Passenger Trains > Amtrak: Thinnest staffed crew bases?

With the summer vacation season in full swing and a major national holiday week underway, how are Amtrak's crew bases holding up?

I haven't seen job postings for new engineers or trainees in a while, other than Los Angeles. If normal retirements and departures are continuing, that suggests some bases are probably too thin to have any resiliency. No ability to handle two or more big problems (big time delays, four or six people on short rest, etc).

So, has your crew base seen delays due to a lack of rested (or any) crews?

Gardner's excuse was Covid-era "nobody wants to work" and can't find anyone. That is the rhetoric I got from his pal Senator Schumer regurgitated by his transportation aide 2 or 3 years ago. 

I recently spoke with 2 AMTRAK on board conductors / attendants in San Diego.  The hours are insane--16 hours that day, about 5 hours sleep in a hotel, then back on the train.  These 2 employees were very, very tired.

Tell me who thinks that's acceptable??  Can't live your life--you're a slave to some ridiculous workload.

That schedule seems to violate Hours of Service laws for conductors. Other than conductors and engineers,  I don't believe Amtrak's on board service teams are subject to HOS. That's even more insane than some resident doctor zombie schedules.

If that schedule is typical, where's the union in fighting this nonsense?

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That schedule seems to violate Hours of Service
> laws for conductors. Other than conductors and
> engineers,  I don't believe Amtrak's on board
> service teams are subject to HOS. That's even more
> insane than some resident doctor zombie
> schedules.
>
> If that schedule is typical, where's the union in
> fighting this nonsense?

Money.....exhaustion is evil unless curing it cuts into your overtime....

Amtrak has large problems hiring people who can pass drug tests - A problem many companies have these days

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gardner's excuse was Covid-era "nobody wants to
> work" and can't find anyone. That is the rhetoric
> I got from his pal Senator Schumer regurgitated by
> his transportation aide 2 or 3 years ago. 

There not wrong.  As already pointed out, drugs seem to be more important to the latest generation.  

And again, they are the first to complain that home ownership is out of reach for them.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/26 07:13 by Typhoon.

Typhoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Gardner's excuse was Covid-era "nobody wants to
> > work" and can't find anyone. That is the
> rhetoric
> > I got from his pal Senator Schumer regurgitated
> by
> > his transportation aide 2 or 3 years ago. 
>
> There not worng.  As already pointed out, drugs
> seem to be more important to the latest
> generation.  
>
> And again, they are the first to complain that
> home ownership is out of reach for them.  

MAJOR problem philosophically!!!! Lets make marijuana legal in some/most states, but at the federal level it is illegal. At an "operator" level it's illegal - being an engineer for locomotive and even while "impaired" as a driver of an automobile. But this has become a slippery slope and ill-thought out. It is a true conundrum our country leaders have created........... 

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Typhoon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > joemvcnj Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Gardner's excuse was Covid-era "nobody wants
> to
> > > work" and can't find anyone. That is the
> > rhetoric
> > > I got from his pal Senator Schumer
> regurgitated
> > by
> > > his transportation aide 2 or 3 years ago. 
> >
> > There not worng.  As already pointed out,
> drugs
> > seem to be more important to the latest
> > generation.  
> >
> > And again, they are the first to complain that
> > home ownership is out of reach for them.  
>
> MAJOR problem philosophically!!!! Lets make
> marijuana legal in some/most states, but at the
> federal level it is illegal. At an "operator"
> level it's illegal - being an engineer for
> locomotive and even while "impaired" as a driver
> of an automobile. But this has become a slippery
> slope and ill-thought out. It is a true conundrum
> our country leaders have created........... 


It's a simple decision.   Don't make excuses.  Hundreds of thousands of people are able to make that choice every day. If you choose weed, or other drugs over a good job that could lead to homeownership, than you have no complaint.  


Toke up, and enjoy your mothers basement or renting an apartment.  

amtrakbill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak has large problems hiring people who can
> pass drug tests - A problem many companies have
> these days

Especially when you have some states who have legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I recently spoke with 2 AMTRAK on board conductors
> / attendants in San Diego.  The hours are
> insane--16 hours that day, about 5 hours sleep in
> a hotel, then back on the train. 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That schedule seems to violate Hours of Service
> laws for conductors.

actually, completely legal… If you worked for five hours down the coast, Tied up in a hotel for five hours… And then worked up the coast another five hours, You would only be showing 10 hours on duty.

After four hours at Location of suitable rest, i.e. hotel, Your hours of service clock pauses until either you return to duty or eight hours passes in which case you are free to work another 12.  

Typhoon Wrote:
> Toke up, and enjoy your mothers basement or
> renting an apartment.  

