Document

DEF 14A 1 a2021proxystatement.htm DEF 14A Document

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )


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Trinity Industries, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than The Registrant)


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			14221 N. Dallas Parkway, Suite 1100
			Dallas, Texas 75254
			www.trin.net

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held on May 3, 2021

TO: Trinity Industries, Inc. Stockholders:

The 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Trinity Industries, Inc. will be held at 14221 N. Dallas Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75254, on Monday, May 3, 2021, at 8:30 a.m., Central Daylight Time.

At the meeting, the stockholders will act on the following matters:

(1)

Election of the eight nominees named in the attached proxy statement as directors;

(2)

Advisory vote on named executive officer compensation;

(3)

Ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2021; and

(4)

Any other matters that may properly come before the meeting.

All stockholders of record at the close of business on March 12, 2021, are entitled to vote at the meeting or any postponement or adjournment of the meeting. A list of the stockholders is available at the Company’s offices in Dallas, Texas.


			By Order of the Board of Directors

			Jared S. Richardson
			Vice President and Secretary
			April 1, 2021

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT!

Please vote as promptly as possible by using the internet or telephone or by signing, dating, and returning the enclosed proxy card to the address listed on the card.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Due to concerns associated with COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus), any stockholders attending the Annual Meeting will be subject to additional screening procedures. See page 3 for additional information.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the

Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on May 3, 2021:

This Proxy Statement and the Annual Report to Stockholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, are available for viewing, printing, and downloading at https://materials.proxyvote.com/896522.

"Delivering Goods for the Good of All"

Table of Contents


						Page
Proxy Statement Summary						1
Proxy Statement						2
Corporate Governance						4
Independence of Directors						4
Board Leadership Structure						5
Board Committees						5
Board’s Role in Risk Oversight						9
Risk Assessment of Compensation Policies and Practices						9
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation						9
Communications with Directors						9
Commitment to Sustainability						10
Board Diversity						11
Proposal 1 - Election of Directors						12
Nominees						12
Proposal 2 - Advisory Vote to Approve Named Executive Officer Compensation						15
Proposal 3 - Ratification of the Appointment of Ernst & Young LLP						16
Fees of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2019						16
Report of the Audit Committee						17
Executive Compensation						18
Compensation Discussion and Analysis						18
Human Resources Committee Report						36
Compensation of Executives						37
Summary Compensation Table						37
Grants of Plan-Based Awards						39
Discussion Regarding Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table						40
Outstanding Equity Awards at Year-End						41
Option Exercises and Stock Vested in 2020						44
Pension Benefits						45
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation						45
Deferred Compensation Discussion						46
Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control						46
Director Compensation						49
Director Compensation Discussion						49
CEO Pay Ratio						51
Transactions with Related Persons						52
Security Ownership						53
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management						53
Additional Information						55
Stockholder Proposals for the 2022 Proxy Statement						55
Director Nominations or Other Business for Presentation at the 2022 Annual Meeting						55
Report on Form 10-K						55
Other Business						56
Appendix - Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures						A-1

PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained in this Proxy Statement. It does not contain all information you should consider, and you should read the entire Proxy Statement carefully before voting.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Time and Date:

8:30 a.m., Central Daylight Time, May 3, 2021

Place:

14221 N. Dallas Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75254

Record Date:

March 12, 2021

Voting:

Stockholders as of the record date are entitled to vote

Agenda and Voting Recommendations

Item

Description

Board Recommendation

Page

Election of Directors

FOR each nominee

Advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation

FOR

Ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditors for 2021

FOR

Director Nominees

The following table provides summary information about each nominee for director. Each director is elected annually by a majority of votes cast.


Nominee/Age	Principal Occupation	Committees
E. Jean Savage, 57	Chief Executive Officer and President, Trinity Industries, Inc.	None
William P. Ainsworth, 64	Retired Group President of Energy and Transportation, Caterpillar, Inc.	Finance and Governance
Brandon B. Boze, 40	President, ValueAct Capital	Finance and HR
John J. Diez, 50	President, Fleet Management Solutions, Ryder System, Inc.	Audit, Finance, and Governance
Leldon E. Echols, 65	Non-Executive Chairman, Trinity Industries, Inc.	Audit, Finance, Governance, and HR
Tyrone M. Jordan, 59	Retired President and Chief Operating Officer, DURA Automotive Systems	Audit and HR
S. Todd Maclin, 64	Retired Chairman, Chase Commercial and Consumer Banking, JPMorgan Chase & Co.	Audit and HR
Dunia A. Shive, 60	Former Chief Executive Officer and President, Belo Corp.	Audit, Governance, and Finance

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

PROXY STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Trinity Industries, Inc.

