FAQ

• Is my company an AAR Member?
• AAR Member prices apply to those whose companies are AAR Full, Special, Non-Class I Railroad Affiliate or AAR Associate Members. If you still have questions about your membership level or are interested in becoming a member, please contact AAR Member Services.
• Will I receive a confirmation of my order?
• Yes, a confirmation page will be displayed when your purchase is confirmed. You will also receive an e-mail confirmation of your order.
• How do I pick up my online order?
• To download your purchased digital publications you must be logged in.
• When will I receive my print order?
• All orders are typically shipped within 2 - 3 business days.
• Is there a shipping and handling charge?
• Yes, a handling charge is assessed for each print order and is included in the shipping total. There is no shipping and handling charge for orders delivered online.
• Why can't I order this year's edition of some publications?
• Most AAR publications are not available for pre-ordering. The latest edition will be added to the catalog as soon as it is published. Check the publication schedule for up-to-date information about planned release dates.
• What if I forgot my User ID and/or password?
• If you have forgotten your User ID and/or password, click "Forgot Password" on the login screen.
• How do I change my e-mail address and/or password?
• Once logged in, click on the My Account link at the top of the screen.
• I get a "blank card string" error when I try to process my credit card?
• The online system is not working for multiple location orders due to the way credit card validation is being handled. If you wish to proceed to order online you will have to place different orders at this time.

Protected PDFs

• How do PROTECTED PDFs work?
  • When you purchase a document, you are purchasing an access license. An access license is based on the combination of the user, the device, and the program used to access the document. After ordering, you will receive an email containing detailed instructions including credentials required to access the document. We suggest retaining this email for future reference. This email can be shared with others needing to access that document. When a user opens the document on a given device-program, your total unlock count for that document is decremented. When that count reaches zero, you can no longer open the document from a new user-device-program.
  • There are two ways to access a document:
  • Downloadable PDF
    • Always use the latest free Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat to open the PDF file.
    • IMPORTANT: disable the global object security policy in Adobe settings. See below for instructions.
    • If you cannot disable the global object security policy in Adobe settings: Please be aware changing the file path (folder or folder names leading up to the file) or changing the file name may cause an additional unlock to be counted against your total unlock count. In other words, the files should be stored in a user accessible location on the computer that will be viewing the file and should never be moved or renamed.
  • Web Viewer
    • The web viewer is tied to your web browser. Switching browsers or deleting your browser cookies and/or cache may cause an additional unlock to be counted against your total unlock count.
  • Contact store@aar.com with any questions.
• What mobile devices are supported?

  Only iOS and Android mobile devices and tablets are supported using the web viewer link. Protected PDFs work on PCs and Macs only.

• I cannot print or copy text

  Printing and copying is restricted/disabled in protected PDFs.

• How do I disable the global object security policy (and verify other settings) in Adobe Reader?
  
  

  For Windows Users:

  1. Open Adobe Reader
  2. From the top menu bar, select Edit > Preferences
  3. Under Categories, select the JavaScript section
  4. Uncheck or de-select the "Enable global object security policy" option, and ensure "Enable Acrobat JavaScript" is checked.
     
  5. If at some point, you accidentally disallowed the document access to the internet when loading the PDF, you should add the domain protectedpdf.com to your trusted sites. Click "Trust Manager" in the Preferences categories, then add host api.protectedpdf.com and click allow. It should look like this:
     
  6. Click OK, then re-open the protected PDF file and log in.

   For Mac Users:

  1. Open Adobe Reader
  2. From the top menu bar, select Adobe Reader > Preferences
     
  3. Under Categories, select JavaScript
  4. Uncheck or de-select the “Enable global object security policy” option and ensure "Enable Acrobat JavaScript" is checked.
     
  5. If at some point, you accidentally disallowed the document access to the internet when loading the PDF, you should add the domain protectedpdf.com to your trusted sites. Click "Trust Manager" in the Preferences categories, then add host api.protectedpdf.com and click allow.
  6. Click OK, then re-open the protected PDF file and log in
     
     
• Cannot Login to a Protected PDF File OR I click LOGIN and nothing happens

  If you cannot type in the protected PDF login/password fields, you may be trying to open the PDF on a tablet/phone. iOS and Android mobile devices and tablets are only supported using the web viewer link. Protected PDFs only work on PCs and Macs only.

  If nothing happens when logging in to a protected PDF file, it could be a number of things depending on what application you are using. You may wish to contact your company's IT staff to assist with the items below:

  If you are trying to login from a web browser and nothing is occurring, it’s possible you are trying to open the protected PDF file in the browser’s built-in viewer (which won’t work as we require Adobe Reader). You can try one of two things:

  1. Try the web viewer link.
  2. Open the file with Adobe Reader instead –find the PDF (often in your “downloads” folder) and right-click on the file, select Open With, then Adobe Reader
     • If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed, please download a free version from: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
     • If you are not allowed to download software on your computer (due to an IT policy), please use the web viewer link instead – if you are concerned about not being able to access the content offline, please use the “Save to Browser” feature in the web viewer which provides offline access.

  If you are using Adobe Reader or Acrobat, it’s possible that JavaScript is turned off. Please enable JavaScript by following these steps:

  • In Adobe, from the top menu bar, select Edit > Preferences
  • On the left-hand sidebar, select JavaScript
  • Make sure the “Enabled Acrobat JavaScript” option is checked

  If you are using a Mac, it’s possible you are using Mac Preview instead of Adobe Reader. Please follow these steps:

  • Use Adobe Reader to open the file as the protected PDF files will not work with Mac Preview.
  • If you don’t have Adobe Reader installed on your local computer, you can download a free version of “Adobe Reader for Mac” from here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/

  If you are using Windows 8, it’s possible you are using the built-in “Modern Reader” or “Adobe Reader Touch”. Please follow these steps:

  • Use the desktop version of Adobe Reader as the protected PDF files will not work on these other Adobe versions
  • If you don’t have the desktop version of Adobe Reader installed on your local computer, please download a free version from here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
• PDF file password not being remembered

  If you are having to enter your password when opening the PDF each time, even though you have clicked "Automatically sign me into this document in the future", please try clearing your JS Cache using the instructions linked here: clearing your JS Cache.

• Other issues?

  Our DRM supplier may have additional helpful hints in their online FAQ. Or reach out to us at store@aar.com.

Tax Exemptions

Please note that a resale certificate will not qualify as a tax exempt certificate. Please contact your tax professional if you have any questions or concerns about this.

Please take these steps to upload a tax exemption certificate for approval:

• Sign In or Create an Account
• After establishing or logging into your account, open your account profile.
  • Select My Account.
  • Select Account Information.
  • Under Tax Exempt Certificate, select "Browse..." or "Choose File" and select the file you wish to upload.
  • Click Save.
• Please wait to complete any orders until you receive an email approving the tax exemption, otherwise tax will be applied. Approvals are generally completed within 1 business day.
• Once approved, please log out of the store, and log back in and confirm that order totals show no taxes being applied.