Had my first day of class today, woke up to leave the hotel and went out to discover my truck had been stolen out of the hotel parking lot, I got dropped off to class by the officer that took my report, all I kept thinking during my hang test was, I have to stay on this ladder because I have no ride back to ohio! 😢
I hate to hear that.. it happened when I was in class also. Way to use adversity as fuel! Let that drive you to pass all of your test. Hopefully insurance will get you a rental car and a check in the mail to get a new one soon.
@Railroad_Talk wow that's crazy it happend to someone when you were in class also. Unfortunately my truck was paid off so I only had liability, they won't do anything for me 😬. The officer said there has been a rash of that particular make of truck being stolen, it's on camera cleat as day, it's like he had a master key, he just walked over opend the door and drove off in under a minute. I had a 2001 Ford f350
I’m glad I never got hired on the railroad, even though I tried several times. Just got my fourth year in at Toyota and we just got a nice raise, and our buy in time(top out) was lowered from 8 to 4 years. Got a set schedule and don’t have to work every Saturday.
@@Railroad_Talk It did for me. I remember when CN turned me down after I applied for a conductor position in Fulton, KY back in 2017, and how mad I was. At least I got spared from having to work in Memphis.
In my area after hiring enough people, NS added an intermodal pair, a manifest pair, and a pair of unit rock train in and out of Savannah, GA after they were all previously cut back in 2020 and even noticed some of the trains in my area had gotten shorter since the beginning of the year.
Interesting, i wonder if some of those shorter trains were due to customers going with trucks or maybe NS put those cars with a different manifest and sent them in an different direction.
I can tell you in Canada (with different challenges in the economy) the Class 1 railroad I work for is not laying off anybody and they are still hiring. They know once traffic picks up again, they will need all the man power they can get. Companies that are biting the bullet now with higher Operating cost to retain their workforce. Will eventually pay off in the long run once traffic picks up. Who the hell can afford not working in this economy, people are gonna go elsewhere. Lost money in Training, and Time is very costly to the company.
I’ve been hearing over here at the BNSF they have no plans to furlough. I’ve heard rumors of retention boards. While it all remains to be seen this is the first time I’ve heard any of this in 9 years.
We tried the retention board here at NS and it was a disaster. They are doing away with it. Newly marked up conductors being put on the retention and sitting at home anywhere from 4 to 10 days before being called. It’s a joke of an idea
Hearing the same thing on my end as well. I work out of a small terminal in southwest Iowa, there is maybe 40 guys/gals working out of here, maybe more maybe less. And they’re already looking to add the first of next year, trying to stay optimistic towards it all. Hoping for sunnier days ahead.
I have a question quick, does being a conductor, the job itself, suck? Is it a hard job? Is it difficult to understand stuff? I’ve heard the jobs on the railroad aren’t necessarily bad it’s that the companies they work for suck
The job itself is easy. Learning car placement, what to do during an emergency, basic perspective of a conductor takes time but it’s not to hard to understand as long as you go into willing and wanting to learn. You’re basically being paid for the inconvenience of being on call 24/7 and being gone away from home from your friends and family and sacrificing your hobbies.
@@Railroad_Talk I’m 18 and at least right now, I wouldn’t mind the lifestyle, I have no family of my own, no girlfriend no kids, and I never really had a great social life so I only have 3 friends and even then I rarely see them even now
They arent changing anything, the Railroads will do as they always have. Once Wall Street doesnt get feed then the CEO is out. If they really wanted to make changes they would get rid of the long trains and TO. I suppose we will see what floats and what sinks. Keep up the channel!
Talking about losing hundreds of millions, Alan Shaw a while ago said that NS lost about 600 million from lost freight in order to save 35 million in furloughs.
Bro they trying to get rid of the conductor I’m new to the railroad industry I just applied for the conductor position out of muscle shoals and the one in Knoxville
They have been trying for years. But this video is about NS learning from their mistakes. They laid off (furloughed) their work force back in 2020 and it cost them millions of dollars. It looks like based off this article they’re not going to lay off anyone cause the market will bounce back we just don’t know when.
I hate to say this but I'd be more worried if you actually start that day. I've been with the UP for quite a while and the UP has a nasty habit of hiring and training, then furloughing before they can start their first day. I'm not trying to be mean, but the start date being more than a month out is a bit concerning to me. If you do start that day, then good luck to you.
@@demontech06 ya not gonna lie man kinda got me worried now. I’ll be moving to a new state for the job. I just don’t wanna quit my current job and drive all the way up there just for them to cancel everything
@@loganprice6708You’ll be fine. Just don’t purchase a new vehicle or gain any unnecessary debt unless you just absolutely have to! Save and live well below your means.
