As shippers, carriers and logistics firms around the globe put more technology in place to both address their current challenges and prepare for what’s coming around the next corner, some core infrastructure providers are taking similar steps. Any company shipping break bulk and using rail, for example, will be happy to know that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) clearly views technology and data as important to its future, according to Intellitrans.
Most recently, in a push to enhance train safety and codify train crew size requirements, the FRA issued a proposed rule to enhance train safety and codify train crew size requirements.
The rule requires a minimum of two train crewmembers for over-the-road railroad operations. It includes some exceptions for certain low-risk operational circumstances and/or where mitigating measures are in place to protect railroad employees, the public and the environment.
Finding Coherence
The FRA’s proposed rule is also focused on enhancing safety nationwide by replacing what it calls a “patchwork” of existing state laws regarding crew size with a uniform national standard. “Without consistent guidelines, railroads may be subjected to disparate requirements in every state in which they operate,” the FRA pointed out, “resulting in potential safety risks, operational inefficiencies, and significant costs.”
The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) also addresses the physical location of crewmembers on moving trains and would prohibit the operation of some trains with fewer than two crewmembers from transporting large amounts of certain hazardous materials. The FRA says that the risk assessment and annual oversight requirements in the NPRM are intended to ensure that railroads fully consider and address all relevant safety factors associated with using less than two person crews.
Current industry practice is to have two-person crews consisting of a locomotive engineer and conductor. Under the NPRM, a special approval procedure would allow railroads to petition FRA: (1) to continue legacy operations with one-person train crews; and (2) for approval to initiate a new train operation with fewer than two crew members.
This proposed rule is complementary to other recent regulatory initiatives FRA has issued or is in the process of developing. Those initiatives include railroad safety risk reduction programs and the development of fatigue risk management programs. The rule is also consistent with safety analysis required by other FRA regulations, including positive train control (PTC), which is designed to prevent collisions, derailments, incursions into established work zones, and the movement of trains as a result of switches being left in the wrong position.
Harnessing the Power of Big Data
The FRA isn’t alone in its mission to use more technology and data to ensure safety and improve efficiencies within rail networks. According to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), railroads continue to harness the power of big data to solve big challenges.
Aided by smart sensors deployed across the network and advancements in track inspection technologies, for example, railroads have amassed databases populated with hundreds of trillions of bytes of information about the condition of tracks and equipment. “This virtual goldmine of data coupled with improved data analytics software allows railroads to uncover critical data trends and apply those learnings to enhance safety and operations,” AAR pointed out.
Once data trends have been identified, researchers at MxV Rail study the data and develop recommendations for how to apply it to improve operations. For example, they’re using the data to analyze multiple factors at once and then develop “composite rules,” or industrywide standards based on identifying a factor or combination of factors that can indicate if a piece of equipment is near risk of failure.
“As railroads gather more data through inspection technology and refine the software capable of analyzing it, the ability to enhance safety and maximize the efficiency of operations will only increase,” the AAR said, adding that track inspection machines currently operate independent of trains.
Once in place, the next generation of track inspection technology could be incorporated into locomotives generating up to 250 gigabytes of data daily per locomotive, the group predicts. “Onboard inspection technologies such as these would allow for continuous and more frequent inspection and data collection,” AAR added, “that informs annual capital and maintenance planning.”
Technology Gets to its Destination on Time
IntelliTrans’ Global Control Tower provides high levels of supply chain transparency; aggregates, completes, and enhances data from a variety of sources; offers visibility into and execution of different aspects of the supply chain; and generates data-driven alerts and analytics that ask deeper questions and deliver meaningful insights.
By leveraging tracking information, the Global Control Tower provides analytics that measures key performance indicators (KPIs) like fleet cycle time, origin/destination dwell time, lane and hauler performance, back orders, freight spend, load optimization, and more. With their rate, equipment, lease, tracking, and invoice data in a central repository that’s accessible 24/7, companies can position themselves for success in any market conditions.
Intellitrans, www.intellitrans.com