APPENDIX I
ORDERING, LOADING, AND UNLOADING RAIL EQUIPMENT
(The following information is extracted from AR 55-355 Military Traffic Management Regulation.)
1. Ordering Carriers' Equipment. The Official Railway Equipment Register contains information regarding size, capacity,
and type of all interchange equipment owned by rail carriers and private car companies. In addition, some technical
military publications specify the number of units or quantity of freight which may be loaded in or on a freight car. These
guides provide a general basis for determining what equipment is available, and the load requirements of different types
and sizes of equipment. Carload shipments should be planned so that carriers' equipment will be loaded to full visible
capacity or maximum load limits, when practicable.
2. Placing Orders with Carriers. The proper ordering of cars to suit the needs or the shipment is extremely important.
Cars should not be too large for the shipment, nor so small that two cars will be required where one larger car would have
been sufficient. Orders for cars should specify type and size of equipment required, when and where it should be placed
for loading, commodity and weight to be shipped, oversize dimensions (if any), destination, and proposed routing, if
available.
3. Acceptance of Carriers' Equipment.
a.
Suitable Equipment. Transportation officers should insure that equipment placed by carriers is suitable for the
material to be shipped. Rail cars which are not suitable in every respect, as determined by visual inspection should not
be accepted for loading.
b.
Size of Rail Car. When the minimum weight for a particular shipment is based on the size of the car ordered, the
MTMC routing instructions will so advise and, in this instance, a longer car than ordered may be accepted if offered by
the carrier. In such case the annotation furnished in the routing instruction to cover this situation will be placed in the
Description of Articles Block of the bill of lading to protect the minimum weight of the size of car ordered.
4. Difficulty in Obtaining Equipment Required. Any difficulty experienced in obtaining the size, quality, or quantity of rail
equipment for movement of commodities other than class A explosives should be reported promptly to the proper MTMC
routing authority, so that the assistance of the local office of the Association of American Railroads may be requested.
Notifications of this nature pertaining to proposed shipments that have been assigned a MTMC route order or release
number (except Standing or Consolidated Standing Route Orders) will make reference to such number; on all other
shipments, the notification will contain the following information:
a.
Name of carrier.
b.
Type, size and quantity of rail cars required.
c.
Commodity to be shipped.
d. Shipping schedule.
e.
Name of shipper.
f.
Actual point of loading.
g.
Name of consignee.
h.
Destination of the shipment.
i.
Name of alternate higher-cost carrier to whom lading is to be transferred or diverted, if applicable.
5. Loading of Freight.
a.
Responsibility of Transportation Officer. Transportation officers will exercise care to see that all shipments are
properly loaded, blocked, braced and secured to prevent damage to the lading and carriers' equipment and facilities
while in transit. Freight that is to be unloaded at a point intermediate to final destination should be loaded in such a
manner as to be readily accessible for unloading at the stop-off-point. Transportation shall observe as minimum
requirements the methods for loading, blocking, and bracing shipments in or on railroad cars as set forth in appropriate
loading rules of the Association of American Railroads.
