United States Department of Transportation
i
The Impact of Commute Times on the Fatigue and Safety of Locomotive Engineers and Conductors
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2023-06-01
[PDF-4.09 MB]
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Edition:May 2018 – February 2023
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Abstract:An online survey was developed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and distributed by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Sheet Metal, Air, and Rail Transportation workers –Transportation Division (SMART-TD) labor unions to their members. The purpose of the survey was to better understand the factors that contribute to fatigue in locomotive engineers and conductors, and the potential impact on safety. The final dataset comprised 9,084 responses with an almost equal 50/50 split on job role (4,497 locomotive engineers and 4,587 conductors). Both locomotive engineers and conductors reported frequently experiencing fatigue due to factors such as irregular work schedules, long working hours, and night work. In particular, factors associated with scheduling variability, such as greater variation in start times and frequent switching from day to night work, greatly increased the likelihood of locomotive engineers and conductors being characterized as highly fatigued. Fatigue also increased the odds of experiencing fatigue-related safety events at work and during the commute to and from work. The results of this survey indicate the importance of considering commute time in fatigue mitigation and help to highlight other contributors to fatigue.
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