RCX PRESSWWiinntteerr 22000077

BNSF Railway CrewTransportation Safety Message 1

Message from the President 3

RailCrew Xpress Awards 4

RCX Announces New Vacation Policy 6

Streamlining Dispatch Operations 7

More Changes Advance Business 8

Don’t Take Traffic Safety for Granted 9

RCX Improvements Go the Extra Mile 10

Simple Can Be Risky! 11

Views from the Field – Opportunities Abloom 12

TTaabbllee ooff CCoonntteennttss

BNSF Railway Crew TransportationSafety Message Fouling the TrackBy KKelly HHenry LLuedtke –– Manager, SStrategic SSourcing && SSupplyy, Crew TTransportation SServices, BBNSF RRailwayy CCo.

Fouling the Track

Past injuries to crew hauling drivers and railroad employees foulingthe track have ranged from minor to catastrophic over the past decadeat BNSF Railway. Most of these injuries occurred due to inattentive-ness because drivers unknowingly put themselves and their passen-gers in a location that was foul of track. In fact, BNSF Safety hasdetermined that a lack of situational awareness is the leading cause ofcatastrophic injuries to railroad employees while foul of track.

What is the Definition of Foul of Track?

Railroad policy and rules define foul of track as the area within fourfeet of the nearest rail of a railroad track, and a location on or near a railroad track where a person or equipment is close enough to bestruck by passing railway equipment or items protruding from therailway equipment.

Cont’d on page 2

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If a crew-hauling driver follows the pre-scribed procedures and rules, this area isas safe as any other location where thedriver hauls crews. However, if a driverentering this “fouling track” zone is notaware of the potential danger of railroadequipment at any time, an unsafe situa-tion can result.

Fouling Tracks

Railroad employees and crew hauling drivers should never foula track needlessly, and only when required to do so in the per-formance of their duties. When required to foul a track,employees and contractors should remain alert and expect themovement of trains, engines, cars and maintenance of way(MOW) equipment at any time, on any track, and in any direc-tion. Upon approach of any equipment, employees and driversmust retreat to a place of safety more than four feet from thenearest rail.

Crossing Over Tracks or Backing Up Near Tracks

Before crossing the tracks or backing up near tracks, crew-haul-ing drivers must look in both directions to determine if railequipment is approaching. If so, drivers must yield until thetrain, locomotive, cars or MOW equipment have passed a safedistance, and then they may perform the back up move or pro-ceed directly across the tracks. Never cross in front of, or per-form a back-up move near approaching equipment. After theequipment has cleared the tracks, the driver must always lookfor equipment on adjacent tracks before initiating the back up move or crossing the track.

Walking Beside Tracks

If a driver is required to traverse along the tracks, they mustnever walk foul of the tracks. If the driver has no option butto walk foul of the track, they must not walk directly downthe middle of the track. Walk as far to the side as practical,maintaining a vigilant lookout for approaching equipment.Before beginning to walk, a driver should review the sightdistance and other variables including noise that could mufflethe sound of approaching equipment. Roller bearing equipmenton welded rail moves virtually silent and can be within the dri-ver’s sight before railway equipment is detected. Drivers must

use all of their senses to watch, listen, and feel the approachof moving equipment

Boarding/Getting In and Out of Vehicles

Another concern related to foul of tracks is getting in and out of vehicles near adjacent tracks. Remember, when doors areopened, they may become foul of track. As in crossing tracks, a driver should always look in both directions before allowingpassengers to enter or leave crew-hauling vans. If railway equip-ment is approaching, a driver should wait until it passes beforeallowing passengers into or out of the vehicle. When carryingtools or personal belongings, a driver must not allow theseitems to become foul of the track. Doing so could cause theseitems to be struck by passing equipment and may result in anemployee or driver injury.

At BNSF, we expect train movement at any time, in any direc-tion and on any track. There is too often a false and potentiallyfatal expectation that “I am the only one out here on thesetracks.” Unfortunately, this false sense of security has con-tributed to injuries and the loss of life.

Examples of activities that have great risk include:• occupying or fouling the track• fouling an adjacent track after crossing a track• exiting a crew-hauling van before checking for movement

on adjacent tracks• failing to recognize that a free rolling car can strike objects

in their path• being so involved in conversation that one fails to observe

tracks for movement before fouling the track• standing between tracks with your back to the standing

equipment, while reading or talking

When these high-risk activities have been observed, anddrivers have been counseled about these risky behaviors,they often respond that they did not realize that they werepositioned at-risk.

