The Next Step

I have been asked by Right-A-Way to become a crew leader since my current crew leader is leaving for a new job. So what all entails being a crew leader? A lot. First of all you have to manage the two or three other guys on the crew. That means putting one in the passenger seat of the hi-rail spray truck and another in the water and chemical chase truck. It also means putting them into a ground truck to go spray all the off track stuff. Plus there is the task of getting them a hotel room, handling their timesheets, log books, and receipts, and making sure they actually do their job.

Getting the actual job done is also very much left up to the crew leader; all they do is send a sheet with the roadmaster's phone number, the territory covered, chemical used, and a phone number for the chemical distributer. It's up to the crew leader to arrange work days with the roadmaster, know the territory, how to mix and apply the chemical, and arranging for a chemical delivery.

Then there's the paperwork. Every day you send the office a fax and fill out two sheets for every truck that sprayed that day. In addition all chemical used must be accounted for and acreage spread to the correct counties. Correct mileposts and line segments are a must.

There's also the phone calls, constant phone calls. The office, the railroad, other crew leaders, other crew members, all calling for this and that, especially when you are busy. Usually being busy means trying to go around objects with the boom on the hi-rail truck.

The hi-rail truck is its own set of problems. There's a lot that could go wrong and it's not always and easy fix. Each side has a boom that the person on that side operates. The boom can move like an arm and go around, behind, and over trackside obstacles. Running that is a challenge, but as a crew leader you not only run your side, but are also driving and have to watch what the guy on the other side is doing. It takes a lot of coordination! A lot! And a lot of concentration as well, which is why the phone is always ringing while you're trying not to run into stuff.

And there are always the social aspects of being a crew leader. Trying to keep the other two guys (sharing one room) from not killing each other can be tough sometimes. There's always railroaders you have to deal with that don't understand your job or just don't want you there. Don't forget the irate people with property along the tracks that think you are killing their gardens and lawns.

So it will be an interesting quest. Hopefully I don't lose too much hair, either from it falling out or being pulled out. The upside is I get my own room, but that's not really a huge perk. It will be interesting to say the least.