Monthly production of new standard DOT-117J cars and DOT-120J200 cars began in 2014, even before the new regulation was passed in May of 2015, and before the FAST Act was signed in December 2015. These new cars are helping to replace legacy DOT-111s, and meet demand for growth in Ethanol and Other Flammable Liquid service. Existing DOT-111 standard cars, and cars in the CPC-1232 designation, are also being retrofitted to meet the mandated DOT-117R standards.

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.