It is up to every crew-hauling driver to care enough to pointout such high-risk behavior when it is observed. Do not waitfor an incident. Let’s remind each other of the risks associatedwith working on and around tracks, and speak up wheneverwe observe unsafe behaviors, including the potentially danger-ous act of fouling track.

RCX PRESS WWiinntteerr 22000077

…Fouling tthe TTrack Cont’d from page 1

2

Kelly Henry Luedtke

WWiinntteerr 22000077 RCX PRESS

By the time thisedition goes topress, we will bewell into a newyear. Although it’s probably a bitbelated, I want towish all of you thebest for 2007. For

those of you that endured the manychanges that took place in 2006, a verysincere thank you for a job well done.Together, we have come a very long way since RCX’s birth in August 2005.

I received an interesting letter inDecember from Ricky Cardwell, one of our drivers in Chaffee, Missouri. Rickywrote:

“Re: Pay Increases – Sick Days –Vacation Days – Pay Stub Information

I have been employed as a driver forover a year now. In reading all your liter-ature on the company and benefits, I didnot see where any of the areas abovewere covered. Does this company haveany intentions on giving pay increases ona yearly basis? Is there any opportunityto earn sick days and vacation days? Thepay stubs that are currently provided donot indicate the number of hours workedas the previous ones did. Is there goingto be information on them in the futurepertaining to hours worked and pay rate?If there is a policy to address these points

of interest, will there be any informationin the near future?”

Well Ricky, these are all good questions.At the present time, the past policiesof the three old companies, RaudinMcCormick, AAA Limo and ArmadilloExpress, continue to be applied to theapplicable areas and employees. RCX is in the process of developing company-wide policies and they will be publishedover the next few weeks. Several factorsneed to be considered, including pastcompany practices, state and federal leg-islative requirements, marketplace com-petitiveness, impact on corporate resultsand, finally and perhaps most important-ly, fairness to our tenured employees.

The pay stub issue should have beenresolved by the time you read this.

The benefits program announced lastquarter is a first in our business sectorand hundreds of employees signed up.As well, in Q2 2006, we introduced aperformance-based bonus plan, whichgave our location managers and driversan opportunity to significantly augmenttheir income by helping RCX to achieveits safety and on-time performance objec-tives. The Q4 numbers are still beingcompiled, but RCX paid out almost

a quarter of a million dollars in suchbonuses in Q3. This is a type of payincrease that provides benefit both forthe company and employees. We desper-ately hope we can pay out much more of this type of compensation in 2007.

We believe that work breaks are impor-tant, particularly for those employeeswho are employed on a full-time basiswith RCX. Rest time and quality familytime help us reach down and find theenergy to put in the long hours andendure the irregular shifts that our busi-ness requires. Our new vacation policy is announced elsewhere in this edition ofRCX Press. We are pleased to be able toextend this new benefit to tenured RCXemployees. Again, we believe it’s anotherfirst in our business sector and will fur-ther contribute to helping us attract andretain quality managers and drivers.

Ricky, I know I haven’t answered allyour questions, but our newsletter editoronly allows me so many words. You willhear more from us in the next edition.Thanks for your inquiry.

Good luck to all in 2007. Please worksafely.

Scott Boyes

Message ffrom tthe PPresident

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RCX PRESS WWiinntteerr 22000077

RailCrew XXpress AAwards

RCX SSpecial CContributor AAwards Q4 22006

We aare pproud tto aannounce oour qquarterly ““RCX SSpecial CContributor AAwards”. TThese

awards aare ggiven tto eemployees wwho hhave mmade aa sspecial ccontribution tto tthe ccompa-

ny’s ssuccess dduring tthe ppast qquarter. WWinners rreceive aa ssmall ggift aand ccheck ffor $$500.

Kathy Beebe

Kathy Beebe from Alexandria, Louisiana is an outstandingemployee who gives 110%. Kathy not only does a great job, butalso is a very kind and caring individual. She has been with JLS,Inc. for over three years and the local manager for two. Kathyhas worked many days off either hiring or transporting UnionPacific Railroad crews. Many crews have requested her specifi-cally to transport them.

Kathy has gone the extra mile to make sure all of her co-workersunderstand their job functions and follow all safety policies. She ishighly motivated and does not tolerate mistreatment of employ-ees or railroad crews. Her slogan for her area is “Alexandria to theRescue”, meaning her team will transport crews to their destina-tions in all kinds of weather conditions. Great job Kathy!

