Don't Dwell On It

In Season 2 Episode 2 of Don't Dwell On It, Harris + Sydney revisit Peter Sims’ Little Bets + explore how small, iterative experiments can compound into meaningful change - personally, professionally, + across the rail industry. In a year that is sure to be defined by uncertainty, they argue that waiting for clarity isn’t a winning strategy, rather, making smart, manageable bets is.

From railroads adjusting service windows + cutoff times, to shippers attacking demurrage + testing intermodal conversion, Harris + Sydney challenge every railroading stakeholder to rethink their “we’ve always done it this way” model. In 2026, progress may not come from sweeping transformation, but from a club of operators willing to test, learn, + improve - one little bet at a time.

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

In “A Series of Uncertain Events”, Harris + David break down the “Telegraph Market Consist”  for 1H 2026 + what the next three to six months may hold for freight rail. The outlook is…murky, with carload volumes projected to dip 3–5% + intermodal 5–6%. The bright side? This all potentially ripens the conditions for what looks like a shipper’s market.

They unpack the forces behind those lower volumes - from international trade headwinds + tariff turbulence to weaker domestic indicators. They also dive into lanes where intermodal is gaining ground versus truckload. For rail shippers the message is pretty simple: in a cycle like this, leverage matters + this may be just the moment to use it.

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

The merger saga just took a dramatic turn. In “The STB Strikes Back”, Harris + David are breaking down the STB’s decision to reject the UP-NS application, as well as what that could signal for the future of the potential transcontinental railroad. 

After months of speculation by everyone from competitors to customers, we have finally seen some actual regulator input + that alone has brought a bit of surprise +, quite possibly, even more questions. Stay tuned - this epic is just getting underway + there is plenty more drama to come!

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

Welcome to Season 2 of Don’t Dwell On It ! In this premiere episode, Harris + Sydney find themselves reflecting on 2025, which was a year Harris affectionately dubbed the year of distraction + Sydney pointedly described as a never-ending saga. The year as a whole was dominated by headlines - from the uncertainties around tariffs that dominated the news cycles in the first half of the year to the merger headlines that left everyone with more questions than answers in the back half.

As they look forward to 2026, Harris + Sydney are cautiously optimistic + explore what taking a “wait + see” approach could mean for everything from investment to technology, and, of course, the ever-looming merger. The next chapter in rail history has begun - where are we headed next? 

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

In this episode of “Don’t Dwell On It”, Harris + Sydney sit down with Amaro Luna, Chief Product Officer + co-founder at Telegraph, to explore why better data is truly the backbone of the modern rail ecosystem. Drawing on over a decade working in the transportation industry, Amaro explains how small information failures can create massive operational waste, + why shippers should care deeply about data quality as AI becomes more central to decision-making.

These three dive into the myths around rail data standards, the realities of EDI, + the cultural barriers that keep legacy industries from adopting new technology. Amaro + Sydney reflect on why better data isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about unlocking a new way of operating. For Amaro, the future of rail belongs to those who build the systems that make moving freight simpler, smarter, + more predictable.

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

The proposed Union Pacific + Norfolk Southern merger has been framed as a means of establishing more competition among railroads, but is this message supported by the math? In “The Importance of Being Competitive”, David is joined by guest host Dr. Jason Miller, a professor of Supply Chain Management at the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, to help break down the logic behind this proposed deal. Jason argues that the rail industry’s volume challenges will not be solved through consolidation.

David + Jason examine whether a merged UP + NS truly creates value for shippers, unlocks new rail conversion opportunities (spoiler alert: Jason doubts it), + what it means for one carrier to control over 40% of many commodities tracked by the STB. Is this merger really about competition or just the appearance of it? 

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

Every railyard has its ghosts - near misses + moments that still echo down the main line. In “The Tell-Tale Yard”, Harris is joined by guest host, Sabin Reynolds of Watco, to swap stories from their days in Class I operations, where some shifts came with equal parts adrenaline + anxiety. From middle of nowhere shakeups to their split-second decisions that may haunt you for years, they revisit some of their favorite “spooky” freight rail tales!

