(a) Each railroad's program shall include criteria and procedures for implementing this section.

(b) A person who has demonstrated a failure to comply, as described in paragraph (e) of this section, with railroad rules and practices for the safe operation of trains shall not be currently certified as a locomotive engineer.

(c)

(1) A certified engineer who has demonstrated a failure to comply, as described in paragraph (e) of this section, with railroad rules and practices for the safe operation of trains shall have his or her certification revoked.

(2) A Designated Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers, a certified locomotive engineer pilot or an instructor engineer who is monitoring, piloting or instructing a locomotive engineer and fails to take appropriate action to prevent a violation of paragraph (e) of this section, shall have his or her certification revoked. Appropriate action does not mean that a supervisor, pilot or instructor must prevent a violation from occurring at all costs; the duty may be met by warning an engineer of a potential or foreseeable violation. A Designated Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers will not be held culpable under this section when this monitoring event is conducted as part of the railroad's operational compliance tests as defined in §§217.9 and 240.303 of this chapter.

(3) A person who is a certified locomotive engineer but is called by a railroad to perform the duty of a train crew member other than that of locomotive engineer, and is performing such other duty, shall not have his or her certification revoked based on actions taken or not taken while performing that duty.

(d) Limitations on consideration of prior operating rule compliance data. Except as provided for in paragraph (i) of this section, in determining whether a person may be or remain certified as a locomotive engineer, a railroad shall consider as operating rule compliance data only conduct described in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section that occurred within a period of 36 consecutive months prior to the determination. A review of an existing certification shall be initiated promptly upon the occurrence and documentation of any conduct described in this section.

(e) A railroad shall only consider violations of its operating rules and practices that involve:

(1) Failure to control a locomotive or train in accordance with a signal indication, excluding a hand or a radio signal indication or a switch, that requires a complete stop before passing it;

(2) Failure to adhere to limitations concerning train speed when the speed at which the train was operated exceeds the maximum authorized limit by at least 10 miles per hour. Where restricted speed is in effect, railroads shall consider only those violations of the conditional clause of restricted speed rules (i.e., the clause that requires stopping within one half of the locomotive engineer's range of vision), or the operational equivalent thereof, which cause reportable accidents or incidents under part 225 of this chapter, except for accidents and incidents that are classified as “covered data” under §225.5 of this chapter (i.e., employee injury/illness cases reportable exclusively because a physician or other licensed health care professional either made a one-time topical application of a prescription-strength medication to the employee's injury or made a written recommendation that the employee: Take one or more days away from work when the employee instead reports to work (or would have reported had he or she been scheduled) and takes no days away from work in connection with the injury or illness; work restricted duty for one or more days when the employee instead works unrestricted (or would have worked unrestricted had he or she been scheduled) and takes no other days of restricted work activity in connection with the injury or illness; or take over-the-counter medication at a dosage equal to or greater than the minimum prescription strength, whether or not the employee actually takes the medication, as instances of failure to adhere to this section;

(3) Failure to adhere to procedures for the safe use of train or engine brakes when the procedures are required for compliance with the Class I, Class IA, Class II, Class III, or transfer train brake test provisions of 49 CFR part 232 or when the procedures are required for compliance with the Class I, Class IA, Class II, or running brake test provisions of 49 CFR part 238;

(4) Occupying main track or a segment of main track without proper authority or permission;

(5) Failure to comply with prohibitions against tampering with locomotive mounted safety devices, or knowingly operating or permitting to be operated a train with an unauthorized disabled safety device in the controlling locomotive. (See 49 CFR part 218, subpart D and appendix C to part 218);

(6) Incidents of noncompliance with §219.101 of this chapter; however such incidents shall be considered as a violation only for the purposes of paragraphs (g)(2) and (3) of this section;

(f)

(1) If in any single incident the person's conduct contravened more than one operating rule or practice, that event shall be treated as a single violation for the purposes of this section.

(2) A violation of one or more operating rules or practices described in paragraph (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section that occurs during a properly conducted operational compliance test subject to the provisions of this chapter shall be counted in determining the periods of ineligibility described in paragraph (g) of this section.

(3) An operational test that is not conducted in compliance with this part, a railroad's operating rules, or a railroad's program under §217.9 of this chapter, will not be considered a legitimate test of operational skill or knowledge, and will not be considered for certification, recertification or revocation purposes.

(g) A period of ineligibility described in this paragraph shall:

(1) Begin, for a person not currently certified, on the date of the railroad's written determination that the most recent incident has occurred; or

(2) Begin, for a person currently certified, on the date of the railroad's notification to the person that recertification has been denied or certification has been revoked; and

(3) Be determined according to the following standards:

(i) In the case of a single incident involving violation of one or more of the operating rules or practices described in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section, the person shall have his or her certificate revoked for a period of one month.

(ii) In the case of two separate incidents involving a violation of one or more of the operating rules or practices described in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section, that occurred within 24 months of each other, the person shall have his or her certificate revoked for a period of six months.

(iii) In the case of three separate incidents involving violations of one or more of the operating rules or practices, described in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(6) of this section, that occurred within 36 months of each other, the person shall have his or her certificate revoked for a period of one year.

(iv) In the case of four separate incidents involving violations of one or more of the operating rules or practices, described in paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(6) of this section, that occurred within 36 months of each other, the person shall have his or her certificate revoked for a period of three years.

(v) Where, based on the occurrence of violations described in paragraph (e)(6) of this section, different periods of ineligibility may result under the provisions of this section and §240.119, the longest period of revocation shall control.

(h) Future eligibility to hold certificate. A person whose certification has been denied or revoked shall be eligible for grant or reinstatement of the certificate prior to the expiration of the initial period of revocation only if:

(1) The denial or revocation of certification in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (g)(3) of this section is for a period of one year or less;

(2) Certification was denied or revoked for reasons other than noncompliance with §219.101 of this chapter;

(3) The person has been evaluated by a Designated Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers and determined to have received adequate remedial training;

(4) The person has successfully completed any mandatory program of training or retraining, if that was determined to be necessary by the railroad prior to return to service; and

(5) At least one half the pertinent period of ineligibility specified in paragraph (g)(3) of this section has elapsed.

[64 FR 60990, Nov. 8, 1999, as amended at 68 FR 10139, Mar. 3, 2003; 74 FR 68182, Dec. 23, 2009]