If a pilot is required, ask for a pilot. If told to go without one, do not be insubordinate. Be sure to know who is instructing you, document the time and details of who, what and when, and report the violation using this form.
Conductor Territory Qualification Requirements
CFR reference: 49 CFR 242.301
- Time Considerations
- Territory qualification lasts for one year
- You can be required to operate without a pilot/assistant over territory where qualification has expired, provided it has been less than one year since the expiration of the qualification and you regularly traversed that territory before the expiration of the qualification
- Practical application: You can generally be required to traverse territory without a pilot if it’s been less than two years since you last did so.
- Pilot requirements
- If you’ve never traversed the territory, you must be assisted by a certified conductor who is not an assigned crew member (conductors assigned to the crew as a pilot satisfy this requirement)
- If you’ve traversed the territory, but it has been over 2 years since you’ve done so, you may be assisted by any qualified crew member other than the engineer operating the locomotive.
- Exceptions
- An assistant is not required if the movement is on a section of main track with an average grade of less than 1% over 3 continuous miles, and:
- The maximum distance the locomotive or train will be operated does not exceed one mile; or
- The maximum authorized speed for any operation on the track does not exceed 20 miles per hour; or
- Operations are conducted under operating rules that require every locomotive and train to proceed at a speed that permits stopping within one half the range of vision of the locomotive engineer
- Being told to operate your train at restricted speed over the segment of track does not satisfy this exception!
- An assistant is not required if the movement is on a section of main track with an average grade of less than 1% over 3 continuous miles, and:
Engineer Territory Qualification Requirements
CFR reference: 49 CFR 240.231
- Time limits
- Territory qualifications last for one year.
- Except as provided in the exceptions below, you need a pilot to operate over territory where your qualification has expired.
- Pilot requirements
- If you’ve never traversed the territory, you must be provided with a qualified pilot who is certified as a locomotive engineer who is not an assigned crew member (engineers assigned to the crew as only a pilot satisfy this requirement).
- If you’ve traversed the territory, but your qualification has expired the pilot may be any person, who is not an assigned crew member, qualified on the physical characteristics of the territory.
- Exceptions
- A pilot is not required if the movement is on a section of main track with an average grade of less than 1% over 3 continuous miles, and:
- The maximum distance the locomotive or train will be operated does not exceed one mile; or
- The maximum authorized speed for any operation on the track does not exceed 20 miles per hour; or
- Operations are conducted under operating rules that require every locomotive and train to proceed at a speed that permits stopping within one half the range of vision of the locomotive engineer
- Being told to operate your train at restricted speed over the segment of track does not satisfy this exception!
- A pilot is not required if the movement is on a section of main track with an average grade of less than 1% over 3 continuous miles, and: