Why Train Crews Can't Just Sleep on the Train

The Federal Railroad Administration and railroads like Union Pacific and BNSF run on the same clock: twelve hours on duty, then at least ten hours off. When that clock runs out in the middle of nowhere, the crew stops the train where it stands, even if that is across a road, and a van comes to get them. This is why a freight train can sit at a crossing for an hour with two people in the cab, where those two people actually sleep tonight, and why "they just sleep in the locomotive" is wrong for American freight. CHAPTERS: 0:00 A train that will not move 0:47 The 12-hour clock 1:44 Dead on the law 2:51 The van 3:47 The hotel 4:59 45 minutes 6:02 What's in the cab 7:02 The phone call 8:03 Just two people 8:37 The sleeper car Photos: jpmueller99, vxla, Charles Fulton (CC BY 2.0). Some scenes are AI illustrations, and some historical moments are shown with representative period footage.