Come walk in my shoes

Recent comments have been made to my blog that have not been posted. These comments have been about events that have stirred up a lot of anger and feelings of negativity toward TriMet, specifically MAX operators.

My blog is about MY experience as a light rail operator. I am NOT here to add to the hearsay about other operators supposed faults or lack of proper work ethics.

It seems to me that there is a lynch mob mentality about TriMet right now - we see and hear negative "facts" about TriMet more and more often. Operators are being judged in the court of public opinion WITHOUT that "court" having all the facts.

Before you criticize my co-workers, you need to do this simple little thing: come walk in my shoes.

Apply to be a bus operator at TriMet when that position comes open. Then, IF you are accepted (TriMet actually have high qualifying standards for bus drivers) you will most likely be a part time bus driver for at year or two or maybe even three. Then go to full time, and then, eventually, you can apply to be a light rail operator.

IF you are accepted into the light rail training program, you will do more studying and more learning than you could possibly think you were able to do in five short weeks. You eat, sleep and work light rail; there is SO much to learn that you will either

1. give up in the first week (many do),

2. fail a Friday test and be sent back to bus (many do), or

3. fail the big test after a week on the alignment during week four when you operate train after hours, our graveyard week.

4. PASS - Congratulations! (Many have failed graveyard week, but of course YOU will not.)

You have one more big hurdle to pass: week five, where at the end, there is a huge test about everything you have learned so far. Many have failed this test, too.

Then you enter two weeks of training with qualified rail operators; you will operate revenue trains, and be expected to perform well enough to be on your own at the beginning of week eight. By now some operators are so overwhelmed by the responsibility that they go back to bus at the end of week seven.

Of course YOU made it through all that because you are so smart.

Welcome to the first few weeks on your own. It has taken down many operators who simply cannot take the stress of operating a MAX train.

IF you can do all of the above, and IF you make it through the first few weeks out on the alignment on your own, THEN come and talk with me about the way other light rail operators do their jobs. But, watch out, because you will be learning about this job for years to come, so be careful who you judge too harshly. Suddenly, one day, YOU might find yourself in the middle of a controversial situation that garners national attention - being judged without the "judges" having all the facts.

Until then, do NOT do so in comments to my blog. Until we have all the facts about recent events, none of us can pass judgment, I least of all - I was not there, I do NOT have all the facts - and I have information YOU do not have.

One more thing before I take off for work: yes, there probably are "good" and "not so good" rail operators, but I am sure that none of us would be allowed on the alignment if we were unsafe for the public. Personally, I think I fall in the middle of the pack - I try my best to be "good", but even "good" operators make mistakes, and I have made plenty of those. I have yet to meat the perfect rail operator, although a few come close...

Now I need to go to work - if you care to, please work on becoming one of my co-workers. We have a lot of fun, but we have one of the most challenging jobs around.

PS - a lot of this post applies to being a bus driver at TriMet, too. They are all too often judged when something happens - long before all the facts are in. My hat off to TriMet bus drivers! They do a great job in spite of often difficult working conditions.