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Kansas City Southern recently named Brad Batson, Mike Monsour and Brett Strickland directors of transportation services to better manage car-schedule exceptions from KCS' Shreveport, La., system transportation center.


All former field transportation managers, Batson will oversee terminals; Monsour, KCS' transcontinental division; and Strickland, the railroad's mid-continent division, according to a prepared statement. In the newly created positions, each will act as a liaison between field operations, service operations and KCS' customer service center to coordinate car-scheduling exceptions and resolve urgent customer-service issues.


KCS sets specific trip plans for cars, enabling the railroad to plan rail operations at least 24 hours in advance. For example, when a customer bills a car from Baton Rouge, La., to Beaumont, Texas, KCS puts in motion a pre-determined trip plan for that car.


When plan exceptions occur — such as a derailment, crossing collision or delay caused by a lack of crew members or power — KCS must reschedule a car and revise the trip plan.


The railroad now plans to have field personnel communicate exceptions to Batson, Monsour and Strickland, who in turn would coordinate with service operations employees and update trip plans in KCS' Management Control System computer platform. Officials believe this process will enable customers to receive more accurate car information to better manage their shipments.