The Railroad Tank Car Inspection Workshop has been developed and is being offered to industry, federal, state, and local agencies, that want to upgrade their employees' skills in this subject area.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) requires that a thorough inspection be given to all commercial vehicles using the nations rail, highway, and waterways systems. All such inspections must be completed by qualified individuals and properly documented before any vehicle can be loaded or shipped.

The scope of these inspections for railroad tank cars are covered under 49 CFR, parts: 172, 173, 174, 179 (D.O.T.), and all applicable Association of American Railroads (A.A.R.) rules. In addition to those applicable parts of Process Safety Management Regulations 29 CFR 1910.119 (OSHA). Following these regulations will assure the tank, tank fittings, safety appliances, running gear, underframe, stenciling and required testing are in good working order and up-to-date. The individuals ability to perform these inspections thoroughly and efficiently depends on the quality of their training and experience doing the job.

The importance of doing any vehicle inspection and doing it correctly is that it minimizes unnecessary delays, helps assure safe and timely deliveries, reduces accidents and therefore cuts down on overall transportation costs.

The eight hours a student spends in this course will make him/her familiar with all applicable regulations related to the inspection of these vehicles. They will gain practical knowledge during the hands-on portion of this program to perform these inspections in a very thorough and efficient manner.