(a) In general. A railroad, or a contractor or subcontractor to a railroad, shall provide its train employees, signal employees, and dispatching service employees and its supervisors of these employees with initial training and refresher training as provided in this section.

(b) Initial training.

(1) Initial training shall include the following:

(i) Instructional components presented in a classroom setting or by electronic means; and

(ii) Experiential (“hands-on”) components; and

(iii) Training on—

(A) The aspects of the hours of service laws relevant to the employee's position that are necessary to understanding the proper completion of the hours of service record required by this part, and

(B) The entry of hours of service data, into the electronic system or automated system or on the appropriate paper records used by the railroad or contractor or subcontractor to a railroad for which the employee performs covered service; and

(iv) Testing to ensure that the objectives of training are met.

(2) Initial training shall be provided—

(i) To each current employee and supervisor of an employee as soon after May 27, 2009 as practicable; and

(ii) To new employees and supervisors prior to the time that they will be required to complete an hours of service record or supervise an employee required to complete an hours of service record.

(c) Refresher training.

(1) The content and level of formality of refresher training should be tailored to the needs of the location and employees involved, except that the training shall—

(i) Emphasize any relevant changes to the hours of service laws, the recording and reporting requirements in subparts B and D of this part, or the electronic, automated, or manual recordkeeping system of the railroad or contractor or subcontractor to a railroad for which the employee performs covered service since the employee last received training; and

(ii) Cover any areas in which supervisors or other railroad managers are finding recurrent errors in the employees' records through the monitoring indicators.

(2) Refresher training shall be provided to each employee any time that recurrent errors in records prepared by the employee, discovered through the monitoring indicators, suggest, for example, the employee's lack of understanding of how to complete hours of service records.

[74 FR 25350, May 27, 2009, as amended at 83 FR 43999, Aug. 29, 2018]