| Title | Issues in Locomotive Crew Management and Scheduling |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 33417 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Pollard, John K. |
| Source | 120p. in various pagings |
| Corporate Creator | John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.) |
| Publisher | United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration |
| Publication Date | 19901100 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | This study explores matters related to the scheduling and management of locomotive crews, particularly as they might contribute to fatigue and stress. It describes how crews are scheduled currently, why there is so much unpredictability in schedules, how various aspects of current practices contribute to fatigue and stress, and what options exist to improve matters. It is based mostly on interviews with operating managers, dispatchers and crew callers on various railroads, discussions with union officials and focus-group sessions with working engineers. The mechanics of scheduling trains and crews on each of seven roads are discussed along with the timing of scheduling decisions, current problems and planned improvements in communications and control. Among the causes of fatigue identified by engineers who participated in the focus groups are: uncertainty as to the time ones nextjobwill be called, excessive working hours, long commutes and waiting times, the poor condition of some locomotives and other equipment, unsatisfactory conditions for sleeping at some terminals, poor distribution of workload among the crew, interpersonal conflicts with dispatchers and crew callers, and deliberate choices by crewmen to do something other than resting during the day even when they knew they mi ght be called for wor k that night. Possible corrective measures suggested are: a minimum of eight hours notice before reporting for work, greater predictability in scheduling, and division of the pools according to the period of the day when they were susceptible to calls. Plans for implementing some of these measures are discussed. |
| Rosap ID | dot:8627 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8627 |
| TRT Terms | Physiological stress; Physiological fatigue; Workload; Working conditions; Locomotive engineers; Train crews; Scheduling; Psychological conflict; Hours of labor |
| General Subjects | Railroad; Locomotive engineers; Fatigue; Stress; Circadian rhythm; Sleep loss; Scheduling; Crew-management; Train-dispatching |
| Classification | NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY; NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Human Factors |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
941431 |
| Contract Number | R1020/RR192 |
| Report Number | DOT-VNTSC-FRA-91-1; DOT/FRA/RRP-91-01 |
| Availability | Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/33000/33400/33417/33417.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |