All about the profession of assistant driver

Work on the railroad was considered very prestigious at all times. Railway workers have their own hospitals, sanatoriums, kindergartens, houses of culture, sports clubs and other social facilities, and therefore many young people would like to work in this sector of the national economy. Among the large number of railway specialties, many of them choose the profession of assistant driver.

The driver's assistant is called a specialist who is subordinate to the driver of a locomotive or electric locomotive and who performs auxiliary functions in relation to servicing the locomotive. The history of the profession goes back to the middle of the 19th century - the time of the appearance of steam locomotives, when several people were involved in their service at once: a driver and a couple of stokers.

With the advent of diesel locomotives, the brigades were reduced to two people - the driver who controls the locomotive, and the diesel driver who controls the operation of the diesel installation. Modern locomotive crews consist of a driver and his assistant, who can replace his mentor at any time and take control of the electric locomotive into their own hands.

The high demand for this specialty in specialized educational institutions is due to a number of indisputable advantages of this complex and responsible profession.

1. Trains are still the most massive and popular mode of transport. and therefore the demand for driver assistants is very high.A person who has received this specialty is guaranteed to be employed anywhere in the country where there is a railway connection, which makes the profession very popular among young people.
2. The job of an assistant driver is considered to be quite high paying, and even yesterday's graduates of colleges and colleges can count on a salary of 16-25 thousand rubles, depending on the place of residence, the specifics of work and the presence of the northern coefficient.
3. The existence of career progression also adds to the popularity of the profession. After several years of trouble-free work, the assistant can be sent by the enterprise to courses for electric locomotive drivers, after which he receives a certificate of the established form and can start working in a new, more responsible and highly paid specialty. Moreover, an assistant driver can be hired at the locomotive depot for the position of foreman or section chief.
4. Medical pre-trip control and annual medical examination allow you to monitor your health and not miss the onset of a serious illness. Moreover, medical examination, examinations and treatment of railway workers are carried out absolutely free of charge and in well-equipped medical institutions belonging to the Ministry of Railways.

However, despite the obvious advantages of this profession, it still has disadvantages. These include difficult working conditions due to work in a confined space under constant exposure to noise, vibration, a powerful electromagnetic field and road dust. We must not forget about the risk of accidents and disasters, which, although extremely rare, nevertheless occur on railway transport, as well as the feeling of increased responsibility for people's lives, which sometimes leads to a constant feeling of anxiety and nervous tension.

In addition, the work involves shift schedule with regular travel at night and, as a result, frequent and prolonged absences from home, which can negatively affect family relationships.

Terms of reference of a specialist is regulated by the job description and involves both intellectual and physical activity... The main responsibilities of a member of a locomotive brigade serving freight and passenger trains are considered below, since electric trains and metro trains are often served by one experienced driver without the presence of an assistant.

Driver assistant must inspect the electric locomotive (diesel locomotive) before the trip and assess its technical condition. First of all, the specialist must carefully read the logbook entries, where deficiencies in the operation of the locomotive are prescribed and check whether they have been eliminated. Particular attention must be paid to wheelsets, checking them for chips, sliders, spiky roll and undercut of the ridge, as well as springs and springs. You should also pay attention to the condition of the axle box unit: check the tightness of the bolts, make sure that grease does not leak out from under the cover and, if necessary, lubricate the axle box jaws.

The assistant is obliged to check the braking equipment, serviceability of control and measuring equipment, sound signals and lighting, as well as the presence of fire-fighting equipment. In addition, the specialist must Make sure you have lubricants and cleaning materials and the necessary repair tools. In the event of locomotive malfunctions or the lack of the necessary equipment, the assistant is obliged to immediately inform the driver about this and make an appropriate entry in the logbook.

During the movement of the electric locomotive (diesel locomotive), the driver's assistant must clearly and quickly follow the instructions of the driver, and also periodically repeat the speed of movement allowed in this section, readings of the semaphore signals, the position of the controller and the air pressure in the brakes. In addition, the helper must remind the driver of the approach to the established test points of the automatic brakes, and in case of a sudden loss of performance by the driver, take control of the train.

In such situations, the specialist must immediately report the incident to the train dispatcher and the station attendant and take all measures to safely deliver the train to the station, fulfilling the established rules of negotiations. Also, a specialist is obliged to monitor the operation of sound and light signals, ensure stable radio communication with the control room and carefully monitor changes in the readings of instruments and sensors, informing the driver about them. The duties of the assistant include informing the driver about the speed limit on a particular section of the track and immediately reporting that the locomotive has exceeded or lost speed.

Upon arrival at the station, where the change of the locomotive crew takes place, or at the destination, the assistant driver must hand over the locomotive. He must make the necessary notes in the logbook and write down comments on the operation of the equipment in it. Next, the specialist must clean the cabin room, close the hatches, windows and the door.

In addition, the driver's assistant must know the structure of the electric locomotive (diesel locomotive), be able to repair its units during the trip, and must also be familiar with safety and fire extinguishing techniques.

The profession of assistant driver refers to complex technical specialties and requires a whole set of personal qualities and special skills from a person... So, a young man who wants to become an assistant driver must be disciplined and responsible, have a good reaction, attentiveness and caution, be circumspect, enduring, stress-resistant, have good visual memory and have the ability to quickly switch attention. High coordination of movements, a good eye, keen eyesight and hearing, and a technical mind are encouraged. In addition, the candidate must have a lightning-fast reaction and excellent health.

You can unlearn to become an assistant driver at the secondary school of the Ministry of Railways - a technical school, college or college with a degree in Technical Operation of Railway Rolling Stock or Driver's Assistant. The profession does not imply study at a university, and therefore it is possible to enter this specialty both after grade 11 and after grade 9. Due to the high demand, the competition for this specialty is quite large. Applicants are required to have a good knowledge of subjects such as computer science, physics and mathematics.

Many SSUZs carry out targeted recruitment by order of locomotive depots and other railway departments. Therefore, despite the high competition, there are still real chances to enter the budget. For this necessary a special appeal from the railway organization, in which the future graduate will be obliged to find a job after graduation. Applicants undergo a strict medical examination, assessing the suitability of the applicant's health condition to work on the railway.

The salary of driver assistants at Russian Railways differs depending on the region, length of service and the specifics of work. Thus, specialists working in cargo-and-passenger transportation receive a little more than assistants to shunting train drivers. Moreover, if the assistant has permission to operate diesel locomotives (electric locomotives), then he can count on a 10% surcharge to the wage rate. For work on holidays, the increase is 2.2%, for work at night - 40%, for work in the Far North - 30%. There are also seniority bonuses that range from 5 to 30%.

A large share of a specialist's salary falls on bonuses... Thus, the assistant driver of passenger trains receives a 20% bonus for running trains according to the schedule, and an employee who fulfills the monthly plan for the performance of a locomotive in freight traffic can count on 15% to the salary. On average, experienced driver assistants earn from 22,000 rubles (Kostroma region) to 55,000 rubles (Sverdlovsk region and Yekaterinburg). For comparison, in the USA the salary of such a specialist in Russian rubles is 30-160 thousand, in Kazakhstan - 21-22 thousand, in Ukraine - 19-24 thousand and in Belarus - 16-26 thousand rubles.