Amtrak Empire Builder #8 being flagged and a stupid semi! 

This is an unusual situation, with (apparently) a defective crossing signal. Under Federal Railroad Administration rules, if crossing signals are not working properly trains must stop and the crossing must be flagged before proceeding. As for the train whistling, whistles are required at most grade crossings in the U.S., with rare exceptions like Quiet Zones or restricted access areas.

how can you say the truck came flying around the corner , when he is at a complete stop at 2:17?

I worked for Amtrak one summer in the late '80's as a car attendant. This in no way makes me a train expert. However, we did have training regarding our personal movement around rolling stock, even if it appears standing still because it can move at ANY time. Meanwhile, I have a CDL, and I've trucked in all 48 contiguous states and most of Canada. So I know something about the rules of the road. The truck driver was pulling a grain hopper, so wasn't, most likely, a professional trucker. Maybe a farmer, who has a CDL and only needs the truck for harvest. He HAD to have seen the train both when it was moving, and after it stopped since the road paralleled the track. The gates were UP and the train was STOPPED. As a driver, there isn't anything in the regs about Conductor's and red flags that I recall anyway. And she wasn't waving the flag at him either. I see railroad personal all the time exposed, on foot, near railroad crossings and NONE have ever attempted to stop me. I really didn't see her try here either. He assumed since the gates were up, train stopped, he could proceed. If it had been me? I probably wouldn't have gone. I would have tried to make eye contact, because I happen to know that train vs trucks... trucks ALWAYS lose. It would be interesting to hear if there really was a court hearing, how it was argued and played out. It could go either way, from what I saw here. I just think if I heard that train horn honking when I was crossing the tracks, I probably would have shit my pants and mashed down on the accelerator harder!! Lol

She was poorly positioned for flagging that crossing. She gave no indication to the truck driver that he was to stop.

A few pertinent points and observations: 1) Weight x Speed = Force. Remember that when approaching RR tracks. Even a slow moving train packs enough force to obliterate your vehicle, and you along with it. 2) It is *always* the responsibility of the driver of a truck (any truck), car, motorcycle, whatever, to be cautious and vigilant when crossing RR tracks. Trains can't steer, or stop on a dime. You have more control than they do. 3) A flagman has the same authority/control over traffic flow as a traffic cop. If there's one in the middle of the road at a crossing, you do what they tell you to do. If you are unsure what they want, STOP. They will either make it clear, or you will wake up. Either way, stopping shy of the tracks is the safe bet. (see #1, above) 4) The truck was stopped at the intersection. The train was in his sight line as he approached. This *should* have made him extra vigilant and cautious. 5) This flagman was just shy of the middle of the road, flag in hand, when the truck driver began moving and making his turn. 6) The flagman was smack in front of him well before he started crossing the track. (2:23) With a train nearby, even stopped, the truck driver should have been looking harder, and seeing the flagman. Conclusion: This driver violated a major safety regulation. Penalties may vary from state to state, but first offense is commonly suspension of CDL for a few months, second offense more months. More important than that, he could get himself and/or someone else injured or killed. I grew up with 3 different railroads, running on 2 separate tracks within a block of the house I lived in. There were long distance freights, and passenger trains that moved at 60+ mph. There were also slow moving switch engines, moving back and forth across roads, dropping loaded cars off and picking up empties. I have seen the aftermath of collisions between trains and cars, trucks of all sizes, motorcycles, and even a railroad's own track repair equipment. RR crossings are no place to be asleep at the wheel, too proud/arrogant to follow directions, or to take a chance. Weight x Speed = Force

What is the big deal here, no one did anything wrong. The train is not supposed to proceed until the flagger has the crossing protected. A trucker wants to go, he goes, the conductor didn't flag him to stop, he passed through, she flagged the crossing. The train occupied the crossing, stopped to pick up the conductor and proceeded. End of drama.

Well, i'd have been screwed, I've never seen that before and since they weren't waving the flag I probably would have gone too.

I was wondering why there was a flag person as the gates seemed to be working but maybe they were erratic. The train could have inched up slowly and crossed the tracks. That is a beautiful Amtrak train! Wish I had been on it. Nice tracks too. Thanks for the vid! Good vid!

When you get to a railroad crossing and there's a human being standing in the middle of the roadway that's your first clue that something unusual is going on and maybe you should fucking stop until you are signaled to proceed.

For whatever the reason, #8 had to flag the crossing. They did. The semi was required to stop for the stop sign, which he barely did. His was not on a designated truck route. DOT regulations require the truck driver to look for trains at any railroad crossing, regardless of crossing protection. Clearly, there was a train. With one person in the cab of #8, the engineer relies on the flagperson to make his move. He cannot see the truck until its right in front of him. Bottom line - the train and crew did exactly what the law requires. The truck driver was off route, rolled through the stop sign, then disregarded the flagperson and ran the crossing. The guy is done, and the video is probably what did or will convict him. I was a freight engineer on this route, and now a local cartage driver very familiar with Winona.

How is it that you can possibly call the truck driver stupid? The women with the flag clearly was not waving the flag to indicate she wanted the driver to stop. She just held it in her hands. The gates went up after the train stopped. And the gates went down again when the train started to move. By that time the truck had cleared the crossing with plenty of room to spare. I retired from long haul trucking five years ago after 35 years on the road. It sounds to me that you just hate truckn drivers. To bad so sad for you. WAH WAH WAH!!

Don't know much about American railways(roads) but the whole thing looked bloody amateurish to me. She kept her flag down, which appeared she wasn't ready to stop the traffic, instead of raising it and making her instructions clear. And someone has posted that the trucker should have waited till she flagged him clear. How do you flag someone clear with a red flag?

