that I found myself falling asleep at the wheel at 40 to 60 MPH. In fact I had friends of mine had car accidents on the way home due to the fact of being so tired. So saying how "BIG and BAD" your are for being a T&E crew member and how it is not for the faint of heart misses the point entirely. As dangerous as my job is I don't have to be 100% alert all the time. There is down time in the office, preparation, etc. But you guys got be alert ALL THE TIME or someone gets hurt or killed. No way you can say with a straight face that the way the system is set up now that you are operating America's freight trains at the highest level of safety and efficiency. Airline crews even the freight carriers like UPS and FedEx have a schedule while they are away from home for a period of time they can at least plan their lives to some degree. The FAA had long recognized you can't treat flight crews like "rented mules" and still have a world leading aviation system. I think you Engineers and Conductors deserve much better than you have been putting up with and especially YOUR CHILDREN. They need their fathers and mothers not just financial and benefit providers. And not to mention America deserves better, knowing that the crew members of that merchandise freight trains barrelling through town at 50 MPH with multiple carloads containing some of the most dangerous chemicals known to man is fully rested and alert.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag