Insights - May/June 2017 - 17

Operations Committee
Advances Chassis and
Terminal Safety Efforts
T

he Operations Committee at the Business Meeting advanced multiple steps to
enhance efficiency, including greater availability of road ready chassis, reduction of
terminal mishaps and preparation for the upcoming electronic logging device mandate.

Union Pacific Railroad's Nick Smith
presented a task force study to recommend
steps to increase the availability of road
ready chassis, which continues to be a key
issue for intermodal operators.
The Road Ready Chassis Task Force
investigated the feasibility of multiple scenarios, including inspection of all chassis
when they come off load, before deciding
that the best approach was to recommend
a systematic maintenance program and
more education of draymen to stress the
importance of filing driver vehicle inspection reports, or DVIRs.
As part of the review, Smith noted in
their study the improvements in road ready
chassis after a systematic maintenance
program was implemented, which included more than 15,000 inspections being
completed, though there was still a high
incidence of defects found when chassis
The Operations Committee meeting addressed key issues such as road ready chassis.
were inspected.
After the presentation, several members
questioned whether the recommendations adequately addressed
Task Force Leader Dave Hensal of Eagle Systems said the
issues such as alternative approaches, customer satisfaction
video should be ready for a premiere at Intermodal EXPO, followand lack of attention to how repairs could actually be made.
ing the committee's approval to proceed with filming, using real
drivers and conditions. It will be posted on social media as well
'Very Important Discussion'
as company and industry websites.
"We knew Nick's report was going to create this kind of
Hensal said drivers most often don't file DVIRs because they
conversation," said Committee Chairman Kevin Lhotak of Reliable
fear being charged for defects reported.
Transportation Specialists. He described chassis road readiness
The task force also endorsed the creation of information
as "a very important discussion," following the committee's vote
cards for drivers to also deliver the message about the importo accept the recommendations. He also said that leadership will
tance of completing DVIRs.
evaluate next steps.
Vernon Prevatt of CSX Intermodal Terminals reported on
A separate DVIR task force updated attendees on progress in
progress to enhance safety by reducing the frequency of miscreating a video to educate drivers and terminal personnel about
haps on intermodal terminals, as measured by incidents such
the importance of filing that document, which now occurs less
as collisions or work process errors. Over a four-year period, the
than 1 percent of the time when a chassis is returned. The comdata collected by the task force has indicated the frequency of
mittee voted to approve completion of the video project.
mishaps has fallen 19 percent. Another sign of progress he noted
May/June 2017 | Intermodal Insights

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Insights - May/June 2017