RCX PRESS
Spring 2007
Night Driving Tips
by James G. Skinner –
VP, Risk Management
Traffic death rates are three times greater at night than
during the day, yet many of us are unaware of the special
hazards of night driving or do not know efficient ways to
deal with them.
Driving at night is more of a challenge than many people
think. It is also more dangerous.
Table of Contents
Night Driving Tips...............1
Following Too Closely ........9
Message from
the President......................3
Location Manager
Meetings Help RCX
Achieve Its Goals.............10
RailCrew Xpress Awards....4
Goodbye, Armadillo...........6
Benefit Program Extras......7
Accident Prevention
Begins with Individual
Awareness .........................8
Ricky Allen Bryant
– In Memoriam.................11
OLI Continues to
Teach Safety at
Railroad Crossings
& Rights of Way................12
Why is night driving so dangerous? One obvious answer
is darkness. Ninety percent of a driver’s reactions depend
on vision, and vision is severely limited at night. Depth
perception, color recognition and peripheral vision are
compromised after sundown. Older drivers have even
greater difficulty seeing at night. A 50-year-old driver may
need twice as much light to see as well as a 30-year-old.
Another determining factor adding danger to night driving
is fatigue. Drowsiness makes driving more difficult by dulling
concentration and slowing reaction time.
Alcohol is the single most significant factor in fatal traffic
crashes, playing a part in more than half of all motor vehiclerelated deaths. That makes weekend nights more dangerous.
More fatal crashes take place on Friday and Saturday nights
than at any other time in the week.
Cont’d on page 2
…Night Driving Tips
Fortunately, you can take several effective measures to minimize
these after-dark dangers by preparing your van and following
particular guidelines while you drive.
1 Prepare your van for night driving. Clean the headlights,
taillights, signal lights, windshields and windows once a
week – more often if necessary.
2 Aim your headlights correctly. Misaimed headlights blind
other drivers and decrease your ability to see the road.
Cont’d from page 1
5 Don’t drink and drive. Not only does alcohol severely impair
your driving ability, but it also acts as a depressant. Just one
drink can induce fatigue. Also, avoid smoking when you
drive. Smoke’s nicotine and carbon monoxide hamper
night vision. This is one of the many reasons that RCX has a
zero tolerance policy for alcohol use before and during duty
time, and for smoking in the van or on railway property.
6 Reduce your speed and increase your following distances. It
is more difficult to judge other vehicles’ speeds and distances
at night.
3 In early twilight, lights will not help you see better, but
they’ll make it easier for other drivers to see you. Being seen
is as important as seeing. If there is any doubt about visibility,
turn your headlights on.
7 When following another vehicle, keep your headlights on
low beams so you don’t blind the driver ahead of you.
8 Don’t overdrive your headlights. You should be able to stop
4
Turn down your interior dash lights, as this will improve your
night vision and help you avoid becoming tired.
inside the illuminated area. If you’re not, you are creating a
blind crash area in front of your vehicle.
9 If an oncoming vehicle doesn’t lower its beams from high to
low, avoid glare by watching the right edge of the road and
using it as a steering guide.
10 Make frequent stops for light snacks and exercise. If you’re
too tired to drive, stop and get rest. If you have van trouble,
pull off the road as far as possible. Warn approaching traffic
at once by setting up flares or reflecting triangles near your
vehicle and 200 feet behind it. Turn on flashers and the
dome light. Stay off the roadway and get passengers away
from the area.
11 Observe night driving safety as soon as the sun goes down.
Twilight is one of the most difficult times to drive because
your eyes are constantly changing to adapt to the growing
darkness.
2
R C X PRESS Spring 2007
Message from the President
Back in 1990, the rock group The
Scorpions released a single called “The
Winds of Change”. The second verse
contained the following lyrics:
The future’s in the air
I can feel it everywhere,
Blowing with the winds of change.
The words hold true today, particularly
in the business of rail-crew transportation
and especially at RailCrew Xpress (RCX).
“Our business is
going through
a rapid
metamorphosis.”
