Qualification and Certification of Locomotive Engineers and Conductors; English Language Proficiency and Other Requirements
Topic: Administrative Practice and Procedure; Penalties; Railroad Employees; Railroad Safety; Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements
Agency: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Action: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
Title: Qualification and Certification of Locomotive Engineers and Conductors; English Language Proficiency and Other Requirements
Published Date: July 31, 2026
Summary: FRA proposes to amend its regulations governing the qualification and certification of locomotive engineers and conductors to establish English language proficiency as a requirement for a railroad carrier to certify and recertify locomotive engineers and conductors. FRA also proposes that each railroad carrier conducting a triennial examination of skill performance, and an annual operational monitoring observation for locomotive engineers, which are current requirements, conduct those examinations and observations without engaging energy management systems that limit the need for a locomotive engineer to operate the throttle or braking systems. Further, FRA proposes to codify limitations on operations at the southern border, including a 10 route-mile geographic limitation, to ensure domestic training, testing, and certification requirements for Mexican crew members are adequate. In addition, FRA proposes changes to clarify that a locomotive engineer or conductor’s territorial qualification is limited to the specific direction of travel traversed during the qualification process.
Staff Advisor: Taria Barron, General Counsel, tbarron@apta.com