Federal Railroad Administration December 31, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA proposes revisions to its regulation governing the qualification and certification of locomotive engineers by prohibiting a railroad from reclassifying a person's locomotive engineer certificate to that of a more restrictive class during the period in which the certificate is otherwise valid while permitting the railroad to place restrictions on the locomotive engineer if appropriate. FRA also proposes to clarify that revocation of an engineer's certificate may only occur for the reasons specified in the regulation. Additionally, FRA proposes provisions that would require each railroad to identify the actions it will take in the event that a person fails a skills performance test or the railroad finds deficiencies with an engineer's performance during an operational monitoring observation or unannounced compliance test. These proposals will address unanticipated consequences arising from reclassifications and clarify the grounds upon which a railroad may revoke a locomotive engineer's certification.