Railroad Management

What kind of duties/responsibilities are involved in transportation management? What does the job consist of? What kind of schooling do you need?What kind of Grades? What schools offer it as as major? I am wondering because I will being going to college somewhat soon and am not yet sure what to go for. Any info would be great. -Ryan

What level and department are you referring to? You can get directly into transportation management like a Manager of Operating Practices. Here's a description directly from the source:

https://secure.recruitingcenter.net/Cli ... 07&esid=az

Or you can get more into the business aspect like this:

https://secure.recruitingcenter.net/Cli ... 09&esid=az

Both require at least a bachelors degree in logistics or some form of business (marketing, etc.) All require a GPA of at least 3.0 out of 4 but regardless of if it is the railroad or otherwise you have to keep that at least a minimum of 3. The business side will afford you a lot better lifestyle while still working in the industry and may be a bit more rewarding if you like thinkinking, strategy, and problem solving. Any good school in business would be okay, even a degree in marketing and management would be good because you could go into the railroad at the corporate level or even out in the field, and you can also go into other industries if the transportation industry dosn't turn out to be your thing.

Take a look around, there are many other areas to go into besides those two:

https://secure.recruitingcenter.net/Cli ... roller.cfm

Thanks alot c604. I'd probobally be more interested in going into the operating practices more than the business. So if anyone wants to add any more info, feel free. Thanks, Ryan

Also what kind of bachelors degree should I have for the operations management part?

Personally, for first or second level management in operations, you really need experience more than anything. I've seen some ATMs (Asst. Trainmasters) that BNSF has hired off the street or right out of college that don't have a clue. Those that come out of the ranks have a finely tuned crap detector. Those from the rank and file also get more respect. Working set hours you can get college later.

I guess the real question is: Why management? Less pay, worse hours, no union protection, somewhat better benefits, at the mercy of the company, I mean why. Yes someone has to do it, but I for one am glad it isn't me. I spent time on both sides in the military. First as a Warrant Officer and then as a Lieutenant and finally as a Captain and taking the commisson was the worse career move I ever made.

Please don't believe that you can make drastic change things for the better. These railroads, at least the Class 1s, have been around for voer a hundred years and are more set in their ways than my 80 year old parents. The best you can hope for is to keep the status quo.

If you hae your heart set on management, good luck. Better you than me, I can always lay off without getting a rash from higher ups.

freshmeat is pretty cynical. Management positions, like everything else, are what you make them. True, your lifestyle will suffer if you are a frontline manager... but you can always advance into service planning, rules and operating practices, car and locomotive management, sales and marketing, etc. live a normal, 9-5 existence, better benefits, AND make a difference - if you set your mind to it. It makes for a lot of satisfaction seeing a train go by and knowing that you were personally responsible for winning the business that fills that train or for creating the schedule that cut the train's transit time by X hours. Most experienced mid-level managers make $75-150k/yr when you include annual bonuses.

By the way, you can also be involved in railroading without working for a carrier. There are always openings to work in rail logistics for a shipper, such as ExxonMobil, International Paper, Duke Power, etc. Often, the companies control large railcar fleets and you would get personally involved in leasing/buying rail cars, car maintenance, setting up rail-truck transloading operations, intraplant operating practices, loading/unloading procedures, rate and service negotiations (many companies spend $50 million+ per year on rail freight), etc. Trust me, some of these guys know more about railroading than the railroads they work with! Money? This is pretty variable... you should expect $50-75k in a smaller company. Larger shippers can pay up to $125K+. And you don't have to pay RRB!

Thanks alot for the input cowford. What do you suggest I major in college? Business management? Any info on that would be great. Thanks, Ryan

Cynical? How about first hand experience? The head of the car department here was told " quit or get fired" because she tried to "make a difference" Will you get crap from us TY&E guys? Yes you will ! Get some experience as a conductor ( BNSF lets you come in and take a first line supervisor test to see if your material for management) Please do something like this you do and BNSF will help pay your college for when you want to go.
Trust me you dont want to be the trainmaster that told the crew who was coupling air hoses to and I quote" You need 50 feet of separation before going n between" So tell me MR Trainmaster How do you couple hoses on equipment thats 50 feet apart? So the crew called the carmen to bring over 50 feet of hose to couple em up. The Term Trainmaster went through the roof when told this. But its your choice. You can try to change the world of railroading ( good luck if you dont say Yes sir no isnt in my vocabulary) a bit at a time.But seriously get some time in , go be a yardmaster, or something like sales. The operating side is rough and Trainmasters can be fired on the spot for a wrong decision. Good luck.