Our business is going through a rapid
metamorphosis. The old paradigm is
quickly shifting as the needs of our
customers, America’s railways, quickly
change. Today’s modern railways have
their own challenges of capacity utilization,
increasing costs and tight customerimposed schedules. The railways also
recognize the need to optimize crew
positioning while respecting hours of
service regulations, quality of life and
safety for their operating employees. Our
job in the “crew-hauling” sector is to help
them manage some of these challenges and
to work closely with our customers to find
better ways of moving their crews across
their systems. To do so, we need to “think
outside the box”, abandon some of the
traditional ways of providing our service,
and explore new business models that will
enhance our ability to get crews to and
from trains safely and on time.
We have already seen much change at
RCX. WebTMS dispatch, eRailSafe,
industry consolidation, etc. have resulted
in a much different competitive landscape
from the one that existed a few short years
(or even months) ago. Today, crew hauling
is the domain of larger companies
employing ever more sophisticated
technology and business processes
designed to improve cost efficiency and
customer service capability.
But the real
changes are yet to
come. Over the
next few weeks,
we at RCX will see
the full deployment of the Mobile Limo
Information System (MLIS). The
technology has been in limited test mode
for months, but our IT people are now
confident that the “bugs” are out and a
larger scale roll-out will be announced
shortly. We are also well along in our
efforts to integrate electronically with our
customers’ computer systems so that
WebTMS, MLIS, EVMS, VANS,
etc. will all be talking to each other.
These technology changes afford our
company the opportunity for significant
operational changes. Over the past few
months, we have seen a trend away from
the traditional “call on demand” trips to
wider utilization of full-time radius and
shuttle vans. Our discussions with our
customers suggest that this trend is likely
to continue. We think this is a very
positive development for our company and
for our employees. It provides more fulltime employment and more stabilized
income for our drivers. For RCX, the
change means lower employee turnover,
better training opportunities, improved
cost management and the ability to
translate these cost savings into better
wages and benefits for all our employees.
For all of us, it means new opportunities
for expansion of the company and for
career growth within RCX.
For us at RCX… “the future’s in the air…
blowing with the winds of change”.
Scott Boyes
Spring 2007 R C X PRESS
3
RailCrew Xpress Awards
RCX Special Contributor Awards
Q1 2007
We are proud to announce our quarterly “RCX Special Contributor Awards”. These awards are given
to employees who have made a special contribution to the company’s success during the past
quarter. Winners receive a small gift and check for $500.
Becky Borgeson
Don Minchew
Becky Borgeson started working for
JLS Inc. in 1995. She initially worked
analyzing bid proposals. By the time JLS
was acquired, Becky had responsibility
for invoicing, receivables, van tagging,
payroll, payables, railroad reporting and
management of the Texarkana office.
Don Minchew has spearheaded driver
training in San Antonio, creating a
dynamic and successful program. Since his
involvement, driver turnover has decreased.
There have also been fewer railroad and
employee complaints. Don’s knowledge
and efforts are to be commended.
Becky and her staff are responsible for all of RCX’s BNSF
invoicing and all vehicle tagging in the state of Texas. They ensure
that BNSF is billed weekly for all road trips and yard shifts. Given
RCX’s current volumes, this is a daunting task and absolutely
critical to the financial success of the company. An absolute
perfectionist in a complex business where every dollar counts,
Becky bills the railroads accurately every time.
Becky is our award winner for her performance beyond the call
of duty. Our success is due to the demanding work ethic and
astounding results of people like Becky.
Don retired from the US Army after 22 years of service. He
completed tours in the Far East, Africa and Europe. In addition to
combat training, he participated in mid- and upper-management
training, studied international territorial law in Munich, Germany
and took Postmaster’s courses.
After his military career, he went to work as a manager for Yellow
Railroad Transport and the SPRR. In 1997, he came to work for
RMC and transitioned to RCX in 2005.
We greatly appreciate Don’s efforts in helping to improve the
service level we offer to our customers and in creating a more
positive work environment for the San Antonio drivers.
