Ch. 5: Understanding TFM Trip Plans ("Routes")

Question 1

What are TFM Trip Plans?

Answer 1

• what make our active tracking system possible
• allow QTS to determine whether or not a railcar’s movement reported in the CLM feed is correct or expected to happen
• a digital list of predetermined SPLC locations, which are geographically arranged in a way that mimics the statistical reporting pattern of a CLM feed

Question 2

How to view Trip Plans in TFM?

Answer 2

highlight the railcar in Unit Browse tab and hold Ctrl + T

Question 3

Components of a TFM Trip Plan

Answer 3

1. Location Waypoints (SPLCs)
2. Event Code Template
3. Carrier Segment(s)
4. Waypoint Hours / Cumulative Hours

Question 4

Location Waypoints (SPLCs)

Answer 4

• 1 of 4 Trip Plan components
• also referred to as “waypoints” and “nodes”
• list of SPLCs comprising the Trip Plan
• selected by PRD user to mimic the arrangement of locations that have a statistically high likelihood of being reported in a CLM feed (as calculated via Process Manager)

Question 5

Event Code Template

Answer 5

• 1 of 4 Trip Plan components
• assigns an anticipated Event Code to each SPLC waypoint on the list
• designed to mimic the transit cycle of the primary event codes that get reported in a CLM feed

Question 6

Carrier Segment(s)

Answer 6

• 1 of 4 Trip Plan components
• the waypoints and event codes are assigned a corresponding carrier. These carrier-specific waypoints are grouped to form Carrier Segments
• Trip Plans with multiple carrier segments are separated with J & R event codes

Question 7

Hours / Cumulative Hours

Answer 7

• 1 of 4 trip plan components
• two columns on Trip Plan referring to the dwell and transit times between each event
• supplies data for the Original ETA and Updated ETA in TFM

Question 8

What are the 3 primary characteristics of a Trip Event

Answer 8

• SPLC/Waypoint location
• event code
• carrier

Question 9

How do Trip Plans work?

Answer 9

• sequence of trip events that are continually compared against CLM feed, which automatically identifies any movement discrepancies or “out of route” CLM reporting

Question 10

Automated CLM / Trip Events Comparison Process

Answer 10

• TFM scans each incoming CLM and performs analysis to determine if it qualifies as a Trip Event.
• When a Trip Event’s components match up with a CLM, the Trip Event gets “posted” to the Trip Events box under “Tracking Info” tab
• Visible in CLM Process Log

Question 11

What’s an A11?

Answer 11

• Deviation code (1 of ~140)
• also referred to as “A11 gap”, “gap”, or “Trip Plan variation”
• in this situation, the railcar has moved out-of-route by reporting a large movement in the CLM feed that is not listed by any Trip Events within the Trip Plan. TFM then opens an A11 deviation code

Question 12

How to address requests for PRD to investigate cause and severity of A11 gap

Answer 12

Imperative to always use PC*Miler to map out the discrepant CLMs in order to determine how far the car has travelled off of its Trip Plan as a result of the unaccounted movement

Question 13

Reasons for an A11 scenario

Answer 13

• Genuinely moving off course
• Inaccurate or outdated
• Requires Alternate Trip Plan
• Blind spots in the automated Trip Events posting process

Question 14

What to remember for A11 scenario:

“Railcar is genuinely moving off course”

Answer 14

• this situation occurs when CLMs report movements that don’t follow the statistical CLM reporting pattern of cars that normally travel through that specific geographic region on that specific carrier
• only A11 scenario where we won’t be able to explain historical data or analysis
• the reasons can vary, but some factors include
  
  • natural disasters
  • inclement weather
  • train derailments
  • track repairs
  • track weight restrictions
  • traffic congestion

Question 15

What to remember for A11 scenario:

“Trip Plan is either inaccurate or outdated”

Answer 15

• Inaccurate
  
  • user failed to include the reported CLMs as Trip Events when creating the Trip Plan
  • user may have inadvertently assigned the railcar to the wrong Trip Plan
  • users commonly overlook double-backing movements b/c they’re unidentifiable by PM analysis alone. User needs experience and strict adherence to technical detail
• Outdated
  
  • CLM patterns can change over time as RRs make modifications to their tracks, rail yards, and junction locations - all of which affect railcar movement

Question 16

What to remember for A11 scenario:

“Trip Plan requires Alternate Trip Plan”

Answer 16

• certain geographical regions can have several different statistically possible CLM movement patterns (only determined through PM analysis)
• If a CLM feed isn’t posting, an alternate trip plan might be required. In this case, the current trip plan is not inaccurate, it just needs an alternate trip plan

Question 17

What to remember for A11 scenario:

“Blind spots in the automated Trip Events posting process”

Answer 17

• Least common A11 cause, but most difficult to investigate and identify
• often involves double-backing movement. Can involve invalid SPLCs

Question 18

What does the CLM Process Log do? Why is it important?

Answer 18

• scans each individual CLM as it enters the feed to conduct analysis. One example…
  
  • determining whether or not a CLM qualifies as one of the Trip Events in the Trip Plan
• it provides clues to the user as to why TFM may be rejecting a CLM with respect to qualifying it as a Trip Event

Question 19

Master Waypoint List

Answer 19

• serves as the backbone for the TFM Trip Plan
• list of hundreds of SPLC waypoints arranged in geographical order set forth by PRD user and PcMiler’s automated Detailed Geocode Report
• as a railcar travels along the route, only a small fraction of these 100s of Trip Events ever actually report in the CLMs