{"podcast":{"title":"FreightCasts","slug":"freightcasts-478950","podcast_index_feed_id":478950,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/FREIGHT9211237013","website_url":"https://freightcasts.simplecast.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/b96ca398-f0fe-11ed-bc68-d3ba9840102a/image/0cd6fb0785940ec4a7dbdebf3a2f0946.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"FreightWaves","episode_count":5000,"summary":"A full trailer load of freight podcasts from FreightWaves. Enjoy shows like the award-winning WHAT THE TRUCK?!? podcast, Put That Coffee Down, Freightonomics, Fuller Speed Ahead, Great Quarter, Gals and more with one click of the subscribe button. One freight feed to rule them all!","last_synced_at":"2026-09-23T04:23:05.273561+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freightcasts-478950"},"episode":{"title":"UP-NS Defend Merger, Freight Bankruptcies Surge, & FMCSA Tests 14-Hour Pause | The Morning Minute","slug":"up-ns-defend-merger-freight-bankruptcies-surge-fmcsa-tests-14-hour-pause-the-morning-minute","published_at":"2026-08-28T14:11:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freightcasts-478950/up-ns-defend-merger-freight-bankruptcies-surge-fmcsa-tests-14-hour-pause-the-morning-minute","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freightcasts-478950","url":"https://chtbl.com/track/894889/traffic.megaphone.fm/FREIGHT7835561217.mp3","audio_url":"https://chtbl.com/track/894889/traffic.megaphone.fm/FREIGHT7835561217.mp3","summary":"In this episode, we kick things off by examining the heated regulatory battle over the proposed mega-merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. The Class I railroads are aggressively defending their application, telling the Surface Transportation Board that ⁠their filing contains extensive evidence demonstrating benefits for employees, customers and the broader economy⁠. The combined company promises new single-line service across more than eighty-eight thousand county-to-county lanes and the diversion of two point one million truckloads from highway to rail. Meanwhile, a brutal wave of financial distress is hitting the freight and logistics sector as ⁠at least twenty-one transportation companies filed for bankruptcy protection between late July and August twenty-fifth⁠. The filings range from single-truck carriers to massive national distributors with hundreds of millions in assets and liabilities, underscoring how financial hardship remains uneven across the freight economy as small trucking companies struggle alongside larger logistics businesses confronting debt loads and restructuring challenges. Finally, we explore how federal regulators are moving ahead with pilot programs that could fundamentally reshape how truck drivers manage their workdays. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Thursday that ⁠it has completed pre-tests for its Flexible Sleeper Berth and Split Duty Period pilot programs⁠ and is reviewing results ahead of a planned full launch in twenty twenty-seven. The Split Duty Period pilot would allow participating drivers to pause the critical fourteen-hour driving window for up to three hours per day, effectively giving drivers more ability to wait out heavy traffic or severe weather. ⁠Follow the FreightWaves Today Podcast⁠…","meta_description":"In this episode, we kick things off by examining the heated regulatory battle over the proposed mega-merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Th…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":204,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/freightcasts-478950/episodes/up-ns-defend-merger-freight-bankruptcies-surge-fmcsa-tests-14-hour-pause-the-morning-minute/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/freightcasts-478950/up-ns-defend-merger-freight-bankruptcies-surge-fmcsa-tests-14-hour-pause-the-morning-minute.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}