The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has numerous committees, each with specific roles in maintaining and improving the industry rules & standards to which freight railroads and related suppliers must adhere in order to facilitate the safe and efficient transport of freight throughout the North American freight rail network.
Safety & Operations Management Committee (SOMC)
The Safety & Operations Management Committee (SOMC) provides overall (Chief Operating Officer-level) direction, while each subordinate committee is responsible for progressively more detailed aspects of the standards.
Mechanical Committee (MC)
The Mechanical Committee (MC), previously known as the Technical Services Working Committee (TSWC), is responsible for the standards applying to cars & locomotives, including construction & maintenance practices and the manufacture of their constituent components.
The committees reporting to the Mechanical Committee are listed below. Each committee is supported by a “Committee Manager”, skilled employees of the AAR or its subsidiary, MxV Rail (formerly known as TTCI, Transportation Technology Center, Inc.).
- Arbitration & Rules Committee (“Arb”)
- Car Repair Billing Committee
- Asset Health Strategy Committee (AHSC)
- Equipment Health Monitoring Committee (EHMC)
- Damage Prevention & Freight Claims Committee
- Open-Top Loading Rules Committee
- Quality Assurance Committee (QAC)
- Tank Car Committee
- Locomotive Committee
- Equipment Engineering Committee
- Brake Systems Committee (BSC)
- Coupling Systems & Truck Castings Committee (CSTCC)
- Specially Equipment Freight Car Committee (SEFC, aka the “Intermodal Committee”)
- Wheels, Axles, Bearing & Lubrication Committee (WABL)