(Source: North Platte Bulletin, December 20, 2022)
Union Pacific wants to launch a pilot program, replacing conductors aboard freight trains with what the company calls “ground-based expeditors.” UP maintains that the conductor’s job to repair trains when it is enroute would be better served by a ground-based truck service. The truck would be dispatched from centralized locations. President Jeremy Ferguson of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation union (SMART TD) said if equipment failures occur on the line without a conductor readily available to act in a moment’s notice, it could be catastrophic, especially if the stalled train has an entire community blocked off.
Full story: North Platte Bulletin