CSX is telling its conductor trainees to return to their home terminals for additional training following the recent deaths of two trainees, including one that occurred Monday at a rail yard in Cumberland, Maryland.
The half-day, intensive training will focus on critical rules and riding equipment. This training will affect roughly 350 people, CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) told FreightWaves.
On Monday, CSX employee Travis Bradley was fatally injured while working in Cumberland. The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted afterwards that it would be sending investigators to look into the incident. CSX said it would work with officials to determine what happened.
And in June, CSX conductor trainee Derek Little died while working at a rail terminal in Baltimore. He was weeks away from becoming a father, according to the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — Transportation Division (SMART-TD).
CSX recently said it is working with SMART-TD to enhance the conductor trainee program at CSX by adding an extra week to the program. Extending the program from four weeks to five will provide additional hands-on experience by having trainees focus on performing tasks in a field setting to increase their exposure to rail car switching scenarios, radio communication, securement of equipment, brake tests and other fundamentals of the conductor’s role, the railroad and the union said.
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Cam
Anything to keep the shareholders happy, right? Who needs reliable training for our workers, they’re expendable like worker bees in the eyes of the shareholders and office jockeys.
Freddie Ware
I was pulled out of service for this same thing. Lack of training.
Tim
Five weeks? 18 years ago when I hired on with the bnsf we had 16 weeks of training and it was not enough. In their insatiable greed, railroad executives everywhere have slashed workforce numbers and cut training to almost no standards at all. These poor fellas that got killed were set up to fail and the railroads could care less how many people die as long as the profits keep rolling in.
Bob
a week down in Atlanta does nothing need real training at home terminals for atleast 3 months and should have dedicated trainers going to Atlanta is good for rules but not real life situations they will face I know I’m a conductor and when I got home theu cut my training to a month I’m 4 years on and still learning things and the company makes you uncomfortable all down your throats and flying drones and making hustle fast to get there times and gets out of focus