§ 21104. Limitations on duty hours of signal employees

Statutory text

In General.—

Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a railroad carrier and its officers and agents may not require or allow its signal employees to remain or go on duty and a contractor or subcontractor to a railroad carrier and its officers and agents may not require or allow its signal employees to remain or go on duty—

for a period in excess of 12 consecutive hours; or

unless that employee has had at least 10 consecutive hours off duty during the prior 24 hours.

Determining Time on Duty.—

In determining under subsection (a) of this section the time a signal employee is on duty or off duty, the following rules apply:

Time on duty begins when the employee reports for duty and ends when the employee is finally released from duty.

Time spent performing any other service for the railroad carrier during a 24-hour period in which the employee is engaged in installing, repairing, or maintaining signal systems is time on duty.

Time spent returning from a trouble call, whether the employee goes directly to the employee’s residence or by way of the employee’s headquarters, is neither time on duty nor time off duty.

If, at the end of scheduled duty hours, an employee has not completed the trip from the final outlying worksite of the duty period to the employee’s headquarters or directly to the employee’s residence, the time after the scheduled duty hours necessarily spent in completing the trip to the residence or headquarters is neither time on duty nor time off duty.

If an employee is released from duty at an outlying worksite before the end of the employee’s scheduled duty hours to comply with this section, the time necessary for the trip from the worksite to the employee’s headquarters or directly to the employee’s residence is neither time on duty nor time off duty.

Time spent in transportation on an ontrack vehicle, including time referred to in paragraphs (3)–(5) of this subsection, is time on duty.

A regularly scheduled meal period or another release period of at least 30 minutes but not more than one hour is time off duty and does not break the continuity of service of the employee under this section, but a release period of more than one hour is time off duty and does break the continuity of service.

Emergencies.—

A signal employee may be allowed to remain or go on duty for not more than 4 additional hours in any period of 24 consecutive hours when an emergency exists and the work of that employee is related to the emergency. In this subsection, an emergency ends when the signal system is restored to service. A signal employee may not be allowed to remain or go on duty under the emergency authority provided under this subsection to conduct routine repairs, routine maintenance, or routine inspection of signal systems.

Communication During Time Off Duty.—

During a signal employee’s minimum off-duty period of 10 consecutive hours, as provided under subsection (a), a railroad carrier or a contractor or subcontractor to a railroad carrier, and its officers and agents, shall not communicate with the signal employee by telephone, by pager, or in any other manner that could reasonably be expected to disrupt the employee’s rest. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit communication necessary to notify an employee of an emergency situation, as defined by the Secretary.

Exclusivity.—

The hours of service, duty hours, and rest periods of signal employees shall be governed exclusively by this chapter. Signal employees operating motor vehicles shall not be subject to any hours of service rules, duty hours or rest period rules promulgated by any Federal authority, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, other than the Federal Railroad Administration.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

1994
Pub. L. 103–272 § 1(e) · 108 Stat. 745
Enacted · 49 U.S.C. § 21104
Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 889
Source evidence
Code source credit
Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 889
Enacted provision · exact public law section
Section 1. subtitles ii, ii, and v-x of title 49, united states code (a) Certain general and permanent laws of the 49 USC prec. 101 note. United States, related to transportation, are revised, codified, and enacted by subsections (c)–(e) of this section without substantive change as subtitles II, III, and V–X of title 49, United States Code, “Transportation”. Those laws may be cited as “49 U.S.C. ________”. (b) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking the table of subtitles at the beginning of the title and substituting the following new table of subtitles: “Subtitle “I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION “II. OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES “III. GENERAL AND INTERMODAL PROGRAMS “IV. INTERSTATE COMMERCE “V. RAIL PROGRAMS “VI. MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS “VII. AVIATION PROGRAMS “VIII. PIPELINES “IX. COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION “X. MISCELLANEOUS (c) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking subtitle II, except that chapter 31 (comprising sections 3101–3104) of subtitle II is redesignated and restated as chapter 315 (comprising sections 31501–31504) of subtitle VI of title 49, as enacted by subsection (e) of this section. (d) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding the following immediately after subtitle I:
2008
Pub. L. 110–432 § 108(c)(1) · 122 Stat. 4848
1. Added · 49 U.S.C. § 21104(a)
  Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(1), added subsec. (a)
2. Struck · 49 U.S.C. § 21104(a)
  Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(1), struck out former subsec. (a) which limited the amount of time spent on duty by signal employees
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(1), added subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a) which limited the amount of time spent on duty by signal employees.
Enacted provision · exact public law section
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following: “(a) In General.— Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a railroad carrier and its officers and agents may not require or allow its signal employees to remain or go on duty and a contractor or subcontractor to a railroad carrier and its officers and agents may not require or allow its signal employees to remain or go on duty — “(1) for a period in excess of 12 consecutive hours; or “(2) unless that employee has had at least 10 consecutive hours off duty during the prior 24 hours.” ;
Effective date note
Amendment by Pub. L. 110–432 effective 9 months after Oct. 16, 2008, see section 108(g) of Pub. L. 110–432, set out as a note under section 21101 of this title.
2008
Pub. L. 110–432 § 108(c)(2) · 122 Stat. 4848
Substituted · 49 U.S.C. § 21104(b)(3)
Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(2), substituted “duty.” for “duty, except that up to one hour of that time spent returning from the final trouble call of a period of continuous or broken service is time off duty.”
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(2), substituted “duty.” for “duty, except that up to one hour of that time spent returning from the final trouble call of a period of continuous or broken service is time off duty.”
Enacted provision · exact public law section
(2) by striking “duty, except that up to one hour of that time spent returning from the final trouble call of a period of continuous or broken service is time off duty.” in subsection (b)(3) and inserting “duty.”;
Effective date note
Amendment by Pub. L. 110–432 effective 9 months after Oct. 16, 2008, see section 108(g) of Pub. L. 110–432, set out as a note under section 21101 of this title.
2008
Pub. L. 110–432 § 108(c)(3) · 122 Stat. 4848
Inserted · 49 U.S.C. § 21104(c)
Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(3), inserted at end “A signal employee may not be allowed to remain or go on duty under the emergency authority provided under this subsection to conduct routine repairs, routine maintenance, or routine inspection of signal systems.”
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(3), inserted at end “A signal employee may not be allowed to remain or go on duty under the emergency authority provided under this subsection to conduct routine repairs, routine maintenance, or routine inspection of signal systems.”
Enacted provision · exact public law section
(3) by inserting “A signal employee may not be allowed to remain or go on duty under the emergency authority provided under this subsection to conduct routine repairs, routine maintenance, or routine inspection of signal systems.” after “service.” in subsection (c); and
Effective date note
Amendment by Pub. L. 110–432 effective 9 months after Oct. 16, 2008, see section 108(g) of Pub. L. 110–432, set out as a note under section 21101 of this title.
2008
Pub. L. 110–432 § 108(c)(4) · 122 Stat. 4848
Added · 49 U.S.C. § 21104(d); 49 U.S.C. § 21104(e)
Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(4), added subsecs. (d) and (e)
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(4), added subsecs. (d) and (e).
Enacted provision · exact public law section
(4) by adding at the end the following: “(d) Communication During Time Off Duty.— During a signal employee’s minimum off-duty period of 10 consecutive hours, as provided under subsection (a), a railroad carrier or a contractor or subcontractor to a railroad carrier, and its officers and agents, shall not communicate with the signal employee by telephone, by pager, or in any other manner that could reasonably be expected to disrupt the employee’s rest. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit communication necessary to notify an employee of an emergency situation, as defined by the Secretary. “(e) Exclusivity.— The hours of service, duty hours, and rest periods of signal employees shall be governed exclusively by this chapter. Signal employees operating motor vehicles shall not be subject to any hours of service rules, duty hours or rest period rules promulgated by any Federal authority, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, other than the Federal Railroad Administration.” .
Effective date note
Amendment by Pub. L. 110–432 effective 9 months after Oct. 16, 2008, see section 108(g) of Pub. L. 110–432, set out as a note under section 21101 of this title.

