Never. Never hire on here. The most blatantly corrupt and terrible company I have ever encountered. - Locomotive Engineer/Conductor BNSF Railway Employee Review

1.0
Mar 2, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The only slightly redeeming thing is the money, but you can make just as much or more elsewhere without the headache and without ripping your family apart. Stay away - across the country and in a different line of work type of “away.”

Cons

From the top - you are a number. Your life, your time with your family, your sleep, your mental health, the company doesn’t care. You are a number, meant to bring in revenue for the shareholders. You are expected to be on call 24/7/365. You get between 1.5-3 hours notice that you will be away from your life and family for anywhere from 4 hours to 4 days. It does not matter what you have planned or any emergency you have. You will be penalized for ever taking a moment of time off to rest, take care of yourself, take care of your family, make any appointments, or do anything outside of being a slave to this companies whim. From the middle - middle management is hired almost exclusively from outside the company now to micromanage your every move. They are instructed to make you do as much as possible in as little of time as possible, regardless of the safety risks it puts you and your crew under. They will promise to pay you for the work you do, then yank that pay out from under you, and force you to contact the union, take them to arbitration, and force them to pay it (oftentimes 2-6 months later or more), and even then, for pennies on the dollar as to what was promised. We have had crew members DIE on COMPANY PROPERTY doing what these middle-men instructed them to do. And what did the company do? Removed the now-deceased from their injury metrics, because as the person is now DEAD, they are no longer an “employee.” From the bottom - people you work with day to day will try to undercut you and cheat you. This job is every person for themselves. The company relishes in the infighting and exploits the battle between unions to give themselves the best outcome, all the while denying you pay and any time with your family. Don’t work here. There are literally hundreds of other fields of work that pay more with better benefits, that will still let you enjoy your life and see your family. This company does everything it can to deprive you of life outside of their modern day slavery.

Explore other reviews about BNSF Railway

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This is a great place to start and grow your career, especially as an MT, with tons of opportunities to take on projects and explore what interests you. Leadership at every level is genuinely supportive and approachable, and people across the company are always willing to teach, mentor, and help you succeed. Compensation and benefits are competitive, and the Business Resource Groups really add to the sense of community and development.

Cons

There are so many opportunities that it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming figuring out what path to focus on. Balancing day-to-day work with all the development options can be a bit challenging depending on your role and workload.

5.0
Jul 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people and strong coworkers across the organization. The company offers competitive pay, strong benefits, and good overall stability. There are many experienced employees who care about the work and are willing to help others succeed.

Cons

The organization can be very hierarchical, which sometimes makes it difficult to drive change or move quickly. Decisions often require multiple layers of approval, so it can take longer than expected to finalize direction or make progress. There is also limited flexibility compared to what many other companies offer, especially when it comes to working arrangements.

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