I have a question sir, I’m looking to apply at csx, should I include NS on the application even tho they fired me 1 day before mark up for missing 6days in 3 months with legit sickness an medical excuses
I wouldn’t however medical excuses doesn’t matter in the railroad world until you get FMLA. You have to tough it out and go to work sick until you qualify for FMLA.
I'm not sure on what to do I applied with ns got my interview done but I seen they had a conductor spot that's extremely closer and I applied for it would I have to do everything all over again
Pretty crazy to see how honestly. 4 years ago when I started on the railroad, class 1 carriers were savages. In this day an age, word of mouth spreads much faster with the internet. Like this channel here. The word is out, railroading is not the career it was 40 years ago. These carriers used covid as an excuse to cut the work force and all it has done is cost them millions. I honestly love that they are struggling to coming to realize that PSR is an absolute garbage business plan and the boots on the ground are the ones making the billion for the company. I'm realistic, I understand technology is gonna come along. Rcl, dpu. Although I don't agree with how rcl was introduced and utu threw engineers under the bus, these are technologys us as railroad employees would loose against. Dpu, carriers promised they wouldn't be used to make trains longer. Average length now like 17-18k ft. At least on the UP. Before the DPU, was like 5-6kft??? I honestly feel that the government will step in and not allow 1 person crews. I will say the crew shortages and some recent events, like east palatine, was a good wake up call and I really hope the major carriers can stick with this mind set. IMO, the railroad can be such a great career, it's the carriers that make it as miserable as possible with their business plans.
I agree 100%. If they would focus on the job at hand and their work force and making things better and more efficient and just forget about wallstreet. I bet within 5 years Wall Street would be buying up everything they could cause the numbers aren’t going to lie. As of right now it looks like NS is taking that approach. Will Shaw stick with it? Time will tell.. I truly hope he does. I want to see NS and Shaw set the bar cause if they do it you know the other carrier will follow which will lead to more conductors, more work, safer and less toxic environment.
@@Railroad_TalkI can honestly see NS sticking with it. If you look at the 3rd quarter earnings for all the major carriers, they're all down. No big headlines about major record breaking profits. All of them are down. I think Shaw is gonna step away from that PSR business model. I totally agree with you. Within 5 years, with more crews and shorter trains, the entire system of each major carrier runs much more smoothly witch then makes it more profitable. Rest of the major carriers will follow suite. They all just mimic each other. With more crews, you can abolish the absolute asinine attendance policy and come to the table with a much more reasonable policy, witch then helps boost moral, witch then creates a happier work force. Every class 1 guy I talk to, the attendance policy is the biggest moral killer and makes them completely hate their job. This is just one of the many problems plaguing The industry.
@@benjlar1902 down here they run freight trains long as hell.. longer than any siding they have.. it’s unbelievable i know lol. If it makes since NS doesn’t do it but it seems like maybe they’re have decided to start cutting the lengths of trains down as their velocity numbers have slightly increased.
If it's high priority, they are reasonable length. I've been on 18-20k ft manifest. UP runs their trains long as shit. Longer then any siding they have.
They might not furlough per se, but they will say…oh, no we can’t put any jobs on the list for you but we are in bad way in Timbuktu, and you can go there…… qualify on your own nickel of course.
I just passed my physical last week for ns it says I’m awaiting start date … when do you think they will let me know when that’s gonna be? Thanks for all the info too …
@@krisshirley7508 I don't work for the railroad quite yet but I will be soon hopefully after I graduate do you have to connect the air hoses when doing it.
@@michaelengland4793no you do not are cars are bled off when kicking no air is on them. It’s really not much to it. Set up a kicking block of 2 cars and line your tracks tell the engineer give you a kick and pull the pen.
Had my first day of class today, woke up to leave the hotel and went out to discover my truck had been stolen out of the hotel parking lot, I got dropped off to class by the officer that took my report, all I kept thinking during my hang test was, I have to stay on this ladder because I have no ride back to ohio! 😢
I hate to hear that.. it happened when I was in class also. Way to use adversity as fuel! Let that drive you to pass all of your test. Hopefully insurance will get you a rental car and a check in the mail to get a new one soon.
@Railroad_Talk wow that's crazy it happend to someone when you were in class also. Unfortunately my truck was paid off so I only had liability, they won't do anything for me 😬. The officer said there has been a rash of that particular make of truck being stolen, it's on camera cleat as day, it's like he had a master key, he just walked over opend the door and drove off in under a minute. I had a 2001 Ford f350
How long was hang test for ns
@@mikehlavach1243 th-cam.com/video/Tll0VYUD99E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=dr9nVu4jEnXroNV-
You’re coming to Ohio? You CSX or ns?
