Work 12 hours, that's the maximum under Federal Hours of Service Law, however that doesn't mean you are done. You just can't move the train any further. You might sit around for hours waiting for a relief crew or a van to haul you home so 12-20 hours is not uncommon.

Then, you get 10 hours off and are expected to do it again. However, if you show your tie up (or relieved time) as 11 hrs and 59 minutes you can get right back out there in 8 hours.

We have no scheduled days off...This can go on indefinitely until the point of major sleep depravation. At this point you are banging your head against the window to stay awake while your tending to 20,000+ tons of freight moving along at 50-70 MPH. Many times tons of nasty hazardous stuff. THe general public would not believe some of the toxic stuff Railroads cart around.

Is this safe? Of course not. Major wrecks and fatalities have occured because of it. The Railroads chalk it up to the employee not "managing his rest." Of course you usually have no idea when you are going to be called for work. So, when the phone rings you have 1-2 hours to prepare yourself and report. Pretty cool when you get 8 hours off...doesn't leave much time for rest. Of course, then there is that pesky wife and family that wants some attention.

I work for Union Pacific who will eat your lunch if you don't meet their "Availability" requirements. They will fire you if you don't perform to their standards. This means you can "lay off" maybe two days a month, more than that and you are under scrutiny.

Then, the constant surveillance. They have managers in the weeds watching your every move and lots of cameras hung all over. One wrong move and you are written up. Too much of that and you are looking for another job.

There are such a myriad of rules and regulations that the managers can't even figure them out. Then, they change constantly. It just gets to the point you can't keep up with it. I carry a PDA that I can plug in at home and it will update every day for the changes but it's your responsibility to figure out what changed. Kind of hard to do with about 1300 rules.

It has just turned into the "sh*ts" but I guess most of corporate America is getting that way.

Do a good job and noone says a thing. Once a year if you didn't get hurt on the job you get a cheap a*s jacket or something made in China, from a company that advertises themselves as "Building America." Ya gotta wonder.

Good stuff...Decent pay for blue collar, $300-500.00+ a day, great health and welfare benefits, beautiful sunrises and sunsets and the privelege of experiencing all weather extremes and being gone for every major holiday.

Other good stuff...If you have managed to survive this crap for 36 years as I have you get 5 weeks vacation, (three of which you can take as single days which in my case means 3 days off as my job has to make a round trip with layover) plus 11 personal leave days that work the same. New hires get two weeks vacation and 3 personal leave days.

I really wouldn't want to do anything else. It kind of gets in your blood but it is sad that it has deteriorated to one of the few jobs around that "the moment they hire you they start trying to fire you."

Railroadin' Anybody...??? They are hiring all over...All Aboard!!!

Mark & Lynn