Whats It Like to Be an Amtrak Conductor

Quite frankly, I take no idea what to do. Final nighttime, I thought I would laissez passer up on the opportunity. After reading your reply, I am non so sure anymore. I am kind of embarrassed by my own indecision. Merely it is a large step and I exercise not want to make the wrong option. I besides wouldn't want the corporation to spend all that time training me, only to scrap out if I decided information technology wasn't for me. Not fair to them. Maybe I should take the force examination anyhow and see where this goes. I did not know you were guaranteed 8 hours off piece of work subsequently a shift.

There is no need to exist embarrassed. You asked for the information and that shows y'all are thoughtful and taking this seriously. While I remember CACharger is right when he says you should consider it, I would like to paint the truthful picture of New York then yous have the proper information to make an informed conclusion. I'grand not worried almost the corporation since they often conceptualize people not adjusting or passing. Still, I like to remind people that when they are selected for a job, someone else who really may desire it did not get selected. There are a large number of applicants for a limit corporeality of positions and this becomes a lifestyle....and yous demand to have a long term vision if you want to exercise this.

Over again, I'm non trying to frighten you. I only want you to take as much information that is available and then I volition add on to a few things.

I would say a lot depends on how fast seniority moves in your crew base; this significant how often people in a higher place yous in seniority either bid out to another area, retire, are fired, motion to engine service etc. I work on the west declension and they definitely exercise warn you that you could be on call for years. I got lucky and was simply on the extra lath for 8 months. Seniority moved fast in my crew base and I got a regular job (not amazing but no longer on call) fairly quickly. In my experience a lot of the negatives about the early on years can be eliminated by how quick you lot are able to go a regular job: y'all know when you are working, what days you have off, you don't need to worry near someone calling when you're out at dinner.

This is quite true. Yet, New York is not the identify where ACs get firsthand piece of work. There may exist a few that sign upwardly in the middle of the night that you lot may hold after a few months if you're extremely lucky. The trouble is once you are able to hold a regular chore equally an AC, New York is infamous for taking the lowest available ACs and force assigning them to the usher'southward extra list. They tend to exercise it as soon as information technology is immune which just around the ane yr mark. This is where things get dicey since New York has a large yard. While at that place are roughly nine assistant conductor positions in the yard and perchance three piece of work assignments, there are roughly 55 conductor positions in the chiliad. That's a lot of work to cover and y'all accept to contend with people from New York Zone 1 NYP-Zone i (NYP-BOS) taking these positions. You also accept to worry virtually personnel from Philadelphia blocking yous out of regular assignments, particularly during prime assignments.

New York is definitely a bigger and busier crew base than annihilation we have out west, so I can't speak completely on what your experience would be. I concord with what was said above past expecting calls at all times of the twenty-four hour period. Yous get at minimum 8 hours off subsequently work and if they are extremely short (rare in my feel simply can happen like during the holidays) they tin and volition call you afterward your 8 is up. Virtually crew dispatchers are proficient at alarm you if they're gonna demand y'all sooner than later. They will become your best friends.

I did not know you were guaranteed eight hours off work later a shift.

And yes. The eight hours off is part of the federally mandated Hours of Service law. Any job that has you lot work up to eleven hrs 59 mins, yous go 8 hours off later on. If yous work 12 hours (the maximum amount of time you are allowed to work in one shift) you get ten hours off. And then other tidbits like you can't piece of work more than six days without a total 24 hours off.

I really want to get over this portion because this is what people tend to mismanage. Yes, you lot are entitled to 8 hours off if you lot have completed a shift...providing they need you rested for a full assignment. There is something called a respite in the hours of service of law and it is used in New York, New Haven, and Philadelphia liberally.

Basics federally hours of service law for passenger service:

You can work up to 12 working hours in a 24 hour period.
You lot can non exceed 12 continuous hours.
8 hours off restarts your time if you oasis't worked 12 continuous hours. If you work 12 continuous hours, you must accept 10 hours off.

So:

If you lot work an viii-hour shift, you would exist entitled to 8 hours off before you lot tin can work your next Full assignment. Still, a break between 4 hours and 7 hours and 59minutes interrupts your hours of service. That ways any time between the 4 hours and 8 hours, they Can phone call you back to work and utilize.

Example: In that location is a job in New York that works a circular trip to Philadelphia. It is about a 7-hr assignment and the crew callers a very aware of this One time you consummate that assignment, you nevertheless take almost 5 hours available to work under the hours of service law. They tin transport you right back out if necessary. However, let'due south say you brand information technology domicile. They tin can still activate you anywhere betwixt the 4th 60 minutes and 8th 60 minutes and y'all'll take 5 hours left.

That is plenty time to take a one-mode trip somewhere.

Another matter I also want to address is "time off" between assignments. While you are guaranteed 8 hours off between shifts, that is counted from sign off, to sign up. It is non an undisturbed rest menses. They can call y'all prior to the stop of your 8 hour period of rest.

Example:

You lot finished a shift that ended at ii pm. You are now rested for an assignment that starts at x pm since that is viii hours from when y'all finished. At present, add together in your call menstruation of 2 or 3 hours which means yous may receive a call around 7pm.

Another thing is your 24 hour relief day. It generally runs from 1201am to 1201am the next mean solar day, but yous may piece of work into your relief twenty-four hour period as you are responsible for whatsoever consignment that starts prior to 12:00 prior to relief day.

Instance:

Your relief day is Tuesday but there is a task that signs upward at eleven:59 pm on Monday. You ARE responsible for protecting that task. At present, if you work it, yous are entitled to 24 hours off from the completion of that consignment. If this job finished at 7:59 am on Tuesday, you wouldn't go back on the extra board until 7:59 am on Wednesday.

This leads to another situation regarding your relief day: Yous may exist called to cover something right as it ends.

Example:

Continuing from above, your relief day is Tuesday. It is Monday evening and you note that train 67 , which signs upward at ane:30 am in the morning is open up. You're on telephone call to protect annihilation that occurs prior to xi:59 pm, so you are Not responsible for protecting that assignment.

Now, you lot're enjoying your twenty-four hour period off. It starts getting belatedly and then yous set to hit the sack. Get-go, you check the system to see what vacancies exist. You annotation that 67 is open. Since 67 signs up after your day off finishes at 12:01 am, you ARE responsible for covering this consignment if necessary. This is what @CACharger262 was talking about when he said a practiced coiffure caller volition let you know if you are needed sooner rather than later. They tin be your best friend or worst enemy.

The natural segue is this adjacent statement:

If you can't make it, y'all tin can call out sick, but keep in mind y'all only get a handful of unexcused absences a year. It depends on your manager how strictly this is enforced. I've never seen anyone terminated due to attendance.

I take seen plenty of people terminated for attendance issues, largely because of things like I listed above. When the NEC is hopping, it is hopping and New York typically has the about manpower. Information technology is easy to miss calls, slumber through calls or things become to hell while you're asleep. You may call the crew dispatcher at night and they volition tell y'all are xi times out (the 11th person to exist called) with 3 showing (3 open jobs) all day. Finally, you tin relax. iii hours afterwards, you're getting a telephone call because the wires came downward or some other disruption occurred. Still, some of the people you were following were unprepared and called out or dropped the call. Now, it reaches y'all and you never went to bed since you thought you lot had time.

What will you practise?

If missing calls is not habit and you generally piece of work, I know the bosses in NY will fight off attacks on their workers. Information technology is difficult to outset discipline proceedings on someone that is working 60+ hours a week (which is probably in NYP.)

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Source: https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/what-are-the-realities-of-the-conductor-trainee-job.76412/

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