PROXY STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held on May 3, 2021

14221 N. Dallas Parkway

Dallas, Texas 75254

www.trin.net

This Proxy Statement is being mailed on or about April 1, 2021, to the stockholders of Trinity Industries, Inc. (the “Company”) in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Company's Board of Directors to be voted at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 14221 N. Dallas Parkway, Dallas, Texas, on Monday, May 3, 2021, at 8:30 a.m., Central Daylight Time (the “Annual Meeting”), or at any postponement or adjournment thereof, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Company’s mailing address is 14221 N. Dallas Parkway, Suite 1100, Dallas, Texas 75254.

You may vote in person by attending the meeting, by completing and returning a proxy by mail, or by using the internet or telephone. To vote your proxy by mail, mark your vote on the enclosed proxy card, then follow the instructions on the card. To vote your proxy using the internet or telephone, see the instructions on the proxy form and have the proxy form available when you access the internet website or place your telephone call.

The named proxies will vote your shares according to your directions. If you sign and return your proxy but do not make any of the selections, the named proxies will vote your shares: (i) FOR election of the eight nominees for directors as set forth in this Proxy Statement, (ii) FOR approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in these materials, and (iii) FOR ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. The proxy may be revoked at any time before it is exercised by filing with the Company a written revocation addressed to the Corporate Secretary, by executing a proxy bearing a later date, or by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.

The cost of soliciting proxies will be borne by the Company. In addition to the use of postal services or the internet, proxies may be solicited by directors, officers, and regular employees of the Company (none of whom will receive any additional compensation for any assistance they may provide in the solicitation of proxies) in person or by telephone. The Company has hired Georgeson, Inc. to assist in the solicitation of proxies at an estimated cost of $12,500 plus expenses.

The outstanding voting securities of the Company consist of shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”). The record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting, or any postponement or adjournment thereof, has been established by the Board of Directors as the close of business on March 12, 2021. At that date, there were outstanding and entitled to vote 110,710,948 shares of Common Stock.

The presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of record of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote is necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting, but if a quorum should not be present, the meeting may be adjourned from time to time until a quorum is obtained. A holder of Common Stock will be entitled to one vote per share on each matter properly brought before the meeting. Cumulative voting is not permitted in the election of directors.

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

PROXY STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Item

Description

Votes Required for Approval

Effect of Withheld Vote/Abstention

Election of Directors

Affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast for the election of directors at the Annual Meeting

An incumbent director nominee who receives a greater number of votes “withheld” than “for” is required to tender his or her resignation, which will be accepted or rejected by the Board as more fully described in “Election of Directors.” An abstention will not count as a vote cast and therefore will not affect the outcome of the vote.

Advisory vote to approve named executive officer compensation

Affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the subject matter

An abstention will effectively count as a vote cast against this proposal.

Ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditors for 2021

Affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on the subject matter

An abstention will effectively count as a vote cast against this proposal.

Votes may be cast in favor of or withheld with respect to all of the director nominees, or any of them individually. Shares of a stockholder who abstains from voting on any or all proposals will be included for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum. Broker non-votes on any matter, as to which the broker has indicated on the proxy that it does not have discretionary authority to vote, will be treated as votes not cast or as shares not entitled to vote with respect to that matter and will not affect the outcome of the vote. However, such shares will be considered present and entitled to vote for quorum purposes so long as they are entitled to vote on at least one matter.

Important Notice Regarding Attendance at the Annual Meeting

The Company intends to hold the Annual Meeting in person; however, due to concerns associated with COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus), the Company is taking steps to protect employees and visitors and to minimize the risk of disruption to its business. Accordingly, any stockholders attending the Annual Meeting will be subject to additional screening procedures. Attendees must report to security personnel, provide proper identification, and sign in upon arrival. Security will then screen all attendees prior to admission to the Annual Meeting. Security personnel will ask attendees about potential exposure to confirmed cases of COVID-19 and related questions. Any individual who responds in the affirmative to a pre-screening question, or refuses to respond, will be denied entry. Any individual who exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 during the Annual Meeting (i.e. cough, flu-like symptoms, or shortness of breath) will be promptly removed from the meeting. The Company is sensitive to recommendations that public health officials may issue in light of the evolving situation. As a result, the Company may impose additional procedures or limitations on meeting attendees (beyond those described above) or may decide to hold the meeting in a different location or solely by means of remote communication (i.e., a virtual-only meeting). The Company will announce any such updates.