Theresa Ealy
Theresa Ealy, from Beardstown, Illinois,
is an outstanding employee who has been
with JLS Inc. since August of 2006. As a
Location Manager, she is a shining example
of how to make a location run at its highest
level. Her dealings with customers, drivers
and fellow location managers have been
exceptional. She always works to exceed
expectations and achieve success for the company. Her goal is to
get her customers where they need to go in the safest manner
possible. Theresa has developed great trust with both the railroad
and RCX employees.
She has gone the extra mile in helping other location managers
recruit new drivers and has been an excellent trainer in her area.
She enjoys her job very much and still takes time for her family
and friends in the community. Great job, Theresa!
4
R C X PRESS Spring 2007
Kathy Thompson
Kathy Thompson started working for
Brown’s Crew Car of Wyoming nineteen
years ago. For the last fourteen years,
she has been the Location Manager in
Milford, UT.
Kathy was nominated for this award by
one of her own employees. The unnamed
employee states that Kathy is “the best boss we could ever hope
for”. It seems that she can balance the welfare of her staff while
keeping high operational expectations a priority.
She has consistently had On-Time Performance of over 90 percent
and states that her success is due to teamwork. Her proudest
moment was when Joe Brown believed in her enough to make her
the manager. She likes the direction that RCX is taking and says
that the insurance benefits are great. When asked about it all, she
says, “I would do it again.”
RailCrew Xpress Awards
The President’s Choice...
RCX Super Contributor Award Q1 2007
Each quarter, Scott Boyes, President of RCX, selects one employee who has made an outstanding
contribution to our company’s success and he or she is recognized as the RCX Super Contributor.
Employees selected for this honor receive a special gift and check for $2,000.
Gayle Hosking and Wendy Clee
Gayle Hosking and Wendy Clee should be tremendously proud
of their actions during the night shift on January 31, 2007.
Client Service Associate Gayle was giving trip information to a
driver for his new assignment. During the call, Gayle noticed that
he gradually became incoherent and less and less attentive. He
began to slur his speech and was unable to read back the trip
information properly.
When the driver tried to read back the information, Gayle’s
instincts kicked in; she sensed something was wrong. He was
unable to put sentences together and was frightened and confused.
Gayle put him on hold and spoke to her Team Leader, Wendy
Clee, informing her of what was happening and how she was
concerned for the driver and his well-being. Wendy asked the
call to be transferred to her in order to help determine what
was happening.
Wendy continued to speak to the driver and read out the trip
details to him. When asked to read them back, he could not. He
confused the numbers and found it increasingly difficult to put a
sentence together. There was frustration in his voice, as well as a
sense of increasing fear.
At this point, Wendy made the decision not to give the trip to the
driver and recommended he immediately go to the hospital. She
told Gayle that the driver might be having a stroke.
Gayle contacted the driver’s Location Manager and advised him
of the situation. An ambulance was called, and Gayle phoned
back the driver to calm him down and express her concern for
him. She reassured him and explained that an ambulance would
be arriving shortly.
At the end of the call, when Gayle was certain the driver was in
good hands, she hung up and broke down, knowing she had just
been part of saving someone’s life, that of a fellow employee.
Wendy Clee and Gayle Hosking
This is an example of the dedication and commitment our Client
Service Associates display on a daily basis. RCX is proud to have
Wendy and Gayle on our team. Our congratulations for a job
well done and our thanks for the concern shown for the welfare
of our employees.
It should be a comfort to all of our drivers and their families to
know that we have people working for us who are alert to the
fact that a driver may be in trouble and need help. In a 24-by-7
operation such as ours, where, in many cases, the only lifeline
available to a driver may be that cell phone call to a dispatcher, it
goes without saying that this connection could be the difference
between life and death. Gayle Hosking and Wendy Clee are our
Super Contributor Awards Recipients.
Spring 2007 R C X PRESS
5
by Russ Brown –
General Manager, RailCrew Xpress West
Goodbye, Armadillo
On February 14, 2007, Armadillo Express retired “Armadillo” as
its trade name and moved to the name of the new parent company,
RailCrew Xpress.
