Four Class Ⅰ CEOs delivered keynotes during the North American Rail Shippers Associations annual conference held May 24-26 in Chicago. Each discussed the need to improve safety and service, while three said taking a "business as usual" approach to improving either won't cut it. Yes, rail is the "safest mode of land transportation, including hazardous commodities," as BNSF President and CEO Katie Farmer told attendees. But the industry can get and needs to get safer. Not because of Norfolk Southern Railways Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, but because the point is to have "zero tolerance for safety failure," as NS President and CEO Alan Shaw put it. "I believe we'll be better coming out of all this," said CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs. "It's forced us to share best practices, something the industry hasn't been doing very well, in my opinion." As for service: It wasn't good in 2022, and although it's improved for a couple Class Is, it's nowhere near where it needs to be to earn shippers' trust. "The way we deliver on our promise to our customers is through our people," and providing employees more predictable work schedules and a better work-life balance will help, Farmer said.
展开▼
