The Customer Industry Switch System allows BNSF customers to transmit switch in orders and release requests electronically. This process will notify BNSF to switch in equipment for loading or unloading, to move equipment to a different customer location or release equipment for outbound movement. Equipment that is being rejected for a variety of reasons can be reported, as well as cars that are being certified as cleaned and ready for loading.

Once a request has been transmitted, the customer can check its status by selecting the switch or release summary. The summary status will indicate if the order was accepted or rejected due to an error.

Switch In

Switch in allows the customer to choose from the following actions: order equipment to be spotted, intra-plant switch, turn and respot to the same industry or weigh and respot to the same industry. Once the request is received, BNSF inventory is updated and work orders are created.

1. Customer

   If you do business with BNSF for more than one customer, you must highlight the correct customer name and click on [select]. To cancel a highlighted selection, click on the [reset] button. If you only order under one customer name, this screen will not appear.

2. Origin

   If you switch in or release for more than one origin, a selection box will appear. Highlight the location you are submitting the request for and click on [select]. You may cancel a highlighted selection by clicking on [reset]. If you only order for one location, this screen will not appear.

3. Action

   The Select Action screen confirms the customer name and origin. From the selection box, highlight one action and click on [select]. Only one action may be selected at a time.

4. Date

   The option to select a future date and time will only appear when you are ordering equipment to be spotted. Highlight the date and time for your request and click [select]. The following actions can only be transmitted for current date and time: ordering equipment to intra-plant switch, turn and respot to same industry, weigh and respot to same industry, releasing equipment loaded or unloaded, rejecting equipment, or reporting certified clean equipment to be loaded.

5. Equipment Location

   To view a list of equipment per location or train, highlight the track, city/state or train ID from the selection box and click on [select]. Highlight Select All to view a list of all equipment in the customer's current inventory, and click on [select]. To cancel a highlighted selection, click on [reset].

6. Equipment List

   To select a single piece of equipment, click in the box in the select column next to equipment initial/number. Click on the [Select All] button to select every piece of equipment shown on the list. To create your own equipment list, select Manual Entry at the top of the Equipment List screen. Manually enter the initial and number of your equipment and click on [Add] after each car. When the list is complete, click on [Import].
   
   For each piece of equipment selected, click on the drop-down arrow in the Zone Track and Spot columns to indicate where the equipment should be spotted. If you wish to clear your selections and start again, click on [clear all]. To return to the previous page, click on [cancel].
   
   After all selections have been made, click on [transmit].

7. Transmit Confirmation

   Before transmitting, review the equipment list shown. You may return to the previous page by clicking on [cancel]. Click on the [transmit] button to send your transaction to BNSF.

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Release

You may release all empty cars or all loaded cars with the same commodity on a particular track by selecting the appropriate track number on the Release-Select Action screen. Click on the [Select] button. When the selected track of cars displays, click on the [Select All] button and transmit.

• Release empty - Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release empty hazardous residue - not reverse route - Highlight the commodity, consignee and destination from the selection boxes and click on [save]. Select equipment and click on [transmit].



• Release empty hazardous residue - reverse route - Highlight the commodity and click on [save]. Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release loaded - Highlight commodity from the selection box and click on [save]. Select equipment and transmit.



• Release to connecting RR for billing - Highlight the commodity and connecting road and click on [save]. Each commodity must be released separately. Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release for cross-town movement - Highlight the commodity, consignee, and destination and click on [save]. The destination selected must be within switching limits of the origin. Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release loaded-hazardous -- Highlight the commodity, consignee and destination from the selection boxes and click on [save]. Select equipment and click on [transmit].



• Release from loading; start special storage charges - Highlight the commodity and destination from the select boxes and click on [save]. Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release repaired by private repair facility -- Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release not repaired by private facility -- Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release from Repair Facility - Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release as idler -- Select equipment to be released and click on [transmit].



• Release unloaded to be reloaded at same Zone Track Spot - Select from the equipment list that appears and click on [transmit].



• Release unloaded to be reloaded at different Zone Track Spot -- Select the Zone Track and Spot where the equipment is to be repotted and click on [save]. Select from the equipment list that appears and click on [transmit].

Switch Summary

After your request has been transmitted, select Switch Summary from the main menu. The Summary of Orders screen lists all switch in orders transmitted within the previous day. Orders are sorted by date and time selected for the switch in to be completed. By clicking on any code listed on the summary, a list of valid action codes and their definition will appear. If your order is in transmitted status, that row on the summary will be white. A delivered status is yellow, accepted status is green and if your order is rejected, it will appear in red. If your order is rejected, the error column will indicate the reason. BNSF will reprocess rejected orders within the next two hours. If you wish to delete any summary orders, you may do so by selecting the row(s) and clicking on [delete]. If your order is in a transmitted or delivered status, you may click on [status] to refresh the screen. To remove any checkmarks in the select boxes, click on [reset]. The transaction detail can be accessed for viewing or copying to another document, by clicking in the appropriate select box and the [Detail] button.

Release Summary

After your request has been transmitted, select Release Summary from the main menu. The Summary of Releases screen lists all release, reject and certified clean for loading orders transmitted within the previous day. Orders are sorted by date and time selected for the release to be completed. By clicking on any code listed on the summary, a list of valid action codes and their definition will appear. If your order is in transmitted status, that row on the summary will be white. A delivered status is yellow, accepted status is green and if your order is rejected, it will appear in red. If your order is rejected, the error column will indicate the reason. BNSF will reprocess rejected orders within the next two hours. If you wish to delete any summary orders, you may do so by selecting the row(s) and clicking on [delete]. If your order is in a transmitted or delivered status, you may click on [status] to refresh the screen. To remove any checkmarks in the select boxes, click on [reset]. The transaction detail can be accessed for viewing or copying to another document, by clicking in the appropriate select box and the [Detail] button.

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Reject Equipment

Customers can advise BNSF of equipment released due to a mechanical or other problem. Please refer to the list below for reject codes that can be used with certain types of equipment. You must either manually type or copy and paste equipment initial/numbers to this screen. Click on [import] to create an equipment list. Select the equipment to be released and transmit.

Cleaned Equipment

You must either manually type or copy and paste equipment initial/numbers to this screen. Click on [import] to create an equipment list. Select the equipment to be released and transmit.

Special Instructions

To add a new Instruction, click on [Add]. Type the instructions in the text box and click on [Transmit]. To clear the text before saving, click on [Reset]. To modify or add to an instruction already saved, select the instruction and click on [Update]. Type correction or additional comments in the second text box and click on [Transmit]. To view or print a copy of the text message, click on [Text Print].

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