When you think of an icon, you attribute it to a logo, business,
individual, team or product that has set itself so far apart from
the rest that it is considered a household name, like Coca-Cola,
Budweiser or McDonalds. Some are gone that we still remember,
such as the Pan Am Airlines blue globe. Other icons are not
worldwide and are only known within a location, region or
industry. This is a story about a lesser-known icon, “Armadillo
Express”, the trade name of a Wyoming company.
Some of you are asking the question, what makes Armadillo
Express think of itself as an icon? What are the qualifications for
being an icon? Fair enough. Armadillo Express is the trade name
of Brown’s Crew Car of Wyoming, a transportation company that
specializes in the movements of railroad crews. Armadillo Express
has quietly done its job for nearly 30 years in 16 states from the
West Coast to the Midwest. The company has become an integral
part of how railroads operate, with Armadillo Express’ largest
clients being the Union Pacific Railroad and the Burlington
Northern Santa Fe Railway. To me and many of its employees,
Armadillo Express is an icon.
Armadillo Express, with over 500 employees, was a family
operation owned by Joe and Pam Brown. How the company got
its name is as interesting as the company itself. Let’s face it, Joe
Brown knew that his last name was anything but unique. Saddled
with the corporate name Brown’s Crew Car of Wyoming Inc., and
doing business against a similar company, Brown’s Limousine of
Fort Worth, Texas, he was looking for something that would set
him apart from the rest. At this same point in his life, he was
having a problem with his lawn at his home. It seems that
something was digging holes in his yard in the late night and early
morning hours. One night, he and Pam returned home to find
the culprit was an armadillo. Joe chased the armadillo off in what
can be described as “keystone cops” fashion.
The next day, Joe had an epiphany. He decided he would capture
the armadillo and race him in the Armadillo Races in Terlingua,
Texas. Who knew, when Joe began this quest, what an impact it
would have on the lives of so many. Night after night, Joe tried to
capture the armadillo using different tactics and props. Night after
night, the armadillo eluded capture. After several weeks, a visibly
sleep-deprived Joe had his last chance, having spent the daylight
hours practicing netting the family pet dog. He knew he could
not miss. The armadillo, alas, never returned.
6
R C X PRESS Spring 2007
Russ with the Armadillo Express sign
Family and friends had taken to leaving armadillo trinkets behind,
all in the name of humor. There were armadillo hats, house shoes,
bags, statues, etc. From this, Armadillo Express was born. Piece
by piece, a business was built and a reputation was made.
Joe led the company through 2005 when he sold to a new
corporation called RailCrew Xpress, a similar dream of a group
of individuals named Scott Boyes, David Lyn, Herb Tressler and
John Bickerstaff. Through acquisitions and growth, and assembling
a team of experts and investors – along with the history of
companies, such as Armadillo Express – RailCrew Xpress will
become an icon all its own.
Goodbye, Armadillo Express. The website was shut down on
February 14. The sign was removed from Armadillo Express
World Headquarters in downtown Cheyenne on February 9.
Benefit Program Extras
You’ve heard about our new Aetna
benefits. You have access to a full range of
employer-sponsored insurance coverages –
Life, Medical, Dental, Vision and Hospital
Indemnity – for you and your eligible
dependents. You can also elect Short Term
Disability coverage for yourself.
You may not know that, as a medical plan
participant, you have additional benefits
provided at no cost, namely:
Fitness Discount Program
Discounted rates on memberships at
participating health clubs contracted with
GlobalFit, as well as savings on home
exercise equipment and Nutrisystem
weight loss programs. You can access this
benefit by calling 1 (800) 294-1500 or
on-line at www.globalfit.com.
Natural Therapy Discounts
Informed Health Line
Reduced pricing on chiropractic
manipulation, massage therapy and
nutrition counseling, in addition to
discounts on vitamins and nutritional
and herbal supplements. Go to
www.aetna.com/docfind (the same website
you use to look up PPO physicians) and
select Natural Therapy Professionals.
