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49 U.S.C. § 20302 — General requirements
Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) General.—** Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section and [section 20303 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section20303&num=0&edition=prelim), a railroad carrier may use or allow to be used on any of its railroad lines—
(1) a vehicle only if it is equipped with—
(A) couplers coupling automatically by impact, and capable of being uncoupled, without the necessity of individuals going between the ends of the vehicles;
(B) secure sill steps and efficient hand brakes; and
(C) secure ladders and running boards when required by the Secretary of Transportation, and, if ladders are required, secure handholds or grab irons on its roof at the top of each ladder;
(2) except as otherwise ordered by the Secretary, a vehicle only if it is equipped with secure grab irons or handholds on its ends and sides for greater security to individuals in coupling and uncoupling vehicles;
(3) a vehicle only if it complies with the standard height of drawbars required by regulations prescribed by the Secretary;
(4) a locomotive only if it is equipped with a power-driving wheel brake and appliances for operating the train-brake system; and
(5) a train only if—
(A) enough of the vehicles in the train are equipped with power or train brakes so that the engineer on the locomotive hauling the train can control the train’s speed without the necessity of brake operators using the common hand brakes for that purpose; and
(B) at least 50 percent of the vehicles in the train are equipped with power or train brakes and the engineer is using the power or train brakes on those vehicles and on all other vehicles equipped with them that are associated with those vehicles in the train.
**(b) Refusal To Receive Vehicles Not Prop
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Source file: Laws/federal/codes/united-states-code/title-49/section-20302-general-requirements--621d6f25e3.md
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Source location: Title 49, Chapter 203, § 20302; chapter-203-safety-appliances.md
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**(a) General.—** Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section and [section 20303 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section20303&num=0&edition=prelim), a railroad carrier may use or allow to be used on any of its railroad lines—
(1) a vehicle only if it is equipped with—
(A) couplers coupling automatically by impact, and capable of being uncoupled, without the necessity of individuals going between the ends of the vehicles;
(B) secure sill steps and efficient hand brakes; and
(C) secure ladders and running boards when required by the Secretary of Transportation, and, if ladders are required, secure handholds or grab irons on its roof at the top of each ladder;
(2) except as otherwise ordered by the Secretary, a vehicle only if it is equipped with secure grab irons or handholds on its ends and sides for greater security to individuals in coupling and uncoupling vehicles;
(3) a vehicle only if it complies with the standard height of drawbars required by regulations prescribed by the Secretary;
(4) a locomotive only if it is equipped with a power-driving wheel brake and appliances for operating the train-brake system; and
(5) a train only if—
(A) enough of the vehicles in the train are equipped with power or train brakes so that the engineer on the locomotive hauling the train can control the train’s speed without the necessity of brake operators using the common hand brakes for that purpose; and
(B) at least 50 percent of the vehicles in the train are equipped with power or train brakes and the engineer is using the power or train brakes on those vehicles and on all other vehicles equipped with them that are associated with those vehicles in the train.
**(b) Refusal To Receive Vehicles Not Properly Equipped.—** A railroad carrier complying with subsection (a)(5)(A) of this section may refuse to receive from a railroad line of a connecting railroad carrier or a shipper a vehicle that is not equipped with power or train brakes that will work and readily interchange with the power or train brakes in use on the vehicles of the complying railroad carrier.
**(c) Combined Vehicles Loading and Hauling Long Commodities.—** Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(B) of this section, when vehicles are combined to load and haul long commodities, only one of the vehicles must have hand brakes during the loading and hauling.
**(d) Authority To Change Requirements.—** The Secretary may—
(1) change the number, dimensions, locations, and manner of application prescribed by the Secretary for safety appliances required by subsection (a)(1)(B) and (C) and (2) of this section only for good cause and after providing an opportunity for a full hearing;
(2) amend regulations for installing, inspecting, maintaining, and repairing power and train brakes only for the purpose of achieving safety; and
(3) increase, after an opportunity for a full hearing, the minimum percentage of vehicles in a train that are required by subsection (a)(5)(B) of this section to be equipped and used with power or train brakes.
**(e) Services of Association of American Railroads.—** In carrying out subsection (d)(2) and (3) of this section, the Secretary may use the services of the Association of American Railroads.