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

E. Jean Savage, then a member of the Board of Directors, was appointed Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company, effective February 17, 2020. Upon accepting the Company's offer of employment, Ms. Savage resigned from her membership on the Company's Audit Committee, Finance and Risk Committee, and Human Resources Committee.

The business affairs of the Company are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors (also referred to in this proxy statement as the “Board”) in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws. The role of the Board of Directors is to oversee the management of the Company for the benefit of the stockholders. This responsibility includes monitoring senior management’s conduct of the Company’s business operations and affairs; reviewing and approving the Company’s financial objectives, strategies, and plans; risk management oversight; evaluating the performance of the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers; and overseeing the Company’s policies and procedures regarding corporate governance, legal compliance, ethical conduct, and maintenance of financial and accounting controls. The Board of Directors includes an independent Chairman and diverse and independent Board members who help ensure that the Company's business strategies and programs are aligned with stakeholder interests.

The Board first adopted Corporate Governance Principles in 1998, which are reviewed annually by the Corporate Governance and Directors Nominating Committee and were last amended in December 2020. The Company has a long-standing Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is applicable to all employees of the Company, including the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, principal accounting officer, and controller, as well as the Board. The Company intends to post any amendments or waivers for its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to the Company's website at www.trin.net to the extent applicable to an executive officer, principal accounting officer, controller, or director of the Company. The Corporate Governance Principles and the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics are available on the Company’s web site at www.trin.net under the heading “Investor Relations — Governance — Governance Documents.”

The directors hold regular and special meetings and spend such time on the affairs of the Company as their duties require. During 2020, the Board of Directors held twelve meetings. The Board meets regularly in non-management executive sessions. The Board has elected Leldon E. Echols as non-executive Chairman of the Board. In this role, Mr. Echols chairs the non-management executive sessions. In 2020, all directors of the Company attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board of Directors and the committees on which they served. It is Company policy that each director is expected to attend the Annual Meeting. All of the directors then serving were in attendance at the 2020 Annual Meeting.


Independence of Directors

The Board of Directors makes all determinations with respect to director independence in accordance with the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) listing standards and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In addition, the Board of Directors established certain guidelines to assist it in making any such determinations regarding director independence (the “Independence Guidelines”), which are available on the Company’s website at www.trin.net under the heading “Investor Relations — Governance — Governance Documents — Categorical Standards of Director Independence.” The Independence Guidelines set forth commercial and charitable relationships that may not rise to the level of material relationships that would impair a director’s independence as set forth in the NYSE listing standards and SEC rules and regulations. The determination of whether such relationships as described in the Independence Guidelines actually impair a director’s independence is made by the Board on a case-by-case basis.

The Board undertook its annual review of director independence and considered transactions and relationships between each director, or any member of his or her immediate family, and the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates. In making its determination, the Board applied the NYSE listing standards and SEC rules and regulations together with the Independence Guidelines. In making such determinations, the Board, amongst other things, considered the transactions described below.

Brandon B. Boze is a Partner and the President of ValueAct Capital, the Company's largest stockholder. ValueAct Capital and its affiliates own approximately 20.9% of the Company's outstanding shares of Common Stock. Mr. Boze qualifies as independent under the NYSE listing standards and SEC rules and regulations, and the Board does not believe that ValueAct Capital's ownership level impairs Mr. Boze's independence.

John J. Diez is President of Fleet Management Solutions for Ryder System, Inc. (“Ryder”). The Company rents equipment from, and provides transportation services to, subsidiaries of Ryder from time to time. The Company in prior years sold construction products to subsidiaries of Ryder as well. These transactions involved less than 2% of the consolidated gross revenues of each of Ryder and the Company for each fiscal year since January 1, 2018. The amounts involved in these

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

transactions for 2018, 2019, and 2020 were, respectively, $313,330, $20,189, and $11,017. These transactions were conducted in the ordinary course of business, at arms-length.