Access to registered nurses 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. This toll-free number
connects members to a team of nurses
experienced in providing information on
a variety of health topics. A nurse can
provide information on health issues,
medical procedures and treatment options
to help you communicate more effectively
with your doctor.
Employee Assistance Program
Know your benefits! Use your benefits!
If you have questions about any of your
Aetna benefits, call customer service at
1 (888) 772-9682.
Support available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. These services provide
convenient and confidential support in
managing stress and balancing work and
life (such as emotional support for life’s
problems, assistance in researching child
day care and senior citizen nursing home
placement, and legal and financial
guidance). Call 1 (888) AETNA-EAP
or visit www.AetnaEAP.com.
“You have access
to a full range of
employer-sponsored
insurance
coverages… plus
additional benefits
provided at no cost.”
Spring 2007 R C X PRESS
7
by Dan Christian –
Corporate Safety Manager
Accident Prevention
Begins with Individual Awareness
Whether you drive a car, SUV, RV,
long-haul truck or passenger van, as with
RailCrew Xpress, it is vital to always
bring along one item: SAFETY
AWARENESS! The safe operation of
any vehicle is determined by the attitude,
attentiveness, alertness and ability of the
driver to focus on the task at hand – and
that is DRIVING. Increasing your own
driver awareness can go a long way towards
helping to prevent the costly accidents,
fatalities and injuries that affect us all.
and inattentiveness contribute greatly
to the horrific accidents and fatalities
occurring every year. Life-saving
changes can be made by increasing your
understanding of how these distractions
can cause preventable accidents.
Understanding the dangers of unfocused
or inattentive driving can help you in
preventing your own accident. Before you
end up on the wrong side of a senseless
driving disaster, consider that there
were 43,443 deaths from motor vehicle
accidents in 2005! Many of them were
preventable.
Drowsy or Distracted,
Both Are Deadly
Fatigue, mixed with high demands on
alertness and attentiveness, makes for
a dangerous combination – one that has
been responsible for some $12 billion in
yearly costs and thousands of deaths.
Driver distraction or lapses in driver
attention caused by fatigue, cell phones,
MP3 players, GPS devices and other invehicle activities are leading safety hazards
in the transportation industry. Distractions
The Problem is Everyone’s
Over the last 50 years, much has
been discussed about the perils of sleepdeprived long-haul truck drivers. Further
complicated by the ever-increasing number
of trucks on the road, additional concerns
arise as a result of the dramatic shortage of
qualified drivers. However, the problem is
not limited to truck drivers alone. In fact,
most drivers, at some point, engage in
behaviors that draw their attention away
from their driving task. These behaviors
include talking with other passengers
(81%), changing radio stations or CDs
(66%), eating or drinking while driving
(49%) and using a cell phone (25%). Only
one in four drivers perceive these activities
as distracting! DON’T TAKE THE RISK
OF INATTENTION. Always give your
full attention to driving whenever you
operate a motor vehicle.
To Sum it All Up
Clearly, a driver’s ability to control a
vehicle safely and remain aware will
continue to be tested as a result of the
ever-increasing distractions in our highly
mobilized society. The fact remains that
the safe operation of any motor vehicle is
the responsibility of YOU, the driver.
Doing your part to increase your alertness
while driving will not only make you a
safer driver, it will benefit everyone on the
road and in your van, and IT MAY JUST
KEEP YOU ALIVE!
Participate in your
own safety.
Prevent accidents by
PAYING ATTENTION!
Don’t be a statistic.
8
R C X PRESS Spring 2007
by James G. Skinner –
VP, Risk Management
Following too Closely
Two-Second Rule
Recently, a number of accidents involving
RCX vehicles centered on following too
closely. Here are guidelines for drivers to
practice and use when operating over-theroad equipment.
TWO-SECOND RULE:
Following a vehicle too closely is called
“tailgating”. Use the two-second rule to
Vehicle
Speed
Approximate Distance Vehicle
will Travel in One Second
Two-Second Rule
Distance
25 m.p.h.
