Section II. Army and AAR Loading Requirements
1.9. GENERAL
The prospect of having to ship Army equipment on rail cars at some
future time may be alarming to you. It needn't be. Regulations spell out
in the smallest detail everything you will need to know to send your
shipment safely to its destination. But you must know the source of such
regulations and what they cover. This section identifies the basic
publications and shows you how to use them.
1.10. RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOADING
Proficiency in railcar loading is a command responsibility. Army
Regulation Z2010, Preparation for Oversea Movement of Units (POM), makes it
one. Three reasons underscore the need for effective carloading
procedures: they help to prevent damage to the cargoes; they avoid the
costly delays that damaged shipments create; and they protect Government and
railroad property and employees. The car loader, or shipper, is directly
responsible for loading items on rail cars. Whether you are a unit
commander, a movements officer, an installation transportation officer, a
cargo handler, a trainman, or other shipper of military freight, you will be
directly involved in loading, blocking, and bracing equipment on rail cars.
The continuing emphasis on mobility makes it necessary for every officer to
have a general knowledge of this important subject.
1.11. ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS RULES
The AAR has established the rules that form the foundation for
properly loading, blocking, and bracing equipment on rail cars. It goes
without saying that rail cars cannot be loaded according to the whim or for
the convenience of each shipper. The AAR rules are based on years of
experience and are changed as necessary to accommodate new items and new
rail equipment. Among their many books, pamphlets, and supplements on the
subject, the AAR's Rules Governing the Loading of Commodities on Open Top
Cars is particularly valuable to the military shipper. Section 1 of that
publication contains general rules, and section 6 gives rules for loading
Department of Defense (DOD) materiel on open top cars. Four of the general
rules, and part of one of them, are given in the next five paragraphs.
Following those, the rules found in section 6 are discussed.
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