Let me clear a few things up for the commenters here. 1) I am a 10+ year employee of the railway. I once worked as both conductor and engineer on this same line and same service. 2) The lady conductor pictured is no longer in employ, for reasons having absolutely nothing to do with this video. 3) Anytime a train-vs-vehicle-or-person accident happens in the USA - whether at a designated crossing or not - the person/estate almost always sues, and almost always wins, regardless of the degree of stupidity that may or may not have been exhibited by the victim. For this reason, the railroads are necessarily paranoid about lawsuits, and the claims dept's force the rules dept's to write ever-more-restricting procedures, each time something happens. (USDOT/FRA also has "minimum" rules in place for public safety, but the RR co's almost always amend their safety procedures to be above and beyond FRA regs.) 4) Aforementioned catwalk of safety/liability ironically creates a situation where every little crossing defect, once reported, must immediately be reported to all trains in the area. The crossing might be working just fine as a matter of fact - maybe someone called it in because one light bulb looked orange-ish instead of red, or because some random motorist "felt like" the gates went sooner than they "normally do". I'm not saying that's the case in this video - I'm just saying that's the reality in general. The railroad has to treat every crossing call sort of like a terrorist threat - even if it's from John Q Random, and whether it's legitimate or not, it must be treated seriously, until a railroad signalman arrives on scene to verify the situation. 5) Off the cuff, from my past 10 years of operating, I would estimate the following percentages of validity of gate-malfunction reports. a: 35%, legit report, one gate missing/broken; b: 50%, no apparent malfunction at all, just some asshole called it in (I guess they're mad bro cause they got stuck for a train), c: 5%, total activation failure/total detection failure (gates always up or gates always down); d: 10%, crossing intentionally taken out of service for maintenance. 6) Let me reiterate bullet point #5. That phone number is on the shanty for a reason, but don't abuse it. Literally half the malfunction reports are bullshit. Don't be a bullshit reporter. If a train comes thru and no warning is given from the lights/gates, absolutely report it. If there's a surprise derailment or fire or dangerous condition near the crossing, then yes report it. If a stopped train blocks a crossing LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES - YES, IN GENERAL, THEY ARE ALLOWED AT LEAST THAT LONG - then yes report it. If it took an extra minute or two after the train passed before the gates came up, and no other trains seem to be visible, then sorry buddy that sucks, but guess you shoulda' left a little earlier. 7) The crossing malfunction pictured in the video was a minor one, and really should have been an "item 2" in RR parlance. On the CP, that would mean to proceed not exceeding 15mph, without stopping, and to blow the whistle regardless of any quiet zone. This procedure varies slightly among the different RR co's, but the gist is the same. 8) The train in the video was issued an "item 1", meaning stop and protect crossing, no matter what. That is what ultimately led to the ridiculous and unsafe situation you saw. This wasn't the fault of the dispatcher or really of any railway employee. Again we go back to the overbearing liability/safety-first stuff. The dispatcher merely instructed the train to take the safest course based on the limited information (s)he had at the time. The initial report came from some civvie who didn't really know what they were talking about, and a signalman hadn't had a chance to get there yet. 9) Flagging crossings, as a passenger train, sucks. The engineer/driver is normally all alone on the locomotive, because the conductor is back in the passenger section to handle people/tickets/paperwork/etc. If a freight train stops to flag a crossing, the conductor is able to dismount the engine in an instant, and be on the ground before the gates have a chance to go back up. Not the case with passenger, where the conductor has to get off from the first passenger car and walk up several hundred feet - which is usually just time enough for the gate circuit to time-out and for the crossing barriers to be re-raised. For obvious reasons, motorists tend to get confounded when they see gates come down, then back up again, with no train passing in the time between. That's totally fine, and that confusion is the reason why these safety procedures are a bit shit. 10) This is the main reason why I absolutely loathe bullshit crossing reports. The train has to do the most safety-conscious thing as instructed (in this case, stop and flag, even though not really necessary), again, because of the liability-anxiety complex. Most motorists are quite loath to stop at crossings at all, and I've nearly been run over plenty of times, even when I wore a safety vest (not typically required, btw) and held the red flag out at a horizontal angle to the street. I've often had the feeling whilst standing out there: "so public safety is important, but not mine?" I got over that after some years. It would honestly be safer for both the flagman and motorist(s) if the crossing was completely non-functional. It would at least make a little sense to drivers that way. But again, "safety safety safety" 11) In conclusion, a fucked-up, confusing situation prevails for all involved, basically because of a long history of irresponsible people and lawyers. But, if you're at a RR crossing and you're seeing some weird shit go down and you're not sure: better advice is probably still to just stay put - at least until you can reasonably figure it out.

agreed... use the flag for the road traffic... hold it straight up... hold it straight out to the side... do SOMETHING with it other than against your pant leg. the engineer wouldn't be confused, they're trained to understand a whole set of visual signals, including arm/hand signals, and the conductors are supposed to know them as well. hold the flag out to the side for the traffic, then signal with your other arm to the train to proceed. the engineer knows better, act like it.

Just watched this again. The flag person never used the flag to try and stop the truck. They gave no signal to the truck what so ever. The flag was used to signal the train which leads me to believe that the flag person did not know what the flag was to be used for. So you have the train stopped, the gates up and a flag person not signaling with the flag to stop. Looks like a "go" to me.

Hopefully the truck driver got off. I've never seen anything like this before. The gates are up, the train is stopped, the dude sees other cars going so he figures he's supposed to do the same. So he approaches because he figures he's supposed to go, and then instead of stopping him the fucking train lady keeps her flag down and steps out of his way! She's the one who compromised everybody's safety by giving conflicting instructions.

The truck came "flying around the corner?" Please. Just making a normal turn next to an idiot holding a flag who made no move whatsoever to stop traffic.

for those of you defending the flagger. lets look at this as if it was a construction site. road work. she is sent into the middle of the road and stands there. would you stop for her? would you know she wanted you to stop? when you drive through a mile long road construction protect, you see lots of workers in the road and you drive around the ones that are working or just standing there. this train is the same thing. she did not signal the truck to stop. unless there is a law in that state that requires you to stop if you see a person on the tracks, the truck did m nothing wrong. what if workers are repairing the crossing gate? you come up on the crossing, gates are up, workers have a ladder on the pole working on the gate? would you stop? it is the same thing, if they do not signal you to stop, you do not stop.

