Sunday Message from the General Manager: Safety, Wind Preparedness, and Service Focus

Sean Ireland

Good morning, all. I want to start where we need to start this week, and that's safety. Yesterday we reviewed a very serious incident that occurred in Hamlet, North Carolina. It is a strong reminder, and honestly a hard reminder, that we have got to follow local timetable special instructions and securement procedures every single time. Not most of the time. Not when it's convenient. Every time.

Sean Ireland

When something like this happens, we don't talk around it. We take the lesson directly. Securement is basic, but basic does not mean optional. The local timetable matters. Special instructions matter. If the job calls for a step, then that step has to be executed exactly as required. Safety remains our top priority, and this week our actions need to show that.

Sean Ireland

We'll continue to put heavy focus on shove moves. That includes using banners and switch tags to increase visibility and awareness. I want that to be front and center across the region. On shove moves, don't assume, don't shortcut, and don't get casual. Protect the movement the right way. Make the condition visible. Make the route clear. Then move. And let me be very plain on RCO assignments. Personnel need to be out on the point, not in the cab of the locomotive. Also, do not protect shove moves from inside a truck or taxi.

Sean Ireland

We've said it before, but it bears repeating because repetition is part of discipline. If you're protecting the shove, you need to be where you can actually protect the shove.

Sean Ireland

This week I also want job safety briefings to be stronger, more specific, and more grounded in the actual conditions people are facing. Exposure reduction discussions need to focus on falls from same level and height on the injury side, and on shoves and switches on the train accident side. That's where the exposure is, so that's where the conversation needs to be. Not generic briefings. Real briefings tied to the work, the location, and the conditions.

Sean Ireland

Operational testing remains a key part of this. We need one banner test performed on shove moves per day, per shift. In addition, critical rule follow testing is a huge focus. We have more than 38 people who've had critical rule test exceptions this year and those follow-ups need to happen. That's accountability. That's coaching. And where needed, that's correction.

Sean Ireland

A couple of weekly reminders on cadence and ownership. This current plan runs through Friday at 1800. Wednesday we'll have the System Customer Track Inspection Blitz, and we'll get a report out on the Wednesday safety call at 1700. We also need one MTO from each zone to report out on that customer track blitz. Make sure you're ready, make sure it's complete, and make sure it's useful.

Sean Ireland

And I do want to recognize our regional zone safety leaders from last week: New England, Marcus Tate. Hudson Zone, Art King. Northern Zone, Michael Phillippe. Central East, Jeff Wagaman. Central West, Craig Smith. Southern Zone, Eric Prewitt. Appreciate the leadership there. Let's build on it this week with disciplined execution, especially on securement, shove protection, and rule compliance.

Sean Ireland

Now, weather. We've got a storm moving in Sunday night, and we expect high winds across the region from Monday through Tuesday. So here's the direction: add one or two additional handbrakes on every track. That's a simple step, but it's an important one. High winds increase the potential for rollouts, and they change the risk picture fast. We need to get ahead of that now, not after the fact.

Sean Ireland

Those same winds also make kicking cars more challenging. In these conditions, we need to make good operating decisions. If winds are up, we should be considering shoving cars to rest until the winds subside rather than kicking cars into high winds. That's the safer move, and this week I expect teams to make that call early. Don't force a normal move in abnormal conditions.

Sean Ireland

Along with the wind, we've also got rain in the forecast this week. And with thawing ground, rain, and mud, we can see a soft roadbed develop. That creates the potential for gauge issues and broader track stability concerns. So stay alert to conditions underfoot and under the track. If something looks off, feels off, or isn't holding up the way it should, stop and address it. We cannot let changing ground conditions become a surprise.

Sean Ireland

This is where operating discipline really matters. Weather doesn't excuse us from standards. It actually raises the standard because the environment is less forgiving. Your safety briefings need to include the actual weather conditions. Your discussions need to include footing, visibility, soft ground, and how the work will change because of wind or rain. That's what a good briefing looks like this week.

Sean Ireland

And I want to tie this back to exposure reduction for a second. Falls from same level and height are already a focus area. Add rain, add mud, add thawing ground, and the risk climbs. So take the extra second. Watch your footing. Watch the walking path. Watch where equipment is being protected from. We do not need people rushing through sloppy conditions and putting themselves in a bad spot.

Sean Ireland

Same thing with switches. We already have shove moves and switches as a regional focus, and weather only sharpens that. Make sure switches are properly aligned, verified, and handled with full attention. Use the banners. Use the switch tags. Increase visibility and awareness. In tough weather, a clear visual control helps prevent the kind of mistake that starts small and ends big.

Sean Ireland

So the message for Monday and Tuesday is straightforward: secure more, slow down where needed, and operate for the conditions you have, not the conditions you wish you had. If that means adding handbrakes, adding time, or changing how the move is made, then that's what we do. Safe, controlled, and by the book.

Sean Ireland

On service, we did see some improvement in CSD last week. The region reached 94 percent. That's progress, and I want to acknowledge it. But we're still below our 95 percent goal, so we've got significant work ahead. We need to keep driving strong first-mile and last-mile service with our customers. That's the path. It starts with the initial execution, and it finishes with a clean handoff and reliable delivery.

Sean Ireland

This week's primary service focus is intermodal performance. We are going to treat the UPS train package as if it is peak season, with all hands on deck. I want consistent, reliable performance for UPS and for all intermodal trains. That means urgency, coordination, and no drift in execution. Peak-season mindset without waiting for peak-season pressure. That's the expectation.

Sean Ireland

On cost, our focus remains overtime, ITD, extra crew starts, and taxi assists. Those are still key areas, and each zone is reviewing claims and identifying opportunities to reduce them by improving process. Coming out of winter, we have significant cost work ahead to close out March and position ourselves well for Q2. So let's be disciplined here too. Good planning reduces waste. Good execution reduces claims. Good communication reduces rework.

Sean Ireland

I also want to touch accountability items for the week. Goals for each manager should have been completed by last Friday. If there are any gaps, close them now. Wednesday at 1700 on the safety call, we will have one MTO from each zone report out on the customer track inspection blitz. Be ready with facts, not filler. Tell us what you found, what needs action, and what is being done about it.

Sean Ireland

And don't let the follow-up testing slide. We said it in the safety section, but it's worth repeating because this is leadership work. Critical rule follow testing follow-ups must be completed for those exceptions already identified this year. If we test and don't follow up, then we're not really managing the risk. We're just documenting it. That's not enough.

Sean Ireland

So to wrap this up, the week ahead is pretty clear. Lead with safety after Hamlet. Prepare for wind, rain, and soft ground conditions. Drive intermodal and UPS performance with urgency. Keep pressure on cost. And make sure the required goals, blitz activity, report-outs, and testing follow-through are done on time and done well.

Sean Ireland

Let's have a strong week, a disciplined week, and above all a safe week. Thanks for what you're doing across the region. We'll keep pushing, and I'll talk to you again next week.