Hello Belt employees,

As many of you have noticed, our car levels are up compared to last year. As valued members of the BRC family, I want to share a few indicators for those car levels with you.

• January: 72,000 cars, 2025; 76,000 cars, 2026; +4,000

• February: 67,000 cars, 2025; 72,000 cars, 2026; +5,000

• March: 79,000 cars, 2025; 82,000 cars, 2026; +3,000

• Year-to-date local switching: 107 in 2025; 138 in 2026

• Year-to-date intermediate switching: 2,518 in 2025; 2714 in 2026

Overall, these numbers represent an average car handling increase of approximately 5%, with April trending similarly.

I want to sincerely thank you for your hard work and extra effort as we move through 2026. Please continue to work safely and look out for one another. Your dedication and commitment haven’t gone unnoticed.

At times, it may feel like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, but these increases in volume will help us sharpen our skills and push us to look at our work from a different perspective. They challenge us to ask, “How can I do this better?” Most importantly, what we learn during this increase in business will better prepare us for the next one.

This is truly a team effort and requires every employee working toward our common goal of providing quality service to our customers and owners. We couldn’t do it without you.

– President Jerry Peck