What are the rules associated with the search defect car function? What will I be able to see when I enter a search?
The defect card information displays on the repair screen after the car has been reported On Hand. The defect card search will return a defect card if you are the car owner, the creator of the defect card, a railroad that has possession of that car, or the disposition shop identified by the car owner.
If a car is at a repair shop but was not dispositioned there, can the shop mark the car as On Hand and complete repairs?
The car mark owner must mark the car as On Hand. After the car is marked On Hand, the repair facility can mark the repairs as complete.
What should a repair shop do if it is not able to handle the cars dispositioned to them via DDCT?
The repair shop should notify the car mark owner outside of DDCT to stop the flow of cars. The shop also can register in the Notes section of FindUs.Rail to show the maximum number of cars it can handle at a time and any other limitations it might have.
A car is dispositioned to a contract repair shop by a car owner and will move under Rule 1. When the car arrives, the repair shop finds additional damage. Does a second incident need to be created?
The repair shop should contact the car mark owner and request permission to perform additional repairs. The car owner also can contact the handling carrier to discuss the next step.
What should a repair facility do if it receives a car with defects/damage and there is no associated DDCT incident?
Contact the car owner. They will work with the damaging carrier to create an incident.
What if the owner decides to scrap a car instead of repairing it?
The repair shop should contact the car owner, which will provide next steps for the car.
Does the car mark owner receive a notification when their car is marked On Hand at a shop?
A notification goes to the car mark owner to let them know the car is at the shop.
We have a private car shop at our plant. Does this shop need to have FindUs.Rail access?
If a car will be dispositioned to this repair facility or if this facility will identify repairs in DDCT, then it should be in FindUs.Rail and enter data in DDCT.
A car was dispositioned to my shop, but no repairs are needed. What do I do?
Contact the car owner to discuss the next step.
I am a storage facility and receive many cars. How do I register in DDCT?
Right now, storage facilities, scrap yards, clean-out tracks and other non-shop operations that expect to receive cars at their facilities should register under the Repair Shop category in DDCT and FindUs.Rail. When registering in FindUs.Rail, input notes about the business needs/restraints in the Title section of the Contact notes.
As a Repair Shop, will I be able to view defect cards?
If a car is dispositioned to your facility and markedOn Hand, you will be able to view defect cards associated with it.
FindUs.Rail has primary and secondary contact listings. If I register as a secondary contact, will I receive notifications?
DDCT does not distinguish between the primary or secondary contacts and sends information to all parties registered for that mark.
Can a repair shop report a car as On Hand even if DDCT does not list it as the shop to which the car was dispositioned?
If the car was not dispositioned to a specific repair facility, the car owner must report the car as On Hand at the shop before the shop can report repairs.
What should I do if I receive a car with a paper defect card?
If car has a paper defect card, the repair facility should contact the handling carrier and request an electronic defect card for the car. Effective in 2011, AAR Interchange Rule 115 requires electronic defect cards produced in DDCT. Paper defect cards are no longer permissible.
When allowing a non-authorized/non-dispositioned repair shop to perform work on a car (car owner reports the car as On Hand at the shop), what kind of communication goes to the shop?
A repair shop will receive notification when a car is dispositioned to its facility.
If a car is On Hand at a repair shop and a new incident is reported late, is the shop notified?
A car cannot be marked as On Hand in DDCT unless an incident is created first.
I have two shops in the same area. How do I distinguish one shop from another?
While you can use the same Company ID or mark, use SPLCs to identify the shop. For example, Chicago is SPLC 380000. Within this SPLC, there are several dozen specific locations.
I need to view repair defect card data because of liability issues. But after the repairs are marked complete or partially complete, I can no longer view the data. What do I need to do to see historical repair data?
Once a shop releases a car, the shop can no longer view the data. Railinc recommends that shops print repair/defect card information before releasing a car.
How are repairs reported with DDCT? Should shops perform only repairs recorded on the defect card?
After the approved repair shop has marked the car as On Hand, repair personnel should access the DDCT-recorded repairs on the specific car. If the car needs additional repairs, the repair shop must contact the car owner for additional instructions.
Can a repair shop create a generic e-mail contact address that has multiple recipients at the same repair shop?
Yes. Railinc recommends using group email addresses to avoid creating multiple FindUs.Rail contacts.
How will shops know they have cars coming to them?
A shop will receive an email message notifying it that a car has been dispositioned there if the shop has entered its contact information in FindUs.Rail. A shop also has the capability of ‘arriving’ the car. When the repairs are complete the car will go into what is called an End Status and the car will have ended its cycle in DDCT.
Will I know when a car I’ve sold has been restenciled? How will DDCT be updated?
When a car is restenciled in the Umler® system, a message will be sent to DDCT advising the application this has occurred. At that time, the new car mark owner and the former car mark owner will receive notifications if they are registered in FindUs.Rail. The handling carrier that created the incident also will be notified of the restencil. The incident details page will be updated, indicating that the new equipment and the prior equipment ID will also be posted.