Trinity Industries (TRN) Risk Analysis

Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. Some of these policies require the use of estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported value of our assets or liabilities and financial results and are critical because they require management to make difficult, subjective, and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain. Accounting standard setters and those who interpret the accounting standards (such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC, and our independent registered public accounting firm) may amend or even reverse their previous interpretations or positions on how these standards should be applied. These changes can be difficult to predict or implement, and can materially impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in the restatement of prior period financial statements. For a further discussion of some of our critical accounting policies and standards and recent accounting changes, see Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 1 of the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Our business is subject to the demands of our customers and the broader economy, and we have particular exposure to the cyclicality of energy products, agriculture products, and consumer products. Additionally, periodic downturns in economic conditions typically have a significant adverse effect on cyclical industries due to decreased demand for new and replacement products. Decreased demand could result in lower sales volumes, lower prices, and/or a decline in or loss of profits. While the business cycles of the various end markets we serve may not typically coincide, an economic downturn could affect disparate cycles simultaneously. The railcar industry has previously experienced sharp cyclical downturns and at such times operated with minimal backlog. The impacts of such an economic downturn may magnify the adverse effect on our business.

As the freight transportation markets we serve continue to evolve, the use of railcars may decline in favor of other more economical transportation modalities or the number of railcars needed to transport current or an increasing volume of goods may decline. Features and functionality specific to certain railcar types could result in those railcars becoming obsolete as customer requirements for freight delivery change or as regulatory mandates are promulgated that affect railcar design, configuration, and manufacture.

We are subject to comprehensive federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations relating to: (i) the release or discharge of materials into the environment at our facilities or with respect to our products while in operation; (ii) the management, use, processing, handling, storage, transport, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, substances, and materials; and (iii) other activities relating to the protection of human health and the environment. Such laws and regulations expose us to liability for our own acts and in certain instances potentially expose us to liability for the acts of others. These laws and regulations also may impose liability on us currently under circumstances where at the time of the action taken, our acts or those of others complied with then-applicable laws and regulations. In addition, such laws may require significant expenditures to achieve compliance and are frequently modified or revised to impose new obligations. Civil and criminal fines and penalties may be imposed for non-compliance with these environmental laws and regulations. Our operations involving hazardous materials also raise potential risks of liability under common law. Environmental operating permits are, or may be, required for our operations under these laws and regulations. These operating permits are subject to modification, renewal, and revocation. Although we regularly monitor and review our operations, procedures, and policies for compliance with our operating permits and related laws and regulations, the risk of environmental liability is inherent in the operation of our businesses, as it is with other companies operating under environmental permits. However, future events, such as changes in, or modified interpretations of, existing environmental laws and regulations or enforcement policies, or further investigation or evaluation of the potential health hazards associated with the manufacture of our products and related business activities and properties, may give rise to additional compliance and other costs that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operations. In addition to environmental laws, the transportation of commodities by railcar raises potential risks in the event of an accident that results in the release of an environmentally sensitive substance. Generally, liability under existing laws for a derailment or other accident depends upon causation analysis and the acts, errors, or omissions, if any, of a party involved in the transportation activity, including, but not limited to, the railroad, the shipper, the buyer and seller of the substances being transported, or the manufacturer of the railcar, or its components. Additionally, the severity of injury or property damage arising from an incident may influence the causation responsibility analysis, exposing the Company to potentially greater liability. Under certain circumstances, strict liability concepts may apply and if we are found liable in any such incident, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, business, and operations. See Note 15 of the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our potential exposure to environmental liabilities.