FRA supplemented its 2025 shoving-movement advisory after two more grade-crossing crashes involving commercial trucks, adding face-to-face briefing and training-review recommendations.
FRA published the supplement September 17
The Federal Railroad Administration published a supplement to Safety Advisory 2025-02 in the Federal Register on September 17, 2026. The agency says two additional accidents occurred after the original December 12, 2025 advisory, reinforcing the need to determine that highway-rail grade crossings are clear before a shoving or pushing movement enters them.
The two newer crashes involved commercial trucks
FRA describes one fatal June crash involving a commercial fuel truck and one August crash in which a railroad conductor suffered a severe injury after a collision with a truck at an industrial facility. The supplement does not assign final legal liability. It uses the events to support added safety recommendations for railroads and railroad contractors.
The June 13 crash occurred in Bensenville, Illinois
According to FRA, on June 13, 2026 the leading railcar of a Canadian Pacific Kansas City shoving movement struck a commercial fuel truck at a passively protected grade crossing used to access a rail yard. The truck had turned from a road running parallel to the track onto the crossing without stopping. The truck operator was fatally injured.
The August 6 crash occurred in College Park, Georgia
FRA reports that on August 6, 2026 a CSX conductor was riding the leading end of a shoving movement at an industrial facility. A truck departing a loading dock was positioning to back into a staging area when it collided with the leading railcar. The conductor was pinned between the railcar and truck and suffered a below-the-knee amputation.
Shoving movements create a distinct visibility problem
During a shoving or pushing movement, the locomotive may be behind one or more railcars instead of leading the movement. The engineer therefore may depend on another employee's observation and communication to know whether the track and crossing are clear. Trucks maneuvering near docks, yards and passive crossings can enter that path without the warning pattern drivers expect from a locomotive-led train.
The original advisory contained four recommendations
FRA's December 2025 advisory urged railroads to reinforce job briefings and operating-rule compliance, review operating rules and procedures, conduct targeted operational testing and inspections, and evaluate crossing hazards. The new document supplements those recommendations rather than replacing them.
New recommendation five calls for direct briefings
FRA now recommends that railroads and railroad contractors conduct face-to-face briefings with employees who perform or oversee shoving or pushing movements over highway-rail grade crossings. The briefing should cover applicable federal regulations, railroad rules and procedures, and the earlier advisory's four recommendations.
New recommendation six focuses on training quality
The agency also recommends that railroads immediately review their instructional, training and examination programs for employees involved in shoving or pushing movements across highway-rail grade crossings. FRA says identified deficiencies should be corrected immediately. The recommendation focuses on whether employees are prepared to apply the rules, not merely whether a document exists.
Federal rules address the clear-track determination
The supplement points to 49 CFR 218.99. For a shoving or pushing movement over a highway-rail grade crossing, the rule generally requires the crossing to be equipped with gates that are in the fully lowered position, or a crew member or other qualified employee to be stationed at the crossing and provide warning until the crossing is occupied, unless a stated exception applies.
Truck drivers should expect railcars without a visible locomotive
At passive, yard and industrial crossings, a driver should never assume that a slow-moving or apparently unattended railcar will stop. Approach at a speed that permits a safe stop, look and listen in both directions, keep enough space to clear every track, obey signs and signals, and do not enter until the full vehicle can cross without stopping. Use the special federal stopping procedure when the vehicle or cargo is subject to 49 CFR 392.10.
Backing and dock maneuvers need a protected plan
The College Park event highlights a conflict that can develop away from a conventional public-road approach. Drivers and facility managers should identify tracks in loading and staging areas, control backing paths, use a qualified spotter when required by site procedure and keep radio or hand-signal responsibilities clear. A spotter does not authorize movement into the path of rail equipment.
Carriers and facilities can act without changing rail rules
Motor carriers can brief drivers on passive crossings, parallel-road turns, industrial tracks and shoving movements; map last-mile rail conflicts; and require immediate reporting of blocked sight lines or unreliable facility instructions. Facilities can separate truck staging from tracks, maintain sight distance and coordinate switching windows with rail operators. Those practices complement, but do not replace, each party's legal duties.
The advisory is guidance, not a new CDL rule
FRA safety advisories identify risks and recommend action, but this supplement does not itself amend CDL qualifications, create a new truck-driver hours rule or change the vehicles required to stop at railroad crossings. Existing federal and state crossing rules still apply. Railroads should read the complete advisory, while truck drivers should follow the rules governing their vehicle and route.
Primary-source note
This report is based on Federal Register document 2026-19031, issued by FRA and published September 17, 2026, plus the current text of 49 CFR 218.99. CDL Truck Pro has separated FRA's descriptions and recommendations from practical driver guidance and has not treated the advisory as a final accident-cause finding or a new binding truck regulation.
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Official sources
Federal Register: FRA supplement to Safety Advisory 2025-02, September 17, 202649 CFR 218.99: Shoving or pushing movementsFRA: Highway-rail crossing safety programsCDL Truck Pro provides educational information. Confirm licensing, safety, tax, and regulatory requirements through current official sources and qualified professionals.