"The operating side is rough and Trainmasters can be fired on the spot for a wrong decision. "

All the more reason to get a college education. If that happens, the person in question with a degree can move to another industry and get a very decent paying job. What about the person without a degree? To put it in laymans terms, that person is screwed! Go get an education first if you have the opportunity, then you can go railroading later on while you always have that degree for insurance the rest of your life, even start out in train service if you want, that way its the best of both worlds. The bottom line is if you have the opportunity now while you are young, go get an education first.

Ryan - it depends on what you want to do... if you want to work on the shipper side, you can major in logistics/supply chain management. On the railroad side, you name it: accounting, marketing, finance (is a great one as railroads are so capital intensive and have a lot of folks in this area), engineering, ops management.

There are no hard and fast rules... I have worked on the shipper side as well as on the Class 1 side... and have met shipper logistics managers with degrees in music, history, economics. On the railroad side, I know railroaders with degrees in phys ed, real estate, history, etc.

And despite what the died-in-the-wool rank-and-file say here, having experience as a T&E employee is not the only way to gain competency on the railroad... unless you want to be a T&E employee. I know plenty of guys (and some gals) that worked their way up. Yes, their experience is certainly valuable, but it's their personal smarts that made the difference.

Good luck!

Cowford wrote: I know plenty of guys (and some gals) that worked their way up. Yes, their experience is certainly valuable, but it's their personal smarts that made the difference.

This is so true. The business (at least at the Class I level) is so much more that what the average front line employee sees. A lot goes on behind the scenes that requires good decision-making and management skills.

Modern ops are very heavily dependent upon computers and associated technology (such as telecom and data storage and interchange). There will always be a need for those types as well as the traditional railroad managers.

Let's put it this way if you want to be a railroad manager:

1) Be prepared to be yelled at..alot..by everyone senior to you.
2) Be prepared to argue and deal with people who act defiant because they are either in the union or junior to you.
3) Be prepared for long nights, unending frustration, and little financial reward.
4) The stress, long hours (managers generally not subjected to hours of service) and non-stop b.s. will do wonders for your health. I lost 20 lbs. and became a chronic insomniac my first year in management.
5) Oh - did I mention to be prepared to always take the blame for ANYTHING that happens while on your shift.
6) Remember: Union employees are the smart ones. It takes a grievous violation of the safety rules for them get fired. They have representation and a hearing process. Your butt on the other hand is fair game anytime, any place if some VP has a hair across his butt.

Bottom line: Stay out of management - it sucks.

Another naysayer. I've spent years in railroad management and have NEVER been yelled at. Maybe I'm just good at my job.

Cowford wrote:Maybe I'm just good at my job.

mmmm...could be!

In my career, I found a huge difference between the traditional ops departments (transportation, mechanical, and engineering) and all the rest. Operations was typically strict command/control/intimidation procedures, with the occasional screaming and berating (and firing) going on.

Most other departments treated managers more like professionals -- sometimes whether they deserved it or not.

Unfortunately most of the company was under operations...

Sr. VP of Operations (or whatever they might call it these days) set the tone for his folks. If he screamed and yelled, it was OK to scream and yell (at subordinates, that is!). Front line employess didn't get this treatment. Managers did.

I've seen a few Div. Supts get bady reamed out/humiliated in front of staff, too. This is not good for morale, as I see it.

I don't know -- has it changed much? I can't say since I've moved on the other things.

I've heard of our trainmasters being told to pack up and hit the road because they need a trainmaster somewhere else, usually far off. For what they do and what they get paid it wouldnt be worth it to me. I've seen alot of decent trainmasters hit a glass ceiling because they have no college degree. I would'nt mind being a Road Foreman, all those guys seem to have to do is harp on people for stretch and power braking, download tapes and screw off. I myself prefer being an engineer, you dont see a bus load of kids waving at trainmasters for a toot on the whistle do ya?