Comment from Blake Morris
Blake MorrisSupportUnion
Summary: A train conductor for Union Pacific supports the proposed restriction on drones near fixed site facilities. The commenter argues that drones pose a significant security risk, specifically regarding the potential for malicious attacks on hazardous materials transport.
I am a Trainman, a conductor, for Union Pacific. I'm not against rules testing. I'm not against safety evaluations, I'm not against the FRA. But drones are a different can of worms. I've seen countless videos of suicide drones crashing into transport vehicles, and drones dropping grenades into enemy positions. We haul giant tank cars of chemicals that turn into hydrogen cyanide gas upon contact with water. Over 100 tons of these chemicals per tank car, multiple cars per train. A shaped charge on a drone built in a garage would be more than enough to crack one of those cars wide open. The day my dispatcher tells me to stop my train and inspect it because someone called in about a train with a busted open tank car leaving behind a gas cloud is the day I don't just refuse to walk my train, but it's the day I abandon my train and start running upwind. The day I look up to see a drone hovering over me while I'm yarding my train is the day I stop all movement and call 911 on my radio. I'm not taking this drone stuff lightly, it's an extremely serious security risk. We do NOT need stupid managers flying drones over us for rules observations, I won't stand for it