WASHINGTON — Following action taken by the Trump administration to require truck drivers to know how to speak and read English, a union president wants President Trump to take related action for train operators as well.
Mark Wallace, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, a division of the rail conference of the Teamsters Union, wants the Federal Railroad Administration to require that trains crossing the southern border conduct crew changes on an international bridge so that American train crews can take control at the border instead of at a rail yard located farther north in the U.S., which FRA currently allows them to do.
“Due to safety and security reasons, [U.S. Department of Transportation] and FRA should mandate that train operations return to using American train crews [in] America,” Wallace wrote in response to DOT’s request for information on an updated national freight strategy.
“A requirement of a crew change at any international crossing would make certain that these train crews are proficient in the English language while operating trains. There can be no miscommunication when critical safety information is being conveyed. Requirements that train crews have legal work authority within the U.S. are vital to ensuring that the crews are fully subject to the FRA’s safety jurisdiction, including certification, qualification, and training requirements.”
In addition to the nationality of crews, BLET is concerned about the safety of the trains that enter the U.S. from Mexico.
“At present there is no reason to trust safety inspections performed within Mexico,” he stated. “The safety requirements within Mexico are not as stringent as our own or they are entirely absent. Allowing trains to proceed from Mexico into the U.S. any further than the first available point where crews can be changed puts crews and the surrounding communities at risk.”
Railroads can request waivers from FRA to allow crew changes to take place at railyards miles north of the border, including both Union Pacific Railroad and Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
Ted Greener, vice president of public affairs for the Association of American Railroads, said that interchange operations along the southern border have been built on the success of the same operations that have occurred for decades along the U.S.-Canadian border.
“Enabling certified Mexican crews to operate trains between secure rail yards on either side of the border reduces the risk of theft, vandalism, and trespassing, while also enhancing safety and minimizing the time trains occupy streets and highways in border communities,” Greener told FreightWaves in an email.
“Importantly, these staffing changes in other locations have not resulted in job losses or reduced hours for U.S. rail workers. In fact, the increased capacity has created new train slots and generated additional U.S. jobs.”
He also pointed out that non-U.S. railroad crews that conduct cross-border interchange are trained in U.S. operating rules, undergo pre-employment background checks, and comply with federal drug and alcohol testing requirements.
“This proven, limited operational practice has paid huge dividends for local communities and businesses across the nation,” he said.
The Trump administration’s stricter enforcement of English proficiency has already been affecting the truck-freight market between the U.S. and Mexico, where a scramble among Mexican B-1 visa truck drivers to meet the requirements has led to an increase in northbound rates.
Wallace told a podcast interviewer in July that he’s seeking a “high-level” staff meeting within the administration to replicate the tighter enforcement.
“We would ask the Trump administration to honor what they’ve done, even in the trucking industry, by requiring those [train crews] to speak English,” he said. “We think that when Donald Trump finds out that this is happening that he’ll make changes. We’re trying to have those conversations as soon as possible.”
FreightWaves contacted BLET for an update on the status of talks with the administration on the issue.
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