OT-57 Webinar Replay
and Handout
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OT-57 Helpful Documentation
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OT-57 Helpful Links
OT-57 Q&A
Come back soon for more updates!
No. |
Question |
Answer |
1. |
Will remarked cars be updated automatically in OT-57? |
UPDATED RESPONSE: In the webinar I stated that I thought restenciled cars would update automatically in OT-57, and that is not true, yet. In Umler, when a car is restenciled it is actually duplicated, and exists under both the old and new marking. This creates a conflict in other Railinc systems if they are not EIN (Equipment Identification Number) "aware". OT-57 will be made EIN aware in either Phase II or Phase III, but not in Phase I. HOWEVER, since the car will exist in Umler as both the old and new mark at once, you can actually file the pre-registered new mark (while leaving the original mark in) as soon as it exists in Umler... even before the car is remarked. |
2. |
With OT-5 you had to file with each road individually. In OT-57 is it global? |
YES! Once you create the profile and successfully add cars, it is global to all railroads, and it is complete! |
3. |
There was no mention of commodity or STCC codes for OT-57. Are they needed? |
No, commodity/STCC information will not play a part in the OT-57 system. Yay!! |
4. |
In OT-5 storage capacity was a requirement (number of cars per facility). Is this a part of OT-57? |
No. Capacity does not play a factor in Storage in OT-57. |
5. |
Who is responsible for OT-57 compliance? |
The Controlling Entity is responsible, and that is generally defined as the company who ships the railcar. Responsibility may be passed to agents and other companies, but ultimately it is the CE who is responsible. |
6. |
If we ship customer cars are we the controlling entity? |
The Controlling Entity is the party responsible for the routing of the car, so generically speaking, yes. However, the customer would be much better served filing the OT-57 themselves so that they have control of it should the car not route back to you. A general rule of thumb would be to ask "who should the railroad contact if it requires dispo on a faulty empty return?" |
7. |
How do we access FindUs.rail to enter our contact info. |
FindUs.rail is accessed through www.railinc.com. There is a document on this page titled "OT-57 - Controlling Entity Notification" that has more information, and you can learn more about FindUs.rail at https://www.railinc.com/rportal/documents/18/260623/FUR-QG-Add+Contact.pdf |
8. |
How can I obtain a listing of cars that are registered in Umler (independent of OT5 or OT-57 status)? |
Anyone with access to your fleet in Umler should be able to pull this information. Car registration is the responsibility of the car owner, but many companies leverage agents like AllTranstek to assist with this management. For specific scenarios, please contact us at info@alltranstek.com and we would be happy to assist. |
9. |
If AllTranstek manages OT-57 for our company, how do you determine storage location? |
AllTranstek's Loading Authority team will be reaching out to our clients in the coming weeks to create Fleet profiles that will be leveraged once we can populate OT-57. How that is initiated will vary based on current OT-5 practices and client preference. |
10. |
If my fleet is already registered in OT-5, will I have to re-register them in OT-57? |
Yes. While it's regrettable that the data could not be migrated, it is a very different setup leveraging links instead of free-form text for several parts, and so OT-57 will have to be created from scratch for all cars. Fortunately, it should be very easy to do, even with a large fleet. For thoughts on how to approach it, please feel free to reach out to me at mjohnson@alltranstek.com |
11. |
I will have from about Jan 1 - Feb 3, 2020 to register my fleet in OT-57. Will I have to do anything in OT-5 after that? |
No. All new cars and fleets should be done in OT-57 only starting Jan 1, 2020. Once OT-5 is "deactivated" around Feb 3, it may still be available as read-only for a period of time, but you do not need to update anything in it. |
12. |
Have the time limits been established for when a railroad will ship a car to the storage location? |
Yes. Please see the Draft OT-57 document on this web page. |
13. |
Can OT-57 be set up to automatically send out .csv reports for each fleet? |
No automated reporting like this is in place for Phase I. As OT-57 is implemented, feedback will be collected to determine what automation should be put in place for future phases. |
14. |
Are there penalties for not having Loading Authority submitted on time? |
OT-57 is designed to be a "last resort" so that railroads can reach the appropriate party or know where to route a car should it require a placement update. That said, it is still Loading Authority, and railroads may enforce that they will not pick up a car unless the OT-57 is filed. Fortunately, filing is much easier and there is no approval loop or extraneous factors to delay a filing. While it is not forseen that there will be a means to penalize car owners via OT-57, I can't say that it won't happen at some point. |
15. |
We ship similar products at different locations, and move cars where they're needed on a regular basis. How would you recommend we set that up? |
You will have to determine whether you want to change the contact and storage location when the cars shift around. If not, then you can do all of them under one profile. If your profiles are more granular and you specify locations that are closer to your facilities, moving the cars from one OT-57 to another is easily done by doing "Add Cars" to an existing fleet. When you do this, the system will tell you they're in another fleet under your control, and you can simply acknowledge that and make them move over. This way you can do the changes when you want, and they are never outside an OT-57 filing. |
16. |
I have a fleet that switches locations. Will the railroad use the closest storage location for my cars as opposed to just picking any storage location? |
The railroad will use OT-57 to see what storage facilities you have listed as either Primary or Secondary options. By default, the Primary location is where they would send the car, however many railroads have stated that they will use the closest / most appropriate facility when they can. |
17. |
I'm thinking of creating a fleet for each lease rider and naming a car owner contact as a secondary CE. Does that make sense? |
The Car Mark Owners will be looped into the process on Day 2 even if they are not specified in the OT-57. Many leasing companies do not want to engage with OT-57 as it is a Controlling Entity responsibility, however other leasing companies offer to help manage it. I would recommend coordinating with the leasing company to ensure that they want to be included, and that you are able to link the right contact with the address they would want you to use. |