(Source: Freight Waves, June 24, 2025)
Rail unions are raising concerns about the Trump administration’s plan to roll back protections for federal inspectors and investigators put in place in 2021 that they say could increase safety risks in the rail industry. The NPRM would allow the railroads, during the course of an enforcement action against them, to “petition the DOT General Counsel for a determination that responsible DOT personnel violated provisions of this rule with respect to the enforcement action,” according to the proposed rule. If such violation claims against DOT personnel can be corroborated, DOT’s general counsel can direct the Federal Railroad Administration to award the following relief, “as warranted by the circumstances and consistent with law.” The provision also allows the general counsel to recommend disciplinary action against the FRA investigator that committed the violation.
Mark Wallace, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), told DOT that his members rely on FRA investigators to hold railroads accountable to safety standards.
“Our members know that the railroads have a history of retaliation for reporting safety issues – something we take very seriously,” Wallace stated in comments filed with DOT.
Full story: Freight Waves