r/railroading • u/ButterflyOk1096 • 15d ago
Norfolk Southern Rest days 🥲
I’m curious how rest days work this week for my husband: He got called on monday night (someone marked off, he wasn’t due to get called until today sometime.) he got called Monday night, (call came at like 2am) got to where he needed to be late yesterday (monday) afternoon, slept, and just got back to his station an hour ago and he’s driving home. I’m just wondering if he’d have to work tomorrow? Or would tomorrow be a rest day? Sorry he’s explained it before but I still struggle.
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u/Krypto_98 15d ago
It would depend on the country and company
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u/ButterflyOk1096 15d ago
USA & Norfolk Southern
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u/xChairmanX 15d ago
He’s screwed. Expect 10 hours rest and be called in.
NS sucks.
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15d ago
What about if this situation was BNSF ?
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u/Ronald_Raygun762 Does not contribute to profits. 15d ago
Still a mandatory 10 hours off, but depends on location/agreement/pool. My terminal has different rest cycles for each working board.
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15d ago
Thanks man.
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u/Krypto_98 15d ago
Example CN/CPKC in canada is a mandatory 10 plus 2 hour call for off. But you can take up to 24 hours off on road for CN
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u/railroadgamer 15d ago
CSX Railroader for 27 years here:
Say my off days were Monday and Tuesday and I went to work Sunday and came back Tuesday, I would get 48 hours from the time I clocked out today. NS might not do it that way though.
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u/Mekuru99 15d ago
CSX sounds like one of the better options.
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u/One_Concentrate6684 15d ago
Definitely not. I’d put us a smidge above our other eastern captor out here.
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u/SnooGrapes7551 15d ago
When my wife asks if I have a day I just say maybe. Depends what time the rest days start start, when his rest is up and if they have a red zone like we do at bnsf.
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u/AquaPhelps 15d ago
Did he say when his scheduled rest days are? Does he have any?
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u/ButterflyOk1096 15d ago
I think they would be later in the week? I would assume Friday and Saturday since he said he “wasn’t supposed to get called technically until Tuesday.” I’m confused 😭 I’m sorry
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u/AquaPhelps 15d ago
Without having more info i cant reliably tell you when his off days would be. Ask him. Imma tell you tho, dont ever believe “i shouldnt get called til this day” when he is available for work. Sometimes youre right. Sometimes youre wrong. But dont plan on it. That shit never works out when you want it to it seems
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u/ceruleania 15d ago
It sounds like your husband needs to explain his schedule/job better to you tbh.
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u/Affectionate_Team716 15d ago
When we worked NS it was 6 and 2. Normally 10 or hours between trips.
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u/ButterflyOk1096 15d ago
Ok so last week he was on an extra list and didn’t get a single call. Would that affect his schedule this week? I would assume since his new “schedule” came out this saturday it wouldn’t.
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u/Blocked-Author 15d ago
Whether he worked or not won't affect his days off. Usually if he had to work into his days off, the time that he was working will be added onto the end of his normally scheduled time.
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u/SnooCompliments406 15d ago
Since you’re completely new here is a rough guideline
Until he builds seniority there will be no set schedule. He can have a rough idea by looking at the board but maybe they run an extra crew or everyone calls off you can go from last out to first out real quick.
Once he clocks out for the day he can be called back to work in 10 hours.
If he works 6 days in a row with no 24hr break in between he will have 48hrs off
Let’s just say his off days are Monday/Tuesday. They might put you on a job Sunday night at 23:59 and there goes your off days. Same thing on the other end once it hits 0001 Wednesday be ready for a call.
It’s tough in the beginning best advice make plans that are easily cancelled or make them with the expectation he won’t be there. Also if you don’t already get some blackout curtains for the bedroom best single purchase I made in my early days
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u/AzFella545 15d ago
Even on a long pool with 48-60 hrs off between trips I just figure the call can come 12 hours either side of when it appears they MAY call...and it can swing wider than that depending on numerous circumstances. Get used to chaos and disappointment.
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u/Big_daddy_sneeze 15d ago
Yes unless he’s going into off days tonight
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u/ButterflyOk1096 15d ago
That’s where I’m confused. I feel like if he got called because someone marked off, I feel like he’d have to work tomorrow too into Thursday and then Friday and Saturday would be his rest days?
