Qualification and Certification of Locomotive Engineers

FRA is making miscellaneous amendments to its requirements for the qualification and certification of locomotive engineers. These amendments are largely based on recommendations made by an advisory committee comprising rail industry and labor representatives; in reaching these consensus recommendations, the advisory committee examined data, discussed the successes and failures of the rule since its inception, and debated how to improve the regulations. In particular, this final rule will: Clarify the decertification process; clarify when certified locomotive engineers are required to operate service vehicles; and address the concern that some designated supervisors of locomotive engineers are insufficiently qualified to properly supervise, train, or test locomotive engineers.