I love this guy. Super informative
I love all you guys! Appreciate the kind words and support brother
As a new hire I appreciate the thorough breakdown of everything rail related
I’m glad I never got hired on the railroad, even though I tried several times. Just got my fourth year in at Toyota and we just got a nice raise, and our buy in time(top out) was lowered from 8 to 4 years. Got a set schedule and don’t have to work every Saturday.
Love to hear it! Sometimes things work out in our favor even though we don’t see it at the time.
@@Railroad_Talk It did for me. I remember when CN turned me down after I applied for a conductor position in Fulton, KY back in 2017, and how mad I was. At least I got spared from having to work in Memphis.
In my area after hiring enough people, NS added an intermodal pair, a manifest pair, and a pair of unit rock train in and out of Savannah, GA after they were all previously cut back in 2020 and even noticed some of the trains in my area had gotten shorter since the beginning of the year.
Interesting, i wonder if some of those shorter trains were due to customers going with trucks or maybe NS put those cars with a different manifest and sent them in an different direction.
I can tell you in Canada (with different challenges in the economy) the Class 1 railroad I work for is not laying off anybody and they are still hiring. They know once traffic picks up again, they will need all the man power they can get. Companies that are biting the bullet now with higher Operating cost to retain their workforce. Will eventually pay off in the long run once traffic picks up. Who the hell can afford not working in this economy, people are gonna go elsewhere. Lost money in Training, and Time is very costly to the company.
I’ve been hearing over here at the BNSF they have no plans to furlough. I’ve heard rumors of retention boards. While it all remains to be seen this is the first time I’ve heard any of this in 9 years.
We tried the retention board here at NS and it was a disaster. They are doing away with it. Newly marked up conductors being put on the retention and sitting at home anywhere from 4 to 10 days before being called. It’s a joke of an idea
Hearing the same thing on my end as well. I work out of a small terminal in southwest Iowa, there is maybe 40 guys/gals working out of here, maybe more maybe less. And they’re already looking to add the first of next year, trying to stay optimistic towards it all. Hoping for sunnier days ahead.
@CallOfDutyFreak3453 I deleted your comment but I did read it. A lot of corporate officials floating around on this channel. Just looking out.
i got hired by norfolk southern currently waiting for a start date.
I have a question quick, does being a conductor, the job itself, suck? Is it a hard job? Is it difficult to understand stuff?
I’ve heard the jobs on the railroad aren’t necessarily bad it’s that the companies they work for suck
The job itself is easy. Learning car placement, what to do during an emergency, basic perspective of a conductor takes time but it’s not to hard to understand as long as you go into willing and wanting to learn.
You’re basically being paid for the inconvenience of being on call 24/7 and being gone away from home from your friends and family and sacrificing your hobbies.
@@Railroad_Talk I’m 18 and at least right now, I wouldn’t mind the lifestyle, I have no family of my own, no girlfriend no kids, and I never really had a great social life so I only have 3 friends and even then I rarely see them even now
I just applied to be a market analyst intern at CN, hoping to get an interview ATM🤞
They arent changing anything, the Railroads will do as they always have. Once Wall Street doesnt get feed then the CEO is out. If they really wanted to make changes they would get rid of the long trains and TO. I suppose we will see what floats and what sinks. Keep up the channel!
TO was horrible.. our DPU would beat us to death lol.
Talking about losing hundreds of millions, Alan Shaw a while ago said that NS lost about 600 million from lost freight in order to save 35 million in furloughs.
Wow does this mean I won't be hired. Went through interview, background and drug test and got notcie of waiting on start date. Hello from New Jersey .
No if you received a job offer then you are hired lol.
did they say you got hired for Norfolk southern or the conrail shard assets?
Norfolk southern
I hope it's true i just left training in mc donough the gm actually came to talk to us it sounds good but time will tell
Bro they trying to get rid of the conductor I’m new to the railroad industry I just applied for the conductor position out of muscle shoals and the one in Knoxville
They have been trying for years. But this video is about NS learning from their mistakes. They laid off (furloughed) their work force back in 2020 and it cost them millions of dollars. It looks like based off this article they’re not going to lay off anyone cause the market will bounce back we just don’t know when.
@@Railroad_Talkthanks bro after 5 years in Law Enforcement found your channel u helped me a lot appreciate you
Should I be worried about being furloughed? I start December 4th for UP in Utah
I always say prepare to be furloughed at least once within the first 1-4 years. It could happen it may not i you never really know
I hate to say this but I'd be more worried if you actually start that day. I've been with the UP for quite a while and the UP has a nasty habit of hiring and training, then furloughing before they can start their first day. I'm not trying to be mean, but the start date being more than a month out is a bit concerning to me. If you do start that day, then good luck to you.
