The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that railroads stop requiring crew members to ride railcars during shoving movements, the safety board announced in a recommendation that could reshape how switching operations are performed across US freight networks.

The NTSB issued the recommendation as part of its ongoing effort to eliminate one of the most hazardous tasks in railroading: employees positioned on the side or top of freight cars to guide cars moving in reverse, where they face struck-by injuries, falls, and close-clearance hazards.

The recommendation targets all US railroads. It directs carriers to find alternatives that keep crews off moving equipment during shoving moves, when locomotives push railcars forward and visibility from the cab is limited.

Crew members have historically ridden cars during these movements to judge clearances and distances, a practice that federal safety data has linked to deaths and serious injuries in switching yards and on industrial sidings.

The NTSB cannot impose rules on its own. Its recommendations go to the Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates railroad safety, and to individual carriers. Railroads routinely adopt board recommendations, but implementation timelines vary and compliance is not guaranteed.

For operators, the change carries operational and cost implications. Eliminating riding-on-car practices requires investment in alternatives such as remote-control locomotive technology, improved switching procedures, or additional ground-based crew positions. The recommendation arrives as Class I carriers continue to trim switching jobs and consolidate yards, putting more pressure on remaining crews during classification work.

The safety board framed the recommendation as a step toward eliminating fatalities that recur year after year in the same operating scenario. Previous NTSB investigations into switching deaths have repeatedly cited crew members riding equipment during shoving movements as a contributing factor.

Railroads now must respond to the board, and the FRA must decide whether to pursue a formal rulemaking that would make the practice mandatory to end rather than advisory. The NTSB said it would track carrier responses as it evaluates whether the recommendation produces measurable reductions in switching-related deaths and injuries.