37 ft.
74 ft. back
35 m.p.h.
52 ft.
104 ft. back
45 m.p.h.
66 ft.
132 ft. back
55 m.p.h.
81 ft.
162 ft. back
determine a safe following distance. Select
a fixed object on the road ahead, such as a
sign, tree or overpass. When the vehicle
ahead of you passes the object, count “one
thousand one, one thousand two”. You
should not reach the object before you
count to one thousand two. If you do, you
are following too closely. Most rear-end
collisions are caused by the vehicle in back
following too closely.
The two-second rule applies to your speed
when you are on a good road and during
good weather conditions. If the road
and/or weather conditions are not good,
increase your distance to a four- or fivesecond count. If you are being tailgated,
move to another lane or slowly pull off the
road and allow the vehicle to pass.
Spring 2007 R C X PRESS
9
by Herb Tressler –
VP, Field Operations
Location Manager Meetings
Help RCX Achieve Its Goals
By the time you read this article, we will
have completed our first round of Location
Manager Meetings at various points across
our system. President Scott Boyes, VP of
Planning & Customer Support John
Bickerstaff, Regional Safety Manager
Frank Shumard and myself have been
joined by the General Managers and
Regional Managers of the various regions
in conducting these meetings with our
Location Managers. The purpose of
these meetings is to allow our first-line
supervisors an opportunity to meet faceto-face with the senior management of the
company and exchange ideas and opinions.
The agenda for each of these meetings
consisted of:
• an overview of the company
• information on the driver/manager
bonus plan
• a discussion of how we measure
on-time performance
• an update of dispatch operations
and practices
• a review of driver safety
• an explanation of the driver-recruitment
process
• an open forum for discussion of any
issues or local concerns
I believe these meetings have been quite
educational for everyone involved. I know
that we, as the senior management of the
company, have come away with a great deal
more knowledge of the issues and concerns
of our people responsible for day-to-day
operations. I also believe our first-line
supervisors have come away with a better
understanding of the direction we intend
to take within the company and the
expectations placed on each of us to
achieve our established goals and to meet
customer demands.
The two key themes of all our discussions
in these meetings were: 1) safe and
efficient transportation of our customers
and 2) accomplishing this transportation
On Time Every Time. Each of the
agenda items is crucial to accomplishing
these two goals. In order to operate safely
and on time, we must recruit and train
good drivers who adhere to all safety
policies and procedures. In addition, our
dispatch team must effectively dispatch our
drivers while, at the same time, ensuring
that our drivers have adequate opportunity
for the rest necessary to maintain a safe
operation. The resultant effect should
maximize the potential for both drivers
and managers to receive the established
on-time/safety bonuses.
In closing, I encourage our managers
to continue emphasizing these points
throughout the year in their dealings with
their drivers and with other members of
the management team. I also encourage all
drivers to ask their managers any questions
and to share their opinions for additional
and better ways to reach these goals.
The two key themes
of the Location
Manager Meetings:
1 Safe and efficient
transportation of
our customers
2 Accomplishing this
transportation
On Time Every Time
10
R C X PRESS Spring 2007
Ricky Allen Bryant
– In Memoriam
On Monday, February 19, 2007, RailCrew Xpress lost a valued
team member, Ricky Allen Bryant, Regional Manager, Fort
Worth, Texas.
Ricky was born on January 15, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri. In
1958, his family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois, finally ending
up in Cahokia, Illinois.
As a child, Ricky enjoyed riding his bike, fishing and camping.
During his teenage years, he acquired his great interests in football,
cars and motorcycles. His love for the outdoors never wavered, and
he developed a passion for metallic silhouette shooting. His love
and devotion for this sport eventually led to a state championship
in 1982.
As a young man, Ricky wanted to follow his father’s example and
join the Navy. One of his first jobs, as a soda jerk on the excursion
boat “S.S. Admire”, did not quite fulfill this dream, so, soon after
his high school graduation in 1970, he joined the Navy.