There may have been a Stop & Warn in effect for that crossing due to some defect in the crossings gates/lights.

the flag person gave the semi driver no direction..was just standing there. gates up,Train stopped.

Yes, the gate that I am standing by is the one that had just been hit causing the track bulletin and Amtrak to be flagged. And yeah, they usually accelerate pretty fast. After seeing all these private cars go by, I want to go on one!

The train has stopped, nobody knows why, or, for how long, the truck stops at the junction, then, turns right and went across the crossing, the barriers weren't down, the lorry is fully loaded he has to step on the gas to get his load across in one go, just because there is some idiot standing there with a flag is immaterial, surely, they could see what was happening, no common sense at all, and the flag person is the one who deserves to be called stupid, nobody else.

that lady didn't look happy when that trucker kept going.... but why did they flag the train when the signals worked fine.

That's a DOT regulation... as a truck driver, once I start my motion over the tracks, I am not allowed to stop, I am not even allowed to change gears, so long as any part of my truck is fouling the crossing. If I did so, I would be charged. The reasoning behind it is, that a train crossing is so dangerous to a truck, that taking the chance of missing a gear, shifting on the crossing, stalling out, and getting stuck on the tracks (since we can't exactly get out and push) ...

Love all you law students here. The fact is once the flagman or flagwoman is in the crossing with the red flag displayed (doesn't matter if she was waiving it or not), the law says ALL vehicles will come to a complete stop short of the crossing. PERIOD! Same as if a cop were there directing traffic or if the gates were down. The trucker ignored the conductor with the red flag, therefore TICKET TIME! Same goes for any motor vehicle that passes once she was in the crossing. Crossings are "flagged" when there is suspected malfunctions reported and will stay flagged until a signal maintainer certifies that the signals are working properly. So for you brainiacs like johnboy666, MitchS, stephen tait and the rest of you..........try looking up the state laws before typing in a response that exposes you as a dope.

Truck didn't do anything wrong, gates were back up, train was stopped and some lady with a flag was standing there twiddling her thumbs. Get out of the trucks way so he can do his job.

i don't get it, no laws were broken by the truck driver gates were up no bells and no lights going off and the train was stopped as far as i can tell. to him she was just some random person walking. I've never seen this before, maybe more common in other parts of the US than here. Whats the point though? If you already have crossing arms coming down. Uploader: "A semi comes flying around the corner and decides to just go across the tracks even with the conductor there!". He wasn't even close to going fast let alone flying.

To those crying about the truck crossing the tracks, the truck was in the motion of proceeding across the tracks before the flagger got there and she made no effort to stop the truck from crossing before he had already crossed the tracks.

Did I miss something, where is that stupid semi ?

is an intolerable situation. From what I saw on the side, the truck driver started his motion, while the train was stopped, the gates were up, and the flagger was not yet on the street. He was committed to his action, and continued through, tho since she tried to block him for a second before wisely letting him pass, I do believe he may have had to downshift or hit the clutch, violating DOT regs, so he didn't run her over. He wasn't at fault for this.

I have to defend the truck driver. This isn't a situation that most anyone comes across. He comes to a complete stop, sees the train stopped and the barriers up. He sees a woman crossing the street, but he has no idea she is a conductor, so he is timing his crossing to allow her to cross when she stops in the crossing. By that time, he is already in the intersection, so what's he to do? If the railroad wants to stop traffic at a crossing that may be malfunctioning, give the conductor a hand held STOP sign like they use with school crossing guards and be sure you are displaying it prominently as you make your way into the crossing. This conductor didn't do that, so I blame her.

Did I miss something? Where was the "stupid semi"?