Yet Alcoholics get the green light

ATSF1129 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> coach Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I recently spoke with 2 AMTRAK on board
> conductors
> > / attendants in San Diego.  The hours are
> > insane--16 hours that day, about 5 hours sleep
> in
> > a hotel, then back on the train. 
>
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That schedule seems to violate Hours of Service
> > laws for conductors.
>
> actually, completely legal… If you worked for
> five hours down the coast, Tied up in a hotel for
> five hours… And then worked up the coast another
> five hours, You would only be showing 10 hours on
> duty.
>
> After four hours at Location of suitable rest,
> i.e. hotel, Your hours of service clock pauses
> until either you return to duty or eight hours
> passes in which case you are free to work another
> 12.  

Thanks for explaining that.  Seems like a recipe for perpetually tired crews.  So a long haul like Chicago to DC to Miami might see the same steward working a five on, five in the crew bunk, five on, etc for two+ days?  That has to be awful on a person's life..

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ATSF1129 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > coach Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I recently spoke with 2 AMTRAK on board
> > conductors
> > > / attendants in San Diego.  The hours are
> > > insane--16 hours that day, about 5 hours
> sleep
> > in
> > > a hotel, then back on the train. 
> >
> > Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > That schedule seems to violate Hours of
> Service
> > > laws for conductors.
> >
> > actually, completely legal… If you worked for
> > five hours down the coast, Tied up in a hotel
> for
> > five hours… And then worked up the coast
> another
> > five hours, You would only be showing 10 hours
> on
> > duty.
> >
> > After four hours at Location of suitable rest,
> > i.e. hotel, Your hours of service clock pauses
> > until either you return to duty or eight hours
> > passes in which case you are free to work
> another
> > 12.  
>
> Thanks for explaining that.  Seems like a recipe
> for perpetually tired crews.  So a long haul like
> Chicago to DC to Miami might see the same steward
> working a five on, five in the crew bunk, five on,
> etc for two+ days?  That has to be awful on a
> person's life..

OBS are not subject to hours of service.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So a long haul like
> Chicago to DC to Miami might see the same steward
> working a five on, five in the crew bunk, five on,
> etc for two+ days?  That has to be awful on a
> person's life..

Chicago - DC and DC - Miami are different OBS crews.

OBS crews are not operating crews and are therefore not subject to hours of service regulations.  Say it's a western long-haul that is on the road for more that a full day, their morning could start at 6am and go until 11pm with scattered breaks.  The length of the layover could be overnight and restful, or fairly short depending on the inbound train's timekeeping.

Crews I know are three and three: leave day one; arrive at the far end, lay over and depart on the second day; back at home day three.  Then off three days and start the cycle all over.  Outbound Monday, next trip outbound Sunday, next Saturday... you get the point.  The longer runs have a longer cycle, both on-board and at home.  It takes a certain dedication to handle a job with this kind of schedule, so you can see why many people find it isn't for them.

Operating crews are under the 12-hour tour of duty limit per Federal hours of service.  This can be 12 hours straight time, of 12 hours split in two segments with a four-hour minimum (less than eight-hour) rest period.  The way this normally works is running from the home terminal to away from home terminal with a scheduled on-duty period of 8-and-a-half hours or less, at least 8 hours off, and then work back to the initial home terminal.  The scheduled length of the run leaves room for delays before running into danger of running out of legal on-duty time.

Short runs of four or five hours can work to the away-from-home terminal, have a rest period of at least four hours, and work back to the home terminal.  Say that you were on duty for 5 hours and 32 minutes on the first leg, you have another 6 hours and 28 minutes you can work after the four-hour rest period.

Hopefully that all makes sense.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/26 19:02 by MaryMcPherson.

Thanks, that's very helpful.  Still, as you say, this kind of work isn't for everyone.

"There not worng.(SIC)  As already pointed out, drugs seem to be more important to the latest generation..."

Comversations with a lot of younger people don't really supports this.  What supports their "unwillingness to work" is they've noted how bad, tedious, boring and pointless many jobs are and simply will not subject themselves to that sort of thing, particularly at entry-level pay with little hope for advancement.  Now, most of us oldsters understand beginning at the bottom and working your way up, but that simply does not resonate with a lot of young people today.  That's really the sad part.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/26 12:25 by a737flyer.

There are kids, vets  that  are drug free that want this type of work, beats a warehouse, but  family , social life can be challenge, they pay pretty good, better than looking at a screen or prefab warehouse if you ask me.   There has been size able population that is drinking less, drinking non -booze drinks with this younger generation.

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Typhoon Wrote:
> > Toke up, and enjoy your mothers basement or
> > renting an apartment.  
>
> Yet Alcoholics get the green light

You have to be not under the influence while working.  

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Typhoon Wrote:
> > Toke up, and enjoy your mothers basement or
> > renting an apartment.  
>
> Yet Alcoholics get the green light

/\ /\ /\ /\ THIS /\ /\ /\ /\