New car production of the Class-117J and Class-120J tank cars began in 2014. In addition to the Class-117J and 120J tank cars, RSI-CTC and its members have built other cars of equal or greater strength for the shipment of flammable liquids, such as Class-105J and Class-112J tank cars. Altogether, these cars are replacing Class-111s for use in flammable liquid  service. In addition to new car builds, RSI-CTC and its members are retrofitting Class-111 tank cars, including tank cars built to the enhanced Class-111 standard (i.e., CPC-1232), to conform to the Class-117R standard.

Tank car builders and engineers use a variety of methods to measure the performance of various tank car technologies like head shields and tank jackets. Because no two accidents are ever alike, the science behind these measurements is based on statistics and probability. The numbers shown here provide the best possible understanding of how tank cars in certain configurations are likely to perform based on actual, historic accident data from the RSI – AAR Safety Research & Test Project Tank Car Accident Database.

While tank cars have demonstrated a good ability to withstand damage, it is impossible to reduce the risk of a spill to zero. The probability of product release in a derailment for a legacy non-jacketed, DOT-111 is 0.196, or 19.6 percent–if it is derailed in an FRA-reportable accident. The new FAST Act compliant, DOT-117 specification tank cars, which feature an array of safety features, significantly reduces that probability of a spill by as much as 85 percent, to just 2.9 percent.