As a result of its review, the Board affirmatively determined that the following directors are independent of the Company and its management under the standards set forth in the listing standards of the NYSE and the SEC rules and regulations: John L. Adams, William P. Ainsworth, Brandon B. Boze, John J. Diez, Leldon E. Echols, Tyrone M. Jordan, S. Todd Maclin, Charles W. Matthews, and Dunia A. Shive. Although she was considered to be independent prior to accepting the Company's offer of employment, the Board determined that E. Jean Savage is not independent because of her employment by the Company. Mr. Adams and Mr. Matthews have reached the mandatory retirement age and are therefore not standing for re-election.


Board Leadership Structure

Mr. Echols serves as the independent, non-executive Chairman of the Board. As stated in the Corporate Governance Principles, the Board believes that the decision as to whether the offices of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer should be combined or separated is the responsibility of the Board. The members of the Board possess experience and unique knowledge of the challenges and opportunities the Company faces. They are, therefore, in the best position to evaluate the current and future needs of the Company and to judge how the capabilities of the directors and senior managers can be most effectively organized to meet those needs. The separation of the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer allows Ms. Savage to concentrate her focus on leading the Company’s business strategies, operations, and other corporate activities, while Mr. Echols provides independent oversight and direction and presides at meetings of the Board of Directors. For these reasons, the Board believes that this leadership structure is effective for the Company.


Board Committees

The standing committees of the Board of Directors are the Audit Committee, Corporate Governance and Directors Nominating Committee, Finance and Risk Committee, and Human Resources Committee. Each of the committees is governed by a charter, current copies of which are available on the Company’s website at www.trin.net under the heading “Investor Relations — Governance — Governance Documents.” Ms. Savage, Chief Executive Officer and President (collectively referred to as the “CEO”) of the Company, does not serve on any Board committee. Director membership of the committees is identified below.

Director

Audit Committee

Corporate Governance and Directors Nominating Committee

Finance and Risk Committee

Human Resources Committee

John L. Adams

William P. Ainsworth

Brandon B. Boze

John J. Diez

Leldon E. Echols

Tyrone M. Jordan

S. Todd Maclin

Charles W. Matthews

Dunia A. Shive

* - Member

C - Chair

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee’s function is to oversee, on behalf of the Board, (i) the integrity of the Company’s financial statements and related disclosures; (ii) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; (iii) the qualifications, independence, and performance of the Company’s independent auditing firm; (iv) the performance of the Company’s internal audit function; (v) the Company’s internal accounting and disclosure control systems and practices; (vi) the Company’s procedures for monitoring compliance with its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics; and (vii) the Company’s policies and procedures with respect to risk assessment, management, and mitigation. In carrying out its function, the Audit Committee (a) reviews with management, the chief audit executive, and the independent auditors, the Company’s financial statements, the accounting principles applied in their preparation, the scope of the audit, any comments made by the independent auditors on the financial condition of the Company and its accounting controls and procedures; (b) reviews with management its processes and policies related to risk assessment, management, and

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

mitigation, compliance with corporate policies, compliance programs, and internal controls; and (c) performs such other matters as the Audit Committee deems appropriate. The Audit Committee also typically receives reports on information technology and cybersecurity multiple times each year.

The Audit Committee pre-approves all auditing and all allowable non-audit services provided to the Company by the independent auditors. The Audit Committee selects and retains the independent auditors for the Company, subject to stockholder ratification, and approves audit fees. The Audit Committee met seven times during 2020. The Board of Directors has determined that all members of the Audit Committee are “independent” as defined by the rules of the SEC and the listing standards of the NYSE. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee qualifies as an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of SEC regulations.

Corporate Governance and Directors Nominating Committee

The functions of the Corporate Governance and Directors Nominating Committee (the “Governance Committee”) are to identify and recommend to the Board individuals qualified to be nominated for election to the Board; review the qualifications of the members of each committee (including the independence of directors) to ensure that each committee’s membership meets applicable criteria established by the SEC and NYSE; recommend to the Board the members and Chairperson for each Board committee; periodically review and assess the Company’s Corporate Governance Principles and the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and make recommendations for changes thereto to the Board; periodically review the Company’s orientation program for new directors and the Company’s practices for continuing education of existing directors; annually review director compensation and benefits and make recommendations to the Board regarding director compensation and benefits; review, approve, and ratify all transactions with related persons that are required to be disclosed under the rules of the SEC; annually conduct an individual director performance review of each incumbent director; and oversee the annual self-evaluation of the performance of the Board. The Governance Committee also oversees the Company's Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Each of the members of the Governance Committee is an independent director under the NYSE listing standards. The Governance Committee met three times during 2020.