Wow... I just don't understand people with not a lick of common sense, it's like they can't be bothered to think, cause it takes too much energy to process a conductor in the intersection of a railroad crossing with a red flag in hand and a train barely a 100 feet away, stopped on the tracks. I guess someone needs to take some time off to go back to truck driving school.

I agree with most of the others, the truck driver did nothing wrong. The signals were not flashing and the gates were not down and the conductor was not signalling anyone to stop. She was holding a red flag but not displaying it. I probably would have driven through the crossing too. There is a crossing without lights or arms not far from where I live, the conductor always holds the flag straight out and signals traffic. One would assume the train is not ready to move if the flag is not held out. The trucker could have used this video in defense. The conductor no doubt lied about displaying the flag and the truck driver had no evidence to contradict it.

Absolutely. A flagger, isn't a flagger, until they're waving their damned flag. All she was at that point was a person wearing clothes and holding a red scarf. She doesn't just get to walk out and expect everyone to immediately stop. She has to first, ascertain if the traffic is clear (it wasn't), and if it was, THEN walk out and flag the train through. Just like trains, trucks don't stop on a dime, and we have our own regulations we have to follow. She was sloppy.

Technically the lorry was legally allowed to cross as the gates were up.

I enjoy watching trains, and sometimes even riding on them. This is an excellent video capture of a very curious event. Thank you for sharing it.

the gates timed out and came back up when the sensors detected the train was no longer in motion... at the time the truck started its turn to cross the tracks, the gates were NOT down, and the lady had not started to flag the grade crossing yet. notice how after the truck went through, THEN, she starts flagging the crossing, and when the sensors detect the train is in motion again, the gates come back down.

Yes, CP knew to put a flag bulletin for the crossing since it had just happened. The local was working right near this crossing when a different semi hit the gate and messed it up. Amtrak was the very next train through...within minutes. Sorry, but I don't think any railroad can get something fixed like that within minutes of it happening. Also, why does sex have to be a factor in this? I'm sorry, but I believe her. Thanks for commenting. Have a nice day.

That flagger appeared as though she was crossing the street when the truck started his turn. Then she stopped in the middle of the road and proceeded to give the truck nothing more than a stare. She didn't wave her red flag at all. The truck also couldn't legally stop once he has commenced his maneuver. I say he shouldn't have been prosecuted. Why was a gate bent at a slightly irregular angle such a problem anyway. Gates are down, people should still get the idea.

She just stood there as the truck approached, then moved out of his way. If she wanted him to stop, she should've indicated that, clearly, which she did not. I see nothing wrong here. People commenting otherwise are just train buffs in their own world.

on top of that, we get nickel and dimed for everything, pay outrageously for food and showers, licensing and permits, and with so much pressure from customers and government to keep product costs down attacking shipping rates, brokers who take a much bigger percentage of the job than they deserve, fuel costs/taxes through the roof, and our rate per mile is the same as it was in the 80's? Some loads we lose money on. We don't see our families. We sacrifice. The rest have no clue.

Why did the train stop and the conductor get out with his flag when the gates were already closed for the train to go over the crossing!!!

...then he turns right as his trailer clears the obstruction, and that person who was on the side of the road, is now in the middle of it, where he didn't expect her to be, and is startled, tries to maneuver around her, concious of where he is in relation to the tracks, knowing it is illegal to stop fouling the tracks, but she moves, and he has to compensate again, all the while, not allowed to shift, stop, go out of gear, and this 'whoever' is acting erratic like she wants to get run over.

If the train is not moving or no train present, there is no law against going around a crossing arm. The "conductors" flagging was unclear.

they stopped? where? perhaps the truck driver pushed them out of the way as he continued after stopping, to make his turn to go over an, as yet, unflagged, open crossing? Watch carefully as they both move. Truck driver, sees crossing open. Checks left, checks forward, checks right, then checks left again as he pulls out into the clear intersection, turning onto the clear crossing, watching his trailer clearance, and his front corner for traffic. A truck driver has to look everywhere at once...