Wayne Dorman

Wayne Dorman, located in Arkansas City, Kansas, was hired as a road driver in 2004. With his excellent sense of direction,Wayne can follow maps and driving instructions exceptionallywell. This keen ability has allowed us to send him to many hublocations, including Oklahoma City, Denison, Ardmore, Tulsa,McAlester, Amarillo and Fort Worth. There has never been a complaint about Wayne getting lost, regardless of which hubhe is working, and he has never refused a request to help out.

One of the things that Wayne likes about working for RCX is the travel. He also enjoys working with the different driversand crewmembers in the various locations.

Wayne retired from GE after being an Engine Test WorkLeader for 38 years. Having retired once, Wayne has no plansto retire again any time soon. RCX is thrilled that he will bearound for a long time.

Rose Finney

North Platte, Nebraska is the home of the world’s largest railroad yard, the Bailey Yard of the Union Pacific Railroad(UPRR). Prior to the RailCrew Xpress acquisition, ArmadilloExpress was struggling to keep up with UPRR’s demands.

At the time, Rose Finney was a part-time driver who was recog-nized as a quick study and as highly organized. To enhance

operational performance at the Bailey Yard, Rose was hired to take over the position of location manager. We gave her a listof priorities and objectives; let’s just say that the bar was set veryhigh. Rose has exceeded all expectations and it has becomeapparent that her own standards are even higher. In North Platte,Rose supervises a large Call-on-Demand operation, a Radius Vanoperation and a Starter Center (on-sight dispatching).

Evelyn Riggs

Evelyn Riggs first started in the crew-hauling business in January1991 as an administrative assistant to Grady Riggs, former ownerof Raudin McCormick Inc. (RMC). Evelyn’s responsibilities laterexpanded to include vehicle tagging, the maintenance of fleetvehicle and mileage records, payroll and invoicing.

Working out of RCX’s offices in Corsicana, Evelyn now heads a staff of eight, whose main responsibilities are to ensure that all yard closings for RMC and JLS are completed in a timelyand accurate manner on WebTMS. Evelyn and her staff closeover 12,500 yard shifts per month, a remarkable achievement.Evelyn’s knowledge of the crew-hauling business has beeninvaluable in achieving the WebTMS conversions to date. She and her staff operate under the tightest of deadlines and her dedication to RCX and the field is beyond reproach. Evelynand her staff always go the extra mile. Congratulations Evelynon a job well done.

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Frank Shumard

Try to define a “great” employee. Let’s see… motivates, chal-lenges and inspires others, sincerely cares about customers andhis fellow employees, is passionate about his work, strives forperfection in his job and accepts no less than excellence fromothers, strongly believes in what he is doing and how he canmake his company a better place to work for all who toilthere. Sound impossible, superhuman, almost biblical?

Then you haven’t met Frank Shumard. Frank is RCX’sNorthern Regional Safety Manager. To Frank, safety is not agoal, it’s a religion, preached and practiced with all the pas-sion and commitment of a zealot. In fact, those of you who

have heard himgive a safety pres-entation will under-stand why he hasearned the affec-tionate nickname“Father Frank”. Heis a valued memberof RCX’s RiskManagementDepartment and heworks diligently tomotivate us all to“think safety” at alltimes. He will tell

you that his greatest worry is failing to observe an unsafe con-dition or practice and to appropriately reprimand offendingmanagers and drivers, and that this oversight or leniencyresults in an injury to one of our drivers or railway crew-members.

This man genuinely cares and his caring stops injuries andsaves lives. What greater contribution can an employee make?

Frank joined RCX in August and brought to our companyover 10 years of experience in health and safety, loss preven-tion and DOT regulatory compliance, particularly in the trans-portation arena. As a former Safety Manager for two largetransportation companies based in Kansas and Arkansas, hesuccessfully developed, executed and managed accident pre-vention and loss-control programs and has worked throughouthis career with customers, insurers and drivers to significantlyimprove safety and risk management processes.

Frank has successfully completed related courses in OHSA,DOT and HAZMAT, and has secured different safety testingand teaching certifications from the USDOT Motor CarrierSafety Academy. In addition, Frank is a former graduate of theArkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy and advancedto the rank of Lieutenant for the Stuttgart, Hazen and LittleRock Arkansas Police Departments, and was named to Who’sWho in American Law Enforcement for 1985.

