Tank Car Regulations, Rulings & Their Impact with Tom DeLafosse – SVP of QA & Regulatory for Salco
Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Tom DeLafosse, SVP of Quality and Regulatory Compliance for Salco Products. Together they do a deep dive into tank car regulations, rulings and pending rulings such as HM-216b, HM-265 and HM-264, including the history of the industry before these regulations and rulings, the reasoning behind the creation of them, and their current as well as potential future impact on car owners, repair shops and shippers. They also take a brief moment to discuss the history of Salco Products and A. Stucki. Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights and broaden your understanding of American Railroading! You can find this episode and more on the American Railroading Podcast's official website at www.AmericanRailroading.net , and watch our YouTube Channel at the link below. Welcome aboard!
KEY POINTS:
- The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 53 countries around the world!
- The podcast has experienced incredible growth in the last month, including a 300% increase in audio and video downloads!
- Tom has 50 years of experience in the railcar industry in quality assurance, design, repair and inspection of railroad tank cars.
- Don trained under Tom for his Level II NDT certifications in 1998, shortly after he entered the industry.
- Today there are approximately 2 million registered railcars in the U.S. national fleet, of which 22% (or 440,000) are tank cars, all of which require HM-216b qualification at regular intervals.
- Tom and Don discuss the challenges tank car certified repair shops face today, and some of the potential causes for lengthy shop cycle times.
- Tom gives his very detailed thoughts on the pending ruling HM-265, as well as his opinion of the potential pros and cons.
- Don provides a final update from PHMSA on HM-264.
- Please submit your favorite veteran of our U.S. Armed Forces currently in or retired from the rail industry for our 3rd Annual – American Railroading Podcast - Honor our Heroes Award, sponsored by our friends at Boots for Troops in Tomball, TX. by 09/12/25. Details given in the episode.
- If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review!
LINKS MENTIONED:
https://www.americanrailroading.net
https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com
https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX
https://www.enviroserve.com
https://www.salcoproducts.com
https://www.stucki.com
Tom DeLafosse
SVP of Quality and Regulatory Compliance for Salco Products
Having begun his career in the railcar industry in 1975 with Union Tank car as Manager of Inspection Services, Tom has 50 years of experience in quality assurance, design, repair, and inspection of railroad tank cars. Over his amazing career Tom has developed numerous inspection, repair, training, and quality assurance programs.
After over 20 years at Union Tank Car, in 1998 Tom joined AllTranstek , a railcar fleet management and technical services company, as Director of Technical Services, and helped to get the newly formed company off the ground after the merger of Rescar’s technical services division Transtech and fleet management company AllTrans.
Prior to joining Salco Products in 2016 as SVP of Quality and Regulator compliance, Tom spent several years with Watco as Vice President of Engineering and Regulatory Consulting.
Tom is a Certified Quality Auditor, (CQA), through The American Society of Quality (ASQ), is a member of both the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) Quality Assurance Committee and Committee for Tank Cars, as well as an associate member of RSI-Committee on Tank Cars (CTC).
Mr. DeLafosse has spent the last 27 years providing regulatory compliance support to railcar owners and repair shops alike and has served on various AAR Task Forces over his career to help the industry meet the sometimes complicated regulatory and industry requirements.
Tom and his wife Rasa have been married for 30 years and live just outside of Knoxville, TN. Their daughter lives in Dyer, IN and his older sister lives in Crow… Read More