CREW VAN OPERATIONS
on
CLASS I RAILROADS IN THE UNITED STATES
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has tasked Keppen & Associates with conducting a study regarding the safety and efficiency of crew van services that provide work-related transportation to railroad operating crews. FRA is concerned with the potential impact of these services on the alertness of railroad operating crews and, therefore, the safety of railroad operations.
The purpose of the study is to identify, and communicate to the industry at large, those policies and practices that yield the best outcomes with respect to safety and efficiency of crew van operations and associated train operations.
Reducing transportation delays benefit employees by improving their work environment, have the potential to reduce costs for van service companies and should improve crew utilization for the railroads.
Your response to this questionnaire will remain confidential. Only group data will be reported. It is important for respondents to this questionnaire to answer as many questions as they possibly can and critical for us to know the name of the railroad you work for and the name of the van service you are referring to when you answer these questions.
BNSF [ ] CSXT [ ] KCS [ ] NS [ ] UP [ ]
Name of the van service: _______________________________________
QUESTIONS FOR RAILROAD OPERATING EMPLOYEES
- How frequently during a month would you be transported by a third party crew van service?
0 [ ] 1 3 times [ ] 4 7 times [ ] 8 or more [ ]
- Do third party van services transport you to/from terminals and lodging?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- How long does a typical trip between your off-duty point and lodging take?
5 15 minutes [ ] 16 31 minutes [ ] 30 45 minutes [ ]
- If you experience delays (traffic, weather, etc.) how long would the trip take?
___________ minutes
- Do third party van services transport you terminal to terminal (to or from service trips)?
Yes [ ] No[ ]
- How long does a typical trip between terminals take?
___________ hours ___________ minutes
- What is the most likely form of delay that could extend the time required for the trip?
Traffic [ ] Waiting for transportation [ ] Weather [ ]
Waiting for crew handling decisions [ ]
- Do third party van services transport you terminal to intermediate points to commence duty?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- How long would a typical trip between those points take?
___________ hours ___________ minutes
- What is the most likely form of delay and how long might that typically last?
Traffic [ ] Waiting for transportation [ ] Weather [ ]
Waiting for crew handling decisions[ ]
- How frequently per month might you be transported by a third party crew van service for an Hours of Service (HOS) tie-up?
0 [ ] 1 2 times [ ] 3 4 times [ ] 4 or more [ ]
- Have you personally experienced "unreasonable" delays for HOS pick-up and delivery to your off-duty points?
- Yes [ ] No [ ]
- Would you define (describe) an "unreasonable" delay as being?
15 30 minutes [ ]
31 60 minutes [ ] 1 hour or more [ ]
- Does your railroad require/allow you to contact the regular crew van service directly?
Yes [ ] No[ ]
- If you do not contact the crew van service directly, whom would you normally contact at your employing railroad to obtain transportation services?
Dispatcher [ ] Crew management [ ]
Local RR management [ ] Other [ ]
- Does your railroad seek suggestions from you and your coworkers on how crew van services might be improved?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- If so, have you ever noticed that a suggestion was implemented and resulted in improved service?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- Have you ever offered a suggestion to your carrier that was accepted and improved service?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- Where would you most likely use a crew van service for transportation:
Urban areas [ ] Rural areas [ ]
- If you have experienced any of the following problems with a van service company, in the past 6 months, enter the appropriate number of occurrences in the space available:
Unsafe equipment ______ Overcrowding ______ Unsafe driving ______
Van late arriving ______ Disagreement with driver ______
- Did you report this experience to someone in railroad management?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- How would you report crew van (driver) problems to railroad management?
In person [ ] Company/800# phone [ ] By fax [ ]
In writing [ ]
- Was the problem addressed to your satisfaction?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- Has van driver alertness been an issue/concern while you were being transported?
Never [ ] Occasionally [ ] Frequently [ ]
- Have you ever been so concerned with the van drivers alertness that you have operated the van?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- Are you aware of locations that generally receive good crew van transportation service?
Yes [ ] No [ ]
- If you are aware of any such locations, what factors do you believe permit service at those locations to be superior to that provided at other locations?
- If you were to rate the overall performance of the van services that normally provides transportation to you and crews you work with, would you rate them:
Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Fair [ ] Poor [ ]
- Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on how the Federal Railroad Administration might assist you to further improve the safety/efficiency of crew transport operations?
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND PARTICIPATION
Additional Comments May Be Entered On The Back Of This Questionnaire