(1) Except as provided in RCW 81.40.025, any person, corporation, company, or officer of the court operating any railroad, railway, or any part of any railroad or railway, in the state of Washington, and engaged, as a common carrier, in the transportation of freight or passengers, shall operate and manage all trains and switching assignments over its road with crews consisting of no less than two crewmembers.
(2) Class III railroad carriers operating on their roads while at a speed of twenty-five miles per hour or less are exempt from subsection (1) of this section.