“Father Frank” is RCX’s Super Contributor for Q4.

WWiinntteerr 22000077 RCX PRESS

RailCrew XXpress AAwards

The President’s Choice… RCX Super Contributor Award Q4 22006

Each qquarter, SScott BBoyes, PPresident oof RRCX, sselects oone eemployee wwho hhas

made aan ooutstanding ccontribution tto oour ccompany’s ssuccess aand hhe oor sshe iis

recognized aas tthe RRCX SSuper CContributor. EEmployees sselected ffor tthis hhonor

receive aa sspecial ggift aand ccheck ffor $$2,000.

Daniela Germano

As Assistant Safety Administrator, Daniela Germano comes to RCX from an accomplished background in MedicalEmergency Transfer Services. Joining the Risk Managementteam in July 2006 during the implementation of a new driverapplication process, Daniela quickly displayed a clear under-standing of the intricate details required and helped ensure that the highest standard of drivers was hired. Zeroing in on the Driver Application Status Spreadsheet(s), Daniela dili-gently follows up on outstanding prequalification information

until driver applicants are either hired or disqualified from the hiring process.

One of the first things that stood out about Daniela was her communication style. Those who have had the pleasure of speaking with her know, she has wit and charm, and is always willing to go the extra mile to help. Whether it istracking down missing forms for applications, reorganizing the ever-growing files or staying late for meetings, she can be counted on!

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The Company understands that our typeof business demands long work shifts andhighly irregular hours from its managersand employees.

Notwithstanding the fact that there areno applicable federal or state statutoryrequirements for the company to extendpaid vacation to its employees, RCXbelieves that it has an obligation toinsure that its tenured employees have an opportunity to benefit from a periodof time off for extended relaxation and to enjoy quality time with family andloved ones.

In recognition of this belief, RCX ispleased to introduce a new vacation policy effective January 1, 2007. This policy replaces any vacation policy thatmay have previously been in effect atRaudin McCormick, AAA Limo orArmadillo Express.

We are confident that the new RCXvacation policy is the best in our businesssector and is offered in recognition of theon-going efforts of our managers, driversand support staff to make RCX “best inclass” amongst rail-crew transportationproviders.

Eligibility:

1) Employees must have at least one full year of service with RCX onJanuary 1 of the respective year inwhich vacation pay is paid (i.e. to beeligible for vacation pay in 2007, theemployee must have been employedwith RCX or Armadillo Express sinceJanuary 1, 2006).

2) Employees must still be employed ingood standing by RCX on the date onwhich the vacation pay is distributed.

A week is defined as a period of sevenconsecutive days, including weekend days.Vacation time must be taken in wholeweek increments and must be taken dur-ing each respective calendar year.

Vacation Pay and Pay Date:

Vacation pay will be computed annuallybased on the employee’s total earnings in the prior calendar year (exclusive ofany amounts paid in respect of lodging,meals, per diems, fuel or any other reim-bursable expenses) multiplied by 2% for each week of vacation entitlement.

A driver earning $22,000 in the calendaryear 2006 and who had been employedwith RCX (or one of the companiesacquired by RCX) for 4 years wouldreceive vacation pay as follows:

$22,000 x 4% (i.e. 2% x two weeks vaca-tion entitlement) = $880 vacation pay.

All vacation pay will be computed andpaid during the first regular payroll period

in the month of July of each calendar year(irrespective of when the employee actual-ly chooses to take his/her vacation).

Vacation Scheduling:

Eligible employees must submit theirvacation request on RCX’s standardVacation Request Form to his/her directsupervisor no later than 30 days prior to the date of the requested vacationdate. A copy of the approved requestmust be sent by the location manager to the regional manager and to the HeadOffice Payroll Department in Toronto.

Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate the employee’s vacationpreference. However, where schedulingconflicts arise, the location manager willadminister vacation scheduling in a man-ner that 1) assures service levels to ourcustomers are maintained and 2) givespreference to the employee that first submitted the vacation request.

RCX will not accept notice of voluntaryseparation with all or part of the noticebeing used as vacation. Vacations not used in the calendar year will be forfeited.

RCX PRESS WWiinntteerr 22000077

RCX AAnnounces NNew VVacation PPolicy

Years of ContinuousEmployment

1–3 Years

4–10 Years

11 Years and Over

VacationEntitlement

One Week

Two Weeks

Three Weeks

6

Length of Vacation:

The central hub of RCX’s operations is the Dispatch Operations Center, whichis staffed 24 hours a day by speciallytrained staff. Our dispatch associatesmaintain contact with Field Operationspersonnel, deploying available resourcesto respond rapidly to our railroad cus-tomers’ needs. Dispatch operations alsohandle inquiries, record-keeping tasks,and control of ad-hoc incidents. A super-visor and two coordinators oversee eachshift’s operations. The center is under theoversight of a manager responsible for allaspects of daily operations, systems avail-ability, quality control, shift staffing andinquiries from Field Operations managers.

Technology

Currently, all crew transportationrequests are entered manually into a transportation management systemcalled WebTMS. In an effort to improveoperational efficiencies, RCX is presentlydeploying electronic business links thatextend out to our customers. This busi-ness-to-business (B2B) integration willfacilitate the secure electronic transfer of data between systems in real time,eliminating the existing time-consumingmethod of having to key data separatelyinto each system.

With the B2B integration in place, tripswill automatically appear on the RCX dispatcher work list in WebTMS as soonas they are assigned in our customers’ sys-tems. Likewise, details of trip events

phoned in by the driver are sent on to ourcustomers’ system from within WebTMSwithout the need to re-key them. Whenconnected to our Mobile LimousineInformation System, these details willcome directly from computerized devicesin our vans. The elimination of doubleentry will enhance data accuracy.

Besides saving time for RCX dispatchassociates and improving data accuracy,the B2B integration will provide the rail-road operator with up-to-the-minuteinformation about the status of theirorders.

Concurrent with our systems integrationinitiatives, RCX is also maximizing driveravailability through the implementationof an automated rotation process. Thenew process calculates Hours of Service(HOS) and driver availability. HOStracking ensures that a driver is compli-ant with the Department of Transport-ation’s (DOT’s) Federal Motor CarrierSafety Administration (FMCSA) regula-tions. The HOS and driver availabilityimplementation are important measures

to increase driver alertness and reducefatigue-related incidents.

Training

RCX is also focused on enhancing itsefficiency through a structured trainingprogram for all new dispatch associates.New associates will now attend a one-week comprehensive program coveringpertinent aspects of the crew transporta-tion service, location geography, regula-tory controls for drivers, customer serviceand computerized management systems.This program is expected to improve thequality of service and professionalism ofour dispatch operations. Additionally, alldispatch operations supervisors will bereceiving specialized training in manage-ment techniques, personal effectivenesscoaching, performance evaluation andproblem resolution.

These investments in technology andtraining are expected to streamline ouroperations and, thereby, increase oureffectiveness in making our services moreresponsive to our customers.

Streamlining DDispatch OOperations ––

Optimizing EEfficiency TThrough TTechnology aand TTraining

By PPeter GGarcia –– VVP, DDispattchh OOperattions && IInformattion TTechhnology

WWiinntteerr 22000077 RCX PRESS 7

RCX PRESS WWiinntteerr 22000077

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyonehad a joyous Holiday Season and a safeand sane New Year.

With the New Year comes new chal-lenges. Although our first full year in business proved to be full of change,the coming year looks to be just as excit-ing. As many of you know, we are in themidst of establishing a dispatch center in the Kansas City area. Along with that,we will be moving our U.S. headquartersfrom Louisburg to the same office com-plex as our dispatch center. We hope to have our move completed and the dispatch center up and operating early in the first quarter of this year.

Many of you have already had an initialexposure to the use of the PDA’s (on-board handheld computers). Those of you that have had training in the useof this equipment already know the ben-efits. Those of you who have not had thetraining soon will. This is the next step in our efforts to modernize and stream-line our communications between driv-ers, dispatch and our customers.

We will continue to upgrade our vehiclefleet with the replacement of approxi-mately 200 vehicles across the system.These vehicles will be of the same basicdesign as those you have seen put into

service in the last year. That includes allof the benefits of GPS tracking, on-boardcomputing, passenger comfort seating andrequired safety equipment. We will also be placing some all-wheel or four-wheeldrive vehicles with the same full comple-ment of equipment in locations whereweather or terrain dictates the need.

The investment in all of this new equip-ment and technology will also requirethat we continue to rationalize our vehi-cle fleet to get better utilization of thesecostly assets. That means we will need to look closely at the progress we aremaking in our vanpooling efforts and the ratio of vehicles to daily trips handled.We cannot afford to have under-utilizedequipment sitting in some locations whileother locations may be running short on vehicles during peak demand periods.

These are only a few of the changes wewill see in the coming year. I think we cantruly say that, for the foreseeable future,the only thing that will remain constantwill be change: change in processes andprocedures, change in customer demandsand change in the way we approach oureveryday work assignments.

More CChanges AAdvance BBusiness

by HHerb TTressler –– VVP, FFieldd OOperattions

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• Check the oil, water, brake and other fluid levels. Fluidsshould be adjusted to match winter conditions.

• Make sure the windshield is clean, and the rearviewmirrors are properly adjusted for good visibility.

• The windshield wipers should be in good condition andable to remove the snow and ice that may build up onyour windshield.

• Make sure that all your lights and turn signals are ingood working order.

• Check tire conditions and pressure.• Have a safety/survival kit on board: flares, blanket,

shovel, candles, matches, road salt, non-perishable foodand a fully charged cell phone, if possible.

• Maintain a full tank of gas.

WWiinntteerr 22000077 RCX PRESS

Unauthorized UUse oof CCompany VVehicleLinked tto DDeath

On November 23, 2006, a RMC driver was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. The impact resulted in a thirdparty and passenger being deceased at the scene, and our driverand his passengers seriously injured and transferred to hospital.

Further investigation indicated our driver was NOT under dispatch control and did not have permission to be in directcontrol of the vehicle. The passengers being transported werenot railroad crewmembers, but the driver’s children.

In summary, breaking of company’s policy and procedures canhave dangerous consequences, not to mention personal andfinancial repercussions for the driver’s family and the company.

Don’t TTake TTraffic SSafety ffor GGranted

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Why YYou MMust AAlways BBe VVigilant

On November 10, 2006 at 04:00 Central Time near Dow City,IA, a drunk driver crossed the yellow line and struck our driverhead-on, causing severe bodily injury to our driver and totalingour unit. Unbelievably, the drunk driver ended up WITHOUT a mark. Our driver was trapped inside the wreckage for severalhours and upon extraction under went five hours of surgery torepair a multitude of fractures and internal bleeding. It is notedhe may never walk or work again.

Moral to this accident is: STAY VIGILANT, especially at nightand in bad weather, as this could happen to you.

• Obey speed limits. These limits were set for ideal drivingconditions. If the weather dictates less than ideal condi-tions, SLOW DOWN.

• Expect the unexpected. In winter conditions, the possi-bility of black ice and white outs could be present, alongwith standard snow and slush conditions.

• Do not tail gate! Proper stopping/following distancebetween your vehicle and the vehicle in front should bemaintained.

• Do not drink and drive.• Avoid aggressive drivers. Get out of their way and do

not challenge them.• Always wear your seatbelt.• Give yourself extra time to get to your destination. The

weather and road conditions could change unexpectedly.• Check with the weather service for weather conditions

on your planned route.• Start your trip well rested and alert. If you get tired

along the way, take a break.

Winter Driving Tips

Vehicle Condition Pointers

RCX PRESS WWiinntteerr 22000077

RCX has invested a tremendous amountof time and money, not only in technolo-gy, but also in its employees. In the pastyear, we have seen upgraded equipment,GPS and on-board computers, increasesin drivers’ wages, health benefits offered(including an employer contribution),implementation of an active safetydepartment, formal safety training, safetyand performance bonuses, laptop com-puters provided to location managersand constant improvements in our dispatching program.

In the past few months, I have traveledto many locations and attended manydrivers’ meetings, and it pleases me to see such a great group of drivers and location managers benefiting fromthe advancements at RCX. Locationmanagers and drivers are the forces thatdrive this company.

Our expansion and implementation of new policies and procedures haveresulted in some growing pains, but mostfield employees see RCX heading in theright direction.

The majority of the drivers that I havemet take their job and responsibilitiesvery seriously. They understand theimportant role that RCX plays in themovement of the railroad, which, inturn, moves America. We carry a great

portion of the success and failure of the railroad on our shoulders. Onedriver being late for a pickup can tie up a main line, and virtually shut down the railroad. This is why On TimePerformance (OTP) is so critical.

Safety is also critical. Daily, we areresponsible for the lives of thousands of crewmembers whom we transport.Safety is always on the mind of a gooddriver. When a driver is involved in anaccident, I often hear, “If I would havethought about it,” or “I wasn’t thinking.”This separates the safe driver from therest of the field. A safe driver ALWAYSthinks about it. Safety is a consciouschoice and the correct choice. A choicethat all of us must make.

Safety and OTP affect every aspect of our existence, the railroad’s perceptionof our service, the possibilities of newcontracts, increases in revenue, increasesin wages through bonuses, and the pridethat we possess when we do a good job.

Performing at the highest standard, andnever compromising safety, will helpRCX continue to build, and become,“The Crew Hauler of Choice.”

RCX IImprovements GGo tthe EExtra MMile

by SSusan EEitzen –– General MManager, RRauddin MMcCormickk DDivision

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WWiinntteerr 22000077 RCX PRESS

You would think backing up a van whiledriving is something simple. It is some-thing we do every day, yet, it can be veryhazardous. During my first week on thejob as Northern Regional Safety Managerat RCX, we had six accidents nationwide.What is amazing is that four out of thesix accidents occurred in that one specialgear: REVERSE.

It was then that RCX managementbegan to rethink the process involved in performing this very simple maneu-ver. In looking at our vehicles, onewould think there would not be anyproblem with the visibility surroundingthe van, but taking a closer look it wasrevealed that a huge area around ourvans is invisible for any object less thanbelt high!

Almost every driver I surveyed wasunable to see anything less than belt highfor the following distances: three feetfrom the driver door, four feet in front of the van, six to eight feet to the right of the passenger door and, then, thehuge shocker – the rear end of the van!From the driver’s seat, nothing less thanbelt high can be seen for 30 feet using

the center mount windshield mirror and60 feet using the side mirrors.

The solution is easy. Get Out And Look!Before you back up the vehicle, the fol-lowing five procedures must be per-formed:

1) Put the vehicle in Park. 2) Set the Emergency Brake.3) Turn on the Emergency Flashers. 4) Get out and walk all the way around

the vehicle.5) Pay particular attention to the path

of backing.

In our employee observations, it has beennoticed that many drivers are treating

this walk around as a time to look at thevan’s condition. Do not look at the van,look away from it. The van will hitobjects, not the other way around.

Now, we know you feel silly doing a complete walk around, but it is work-ing. Backing accidents for people whohave performed this maneuver havestopped completely. For those thathaven’t (and there have been very few), there has been disciplinary action.It is your safety record first and youshould be concerned about it. It is oursafety record second. But it is SAFETYwe are talking about. So, get over the mild embarrassment and Get OutAnd Look!

Simple CCan BBe RRisky!

by FFrank SShumard –– Nortthhern RRegional SSafetty MManager

Zero visibility regions around RCX vans for objects below 4' tall.

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RailCrew Xpress, LLC242 Fairlane Drive, Suite D4Louisburg, KS 66053

Tel: (913) 837-5403Fax: (913) 837-5457Toll-Free: 1 (866) 688-9644

Views ffrom tthe FField – OOpportunities AAbloom

by JJacob SSteubing –– Regional MManager, SSan AAnttonio RRegion

When RailCrew Xpress began life approximately 18 monthsago, it was clear from the beginning that there would be newand exciting things that went along with our new employer.Historically, prior to RailCrew Xpress (RCX), there were strug-gles for promotion and recognition in many areas. Then, RCXcame along.

For those of you who haven’t been with us very long, RCX isbecoming synonymous with a single, very important term:opportunities. Each of us has our own strengths and weakness-es and, fortunately, we now have a Senior ManagementStructure that nurtures those strengths and helps individualsovercome their particular weaknesses. RCX firmly believes in“promotion from within”. Each of you has the potential toexpand yourselves personally and professionally and to begintaking advantage of these opportunities. RCX is moving for-ward in every direction, with mergers, acquisitions and generalcompany growth. At each turn, there are more opportunitiesfor each of us. RCX recognizes hard work, as well as acknowl-edges leadership abilities when it promotes from within.

These are strong motivational tools.

Not everyone is cut out for the “rat race” – that is, manage-ment. We all, however, can strive for excellence, rememberingthat “excellence is a habit”, meaning simply that we shouldeach take every opportunity to promote ourselves through pro-fessional actions, ensure safe driving and develop a thoroughunderstanding of our industry so that we can better service ourcustomers’ needs. My view – take the high road each time andshow pride in what you do. In each area within our organiza-tion, there are many, many opportunities to take advantage ofwhen a “door” opens. Show yourselves, our senior managementand especially our customers that we recognize opportunitiesand we are willing to take advantage of them.