Ricky married his high school sweetheart, Donna Ficken, in 1972
and they had their son, Ricky George Bryant, shortly thereafter.
During their time in Cahokia, Ricky was an active member of the
American Legion Honor Guard and Scoutmaster of Troop #615.
While there, he also bought his Harley Davidson (a high point of
his life).
Ricky found his niche in the railroad crew-hauling industry in the
early 1980s when he went to work as a driver for Brown’s Limo.
He quickly rose within the company and moved to Fort Worth
in 1992 to work with Brown’s main office. In 1995, when
Renzenberger bought Brown’s, Ricky and Donna moved to
Kansas City where they both worked for Renzenberger, Ricky
in the maintenance department and Donna as a dispatcher.
They remained in Kansas City until May of 2005.
In May of 2005, RCX had management openings in Texas. When
we found out that Ricky was interested in moving back to Texas,
we took advantage of the opportunity to add his knowledge and
ability to our forces. Fortunately, the opportunities were in Forth
Worth, where his son Ricky Jr., daughter-in-law Diane and their
two children (Kendall and Dylan) lived.
Ricky with his wife Donna and their grandchildren
Ricky was one of the best-liked managers in this company. All
departments enjoyed working with Ricky and appreciated his
attention to detail and punctuality in performing all his necessary
functions. All who met and worked with Ricky knew his great
generosity and good nature. His passing will leave many hearts
heavy and a large void to fill in this company. We will miss him.
The past year was one of the happiest of his life. He looked
forward to the challenges of his job and meeting new people.
Ricky dearly loved his family, and being able to see and interact
with them every day brought him great joy.
11
Spring 2007 R C X PRESS
by Kelly Henry-Luedtke
–
Manager, Strategic Sourcing & Supply, Crew Transportation Services, BNSF Railway Co.
OLI Continues to Teach Safety at
Railroad Crossings & Rights of Way
Operation Lifesaver (OLI) is an
international, non-profit education and
awareness program dedicated to ending
collisions, fatalities and injuries at
highway/rail grade crossings and on
railroad rights of way.
OLI strives to increase public awareness
about the dangers of working around the
rails and to educate both pedestrians and drivers – including crew
transportation drivers – about making safe decisions at crossings
and around railroad tracks.
Kelly Henry-Luedtke
Crew transportation suppliers must remember the following OLI
safety rules while working near crossings and around the tracks.
• Look both ways! Always expect a train. Trains can run on any
track, at any time, in either direction. After a train passes, look
both ways before proceeding.
• Don’t get stuck on the track! Before you cross, be sure there is
room on the other side to completely clear the tracks. Trains
overhang the tracks by at least three (3) feet on each side. For
safety, leave at least 15 feet between the rear of your vehicle and
the nearest rail.
RailCrew Xpress, LLC
15729 College Blvd.
Lenexa, KS 66219
• Get out and away! If your vehicle stalls at a crossing, get
everyone out and far away immediately, even if you do not see
a train. Call the emergency notification number posted on or
near the crossing or notify local law enforcement immediately.
• If you see a train coming – wait! Don’t be tempted to try to
beat a train. An approaching train may be closer and traveling
faster than it appears.
• Remember, trains cannot stop quickly! The average freight train
traveling 55 miles per hour takes a mile or more to stop. That’s
18 football fields! If the locomotive engineer can see you, it’s
too late to stop the train.
• Watch for vehicles that must stop at all railroad crossings!
Most states require school buses, commercial buses and trucks
carrying hazardous materials to stop at every highway/rail
grade crossing. (State laws vary.)
• If you see a problem at a crossing, report it! Report any problem
– a stalled vehicle on the tracks, damaged sign, obstructed
view, signal malfunction – to the railroad immediately. Call the
emergency notification number posted on or near the crossing,
or notify local law enforcement.
Tel: (913) 837-5457
Fax: (866) 601-3271
Toll-Free: (800) 290-2206
Website: www.railcrewxpress.com