Nice vid, very rare to see this. Looks like we have found another reason why Amtrak is becoming late.

um... that train was stopped... that means, by definition, that it wasn't an "oncoming train" I have to wonder. Was this recording made available to the parties involved? Look... I'm a truck driver, and I'm also a train chaser. I defend both trucks and trains constantly. I'm not someone to just blame trains, and not trucks either. We truck drivers already take more blame than is our due, just from 4-wheelers alone. But all I can see in this vid, is an amateur flagger.

I think the engineer was honking at his flagger annoyed at how incompetent she was.

Folks, if you don't know how railroad Track Circuits work, you are wasting your time commenting here. The Amtrak train approaches the crossing, the bells, lights and gates are activated, THEN the train stops. WHY? We don't know. Then, the bells, lights and gates are deactivated (the Track Circuit went into "time-out." So, why did the Amtrak person (Conductor?) get off the train to flag the crossing? WHY! The warning devices were working! The truck driver did nothing wrong! He stopped!

My friend from school was struck by a train about 2 months ago. He was biking with his friends. The tracks where too sets of tracks meaning 2 trains could come at the same time. In this case it was 2 trains. He saw one train thinking it was safe to cross. He didn’t see the other train right behind it and was hit. This happened in Wauwatosa Wisconsin. He was in the hospital for about 2 to 3 weeks. He had lots of broken bones.

I saw no such hand signal, until after the truck went through... and if she did give the engineer a signal that I didn't see, when the grade crossing wasn't secure and properly flagged, then that's another thing she did wrong. Secure the crossing first, properly flagged... THEN signal the engineer to proceed.

169.26 SPECIAL STOPS AT RAILROAD CROSSING. Subdivision 1.Requirements. (a) Except as provided in section 169.28, subdivision 1, when any person driving a vehicle approaches a railroad grade crossing under any of the circumstances stated in this paragraph, the driver shall stop the vehicle not less than ten feet from the nearest railroad track and shall not proceed until safe to do so and until the roadway is clear of traffic so that the vehicle can proceed without stopping until the rear of the vehicle is at least ten feet past the farthest railroad track. These requirements apply when: (1) a clearly visible electric or mechanical signal device warns of the immediate approach of a railroad train; or (2) an approaching railroad train is plainly visible and is in hazardous proximity. (b) The fact that a moving train approaching a railroad grade crossing is visible from the crossing is prima facie evidence that it is not safe to proceed. (c) The driver of a vehicle shall stop and remain stopped and not traverse the grade crossing when a human flagger signals the approach or passage of a train or when a crossing gate is lowered warning of the immediate approach or passage of a railroad train. No person may drive a vehicle past a flagger at a railroad crossing until the flagger signals that the way is clear to proceed or drive a vehicle past a lowered crossing gate.

@bfs1888 And? The trucker is supposed to know that a dope just standing there has something to do with the train? She made no stopping gesture nor did she use her flag to indicate she was controlling traffic. I would bet that if he knew about this video, not only would he be cleared, she would have been reprimanded.

What a beautiful train! Love the video!

as a European it boggles my mind how slow american trains are

Actually, it was NOT an exercise. I just happened to hear that there was a gate problem at this crossing and decided to check it out. It was all very real. These are the kind of things that happen all the time. Thankfully no one got hurt and hopefully people can learn from something like this.

If the conductor was at LEAST wearing the DOT-required reflective vest (s)he is supposed to be wearing when doing stuff like that, then people would have figured out this wasn't just another idiot jaywalking.

The flag person never put the flag out to stop the semi, saw no problem here.

She show no signs to try to stop the truck. She just stand there acting like the truck was going to wait. The truck driver thought it was ok to go.

Where's the stupid semi? All looked legit to me

@doodlejtr. Damn right.....the conductor did not follow the correct rules for use of a red flag...nor did the engineer for moving the train...thats a bad boy letter for sure.

