Have you thought of Railroad conducting?

My neighbor is a conductor. They call him any time day or night and he has to be at the yard within 2 hours. The 200 mile trip he makes takes 15 hours he then waits in a hotel for up to 24 hours (paid of course) for the return train going back home. He knows that rail just as well as we know that one stretch of highway we hate. He does this twice before he is allowed to turn the phone off for a day or two. Not my cup of tea but it still sounds better than a boring 9-5 at a job that offers nothing but dissatisfaction.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTeDAst3KA0

^^(note the oncoming crew jumping out at 00:42 seconds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFIWJD_h62k&feature=related

 

I was 2 weeks away from starting conductor training with BNSF. Then the economy took a bigger crap and the class was cancelled. They are now hiring again but I am set to go back in the military.

If you get on with a class 1 RR you make good money. Once you have enough seniority you get on a guaranteed board. So even if you dont work as much as the last 2 weeks your still guaranteed a certain amount of money. The benefits can't be beat. The retirement is excellent. Say your retirement is 5K a month. Your wife gets half that amount, but it doesn't come out of yours. She gets her own check. You stop paying into social security once you start working and pay into the RR.

After your a conductor for a while you get promoted to engineer. With enough seniority(25+ years), you can make a six figure salary. Buddy of mine knows a guy in Cali that made 120K last year. That takes your whole career to get that high though.

It's a hard job to land. Thousands of applicants every hiring session. They will invite a couple hundred to test/interview for a couple slots. They have a hard-on for ex-military though.

 

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=82d_1246651100

Tornado 1 - Train 0

 

I've applied at Norfolk-Southern twice for conductor positions. They blow a lot of smoke up your ### that you won't have a life for 3-5 years. I wanted to ask him if that's the case then I guess driving this truck 35+ straight days at a time with 72 hours off is a cakewalk.

As Mach stated though you are on call. Best part about the job is retiring with full bennies after 25 years. Also you have to upgrade to engineer within 7 years. Pay at N-S was 80% of $190 a day gaining 5% each year until you reach $190/day, IIRC.

 

If you like the warm cushy sensation of a job...then stay away from this job. As mentioned before you are called when they need you, you are gone as long as they want you, and you WILL work in whatever condition that is at hand. Its hard work at first but you do reap the benes. My brother works for BNSF and he started out that way and now is an engineer. Again the first years are the make it or break time years. Then it gets either easier or used to it.

 

DNA: Scary video! In reference to the second video, I've seen a truck get stuck on the track across from the T/A in Ontario, CA when I was training at Werner. The truck was able to flee from the tracks, but the train clipped the trailer. This smart guy of a truck driver fled the scene and proceeded to haul tail on Interstate 10.

Lupe: I personally wouldn't work a railroad job, especially as a train conductor. It's one of those jobs that offers excellent pay, but I don't think that I will be satisfied and/or happy. Not my cup of tea so to say.

 

Oh boy, you think the HOS for trucking is rough! If you run out of hours on a train you sit there, no bathroom, no bed, no nothing!

They pay well. For a brief time I drove train crew shuttle in AL. Two guys with college degrees were shuttling cars in the yard. English degree, business degree. I asked them why they worked on the train (CSX). $75,000 a year, that's why!

They have to pay well for the bull$hit. Trucking doesn't compare.

Almost every guy I shuttled that had been there over 5 years had killed someone who commited suicide by train. They get psychological counciling for that. Can you say that if you mowed someone down, you could go to work the next day?

Whoooooo Hooooooooo!

 

####, those videos are scary

 

I know a few guys who could benefit from having their vehicle on rails when backing in at the truck stop!

 

Oh, I don't think that would help some of them!