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OMAHA, Nebraska — A trial judge was wrong to order BNSF railroad to pay the full amount awarded by a jury to a former railroad worker without deducting federal railroad retirement taxes, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Eddie Heckman, of Alliance, was injured on the job in 2003 and sued the railroad in 2004. A jury awarded Heckman $145,000 in 2011. BNSF paid the award, but deducted $6,200 to cover the tax withholding it says it must pay on compensation for lost wages.

Read the complete story at The Republic.

Amtrak LogoRail use in America continues to climb ever higher. In July, Amtrak posted its busiest ridership month ever. But what are the busiest individual routes?

Let’s take a look. Here are the 10 highest ridership Amtrak routes, as of July, 2013.

Read the complete story at greatergreaterwashington.org.

smart125Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers using airline travel throughout the United States may have noticed a commercial touting the efforts of their labor organization.

The video is appearing on monitors at the gates of all American and U.S. Airways flights at the 48 airports listed on this attachment during CNN broadcasts in August and September.

The video was produced by Clearwind Media to brand the name and acronym of the new organization and to provide a positive message to the public.

To view the video, click here.

Clearwind Media has also produced a three-minute interview with General President Joseph Nigro about the organization. Listen to the audio interview here.

OTTAWA – A Canadian government agency has determined that the U.S. rail company whose runaway train crashed into a small Quebec town, killing 47 people last month, has adequate insurance to keep operating for the next month and a half.

The Canadian Transportation Agency said the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway provided evidence it had adequate third-party liability insurance coverage to operate from Aug. 20 to Oct. 1, 2013. The agency’s decision late Friday reversed an Aug. 13 order that would have halted the railroad’s operations from early next week.

Read the complete story at the Associated Press.

 

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. says it holds no financial responsibility for the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster and has rejected a legal demand by the Quebec government that it help pay for the cleanup in the devastated town.

The railway announced Thursday that it will appeal the province’s legal order.

Read the complete story at The Globe and Mail.

 

FRA_logo_wordsThe Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will host a public meeting Aug. 27-28 in Washington, D.C., about the transportation of hazardous materials by rail. The two DOT agencies want to hear from stakeholders because they have begun a review of operational factors that affect the safe transportation of hazmats by rail, no doubt spurred by the recent Canadian disaster involving a derailed train carrying crude oil to a refinery.

The meeting is scheduled to last from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. both days in the Oklahoma Room in the DOT Conference Center, 1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20590.

Anyone who wants to present an oral statement should notify Kurt Eichenlaub, Railroad Safety specialist in the Hazardous Materials Division’s Office of Safety Assurance and Compliance at FRA, at least four business days prior to the meeting at (20) 493-6050 or Kurt.Eichenlaub@dot.gov.

Comments also may be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov (Docket No. FRA-2013-0067).

This article originally appeared at www.ohsonline.com.

phil_qualy
Qualy

Canadian Pacific Railway has furloughed approximately 30 workers in recent months from its operation in Thief River Falls, Minn., according to union officials.

The job cuts are among roughly 90 furloughs at CP sites across Minn. that the United Transportation Union has counted since October 2012, part of what the union says are aggressive job cuts that followed leadership changes in the company at that time.

“We’re not happy about it,” said Phillip J. Qualy, SMART-UTU Minnesota legislative director. 

 Read the complete story here.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A new law upping the number of hours a person has to fly before they can be hired as an airline pilot is causing headaches for Great Lakes Airlines.

A spokeswoman for the Cheyenne-based regional airline said the new law, which went into effect Aug. 1, has made it harder for Great Lakes and other regional airlines to hire and retain pilots.

Read the complete story at Wyomingnews.com.

bus_frontFare increases. Route cuts. General frustration over life. In New York City, there is no shortage of reasons why bus drivers are targeted for assault – an average of 88 attacks every year in the nation’s largest bus system.

Jose Rondon’s 27-year career as a driver came to an abrupt end last summer at a stop in the Bronx, when a man punched him repeatedly without warning, breaking his nose and bloodying his face. 

Read the complete story at ABC News.

bus_frontWASHINGTON – Anne S. Ferro, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, in July announced the launch of the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP), a website that provides training and education on commercial bus and truck driver fatigue management.

“We can help save lives and prevent crashes on our roads by providing drivers and companies with educational tools, like those contained in the North American Fatigue Management Program website,” said Administrator Ferro. “This is another supportive resource truck and bus drivers can utilize in addition to complying with our hours-of-service rules.”

“The launch of the program is very good news,” said Minister Raitt. “The collaborative work that has been done with partners will assist motor carriers and drivers in managing fatigue, and promote safety by reducing fatigue-related crashes.”

The NAFMP is a voluntary, interactive web-based educational and training program developed to provide commercial truck and bus drivers and carriers with an awareness of the factors contributing to fatigue and its impact on performance and safety. It provides:

  • Information on how to develop a corporate culture that facilitates reduced driver fatigue;
  • Fatigue management education for drivers, drivers’ families, carrier executives and managers, shippers/receivers and dispatchers;
  • Information on sleep disorders, screening and treatment;
  • Driver and trip scheduling information; and,
  • Information on Fatigue Management Technologies.

The program was developed by multiple partners, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Transport Canada, Alberta Employment and Immigration, Alberta Transportation, Alberta Worker’s Compensation Board, Alberta Motor Transport Association, Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec, Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, and the American Transportation Research Institute.

The NAFMP fatigue management tool does not replace or override the FMCSA or TC’s regulations on hours-of-service. FMCSA and TC-regulated commercial motor carriers and drivers continue to have a duty to know and comply with the respective FMCSA or TC hours-of-service regulations.

For more information on the North American Fatigue Management Program, please visit www.nafmp.org. Additional educational tools for commercial drivers are available on FMCSA’s website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov.