by Kristoferjaemz

Created on: February 28, 2007   Last Updated: October 06, 2010

I was working a dead end job trying to support my family when an opportunity to work on the railroad presented itself. I jumped at the chance to make good money and provide my family with the health benefits they deserve. I made $28,000 during my last year at my old job and now make $70,000 after just two years on the railroad. I hired in as a switchman and was promoted to engineer during the first year. The fact is, all railroads will be hiring thousands of people in the next few years to cover their loss of men. During the mid to late '70's, there was a massive hiring of railroad personnel, followed by a twenty year lull. Nearly half of all transportation employees will be eligible for retirement in the next ten years, leaving the railroads with a severe lack in manpower. There has never been a better time to submit your resume to a railroad.

Most railroads only require a high school diploma or GED, but some mechanical background is favorable. However, if you have a college degree, the opportunities for promotion are endless. Railroads require drug tests, a simple physical, and a police record clear of any felonies. Those stipulations aside, anyone has a chance to work on a train.

Working on the railroad is not all easy street, however. Employees work in all weather conditions and all hours of the day. Transportation employees are usually subject to an extra board, a system where the employee is on call for weeks at a time in some cases. The positive side of the extra board is that some are "guaranteed," meaning that the employee is guaranteed either a dollar amount or an amount of days paid regardless of how often he/she works.

There are many rules and regulations pertaining to the railroad industry that employees must become familiar with, including safety, hazardous materials, operating rules, air brakes and train handling, and Federal Railroad Administration guidelines and laws. Employers provide the necessary training in these fields, however, and they are usually presented in a simple and easy to comprehend manner.

If you think you could handle the odd hours and ever- changing weather, then there is no reason to think that you couldn't work for a railroad. many railroads accept applications via email, so send yours in. You might be surprised as to how fast you begin a successful career on the railroad!

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