[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33416-33417]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13014]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Notice of Safety Advisory on RoadRailer Trailers

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of safety advisory.

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 99-03A in order to modify and 
update previously issued Safety Advisory 99-03 which addressed the 
securement of floor beam cross-members on RoadRailer<Register> 
trailers. See 64 FR 61377 (November 10, 1999). FRA is issuing this 
revised Safety Advisory to address the securement of lift rods on 
RoadRailer<Register> trailers in order to prevent the highway tandem 
wheels on these trailers from falling to the rails on moving trains. 
This Safety Advisory also provides updated information regarding the 
actions being taken within the industry regarding the securement of 
floor beam cross-members and lift rods on this equipment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Fairbanks, Mechanical Engineer, 
Motive Power and Equipment Division, Office of Safety Assurance and 
Compliance, FRA, 400 Seventh Street, SW, RRS-14, Mail Stop 25, 
Washington, DC 20590 (Telephone 202-493-6322/ Fax 202-493-6230)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November of 1999, FRA issued Safety 
Advisory 99-03 based on its discovery that several RoadRailer<Register> 
trailers operated by Triple Crown Services (Triple Crown) had 
experienced failures of floor beam cross-members. See 64 FR 61377. The 
cross beams connect the highway tandem wheel set to the body of the 
trailer via slide rails. The failure of the cross beams allows the 
weight of the tandem wheel set to deflect the slide rails to the point 
where the highway tires contact the rail. Prior to the issuance of 
Safety Advisory 99-03, FRA notified Wabash National Incorporated 
(Wabash), the manufacturer of RoadRailer<Register> equipment, and 
requested that Wabash randomly inspect trailers at the Fort Wayne, 
Indiana, Triple Crown facility. Representatives of Wabash, Triple 
Crown, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and FRA conducted a 
series of inspections at this facility in October of 1999. The cross-
member defects found during these inspections could be classified into 
four categories:
    1. A weld crack at the slide rail to I-beam cross-member;
    2. A crack in the cross-member I-beam flange (which usually starts 
at the end of a weld);
    3. A crack which has progressed into the web of the I-beam from the 
flange; or
    4. A cross-member broken into two pieces.
    The practice of attaching the tandem wheel set slide rails to the 
trailer body by welding to floor cross-member I-beam flanges has been 
the accepted method of highway trailer fabrication for many years. This 
method is

[[Page 33417]]

currently being used by nearly all van trailer manufacturers, and is 
considered safe and reliable when properly applied. It should be noted 
that there are some RoadRailer<Register> trailers which have been in 
service since January 1988 that have not exhibited signs of weld or 
cross-member cracking in the above noted areas. Currently, the entire 
fleet of Triple Crown RoadRailer<Register> trailers is in the process 
of being inspected or repaired. All inbound and outbound trailers are 
being inspected. Defective trailers will be withheld from service, 
transloaded, or repaired prior to being assembled into a train, 
depending upon the condition of the trailer. At this time, the 
manufacturer is considering one broken floor beam cross-member or four 
successive cross-members with cracks to be sufficient cause to withhold 
the trailer from service or to repair the trailer prior to continuing 
it in service.
    Subsequent to the issuance of Safety Advisory 99-03, FRA discovered 
that several RoadRailer<Register> trailers operated by Triple Crown 
Services (Triple Crown) and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation 
(Amtrak) have recently experienced failure of the tandem axle lift 
rods. These spring loaded lift rods retract the highway wheel set when 
the trailers are operated in the rail mode. Direct inspection of the 
lift rods is not possible by personnel positioned on the ground and 
standing adjacent to the trailer because the lift rods are encased in a 
steel tube and are located above the highway tandem axles at the rear 
of the trailer near the centerline of the trailer body. A broken lift 
rod will result in the highway tandem wheel set lowering toward the 
rail. Furthermore, if one or more of the lift rods fail per trailer the 
highway wheel set could potentially strike a close clearance object or 
the highway wheel set could drop completely to the rail. Thus, a high 
potential for derailment exists if a highway wheel set were to drop 
onto the rails.
    An informal inquiry into the potential causes for the recent 
failures of the tandem axle lift rods determined that recently 
manufactured lift rods were not properly heat treated when manufactured 
and thus, may not be of adequate strength to handle the high loads 
encountered during the operation of the equipment. Due to the safety 
implications related to the failure of the lift rods, the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in conjunction with 
Wabash has issued a voluntary recall of equipment outfitted with tandem 
axle lift rods manufactured within the last two years. See NHTSA Recall 
Number 00V-025 and 00V-344. Wabash will also provide NHTSA and FRA with 
quarterly progress reports on the status of the recall. Furthermore, 
Wabash has issued six ``Service Bulletins'' regarding the inspection 
and repair of the RoadRailer<Register> trailers in response to the 
recent lift rod failures and the failures of the floor beam cross-
members discussed in Safety Advisory 99-03. These bulletins include:
    <bullet> SB2000-001: RoadRailer<Register> cross-members at front of 
slide reinforcement to prevent cracking; Priority--Mandatory (part of 
NHTSA Recall Number 00V-025 and 00V-344). This bulletin covers the 
inspection and installation of a bolt-on reinforcement channel that 
will increase the strength of the cross-member and reduce the stress at 
the welds. A three-inch diameter blue decal will be applied to the 
front of each trailer just above the Vehicle Identification Number 
(VIN) tag to indicate the rework has been completed.
    <bullet> SB2000-002: RoadRailer<Register> slide suspension body 
rail rear attachment reinforcement; Priority--Voluntary (at customer 
expense). This bulletin covers the modification of the aft end of the 
suspension body rails on standard dry freight RoadRailer<Register> 
trailers. This reinforcement modification to the rear stop pipe will 
reduce the potential of the weld cracking.
    <bullet> SB200-003: RoadRailer<Register> slide suspension hold-down 
replacement and repair of cracks between lock pin holes in slide body 
rails; Priority--Mandatory (Warranty). This bulletin covers the 
replacement of the \3/8\" thick trailer slide body rail suspension hold 
down brackets with \1/4\" brackets that have more clearance for the 
bottom lip of the body rail. The \3/8\" bracket caused stresses in the 
body rails and resulted in cracking between pairs of holes in the body 
rail.
    <bullet> SB2000-004: RoadRailer<Register> Lift Rod Replacement due 
to improper material; Priority--Mandatory (Warranty). This bulletin 
covers the replacement of trailer suspension lift rods that did not 
have the steel properly heat treated, and, therefore, may not be of 
adequate strength for the application. These lift rods can see high 
loads during the transfer and rail modes that require the material used 
in the lift rods to be of high strength heat treated steel.
    <bullet> SB2000-005: RoadRailer<Register> cross-member inspection; 
Priority--Recommended. This bulletin covers the procedures for the 
inspection of cross-members and the repair of the cross-members over 
the body rails during regular trailer inspections.
    <bullet> SB2000-006: RoadRailer<Register> Ultra Cube slide 
suspension body rail rear attachment reinforcement; Priority--Voluntary 
(at customer expense). This bulletin covers the reinforcement 
procedures for the aft end of the suspension body rails on Ultra Cube 
trailers. Severe impact of the slider suspension into the rear stop 
pipe can force the body rail to bow upwards causing the bottom of the 
vertical leg of the body rail of the extension to crack.

Recommended Action

    Until the root cause(s) of the floor beam cross-member failures and 
the lift rod failures can be determined, and the appropriate long-term 
repairs effectuated, FRA recommends that the following actions be taken 
with regard to all RoadRailer<Register> trailers:
    <bullet> Each trailer should be inspected upon receipt at a 
facility from a highway motor carrier prior to being transferred to the 
rail mode to determine whether it has any of the following conditions:
    1. One broken floor beam cross-member.
    2. Four successive cross-member with cracks.
    If either of the conditions is found, the trailer should be held 
until a repair can be made to correct the deficiency, or if loaded, the 
lading should be transferred to another trailer that has been inspected 
and found not to have any of these conditions.
    <bullet> Each such inbound trailer should be inspected upon its 
arrival in a train prior to its transfer to the highway mode. If either 
of the conditions noted above is found, the trailer should be held 
until a repair can be made to correct the deficiency, or if loaded, the 
lading should be transferred to another trailer that has been inspected 
and found not to have any of these conditions.
    <bullet> All operators of RoadRailer<Register> trailers should 
obtain a copy of the above listed ``Service Bulletins'' and should 
follow all of the manufacturer's recommended inspection, repair, and 
modification procedures contained in those bulletins. To obtain a copy 
of the bulletins, operators should contact Mr. John Gabriel, Customer 
Service, Wabash National Corporation, P.O. Box 6129 Lafayette, IN 47903 
or telephone (765) 771-5404.
    FRA may modify Safety Advisory 99-03A, issue additional safety 
advisories, or take other appropriate action to ensure the highest 
level of safety on the Nation's railroads.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 18, 2000.
George Gavalla,
Associate Administrator for Safety.
[FR Doc. 00-13014 Filed 5-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P