FRA revises engineer certification rules

WASHINGTON — Revisions to locomotive certification rules (49 CFR Part 240), effective Feb. 22, 2010, were issued by the Federal Railroad Administration Dec. 23, 2009.
Among the revisions:

• Prohibits the practice of re-classiyfing any type of engineer’s certification to a more restrictive class or certificate while the certification is otherwise valid.
• Requires each railroad to identify steps it might take in the event an employee fails a skills performance test, or the railroad finds deficiencies with an engineer’s performance during an operational monitoring observation, or unannounced ride.
• Requires each railroad to describe the scoring system it utilizes in determining a locomotive engineer’s skills during an operational monitoring observation, or unannounced ride.
• Requires that revocation of an engineer’s certification may only occur for reasons specified in the regulation.

To read the final rule, click on the following link:

“FRA revisions to engineer certification.”