Between the laughter + shudder-inducing memories, Harris + Sabin unpack what these “operator horror stories” taught them about leadership, accountability, + resilience. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make rail work - and the moments that remind us why experience, instinct, + just a little bit of humor matter when you’re out in the yard! 

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

Telegraph’s first-ever Market Consist is here and Harris + David are pulling back the curtain on what the data really tells us about the state of freight rail.

From intermodal’s potential slowdown and Chicago hub velocity to the role of USMCA in protecting critical cross-border flows, they dig into where the industry stands and where it’s headed. Is the growth runway for intermodal as wide as many assume, or are capacity constraints closer than expected?

This inaugural report isn’t about saying “up a little here, down a little there.” It’s about actionable insights: what shippers can do, how to navigate tariff turbulence, and why even in a turbulent market, opportunities remain.

📈 Want to read the full Market Consist? Visit telegraph.io/insights.

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Talk Track, hosted by Harris Ligon + David Correll of Telegraph™, is a spin-off series dedicated to timely rail industry news. From service shakeups to technology breakthroughs, each episode delivers a behind-the-scenes perspective on all the happenings shaping the future of freight rail. 

Harris + David will bring their decades of rail experience to help them parse through the latest industry headlines, evolving regulations, + the long-term forecasts for how railroads move freight across North America. Find us at telegraph.io/insights, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

BNSF + CSX made waves by announcing a new coast-to-coast intermodal service designed to strengthen east to west connectivity - a timely counterpoint to the proposed UP + NS merger. In “Pride + Intermodal”, Harris + David discuss whether this is the start of a second mega-merger conversation (spoiler alert: Uncle Warren has indicated it’s not), and if this move could complicate things for UP + NS with the STB.

By dissecting the competitive angles, service implications, + bigger strategic game at play, Harris + David look at how the Class I’s are positioning themselves for the future. Is this a true thorn in the side of UP + NS? A response to a mandate? Or just an opportunistic play? Harris + David are digging into the details to help figure it out!

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Talk Track, hosted by Harris Ligon + David Correll of Telegraph™, is a spin-off series dedicated to timely rail industry news. From service shakeups to technology breakthroughs, each episode delivers a behind-the-scenes perspective on all the happenings shaping the future of freight rail. 

Harris + David will bring their decades of rail experience to help them parse through the latest industry headlines, evolving regulations, + the long-term forecasts for how railroads move freight across North America. Find us at telegraph.io/insights, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. 

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn. 

Episode Description:

When it comes to rail service, shippers have plenty to say - and if you’re not out there listening, you’re probably missing at least half of it! In “Much Ado About Shipping”, Harris + Sydney are joined by Shachar Astor, Chief Growth Officer at Telegraph, for a frank conversation about what shippers really think when it comes to their rail service. Having logged well over 3,000 hours of on-site time with customers, Shachar offers a candid look at the rail industry from the other side of the table.

Together, they unpack how the dynamic between shippers + railroads has continued to evolve in an era of heightened expectations, shifting capacity, + rapid technological change. They look at everything from the realities of service performance to what even makes shippers choose rail in the first place, and where railroads have the opportunity to make things better + easier for their customers.

About Our Hosts

Harris Ligon is the co-founder + CEO of Telegraph. Prior to launching Telegraph, he spent nearly 15 years in surface transportation at Uber Freight, Norfolk Southern, + BNSF Railway. During this time, he led teams in operations, strategy, business development, + product development. 

Sydney Schreiber is Director of Operations at Telegraph. Before joining the team, she built her career in the trucking world, having worked at both Uber Freight + Coyote Logistics. Her experience includes working with dedicated private fleets, as well as leading and scaling new business lines across refrigerated and flatbed operations.

About Telegraph

Telegraph is a leader in delivering digital solutions to railroads, shippers, logistics service providers, terminals, + railcar leasing companies. With an integrated platform that provides price transparency, shipment visibility, + proactive business intelligence, Telegraph empowers customers, and makes shipping by rail easier + more effective. For more details, visit www.telegraph.io and follow us on LinkedIn.