Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Dave Ronzani - Director of Railcar Regulatory Compliance for AllTranstek. Together they discuss the current state of tank car regulations with an update after the recent AAR Tank Car Committee meetings in Nashville, TN., including the status of PHMA’s proposed rulemaking HM-265 as well as their opinions of potential pros and cons; an open FRA Hazardous Materials Incident Investigation (HMII) regarding tank car angle valves; NAR’s (Non-Accident Releases); AAR CPC 1435 regarding tank car vacuum relief valves; docket T88.12 regarding tank car visual inspections; other “hot button” topics and much more! 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 82 countries around the world! Nearly 50% of the world!
• Dave has over 40 years of experience in Quality Assurance and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and holds an American Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ASNT) Level III certificate in 7 NDT methods.
• Don gives an overview of AllTranstek, including their history of how and when they were formed.
• Mr. Ronzani discusses the different entities involved in tank car regulations and how their roles interact with one another.
• Dave explains what an FRA Hazardous Materials Investigation (HMII) is and how it can affect everyone involved in process, from the car owner to the car and component manufacturers, and everyone in between.
• Don and Dave discuss the pending PHMSA rulemaking HM-265 regarding the potential of taking away sole responsibility for tank car certificates of construction and shop certification for M-1002 and M-1003 from the AAR, and their opinions of potential pros and cons of the change.
• Mr. Ronzani discusses AAR CPC 1435 related to certain tank car vacuum relief valves whose AAR service trial wasn’t completed properly, what tank car owners need to do about them and by when.
• Don shares various best practices from real-life experiences he’s had.
• Dave’s biggest industry pet-peeve is…..You’ll have to tune in to find out! 😊
• If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review…and please Share the episode!

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.AllTranstek.com

https://www.AAR.org

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest John Doggett – Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business, Management Department. Together they discuss the current state of the U.S. economy, the military action in Iran and its potential short-term and long-term effects, the partial government shutdown, the upcoming Fed Chair change and likelihood of rate cuts, the rapid growth of AI, areas of market growth to watch, and what it all means for the rail industry. 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 68 countries around the world!
• Having begun his teaching career in 1979, this will be Professor Doggett’s final year teaching full time as he will go down to teaching one spring semester a year at the University of Texas in Austin in 2027.
• Per Professor Doggett, one of the sobering things when you contemplate retiring is, you don’t realize how much of who you are is what you do.
• Regarding the current political climate, John feels that it would be good to recall the words of President Clinton where he said regarding the most important thing to voters, “It’s the economy stupid”, which he believes will be reflected in the mid-term elections.
• With current Fed Chair Powell’s term ending soon, and assuming the President’s nominee Kevin Warsh is confirmed as his replacement, Professor Doggett gives his opinion on what Kevin Warsh’s priorities once taking the position over may be, and whether or not he feels there will be rate cuts in the remainder of 2026.
• Don and Professor Doggett discuss the military action in Iran, the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, the short-term and long-term effects on the oil and gas markets, as well as when the military action may end.
• Professor Doggett explains in great detail why the low birth rate not only here in the U.S. but globally is so important and so concerning.
• Per Professor Doggett, AI is changing our world at a more rapid pace than anything he’s seen in his lifetime.
• According to Professor Doggett, if he were a betting man, the markets he would focus on would be….(You’ll have to listen or watch to find out).
• If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review…and please Share the episode!

LINKS MENTIONED:

https://www.americanrailroading.net

https://www.therevolutionrailgroup.com

https://www.youtube.com/@americanrailroadingpodcast

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dwalshX

https://www.enviroserve.com

Welcome to the American Railroading Podcast! In this episode our host Don Walsh is joined by guest Tony Hatch, President of ABH Consulting and Sr. Wall Street Transportation Analyst. Together they discuss the current status and potential pros and cons of the proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger, what the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding tariffs under IEEPA means and doesn’t mean, a potential 3rd ”Golden Age” of short line railroading, market trends and risks, a look ahead into 2026 and much more. 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:

1. The American Railroading Podcast remains in the Top 10% of all podcasts globally, now downloaded in 66 countries around the world!
2. Mr. Hatch is a graduate of Harvard University and has been a Sr. Transportation Analyst on Wall Street for over 20 years.
3. Tony shares how he went from a degree in History at Harvard to becoming a Transportation Analyst.
4. Mr. Hatch explains the revised STB rules / approval criteria / threshold that the proposed UP & NS merger and all future potential mergers must satisfy.
5. Tony does a deep dive into the potential pros and cons of the proposed UP & NS merger.
6. Don discusses the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding the President’s ability to impose import tariffs under IEEPA (the International Emergency Economic Act), what the ruling means, and doesn’t mean.
7. Tony gives his opinion and the current status of tariffs and trade wars and their effect on the U.S. economy.
8. Mr. Hatch gives us an update and a look ahead into 2026 not only for the U.S., but for Mexico and Canada as well.
9. Tony gives his thoughts on why he feels a 3rd “Golden Age” of short line railroading may be on the horizon.
10. If you like what we do, please leave us a 5-Star Review…and please Share the episode!

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.railtrends.com

https://www.abhatchconsulting.com