July 22, 2024 Certification of Dispatchers

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION <SUBAGY>Federal Railroad Administration</SUBAGY> <CFR>49 CFR Part 245</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. FRA-2022-0019, Notice No. 4]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 2130-AC91 </RIN> <SUBJECT>July 22, 2024 Certification of Dispatchers</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> FRA is establishing regulations for the certification of dispatchers, pursuant to the authority granted in section 402 of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA). </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This regulation is effective July 22, 2024. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to <E T="03">https://www.regulations.gov</E> at any time. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Curtis Dolan, Railroad Safety Specialist, Dispatch Operating Practices, Federal Railroad Administration, telephone: (470) 522-6633, email: <E T="03">curtis.dolan@dot.gov;</E> or Michael C. Spinnicchia, Attorney Adviser, Federal Railroad Administration, telephone: (202) 713-7671, email: <E T="03">michael.spinnicchia@dot.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Abbreviations and Terms Used in This Document</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">AANP—American Association of Nurse Practitioners</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">AAR—Association of American Railroads</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ADA—Americans with Disabilities Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ANSI—American National Standards Institute</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">APTA—American Public Transportation Association</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ASLRRA—American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">ATDA—American Train Dispatchers Association</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">BRS—Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CAD—computer-aided dispatching</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CE—categorical exclusion</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CRB or Board—Certification Review Board</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DAC—Drug and Alcohol Counselor</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">D.C. Circuit—U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DOT—U.S. Department of Transportation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EA—environmental assessment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EIS—environmental impact statement</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FRA—Federal Railroad Administration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Hz—hertz</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IBEW—International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IMOU—implementing memorandum of understanding</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">mph—miles per hour</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">MTA—Metropolitan Transportation Authority</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NEPA—National Environmental Policy Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NPRM—Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NRC—Network Rail Consulting</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">NS—Norfolk Southern Railway</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">OJT—On the job training</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PTC—Positive Train Control</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RIA—Regulatory Impact Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RLO—Rail Labor Organization</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RRP—Risk Reduction Program</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RSAC—Railroad Safety Advisory Committee</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RSIA—Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">RWIC—Roadway Worker In Charge</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SAP—Substance Abuse Professional</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SBA—Small Business Administration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Secretary—Secretary of Transportation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SEPTA—Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SMART-TD—International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Transportation Division</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SSP—System Safety Program</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">TTD—Transportation Trade Department, AFL-CIO</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">WLF—Washington Legal Foundation</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents for Supplementary Information</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">I. Executive Summary</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">II. Background</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Roles and Responsibilities of Dispatchers</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. FRA History of Certification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Statutory Background for Dispatcher Certification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Report to Congress</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. RSAC Working Group</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Stakeholder Outreach</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">III. Discussion of Comments and FRA's Conclusions</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Overview of Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Comments Supporting the NPRM</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Labor Organizations and Consulting Company</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Individual Commenters</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Comments Opposing the NPRM</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Comments Alleging There Is No Safety Justification for This Rule as the Cost-Benefit Analysis Does Not Support Requiring Dispatcher Certification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Comments Relating to RSIA Authority</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Comments Stating That Contractors and Subcontractors Should Be Responsible for Certifying Their Own Employees</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Comments Related to Evidence That This Rule Would Limit Job Hopping</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Comments Relating to Evidence That New Dispatcher Duties Necessitate Requiring Certification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. Comments Asserting That the Rule Is Duplicative of Parts 243, 270, and 271</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Miscellaneous Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">IV. Section-by-Section Analysis</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-2">V. Regulatory Impact and Notices</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">A. Executive Order 12866 as Amended by Executive Order 14094</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">B. Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 13272</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">1. Statement of the Need for, and Objectives of, the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">2. Significant Issues Raised by Public Comments</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">3. Response to Comments Filed by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">4. Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to Which the Rule will Apply</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">5. Description of the Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other Compliance Requirements of the Rule</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">6. A Description of the Steps the Agency Has Taken To Minimize the Economic Impact on Small Entities</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">C. Paperwork Reduction Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">D. Federalism Implications</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">E. International Trade Impact Assessment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">F. Environmental Assessment</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">G. Environmental Justice</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">H. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">I. Energy Impact</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP1-2">J. Executive Order 13175 (Tribal Consultation)</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Executive Summary</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">Purpose of the Regulatory Action</HD> FRA is requiring railroads to develop programs for certifying individuals who perform dispatching tasks on their networks. Under this rule, railroads are required to have formal processes for training prospective dispatchers, as well as verifying that each dispatcher has the requisite knowledge, skills, safety record, and abilities to safely perform all of the safety-related dispatcher duties mandated by Federal laws and regulations, prior to certification. In addition, railroads are required to have formal processes for revoking certification for dispatchers who violate specified minimum requirements. FRA is promulgating this regulation in response to section 402 of the RSIA, Public Law 110-432, 122 Stat. 4848, 4884 (Oct. 16, 2008), which required the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to submit a report to Congress addressing whether certification of “certain crafts or classes” of railroad employees or contractors, including railroad dispatchers, was necessary to “reduce the number and rate of accidents and incidents or to improve railroad safety.” Section 402 further provides that the Secretary may prescribe regulations requiring the certification of certain crafts or classes if the Secretary determined, pursuant to the report to Congress, that such regulations are necessary to reduce the number and rate of accidents and incidents or to improve railroad safety. The Secretary submitted a report to Congress on November 4, 2015, stating that, based on FRA's preliminary research, dispatchers were one of the most viable candidate railroad crafts for certification due to the complex safety-critical work dispatchers perform, the high turnover among dispatchers which has led to a less experienced workforce, and the need to prevent persons with active substance abuse disorders from working as dispatchers. <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> FRA subsequently performed outreach with various stakeholders to compile a list of tasks performed by dispatchers. Upon review of this task list, FRA found that the vast majority of dispatcher tasks are critical to railroad safety with potentially catastrophic consequences if they are not performed properly. Certification addresses these safety concerns by creating minimum training standards, establishing safety records for dispatchers, and requiring certain safety and knowledge checks before a person can become certified. Given the safety critical role of dispatchers in facilitating safe railroad operations (which includes the coordination of emergency services in response to accidents and incidents), FRA determined that the number and rate of accidents and incidents would be expected to decrease and railroad safety wou ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 444k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━