Time rules

[Anonymous]

I keep running into a "12-hour rule" and "16-hour rule."
Are these one and the same, just occurring at different periods of time in RR history or two different situations?
If two, how does one tell which applies to what situation?

[edblysard]

Hank, the rule you refer to is the hours of service rule. Here at the port, 12 hours is the max the carrier can keep us working. If we hit the 12 limit, the carrier must allow us a "rest" period of 16 hours before we return to work. These time frames do not include drive time to and from, and the 1 1/2 hour lead time the crew caller has to notify you to return. so if you worked 12 hours, the real time your off may be as short as 10 hours.
Help any?
Ed

[Jackflash]

hours of service use to be 16 hours, sometimes
in the late 60s or early 70s it was shortened
to 12 hours, you can be paid for all time on
duty over 12 hours, but you can only preform
service for no more than 12 hours, (such as if
you are waiting for a ride back to your tie-up
location and you have to wait 2 hours, you would
be due 14 hours pay) jackflash

[Anonymous]

Ed wrote " If we hit the 12 limit, the carrier must allow us a "rest" period of 16 hours before we return to work."
Ed, I've never heard of this. (although I've never questioned it). I held a job once that would report at one terminal and dismiss at another. We had a bunk house to sleep in and 9 times out of 10 we would report "on rest". The way it was handled here was that if we worked under 12 hours we could report for duty in 8. If we worked 12 we had to wait 10 hours. Some conductors would put us off at 11 hours 55 minutes and we had 8 hours from the time we stepped off the unit to the time we got back on. A lot of times the dispatch office would call at the bunk house within that time if they had something so "important" to tell you that it couldn't wait.
The job I'm on now makes an interchange with CN and the Canadians tell us they can only work 10 hours. I think that's all they are allowed to work over there before violating their hours of service but I'm not sure.
Take care. Slofr8.

[wabash1]

Jack is right it use to be 16hrs and was changed to 12hrs, at home terminal the carrier must give you 10hrs rest. they cant call you till 10 hrs is up. at away from home terminal its differant if you go 11hrs and 59 min they can call you in to report for work at 6 1/2 hrs for a call on 8 hrs rest. now if you go 12 rs of work then they must give you 10 hrs but they can call you in 8 1/2 hrs to be on in 10. all of these times are from when you tie up. not travel time to home . where ed works might be differant but class 1 railraods this is the norm.