About AAR Circular Letters
Circular letter summaries are produced monthly by Greenbrier’s Regulatory Management team, a division of Greenbrier Management Services Group.
AAR circular letters provide information of general applicability to the railroad industry, including proposed and final rules, revisions, standards and recommended practices, and calls for comments. These summaries provide the main points of circular letters issued in the prior month, as well as important implementation deadlines.
For access to the complete circular letter, please go to my.aar.org/circulars. Circular letters are a fee-based service provided by the AAR’s Transportation Technology Center Incorporated (TTCI). You may subscribe online at publications@aar.com or call 719.584.0538.
Implementation Circulars
C-13367
Implementation of Revisions to Figures 129, 147-D, 154-B, and 267-A – Section 2 of the AAR Open Top Loading Rules Manual (OTLR)
Issued: June 19, 2019
Effective: June 19, 2019
The edits and revisions to the figures are included in the circular. The implementation of these revisions is effective immediately and will be included in the next edition of the OTLR manual. In the interim, please insert the circular attachments for Figures 129, 147-D, 154-B, and 267-A in your Section 2 copy and be governed accordingly. Carriers are asked to ensure that copies of this circular letter are distributed to all concerned shippers and railroad personnel for their attention and guidance.
C-13368
Implementation of Revisions to Figures 14, 43-S, 88 and 89 – Section 2 of the AAR Open Top Loading Rules Manual (OTLR)
Issued: June 19, 2019
Effective: June 19, 2019
The edits and revisions to the figures are included in the circular. The implementation of these revisions is effective immediately and will be included in the next edition of the OTLR manual. In the interim, please insert the circular attachments for Figures 14, 43-S, 88 and 89 in your Section 2 copy and be governed accordingly. Carriers are asked to ensure that copies of this circular letter are distributed to all concerned shippers and railroad personnel for their attention and guidance.
C-13370
Implementation of Mechanical Defect Report, MD-502, For Broken or Cracked Couplers
Issued: June 24, 2019
Effective: January 1, 2020
The purpose of this circular letter is to notify the industry of a new upcoming Railinc service release, MD-502, developed for the reporting of mechanical defects for couplers. The target date for the release of MD-502 is June 27, 2019 and will be announced via the Railinc notification system. Starting July 1, 2019, the industry can begin submitting MD-502 reports via their Railinc assigned SSO (Single Sign On) accounts for Mechanical Defects. Reporting of broken couplers will become mandatory starting January 1, 2020. Reporting of cracked couplers will remain optional. Proposed wording to be included in Section E of Rules 16, 17, and 18 in the 2020 Field Manual of the AAR Interchange Rules is included in the circular.
C-13371
IMPLEMENTED. AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP), Section K-IV Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging, Mutually Authenticated Key Exchange, Standard S-9357.V1.0
Issued: June 28, 2019
Effective: June 28, 2019
Standard S-9357.V1.0 defines a mechanism for mutual authentication and authorization between devices using X.509v3 mutual certificate authentication. The standard was adopted in 2019 and is attached to the Circular in PDF format. It will be incorporated in the next issue of the MSRP, Section K-IV Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging. In the interim, please insert the Circular in your copy of the MSRP Section K-IV and be governed accordingly.
C-13372
IMPLEMENTED. AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP), Section K-IV Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging, Anonymous Key Exchange, Standard S-9358.V1.0
Issued: June 28, 2019
Effective: June 28, 2019
Standard S-9358.V1.0 defines a mechanism to exchange per-session shared key material for use cases that do not require a high degree of identity assurance. The standard was adopted in 2019 and is attached to the Circular in PDF format. It will be incorporated in the next issue of the MSRP, Section K-IV Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging. In the interim, please insert the Circular in your copy of the MSRP Section K-IV and be governed accordingly.
C-13373
IMPLEMENTED. AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP), Section K-IV Office Architecture and railroad Electronics Messaging, Interoperable Certificate Revocation Responder Service, Standard S-9359.V1.0
Issued: June 28, 2019
Effective: June 28, 2019
Standard S-9359.V1.0 defines a service and messages to check the revocation status of a certificate. The standard was adopted in 2019 and is attached to the Circular in PDF format. It will be incorporated in the next issue of the MSRP, Section K-IV Office Architecture and Railroad Electronics Messaging. In the interim, please insert the Circular in your copy of the MSRP Section K-IV and be governed accordingly.