In performing its annual review of director compensation, the Governance Committee utilizes independent compensation consultants from time to time to assist in making its recommendations to the Board. The Governance Committee reviewed the director compensation in 2020, considered benchmarking information provided by Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC (the “Compensation Consultant”), and established director compensation as discussed in “Director Compensation.”

The Governance Committee will consider director candidates recommended to it by stockholders. In considering candidates submitted by stockholders, the Governance Committee will take into consideration the needs of the Board and the qualifications of the candidate. To have a candidate considered by the Governance Committee, a stockholder must submit the recommendation in writing and must include the following information:

•the name of the stockholder, evidence of the person’s ownership of Company stock, including the number of shares owned and the length of time of ownership, and a description of all arrangements or understandings regarding the submittal between the stockholder and the recommended candidate; and

•the name, age, business and residence addresses of the candidate, the candidate’s résumé or a listing of his or her qualifications to be a director of the Company, and the person’s consent to be a director if selected by the Governance Committee, nominated by the Board, and elected by the stockholders.

The stockholder recommendation and information described above must be sent to the Corporate Secretary at 14221 N. Dallas Parkway, Suite 1100, Dallas, Texas 75254 and must be received by the Corporate Secretary not less than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the date the Company’s proxy statement was released in connection with the previous year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

The Governance Committee believes that the qualifications for serving as a director of the Company are that a nominee demonstrate depth of experience at the policy-making level in business, government, or education; possess the ability to make a meaningful contribution to the Board’s oversight of the business and affairs of the Company and a willingness to exercise independent judgment; and have an impeccable reputation for honest and ethical conduct in both professional and personal activities. In addition, the Governance Committee examines a candidate’s time availability, the candidate’s ability to make analytical and probing inquiries, and financial independence to ensure he or she will not be financially dependent on director compensation.

The Governance Committee periodically identifies potential nominees by asking current directors and executive officers for their recommendations of persons meeting the criteria described above who might be available to serve on the Board.

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Governance Committee may also engage firms that specialize in identifying director candidates, which it did in 2020. As described above, the Governance Committee will also consider candidates recommended by stockholders.

Once a person has been identified as a potential candidate, the Governance Committee makes an initial determination regarding the need for additional Board members to fill vacancies or expand the size of the Board. If the Governance Committee determines that additional consideration is warranted, the Governance Committee will review such information and conduct interviews as it deems necessary to fully evaluate each director candidate. In addition to the qualifications of a candidate, the Governance Committee will consider such relevant factors as it deems appropriate, including the current composition of the Board, the evaluations of other prospective nominees, and the need for any required expertise on the Board or one of its committees. The Governance Committee considers potential candidates in light of the skills, experience, and attributes (i) possessed by current directors and (ii) that the Board has identified as important for new directors to possess. The Governance Committee also contemplates multiple dynamics that promote and advance diversity among its members. Although the Governance Committee does not have a formal diversity policy, the Governance Committee considers a number of factors regarding diversity of personal and professional backgrounds (both domestic and international), gender, national origins, specialized skills and acumen, and breadth of experience in industry, manufacturing, financing transactions, and business combinations. The Governance Committee’s evaluation process will not vary based on whether or not a candidate is recommended by a stockholder.

Finance and Risk Committee

The duties of the Finance and Risk Committee (the “Finance Committee”) include reviewing significant acquisitions and dispositions of businesses or assets and authorizing such transactions within limits prescribed by the Board; periodically reviewing the Company’s financial status and compliance with debt instruments; reviewing and making recommendations to the Board regarding financings and refinancings; authorizing financings and refinancings within limits prescribed by the Board; reviewing and assessing risk and litigation exposure related to the Company’s operations; monitoring and oversight responsibility for the Company's qualified retirement plans and certain related non-qualified plans; reviewing the Company's liquidity; reviewing stockholder returns including the Company's dividend and share repurchase program; and reviewing the Company’s insurance coverages. In addition, the Finance Committee periodically identifies, assesses, and reviews the business, commercial, operational, financial, and other risks associated with the Company's products and services. The Finance Committee also receives regular reports on legal, environmental, and safety matters. The Finance Committee met eight times in 2020.

