8 hour crew laws?

[Anonymous]

I have seen several mentions of "8 hour crew laws" in the last few days in this forum. Isn't it a 12 hour crew law? Or has something changed that I missed?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Perhaps when you're thinking 8 hours, it's the 8 hours off.

I do believe that everywhere it is mandatory that crews receive 8 hours off between shifts......of course it's not like 8 hours of sleeping, cause if you have a 2 hour call they're bound to wake you up.

[jeffhergert]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill

Overtime begins after eight hours in most agreements. The Federal law for maximum hours of service for train, yard and engine personnel is 12 hours (plus limbo time, when you're still responsible for the train's safety while waiting, and waiting, and waiting, for the van). Dispatchers are limited to nine hours by federal law.

It's been stressed to us that if a relief crew doesn't reach you before the 12 hours are up, you have to have your train secured or else your in violation of the law. After 12 hours any service performed including "babysitting" without any handbrakes applied is a violation. As long as you are responsible, you are performing service. After 12 we don't get off to do roll-bys of other trains.
Our tie-up screen shows two times. Relieved and Released. Normally both times are the same. When you die on the hours your Relieved time is no more than 12 hours after beginning duty. Your Released time is when you actually are at the terminal, tied up and the 8 or 10hours off time begins. The time between Relieved and Released is limbo time and we have to show what we did, Deadhead From work, on our Hours of Service certification. We can't even fill out the HOS certification until the next on duty period. Die a couple days in a row and you can have 2 or 3 certifications to fill out.
BTW if your time from beginning duty to Relieved is 11 hrs 59 mins or less, you get 8 hours off. 12 hours gets you 10 hours off.