Milling & Baking News - April 4, 2023 - 55

and the ability to meet more of their customers'
needs as well as better fluidity
along the network. "
Ms. Schultz also addressed issues that
arose from the rail industry's response to
the COVID pandemic, a period that could
have been a financial boon for carriers.
" In order to take advantage of the surge
in demand, grow their volumes and provide
predictable service, carriers needed
to be prepared for it, and they were not, "
she said. " And while no one could have
predicted the pandemic nor the national
labor shortage that followed, what this
experience has now shown is that resiliency
matters, and the carriers are making
positive changes. "
She noted five of the seven Class I
carriers had reached agreements awarding
employees sick leave and that total
employment for the carriers was up by
more than 5% from last year.
The industry's resiliency certainly was
being tested during the recent derailment
in East Palestine, but Ms. Schultz was
hopeful lessons gleaned from the episode
would help prevent future accidents.
" As a result of the derailment, the
Department of Transportation has
reintroduced proposed rail safety
regulations, and members of Congress
introduced the rail safety act of 2023, " Ms.
Schultz said.
She also acknowledged Norfolk Southern,
the carrier behind the derailed
train, had announced a six-point plan to
immediately improve safety standards.
Additionally, the Association of American
Railroads has indicated other Class I
railroads have taken immediate steps to
prevent similar accidents from occurring
in the future.
Embracing technology and its capacity
to enhance transparency was another
opportunity for carriers to improve relationships
between railroads and shippers,
Ms. Schultz said.
" When I first joined the board two
years ago, I was absolutely blown away to
learn you cannot track rail cars as well as
you can track an Amazon package, " she
said. " And today I'm still not sure what is
holding the industry back, but I do believe
technology that can provide transparency
might resolve a lot of the issues that rail
bakingbusiness.com
customers are complaining about. "
While the STB is directed by Congress
to serve as a regulatory entity, Ms. Schultz
said regulation to address these and other
service-oriented complaints is not always
the best approach.
" The carriers will do a much better
job of voluntarily achieving this goal
across the networks than perhaps any
changes that can be put into place from
regulations, " Ms. Schultz said. " That is
not to say some regulation is not warranted.
It's just my view the carriers are
in the best position to make operational
decisions on how to meet the needs of
their customers. And while regulations
may correct certain issues, at the end of
the day, only the carriers themselves can
deliver a good service product that meets
the needs of their customers. " MBN
Avoid recalls and protect
your brand, because even a
trace of metal is too much.
Ensure metal fragments are instantly
removed from free-falling materials,
while minimizing product loss.
HFS Series Drawer Magnets
Capture traces of metal
and automatically discharge
the contaminants so you can
protect your product purity
and brand reputation.
quickTRON™ 07RH
800.835.2526 or 316-284-2020
Newton@BuntingMagnetics.com
BUNTINGMAGNETICS.COM
MILLING & BAKING NEWS 55
http://www.BUNTINGMAGNETICS.COM http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Milling & Baking News - April 4, 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Milling & Baking News - April 4, 2023