@@demontech06 ya not gonna lie man kinda got me worried now. I’ll be moving to a new state for the job. I just don’t wanna quit my current job and drive all the way up there just for them to cancel everything
@@loganprice6708You’ll be fine. Just don’t purchase a new vehicle or gain any unnecessary debt unless you just absolutely have to! Save and live well below your means.
Just applied at NS out of Charlotte, NC how long does it typically take to hear back?
Then lets see if the Engineer's get our yearly bonus???? If not, wonder if he's keeping his????
Do train conductors get reimburse for the meals during a road trip?
Yes! The amount varies from carrier to carrier.
I have a question sir, I’m looking to apply at csx, should I include NS on the application even tho they fired me 1 day before mark up for missing 6days in 3 months with legit sickness an medical excuses
They very likely will know it when they go to digging around and they will dig.
I wouldn’t however medical excuses doesn’t matter in the railroad world until you get FMLA. You have to tough it out and go to work sick until you qualify for FMLA.
I'm not sure on what to do I applied with ns got my interview done but I seen they had a conductor spot that's extremely closer and I applied for it would I have to do everything all over again
Pretty crazy to see how honestly. 4 years ago when I started on the railroad, class 1 carriers were savages. In this day an age, word of mouth spreads much faster with the internet. Like this channel here. The word is out, railroading is not the career it was 40 years ago.
These carriers used covid as an excuse to cut the work force and all it has done is cost them millions. I honestly love that they are struggling to coming to realize that PSR is an absolute garbage business plan and the boots on the ground are the ones making the billion for the company.
I'm realistic, I understand technology is gonna come along. Rcl, dpu. Although I don't agree with how rcl was introduced and utu threw engineers under the bus, these are technologys us as railroad employees would loose against. Dpu, carriers promised they wouldn't be used to make trains longer. Average length now like 17-18k ft. At least on the UP. Before the DPU, was like 5-6kft??? I honestly feel that the government will step in and not allow 1 person crews.
I will say the crew shortages and some recent events, like east palatine, was a good wake up call and I really hope the major carriers can stick with this mind set. IMO, the railroad can be such a great career, it's the carriers that make it as miserable as possible with their business plans.
I agree 100%. If they would focus on the job at hand and their work force and making things better and more efficient and just forget about wallstreet. I bet within 5 years Wall Street would be buying up everything they could cause the numbers aren’t going to lie. As of right now it looks like NS is taking that approach. Will Shaw stick with it? Time will tell.. I truly hope he does. I want to see NS and Shaw set the bar cause if they do it you know the other carrier will follow which will lead to more conductors, more work, safer and less toxic environment.
@@Railroad_TalkI can honestly see NS sticking with it. If you look at the 3rd quarter earnings for all the major carriers, they're all down. No big headlines about major record breaking profits. All of them are down. I think Shaw is gonna step away from that PSR business model.
I totally agree with you. Within 5 years, with more crews and shorter trains, the entire system of each major carrier runs much more smoothly witch then makes it more profitable. Rest of the major carriers will follow suite. They all just mimic each other.
With more crews, you can abolish the absolute asinine attendance policy and come to the table with a much more reasonable policy, witch then helps boost moral, witch then creates a happier work force. Every class 1 guy I talk to, the attendance policy is the biggest moral killer and makes them completely hate their job.
This is just one of the many problems plaguing
The industry.
18k feet? thats gotta be intermodal we dont run anything close to that at cn. no mixed over 12k intermodal rarely gets to 14k
@@benjlar1902 down here they run freight trains long as hell.. longer than any siding they have.. it’s unbelievable i know lol. If it makes since NS doesn’t do it but it seems like maybe they’re have decided to start cutting the lengths of trains down as their velocity numbers have slightly increased.
If it's high priority, they are reasonable length. I've been on 18-20k ft manifest. UP runs their trains long as shit. Longer then any siding they have.
What if you get called in and live far and it takes a little more then 2 hours to get in do you get in trouble
You can request a longer call window. I think some companies offer 2-3 hours
They might not furlough per se, but they will say…oh, no we can’t put any jobs on the list for you but we are in bad way in Timbuktu, and you can go there…… qualify on your own nickel of course.
I just passed my physical last week for ns it says I’m awaiting start date … when do you think they will let me know when that’s gonna be? Thanks for all the info too …
It really depends on the how bad your terminals needs people but a safe guess would be between 4-8 weeks before you get a start date.
Ahh ok thanks a lot
I only I can say don't believe the hyped
Pew
Can you make a video on how to kick cars in a railyard if you can?
What are you struggling with kicking?
@@krisshirley7508 I don't work for the railroad quite yet but I will be soon hopefully after I graduate do you have to connect the air hoses when doing it.
@@michaelengland4793no you do not are cars are bled off when kicking no air is on them. It’s really not much to it. Set up a kicking block of 2 cars and line your tracks tell the engineer give you a kick and pull the pen.