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
**(a) General.—** A vehicle that is equipped in compliance with this chapter whose equipment becomes defective or insecure nevertheless may be moved when necessary to make repairs, without a penalty being imposed under [section 21302 of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section21302&num=0&edition=prelim), from the place at which the defect or insecurity was first discovered to the nearest available place at which the repairs can be made—
(1) on the railroad line on which the defect or insecurity was discovered; or
(2) at the option of a connecting railroad carrier, on the railroad line of the connecting carrier, if not farther than the place of repair described in clause (1) of this subsection.
**(b) Use of Chains Instead of Drawbars.—** A vehicle in a revenue train or in association with commercially-used vehicles may be moved under this section with chains instead of drawbars only when the vehicle contains livestock or perishable freight.
**(c) Liability.—** The movement of a vehicle under this section is at the risk only of the railroad carrier doing the moving. This section does not relieve a carrier from liability in a proceeding to recover damages for death or injury of a railroad employee arising from the movement of a vehicle with equipment that is defective, insecure, or not maintained in compliance with this chapter.
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
### Statutory Notes
Section 1, acts Mar. 2, 1893, ch. 196, § 1, 27 Stat. 531; June 22, 1988, Pub. L. 100–342, § 13(1)(A), 102 Stat. 630, related to use of power driving-wheel brakes and appliances for operating train-brake systems. See [section 20302 of Title 49](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section20302&num=0&edition=prelim), Transportation.
Section 2, acts Mar. 2, 1893, ch. 196, § 2, 27 Stat. 531; June 22, 1988, Pub. L. 100–342, § 13(1)(B), 102 Stat. 630, related to use of cars not equipped with automatic couplers. See [section 20302 of Title 49](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section20302&num=0&edition=prelim).
Section 3, acts Mar. 2, 1893, ch. 196, § 3, 27 Stat. 531; June 22, 1988, Pub. L. 100–342, § 13(1)(C), 102 Stat. 630, related to refusal to receive insufficiently equipped cars from connecting lines. See [section 20302 of Title 49](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section20302&num=0&edition=prelim).
Section 4, acts Mar. 2, 1893, ch. 196, § 4, 27 Stat. 531; Oct. 15, 1966, Pub. L. 89–670, § 6(e)(1)(A), 80 Stat. 939; June 22, 1988, Pub. L. 100–342, § 13(1)(D), 102 Stat. 630, related to grab irons or handholds for security in coupling and uncoupling cars. See [section 20302 of Title 49](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section20302&num=0&edition=prelim).
Section 5, acts Mar. 2, 1893, ch. 196, § 5, 27 Stat. 531; June 22, 1988, Pub. L. 100–342, § 13(1)(E), 102 Stat. 630, related to exclusion from traffic of freight cars not complying with prescribed standard for height of drawbars.
Section 6, acts Mar. 2, 1893, ch. 196, § 6, 27 Stat. 532; Apr. 1, 1896, ch. 87, 29 Stat. 85; June 25, 1948, ch. 646, § 1, 62 Stat. 909
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Federal law — U.S. Code and appendices · legal_authorities
Page 602
TITLE 49—TRANSPORTATION
§ 20301
1 So in original. Probably should be ‘‘Association of American
Railroads’ ’’.
carry out this section, including for the moni-
toring and sensitive technology requirements
of this section.
(2) CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.—To be eligible
to provide a railroad freight car for operation
on the United States general railroad system
of transportation, the manufacturer of such
car shall annually certify to the Secretary of
Transportation that any railroad freight cars
to be so provided meet the requirements under
this section.
(3) COMPLIANCE.—
(A) VALID CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.—At the
time a railroad freight car begins operation
on the United States general railroad system
of transportation, the manufacturer of such
railroad freight car shall have valid certifi-
cation described in paragraph (2) for the
year in which such car begins operation.
(B) REGISTRATION
OF
NONCOMPLIANT
CARS
PROHIBITED.—A railroad freight car manufac-
turer may not register, or cause to be reg-
istered, a railroad freight car that does not
comply with the requirements under this
section in the Association of American Rail-
road’s 1 Umler system.
(4) CIVIL PENALTIES.—
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Pursuant to section
21301, the Secretary of Transportation may
assess a civil penalty of not less than
$100,000, but not more than $250,000, for each
violation of this section for each railroad
freight car.
(B) PROHIBITION ON OPERATION FOR VIOLA-
TIONS.—The Secretary of Transportation
may prohibit a railroad freight car manufac-
turer with respect to which the Secretary
has assessed more than 3 violations under
subparagraph (A) from providing additional
railroad freight cars for operation on the
United States general railroad system of
transportation until th
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