Real-Life Communication
A yardmaster is almost constantly communicating. As the main contact
among the crew, the management and customers, a yardmaster has to touch base
with all levels of yard operation.
"You're talking all day long,"
says yardmaster David Belcher. "I have a radio with a couple channels. I talk
to my three crews on that. At the same time, there's a train coming in,
so that's additional radio traffic, plus the phone is always ringing,
plus I'm talking to the four dispatchers in the box, and meanwhile there's
someone in the tower with me, talking to me."
When communication flows
well, the trains move faster and the yardmaster's presence is more commanding.
"You
have to be able to get along with people," says railroad historian and expert
Ella Rayburn. "The key to getting along is getting respect. Being able to
communicate a quick and accurate relay of information gains the respect of
the yard -- good communicators are usually respected."
Written skills
are useful for filing logs -- the reports giving a heads-up to the incoming
shift on what went wrong and what needs doing. E-mails also have to be fired
off to customers who are wondering where their shipments are.
"You
have to tell them exactly when to expect their shipment," says yardmaster
Steve Lucas. "Most of the time they're pretty confused and you need to
help them along. When they're not confused, they're upset and you
have to calm them down. So you have to be diplomatic, clear and straightforward."
You
are a yardmaster in the Midwest. The wheat harvest was late this year, touching
off a domino effect. It has caused Toasties, a cereal factory in Wyoming,
to wait an extra day for their grain shipment.
Write a short e-mail
correspondence to Toasties explaining the situation and saying next time they
will be kept better informed. Tell them to expect it tomorrow at 0900 hours
on the westbound intermodal no. 679 from Bismark, North Dakota. Respond to
the following customer questions:
- When is the Toasties shipment coming in? I thought it was supposed to
be here yesterday.
- Why the big delay? I have to explain this -- who can I blame?
- Will this happen again?