C-13374
Implementation of Revisions to Figures 11-D, 15, 18 and 19 – Section 5 of the AAR Open Top Loading Rules Manual (OTLR)
Issued: June 28, 2019
Effective: June 28, 2019
The edits and revisions to the figures are included in the circular. The implementation of these revisions is effective immediately and will be included in the next edition of the OTLR manual. In the interim, please insert the circular attachments for Figures 11-D, 15, 18 and 19 in your Section 5 copy and be governed accordingly. Carriers are asked to ensure that copies of this circular letter are distributed to all concerned shippers and railroad personnel for their attention and guidance.
Call for Comment
None
Notice Circulars
C-13364
Informational Circular, Car Repair Facility Labor Rate – Effective July 1, 2019
Issued: June 7, 2019
Effective: June 7, 2019
The Car Repair Facility Labor Rate, effective July 1, 2019 is $139.40. This represents an increase of 2.7 percent ($3.64) from the calculation for April 1, 2019. The change will be reflected in the July 1, 2019 release of the AAR Office Manual.
C-13365
Informational Circular, Revisions to Field Manual, Rule 41.E.10
Issued: June 17, 2019
Effective: June 17, 2019
At the June 2019 meeting of the Arbitration and Rules Committee a proposal by WABL to revise Field Manual Rule 41.E.10, was reviewed and approved. The proposed change relates to Form MD 115 report which must be submitted via the Railinc website within 15 days of wheel removal for each wheel removed. The text of the addition (including Why Made Codes, retainment requirements, digital attachments etc.) is included in the circular. This revision will be included in the July 2019 revisions to the Field Manual.
C-13369
Registration Is Now Open For the January 2020 AAR Quality Assurance Auditor & Industry Conference
Issued: June 24, 2019
Effective: January 28-30, 2020
The conference will be held at the Hilton Downtown in Fort Worth, Texas. Anyone interested in learning more about the AAR Auditor training process is encouraged to attend. The QA Conference Flyer is attached to the circular and includes online links to register for the conference.
Upcoming Events
Midwest Association of Rail Shippers 2019 Summer Meeting
July 15-16, 2019
Lake Geneva, WI
The Greenbrier Companies will be attending the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers summer meeting in Lake Geneva.
Program details can be found at: https://www.mwrailshippers.com/event/2019-summer-meeting/
Greenbrier’s Regulatory Services Group
Peace of mind for your business.
The Regulatory Management Group, led by James Rader, provides regulatory, engineering, process consulting and advocacy support to the railcar repair industry and the petrochemical rail shipper community.
- ASNT Level III Subscription Services
- DOT Compliance Assessments (Corporate and Plant)
- DOT Hazardous Materials Training (Corporate and Plant)
- Expert Witness Services in Rail-Related Litigation
- Federal Government Claims Mitigation (e.g. FRA and PHMSA)
- Nondestructive Testing Programs
- Quality Assurance Program Development
- Regulatory Counsel and Policy Advocacy
- Railcar Repair Management (Design Review, Drawings, Engineering and AAR Approval Administration)
- Tank Car Reliability and Maintenance Programs (49 CFR Subpart F of Part 180)
- Tank Car Maintenance Data Collection and Reliability Performance Analysis
- Welding Program Development
For inquiries about these summaries or any of our services, please reach out to: regulatoryservices@gbrx.com
About Greenbrier Management Services (GMS)
Greenbrier Management Services (GMS) is North America’s most comprehensive railcar management solutions provider. GMS manages nearly 400,000 railcars and has invested over 20 years in developing technology, processes, and people to provide the best railcar management products and services in the industry. GMS is powered by proprietary software and the best subject matter experts in the railcar business.
COMPREHENSIVE. INTEGRATED. VALUE.
Combined, these two vitally important capabilities are able to deliver world-class solutions to every type of customer, from Class I railroads, lessors and industrial shippers to financial investors. GMS brings broad expertise to cover nearly any railcar management need that customers may have and its integrated solutions and reporting can be customized for any customer function or management need.