@motos The train crew was probably told their was an activation failure for this crossing. Even though it appeared to be working when they approached the crossing, they're still required to stop and flag it. I am a conductor as well and I really think she did a very poor job of flagging this crossing. The trucker was probably watching traffic on his left side to make the right turn and did not see her until he had already pulled under the gates. I would not have reported his tag.

very confusing there...didn't see them directing anything. even the incompetant road crews hold up hands or wave directions to indicate what traffic should do. hope if they did try and do anything to the truc that he had a dash cam to prove he was never directed to stop and the gates were up.

Maybe they don't operate according to GCOR (General Code of Operating) where this video was taken but I feel this video should be titled "How to incorrectly perform a crossing protection when required to flag through a grade crossing." I operate for a commuter rail line. When there is a crossing protection and it requires personnel to flag a train through this could have been done better. First, Why did you stop about a car length away?? Get your locomotive up there close (Not actually on the crossing of course). People are going to assume that the train isn't going to begin proceeding anytime soon. At least where I operate the crossing gates (If working properly) Won't time out or won't time out as fast if the locomotive is right there. You don't want the gates to go up if you can help it. If the person that is going to flag the train through is getting off the train this distance will add more time and confusion. Second, the conductor doesn't have any kind of high visibility vest on. Yes she has a red flag but she just kind walks out there no hand signals or anything. She just kind of stands there like, "Oh you're gonna go now? Really??" Have some authority when you walk out into that road. Make sure these people know you want them to stop. Maybe the truck driver didn't see the conductor at first. There are no horns or bells when the truck starts across the tracks, and she isn't making any hand/signal indications that she wants the traffic to stop. What do people expect the truck to do? Stop partially in the crossing? Back up? Truck driver probably thought the conductor would continue across the road. When the train does finally begin to move what horn sequence is that?? It's not a sequence 7. Like I said maybe they have a different set of rules and codes they follow where the video takes place but still I feel the truck driver isn't the only stupid one in the video. Anyone interested after being bored to death by me and want to find more information the GCOR Seventh Edition, Section 6-16, 6.32 Road Crossings. Section 5-8, 5.8 Bell and Whistle Signals. If I was the truck driver I would have pressed for prosecution against Amtrak and their poor handling of the crossing protection and their violations to the code and rules.

I don't see what the driver of the semi did wrong... gates weren't down and the signal woman gave no indication to stop.

The truck driver did nothing wrong

Oooohh she wrote his plate down . . . scary . . . . ooohhhh . . . .

For everyone who wonders why the truck driver is being dumb: The video (at 2:27) shows an assistant-conductor standing in the intersection with a (very noticeable) red signal flag. The rules of the road in all the states I've driven in (38) clearly state that "when a crossing is under control by a railroad employee with a flagging device, all motorists shall stop until flagged clear to proceed across the railroad tracks." The a/conductor was clearly in the roadway BEFORE the truck turned right to cross the tracks. So, the driver should have stopped before proceeding. The train horn also sounded twice as the truck turned, but before he crossed the rails. The trucker should have waited for an all-clear by the a/conductor. As a former truck driver, I'd like to side with him on this, but the rules clearly say to wait until flagged clear to proceed.

I'm not from the US, but even then it is obvious that the truck driver was not at fault. The conductor could've waved the flag at him and made him stop but she just stood there watching until he passed by, then noted his number down and got him prosecuted. Nice video though. Love those P42DCs

I don't see where the trucker did anything wrong. If the conductor wanted the truck to stop she should have waved the flag at it or signaled to it in some way. All she did was stand there and watch the truck go by. Case dismissed.

is it just me ? or does that tree in the far right look like godzilla?

Why the hell did they stop the train anyway?

evidently. I saw no troubles here. whatsoever. definitely not with the trucker.

Yes. A semi had gone through previous to this and bent the gate.

