CSX Locomotive Service Truck Keeps Trains Moving in the Toledo Zone

CSX is rolling out a new way to keep freight moving in northwest Ohio — and it’s basically a pit crew on wheels.

The railroad says its mechanical department has put its first company-owned locomotive service truck into service in the Toledo Zone, allowing crews to service engines right where they sit instead of dragging them to a central shop. The pitch is simple: less time dead on a siding, more time hauling freight.

CSX says routine servicing that once required routing a locomotive to a service center can now be handled out on the line in about an hour. The company is touting the move as a productivity boost that cuts delays and keeps power available when dispatchers need it.

The truck, previously run by a contractor, is now staffed by CSX mechanical employees based in the Toledo Zone. CSX says the unit supports 16 line-of-road locations plus the Northwest Ohio terminal. Bringing the work in-house, the company claims, adds flexibility and produces millions of dollars in annualized savings across its network.

The railroad also points to a homegrown redesign at North Baltimore yard, where mechanical employees reworked the truck’s interior layout to improve safety and efficiency. CSX says the changes reduce the need for workers to climb into the truck to reach pumps and valves, cut the vehicle’s overall weight, and eliminate the need for a CDL driver or hazmat endorsement.

CSX says transportation teams in the Toledo Zone have responded positively, citing smoother coordination and more operational flexibility — the kind of behind-the-scenes change the public never sees, but the freight schedule definitely feels.