Each year, hundreds of Americans are seriously injured or killed by locomotives when they intentionally or accidentally wander onto tracks or drive into the path of oncoming trains. While much has been done in the last two decades to mitigate these fatalities, it is clear more must be done to ensure rail grade crossing and […]
This summer, the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) allowed the freight carrier Kansas City Southern Railroad (KCSR) to operate freight trains in the United States with crews from Mexico. TTD President Larry I. Willis joined America’s Workforce Radio host Ed “Flash” Ferenc to discuss this concerning decision, and its implications, in a recent interview. The decision […]
In transportation, almost everyone talks about the need to put safety first, but when given the choice between cutting costs and lowering standards, some companies choose wrong. That is what we are seeing in the freight rail industry’s efforts to reduce crew size. Today, nearly every freight train in America is operated by two […]
During last week’s announcement that Amtrak would be purchasing 28 new high-speed train sets, Vice President Joe Biden called out Amtrak’s dedicated employees for their incredible contributions to our national passenger rail system. Praising them for regularly going above and beyond, he noted that “management is fine, but employees are better.” This isn’t just lip service. […]
Common sense tells us that operating a 19,000-ton freight train with a single crewmember – like the railroads want to do – is a dangerous idea. But what do the men and women who actually operate these trains think? Now is your chance to find out! This Thursday, SMART-TD member and BNSF conductor Mike Rankin […]