LIMBO TIME HAS BECOME A MAJOR ISSUE – SEIZE THE MOMENT AND CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMEN NOW DURING EASTER RECESS!

All Auxiliary and BLET members are encouraged to contact their members of Congress during the Easter recess (the Senate reconvenes on April 10 and the House reconvenes on April 16) to urge them to include provisions to eliminate limbo time in any rail safety legislation that is introduced in the coming months.

Explain to your congressman that limbo time is a term used to describe the time that train crews are left on the train because the railroad has not provided transportation to the terminal. Let them know that train crews are fatigued and waiting endless hours on a train for transportation after already working the maximum 12 hours (mandated by the Hours of Service Act) only aggravates this dangerous situation.

This situation has escalated dramatically in the last few years. The BLET has data from one Class I railroad showing that nearly 335,000 crews had work tours in excess of 14 hours during the years 2001 through 2006. This is an average of over 150 crews exceeding the Hours of Service by two hours every day for six years. However, during the past three years, the average is over 205 crews per day. During that same period, an average of about 94 crews per day had work tours longer than 15 hours.

Auxiliary and BLET members should share the statistical information provided here and on the BLET website (see below) when contacting their members of Congress. More importantly, members should share their first-hand experiences with fatigue and limbo time with their Senators and Representatives. Citing statistics is good, but first-hand accounts have much more impact.

We encourage you to make appointments to visit your member of Congress about the “limbo time” issue during their time in District. While there is currently no specific “limbo time” bill in the House or Senate, members should make their Senators and Representative aware of the problem and should ask them to include the issue in any rail safety legislation introduced in the future. If you cannot make a personal visit, at least call, write, or e-mail your congressman.

In your communication, you may also reference the testimony delivered by the BLET before a Congressional hearing earlier this year. On February 13, 2007, BLET Director of Regulatory Affairs Tom Pontolillo testified before the House Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Railroads regarding fatigue in the railroad industry. For more information and a copy of Brother Pontolillo’s testimony, go to http://www.bletdc.org/legislation/testimony/.

To find your representative, go to: http://www.bletdc.org/action/congress/ .