6 of 6 references resolved to an enrolled provision

Notes

historicalAndRevision

Historical and Revision Notes
RevisedSection	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
21104(a)	45:63a(a) (1st sentence).	Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2939, 34 Stat. 1415, § 3A(a) (1st sentence), (b); added July 8, 1976, Pub. L. 94–348, § 4(d), 90 Stat. 819; June 22, 1988, Pub. L. 100–342, § 16(4), 102 Stat. 635.
	45:63a(a) (2d–last sentences).	Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2939, 34 Stat. 1415, § 3A(a) (2d–last sentences); added Nov. 2, 1978, Pub. L. 95–574, § 4(a), 92 Stat. 2459.
21104(b)	45:63a(b).
	45:63a(c).	Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2939, 34 Stat. 1415; § 3A(c); added July 8, 1976, Pub. L. 94–348, § 4(d), 90 Stat. 819; restated Nov. 2, 1978, Pub. L. 95–574, § 4(b), 92 Stat. 2460.
21104(c)	45:63a(f).	Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2939, 34 Stat. 1415, § 3A(f); added July 8, 1976, Pub. L. 94–348, § 4(d), 90 Stat. 819.

In this section, the words “signal employee” are substituted for “an individual employed by the railroad who is engaged in installing, repairing or maintaining signal systems” and “an individual described in paragraph (1)” in 45:63a(a), “individual” in 45:63a(b) and (c), and “individual engaged in installing, repairing, or maintaining signal systems” in 45:63a(f) because of the definition of “signal employee” in section 21101 of the revised title.

Subsection (a)(1) is substituted for 45:63a(a) (last sentence) for clarity and because of the restatement.

In subsection (a)(2), before clause (A), the words “Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section” are added to alert the reader to the exception restated in subsection (c). The text of 45:63a(a) (2d sentence) is omitted as surplus.

In subsection (b), the words before paragraph (1) are added as related to 45:63a(c) and substituted for “In determining for the purposes of subsection (a) of this section the number of hours an individual is on duty” for clarity. In paragraph (2), the word “actually” is omitted as surplus.

In subsection (c), the word “actual” is omitted as surplus.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(1), added subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a) which limited the amount of time spent on duty by signal employees.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(2), substituted “duty.” for “duty, except that up to one hour of that time spent returning from the final trouble call of a period of continuous or broken service is time off duty.”

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(3), inserted at end “A signal employee may not be allowed to remain or go on duty under the emergency authority provided under this subsection to conduct routine repairs, routine maintenance, or routine inspection of signal systems.”

Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 110–432, § 108(c)(4), added subsecs. (d) and (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2008 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 110–432 effective 9 months after Oct. 16, 2008, see section 108(g) of Pub. L. 110–432, set out as a note under section 21101 of this title.

Credits

1994–2008 · 2 acts

1994Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 889
2008Pub. L. 110–432, div. A, title I, § 108(c), Oct. 16, 2008, 122 Stat. 4862.

Show as published

(Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 889; Pub. L. 110–432, div. A, title I, § 108(c), Oct. 16, 2008, 122 Stat. 4862.)