|
|
|
Short Line Data System ROCS Update – June 2009 Website: www.sdsrocs.com Steven’s Blog: www.railresource.com Greetings – Summer has arrived (even though from the weather here in New Jersey you wouldn’t know it), and we have moved into our busy season. We have been continuing with all of our projects, and in case you thought that we had been sitting back and taking it easy, we have added a new product to our fold. We are also starting the distribution of Version 12 this week at the East Erie Commercial. In addition, we have also started working on some upgrades that will be part of version 7 of ROCSDispatchTM. So, let’s get on with the show… ROCSTM Version 12 We are going to install the first user copy of Version 12 of ROCS at the EEC this week (the Canton install mentioned last month has been postponed at the customer’s request until later this summer). For the time being, we have frozen Version 12, and will use version (2009.12A) as the install copy for the first few customers to see if any adjustments are needed. Following the EEC upgrade, we will be going to the TCB to do their upgrade in July, and we will start some remote upgrades shortly thereafter. We are continuing to work on the system that we will use to access the data in the new UMLER system, and we will have something ready for testing soon. We will be releasing it to the users as soon as possible. Hours of Service System (HOSSTM) For those of you that have been reading my blog, you know that I am not the biggest fan of the Rail Safety Act of 2008. My disdain isn’t from what the act did, which was make our industry safer, but how it was done. The Act is a classic case of legislators trying to be regulators. What should have happened is that the Act provided a group of basic guidelines for the FRA to follow. What happened instead was a group of very specific instructions have been given the regulators with very little leeway with which to formulate the final rules. This leeway is needed so that the regulators can create rules that differentiate between the actions of the larger railroads and the smaller ones. One of the areas that really hasn’t helped the Short Line industry is the new Hours of Service rules. The intent of the legislators was to help the operating personnel who spend their careers on the road away from home (and they did, greatly). However, they failed to take the small railroad into account. For the all of us, there is a new record keeping requirement, and SDS has developed a new product for this, the Hours of Service System (HOSS). The HOSS is designed to work with whatever system (paper or electronic) you use to keep track of the hours that your operating and signal personnel work. We have also set the system up for future growth that will allow the system to become your sole method of keeping your hours of service records. The HOSS will keep track of days worked, operating, limbo, and total hours, and warn you of any limits that may be in danger of being exceeded. There are both on screen displays and reports for weekly and monthly data, and we are creating new features every day as we use the system at the M&E. The HOSS is available now, and we will have screen shots and a page for it up on the website soon. If you are interested in this system, which is very reasonably priced, please drop us an email or give us a call and we can set up a demonstration of the HOSS. ROCSDipatch Version 7 We have started on the next update to ROCSDispatch, which should be ready for distribution later this year. The first new piece is an addition to the daily report that lists the flagmen on the railroad that day. Next up is a new strip map display, which may replace or supplement the existing track display. We are also continuing to develop the GPS integration with the system, with the intent of incorporating it into the new version. Travel Schedule Last month we gave you our tentative road schedule for the next few months, and here are the latest updates: June 18-20 East Erie Commercial RR, Erie PA July 14-19 CSLRA Meeting, San Diego, and Texas Central Business Lines, Dallas TX August 14-20 ASLRRA Central and Pacific Region Meeting, Seattle August 20-28 Vacation As usual when we are on the road, we will try to take care of any issue as quickly as possible. We always have full email and internet access when we are on the road, and can take care of just about anything. When we are on vacation, we ask for your understanding if we aren’t immediately available, but we will get back to you as soon as possible and we will generally be able to resolve your issue the same day. Well, that is all for now. We’ll be back in July to update you on all of the latest goings on at SDS. Stay safe, Steven Friedland President |
Send mail to
webmaster@sdsrocs.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|