What's new

Switching to a train engineer?

wonderring99

wonderring99

TB Veteran
Credits
31
Do any of you know anyone who has switched from trucking to the railroad driving the train? I applied with no expectations but I am curious to know what to expect or any knowledge is appreciated. Thanks
 
wonderring99 said:
Do any of you know anyone who has switched from trucking to the railroad driving the train? I applied with no expectations but I am curious to know what to expect. Thanks
Click to expand...
Sorry mate, I am curious to know WHY you did NO RESEARCH (hence your question) before applying for such "position"?? :confused1::scratchhead:

-such is a typical pro1 response and I usually supply info, so I guess we've temporarily flipped places-
 
I had a hs buddy who got a rail road job and I remember him telling me that it's next to impossible to be an engineer unless you have previous experience
Only thing he added was if your new to railroading it could be several years before you qualify because of all the training
 
Cerberus_Kelpie said:
Sorry mate, I am curious to know WHY you did NO RESEARCH (hence your question) before applying for such "position"?? :confused1::scratchhead:

-such is a typical pro1 response and I usually supply info, so I guess we've temporarily flipped places-
Click to expand...
CK I have done some research .. Amtrak is looking for guys and they have an 8 - 10 week school training (ugh) people in Wimington DE. Usually someone here knows something about something ...
 
20_yrs_2_go said:
I had a hs buddy who got a rail road job and I remember him telling me that it's next to impossible to be an engineer unless you have previous experience
Only thing he added was if your new to railroading it could be several years before you qualify because of all the training
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info 20 yrs ... does he do freight or passenger
 
wonderring99 said:
CK I have done some research ..
Click to expand...
Okay, sorry Mate, my error in comprehension.
Amtrak is looking for guys and they have an 8 - 10 week school training (ugh) people in Wimington DE.
Click to expand...
They don't accept Females? 8-10 weeks is far less than Basic Training and equivalent to Respectable Truck Driver Training.
Usually someone here knows something about something ...
Click to expand...
As well some know Nothing about Anything.

I've been in Trucking for 20 years and NEVER heard of ANYONE going from Truck Driving to Rail Transport (or the steps to Engineer). Guess I was on the wrong Channel.

CHEERS!!
 
I would think a rail road engineer would become bored in short order.
Well hay then I guess you would have no more DOT checks,& you wouldn't be pulled over for speeding.
Surely you know any career has it's good points,along with negative issues.
 
The men I know who work or have worked for Union Pacific say it takes many years to move up the ladder to an engineer's job.
 
IF you're willing to move to another Country (Central or South America, Africa, Australia, India, etc.), there may well be "openings" for Engineers.
May need to learn a new language and not be afraid of heights, explosives, lack of Safety.

CHEERS!!
 
A relative, young at the time had a job with Union Pacific as a conductor & was working toward an engineer job.He had few years seniority & threw it away to buy his own truck. He went belly up at that not once but twice. The second bankruptcy ruined his credit. He has a young family & has had medical bills which would have been paid by medical insurance at UP. He would have 15 years seniority if he would have stayed at UP.
Trucking seems like a glamorous occupation but not many owner/operators last very long at it.
I had an opportunity to work for what was MoPac at the time. I would have tried it if I had not already had Teamster job. Probably would have a more secure pension if I would have left trucking. Oh well, water under the bridge. I'm too old to try something new at this point in my life.
 
DCM_Doc said:
A relative, young at the time had a job with Union Pacific as a conductor & was working toward an engineer job.He had few years seniority & threw it away to buy his own truck. He went belly up at that not once but twice. The second bankruptcy ruined his credit. He has a young family & has had medical bills which would have been paid by medical insurance at UP. He would have 15 years seniority if he would have stayed at UP.
Trucking seems like a glamorous occupation but not many owner/operators last very long at it.
I had an opportunity to work for what was MoPac at the time. I would have tried it if I had not already had Teamster job. Probably would have a more secure pension if I would have left trucking. Oh well, water under the bridge. I'm too old to try something new at this point in my life.
Click to expand...
i think many of us (me included) have dreamt of being an o/o.