I'd have to agree with you. I've directed enough traffic as a vol. firefighter over twenty+ years to know you don't hide behind that flag. You use it to communicate. And she wasn't communicating anything with the flag at her knees. By the time she raised the flag and the stopped train started blowing its horn, the truck was under where the gate would be when it came down. I'm not saying the trucker wasn't confused or partially at fault also, but to call him "stupid" isn't fair either.

You lie like a rug sir. As an NTSB crash investigator, first of all, the Amtrak is not moving, and forfeits right of way while the gate arms are in the up/off position. The "flag~girl".......entered the street as a jay walker, the crossing devices are off. The driver of the CMV, making a right turn did so with full right of way. Know the laws before you start accusing others of wrong doing. By the way, you were trespassing on RR property and should be prosecuted.

For what i can see she does not give the truck a signal to stop. She is not flagging only standing there with the flag down.

Well, I haven't really railfanned the Twin Cities much. I have gone by a few of the yards... Pig's Eye Yard is a popular spot.

Why is it people so clueless want to call truckers stupid? They not.

I didn't see s stupid semi driver. I saw a person standing there with a red flag doing absolutely nothing. I guess the truckers ESP was off that day.

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Anyone know why they flagged this train across? Seems like the signals work fine.

I just saw the video. As a Assistant Conductor with Amtrak, I must say if I had to protect crossing, I would delegate as I would be on the train. As far as I can see, the A/C should have been more assertive with flagging the crossing, ascertaining that it was clear for the train to proceed per GCOR rule for protected crossings. As a former over the road bus operator, the trucker was also wrong for not stopping until the train was clear of the crossing. DOT is extremely stringent on commercial drivers, and law is if the railroad crossing is protected by railroad personnel, vehicles are to stop until crossing is clear. So to make it clear to everyone, both of them were in the wrong. However, it really is not that serious that ignorant comments need be made about either party. I'm sure that you could have done a better job....lmfao

Ok I must be that stupid driver cause I don't see it. 🤨other then me wasting my time looking at this

I like how the engineer blew the horn at the truck who did not have permission to cross

why was the the train flagged to begin with?

Good thing the semi-driver didn't have a decent lawyer if that prosecution was successful. The signals and arms were working fine, they weren't activated, and the flagger was giving no clear direction. If Amtrak pursued that prosecution, all of the costs of the court and the taxpayers to accommodate them (prosecutor's office, etc.) following the acquittal should be billed back to Amtrak (maybe with an order to improve training / procedures).

I can see how the truck driver might have been confused. The train is stopped, the gates are intact but up, and it's not at all clear what the conductor wants with her flags down.

Did the trucking company send killer Carmine and knuckles Nunzio to have a "chat" with the conductor about what "really" happened?

Prosecuted for what???

Why have a flagger when they already have crossing arms. Lower the arms, drive the train through, raise arms again. It's not rocket science and it certainly NOT the semi drivers fault since the arms were UP. He did nothing wrong. Stupid clickbait video.

What it looks like to me that the conductor did nothing as the truck started to approach and as the truck finally did that's when he blew the horn and if it wasn't for her as well just standing there like a moron but had just let him pass then this would had been avoided cause i know next time she does this i know shes wont be so lucky where i hope she will let people know when the train wants to leave witch she failed to do why this is her fault and not the truck drivers

I have traveled on The Empire builder. Very nice train and crews. No complaints. I love traveling Amtrak. It suits my needs as a handicapped person and my desire to see the country. Thanks for posting.

She should of raised the flag up over her or had a stop sign on her when she stepped on the road, that would of stop traffic. She/they don't know -.-

how was it a stupid semi ? Lady didn't tell it to STOP

Having worked for Amtrak; you DO NOT USE A RED FLAG to flag a train through a crossinf!l

Nice PV on that. Why was it being flagged? Gates were functioning. Yes conductor didn't direct driver.

Was that a private car at the end of this train?

WTF : they close the road when the train is coming but not here, then they open the door when the train is here ???… Oj it stopped : but why close the gate in the first place ?… This is very confusing : as a car driver I wouldn't know what to do !!!…