CSX, SMART-TD Team to Extend Conductor Training Program

(Photograph Courtesy of CSX)

CSX and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division (SMART-TD) on July 31 reported partnering to extend the Class I railroad’s conductor training program and “provide new hires with additional hands-on experience prior to beginning on-the-job training.”

The training program will be boosted from four weeks to five weeks. CSX said it developed the extended program in consultation with SMART-TD, which represents its train crew employees.

The extra week of training at the CSX Training Center in Atlanta, Ga., will focus on “performing tasks in a field setting to increase trainees’ exposure to railcar switching scenarios, radio communication, securement of equipment, brake tests and other fundamentals of the conductor’s role,” according to CSX and the union. “Hands-on application of these skills begins in the third week of training, and the additional week will reinforce trainees’ comfort level by providing multiple opportunities to perform the tasks while operating on first and second shifts.”

After completing their five weeks at the Atlanta Training Center, new conductors begin up to five months of on-the-job training at their hiring location, where they learn the physical characteristics and job assignments of their designated territory, CSX and SMART-TD said.

“Training is the foundation of the CSX safety culture, and investing in employees is the most fundamental way we can prepare our train crew members for a safe, successful career on the railroad,” CSX Executive Vice President of Operations Jamie Boychuk said.

“We’re proud to continue working with CSX to improve the training curriculum for new-hire trainmen, in the same spirit as we’ve worked together to increase compensation and expand our mentoring partnerships for trainees,” said Jeremy Ferguson, President of SMART-TD. “More training directly translates to better safety for our members and demonstrates our shared commitment to the CSX safety culture.”

In a related development, NS and SMART-TD on July 26 announced their partnership to launch several new initiatives to “further enhance the training program for conductor trainees and increase compensation for conductors who helped provide this important training.”