i know I DID my home work many years ago, about 4-5 years into my career.

i just found back then, the numbers did not meet my expectations, especially when i personally saw/read the final settlement sheet of an o/o. and i should point out, i ran a successful garage business before i got into trucking, so i did have money managing experience.

when i saw HIS NET pay for the year, i was already about $5,000 to $8,000 ahead of him.

all that money earned, and spent on ALL the things a business needs, AND the hours put in, just did not add up....for me.

so i had stayed a company driver all these years, up until my debilitating injury.

many "smart" o/o's save up and invest in thier future, too many others HAVE to buy all that chrome and stainless steel.
 
Last edited:
pro1driver said:
i think many of us (me included) have dreamt of being an o/o.

i know I DID my home work many years ago, about 4-5 years into my career.

i just found back then, the numbers did not meet my expectations, especially when i personally saw/read the final settlement sheet of an o/o. and i should point out, i ran a successful garage business before i got into trucking, so i did have money managing experience.

when i saw HIS NET pay for the year, i was already about $5,000 to $8,000 ahead of him.

all that money earned, and spent on ALL the things a business needs, AND the hours put in, just did not add up....for me.

so i had stayed a company driver all these years, up until my debilitating injury.

many "smart" o/o's save up and invest in thier future, too many others HAVE to buy all that chrome and stainless steel.
Click to expand...


10-4 to all that!

I was an O/O for 9 years and three trucks, in the early '80's. I was determined to run it like a business,..and I could tell you on a daily basis what my cost-per-mile was....pre-computer, no less.......

I knew many guys who had dual chrome stacks, and fancy aluminum wheels,.....but couldn't afford skirting for the mobile home up on blocks they were living in........

When diesel fuel went to $1.10 a gallon, and my main customer went bankrupt (..son stole the money..),...and my other customers were asking for rate decreases,....because of all the 2 year buffoons who were buying fancy rigs,...cutting rates to turn wheels,.....and going belly-up after two years of....Big Rigging,..........I decided to sell my last truck,....for a tiny profit, and NO residual bills,.......and went back to a Union carrier.

All I did was blow a 9 year hole in my pension longevity.........I fed my family, paid the bills,...even took a few vacations,....but at the end of the day, I was making no more than a company road driver........

...(....and I had to grease the truck on the weekends.....).......
 
canaryinthemine said:
10-4 to all that!

I was an O/O for 9 years and three trucks, in the early '80's. I was determined to run it like a business,..and I could tell you on a daily basis what my cost-per-mile was....pre-computer, no less.......

I knew many guys who had dual chrome stacks, and fancy aluminum wheels,.....but couldn't afford skirting for the mobile home up on blocks they were living in........

When diesel fuel went to $1.10 a gallon, and my main customer went bankrupt (..son stole the money..),...and my other customers were asking for rate decreases,....because of all the 2 year buffoons who were buying fancy rigs,...cutting rates to turn wheels,.....and going belly-up after two years of....Big Rigging,..........I decided to sell my last truck,....for a tiny profit, and NO residual bills,.......and went back to a Union carrier.

All I did was blow a 9 year hole in my pension longevity.........I fed my family, paid the bills,...even took a few vacations,....but at the end of the day, I was making no more than a company road driver........

...(....and I had to grease the truck on the weekends.....).......
Click to expand...

Back in the late 40's, early 50's O O's made good money leased to the truck lines.
When the companies cut the leased trucks, most guys sold out and started driving for the companies.
Great Southern required a leased truck to maintain the tires on a company trailer, for this, he was paid 0.25 or
0.50 pr trailer mile, I can't remember which, this was a good money maker.
 
I was running east on 80 out of sharon the other day saw one of the last teamster l/o steel haulers, i have a copy of the old central states iron and steel supplement, seems like about the only way it would be worth being an l/o. Most of the l/o rates look good until you factor in no health insurance and no retirement plan.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top