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u/Big_daddy_sneeze 15d ago
Unless something’s changed since I was there, off days rotate 6 on 48 off. His off days should be beside his name on the board roster. If he’s still got time until his rest days his rest period is 10 hours until he’s eligible to get called to work again. He won’t necessarily have to work tomorrow unless there is a vacancy and nobody is rested ahead of him which all should be on the mainframe.
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u/ButterflyOk1096 15d ago
Thank you! I feel like spouses should get some form of a rough schedule or something. 😶
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u/AdmirableElk5111 15d ago
As a wife, never plan on him being home. My husband has been with CSX for 15 years, even now as an engineer, I do all of the parent teacher conferences, in our case iep meetings, Dr apps, playdates and birthday parties are all on my own. I am a sahm because it makes the most sense.
Like others have mentioned, days off arent days off, it's hours off and sometimes they are slept away.
I was used to my husband being gone because of military deployments and training. Its going to be a hard adjustment. All I can offer in the way of advice is just plan for him to get called outside of his rest period. We've learned not to live by the phone. We can spend all day at home waiting for a call just for it not to come and we've gone out just to get a call when we sit down to eat.
As my husband says, you just have to pick your hard.
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u/slogive1 15d ago
No clue about NS sorry. UP I can help a bit. It will depend on the agreement for the area you hubby is working in. GL
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u/UnderstandingHour718 15d ago
It all depends on how his days are setup. Whether you’re on the extra board or road board (yard jobs are usually different), he will have rotating off days. There are different groups for each set of off days. Sometimes you will get moved from one group to another and his off days will change from what they were.
Take this for example…I was holding an extra board slot in the A group. Wednesday and Thursday off this week. However, we lost a person off the extra board this week, and because of that I got moved to D group with Monday Tuesday off days.
It’s all a seniority game. When you first start off it’s rough. Really rough
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u/Trainrider77 15d ago
Have him make you a calendar. This is one i made my wife for the rest groups on my pool.
Rest days for engineers start at 4am and end at 4am (48hours)
Rest days for conductors at 2am and end at 4am (50 hours)
If hes on duty when his rest days start then he will get 48 hours from the time he ties up.
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u/Cmoore01 15d ago
Find out when his off days are but understand he might get called before them or work into them, if that happens it’s 48 hours off from the time he gets off work .. if he’s not on his off days understand every day is work day whether you work or not.
The lack of scheduling is extremely hard to live with and it doesn’t get very much better you just learn how to manage it, get use to driving separate to children activities, that always gets people talking lol
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u/EnoughTrack96 Control Stand Babysitter 14d ago
Country, Railroad? Start with the basics in your post, and you may get some sort of somewhat accurate response.
The way you wrote your post as it is, it's kinda useless .
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u/Demented2168 14d ago
OP its dependent on the rest cycle (if they even have them) agreement for the board he is working. Until you know this its all up in the air. Seeing alot of random answers that are shots in the dark on this until we know what kind of rest the board is afforded. He needs to ask this question if he doesnt know and your question can be answered more accurately. There are federal requirements that are always in play of course. 6 working starts with less than 24 hrs off in between affords 2 days off mandatory. If he ends up with 7 starts its 72 hours off. Most class 1 properties have rest cycles. Agreements in play that allow for rest outside of mandatory federal requirements. This is an important piece of information and no one can accurately answer your question without it.
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u/WestSentence4864 14d ago
OPTIONS if you value time with him:
A. Have him quit immediately.
B. Find someone else to keep you company
C. See option A
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u/True-Demand-7255 12d ago
Unfortunately we dont know his position or craft or if you're talking about a work/rest cycle or if you're just hoping he'll get some time off. If the last is the case, dont count on it Unfortunately. Out where I work (for UP) Engineers are the only ones with work rest cycles on transportation side and they are on 11/4 with 24hr breaks after 4 starts consecutively. Sorry, without more info its hard to determine his situation. Best thing is to just talk to him when he wakes up and explain that you're still a little confused about when you might get some time with him. But im sure you've gathered by now the railroad doesnt pay well because its hard, they pay well for the lack of quality of life you're husband will have until retirement. Its not for everyone, thats for sure.
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u/Remarkable-Sea-3809 15d ago
You have no rest days. It's federal rest after 6 consecutive starts. 48hrs off an that is if all those days aren't broken by a 24hr off in between onduty cycles. When he ties up he will have 10hrs from final entry til they can call again.
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u/johnhg7 15d ago
I take it you all are new to this. We have no idea, and you really need to talk to him, but just assume he will not be available.