Crew fatigue

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Crew fatigue

  • Was wondering if any progress has been made on changing work hours for train and engine crews. When I read about it in TRAINS I am amazed about how little time off a crew gets especially at its away terminal.
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  • i never had any problems getting rest at the away from home terminals.. infact..that is where i cought up on my sleep...now the home termial..thats a differnt story..by the time you get home and have to do all the other things that go along with life (paying the bills.. spending time with the wife and kids.. takeing care of the house/yard.. ext ext.) by the time you are done with all of that..and lay down to get some rest..the phone is ringing to report back into work...

    csx engineer 

    "I AM the higher source" Keep the wheels on steel
  • Crew fatigue?  Nah, that doesn't exissssssssssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

     

    But seriously, csx is right.  Easy to get sleep in a hotel (nothing else to do).  And I try to go to sleep pretty quick, because usually you have no clue whether you will be called right on your rest (giving you a whopping 5-6 hours sleep), or you will be there 12-18 hours.  At home  you try to acheive your balance of doing something, sleeping, and trying to get some more sleep before work.   Doesn't always work. 

     

     

     

     

    It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


      

    The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

  •   Pay no attention to the manager behind the curtain saying " There is no fatigue,or we are doing something about it!" Horse manure. I tried to lay off fatigued and was denied.Thats BULL in my book. Just what I want to do is argue with an idiot trainmaster!

       I have thought about moving to the west end of our division as I have been stuck in that hotel longer than when I am at home.But I digress. I dont mind the hours somedays but every now and then you do need to decompress and get away for a bit.I would rather be sharp and at the top of my game as fatigue is a killer.

       Railroads will fight the new HOS. Hell some rails will cry about not making enough because of the shortening of hours.Maybe then the BN will start promoting more engineers( they seem to be the ones turning and burning even when we are slow)But who knows.

       Doesnt matter now as I hopped back to the yard. So in my bed daily now ( just dont know which shift lol)

    Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train

  • The hours are rough.  A new hours-of-service is essential.  The big guys opposing it have no problem until they're out doing that stuff all the time.  I'd bet they'd change their idea quick.
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              I have read for years the reasons the carriers give about odd hours. If a yard job can have regular hours it would stand to reason the road guy could have some regular hours to a point. Factories have regular hours for the most part so they are not calling for emptys at odd hours. It is one thing to have a mechanical failure on the road and  die on the law. But the RR could do better if they wanted too.

  •   If we could schedule trains like in the old days no problem. However we have trainmastercranialrectalinversion here at our yard. They will call trains where the power is still on another train and not even near our terminal or the division! Then they cry that the service track is out to kill their trains.

     

    Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train

  • Do you want the long answer or the short answer? Well, here's both. NO! Do I see a resolution in the near future? NO!.  When I worked the road, I got more time off at the away from home terminal than at home.  I sure "enjoyed" missing the family on those 24 to 30 hour lay overs. The real kicker after one of these marathon hotel stays (the family just can't understand why a get away to a hotel is not "fun" for me.) was to get called to deadhead home only to have the Managers of Confused Operations call the cab company to tell you you were now getting a train that had died on the road and taking it to your home terminal. Why can they only figure this out when I am called to deadhead? Why not call me as a relief? Your short little 3 hour deadhead home just turned into another 12 hour day. When I finally got home, it was back out in 8 to 12 hours to do it all over again.