Human Resources Committee

The Human Resources Committee (the “HR Committee”) makes recommendations to the independent members of the Board of Directors in its responsibilities relating to the fair and competitive compensation of the Company’s CEO. The HR Committee has been delegated authority by the Board to make compensation decisions with respect to the other named executive officers (as defined below). Each member of the HR Committee is an independent director under the NYSE listing standards, including those standards applicable specifically to members of compensation committees. The HR Committee met five times during 2020.

The HR Committee reviews management succession planning and approves awards under the Company’s incentive compensation and equity-based plans. The HR Committee annually evaluates the leadership and performance of the Company’s CEO, and recommends the CEO's compensation to the Company’s independent directors. The independent directors are responsible for approving the CEO’s compensation. The CEO provides to the HR Committee an assessment of the performance of the other named executive officers. The HR Committee also has direct access to the Company’s key leaders. The HR Committee reviews and approves compensation for the Chief Financial Officer (the “CFO”) and the other executive officers named in the “Summary Compensation Table.” The CEO, the CFO, and the other executive officers named in the “Summary Compensation Table” are referred to in this proxy statement as the “named executive officers.”

The Role of the Compensation Consultant

The HR Committee retains an independent executive compensation consultant to provide an assessment of the Company’s executive compensation programs and to perform five key tasks. The consultant (i) reviews and assists in the design of the Company’s compensation programs, (ii) provides insight into executive compensation practices used by other companies, (iii) benchmarks the Company’s executive compensation pay levels with relevant peer survey data, (iv) provides proxy disclosure information for comparator companies, and (v) provides input to the HR Committee on the risk assessment, structure, and overall competitiveness of the Company’s executive compensation programs.

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The HR Committee retained the services of the Compensation Consultant to assist in providing an independent assessment of the executive compensation programs. Meridian Compensation Partners, LLC was the HR Committee’s sole compensation consultant in 2020 and was chosen given its (i) depth of resources, (ii) content expertise, and (iii) extensive experience. The Compensation Consultant reported directly to the HR Committee for the purposes of advising it on matters relating to 2020 executive compensation. The services of the Compensation Consultant were used only in conjunction with executive compensation matters and to provide benchmarking information regarding director compensation and compensation trends for similar companies. The Compensation Consultant was not retained by the Company for any purpose. The Compensation Consultant’s ownership structure, limited service lines, and policies and procedures are designed to ensure that the Compensation Consultant’s work for the HR Committee does not raise any conflicts of interest. The amount of fees paid in 2020 to the Compensation Consultant by the Company represented less than 1% of the Compensation Consultant’s total annual revenues for 2020. The internal policies of the Compensation Consultant prohibit its partners, consultants, and employees from engaging in conduct that could give rise to conflicts of interest and from buying, selling, and trading in the securities of client companies when that partner, consultant, or employee is providing consulting services to the client. The employees of the Compensation Consultant providing consulting services to the HR Committee have no other business or personal relationship with any member of the HR Committee or any executive officer of the Company. After a review of these factors and the considerations outlined in applicable SEC and NYSE rules, the HR Committee has concluded that the work of the Compensation Consultant has not raised any conflicts of interest and that the Compensation Consultant is independent from the Company and from management.

The HR Committee instructed the Compensation Consultant to provide analyses, insight, and benchmarking information for 2020 on the named executive officers and other key executives to determine whether the compensation packages for these executives were competitive with the market and met the Company’s objectives. The Compensation Consultant was instructed to:

• review the total direct compensation (base salary, annual incentive, and long-term incentive);

• help identify and confirm that the comparator companies selected by the HR Committee were appropriate; and

• gather publicly-traded comparator company proxies and peer survey data to ascertain market competitive rates for the named executive officers.

The Compensation Consultant benchmarked all cash and equity components of compensation for 2020, excluding deferred compensation, and, for each position, determined certain percentile benchmarks.

The Role of Management

The CEO, the CFO, the Chief Administrative Officer, and the Chief Human Resources Officer work with the HR Committee and the Compensation Consultant to develop the framework and design the plans for all compensation components. The CEO and CFO recommend the financial performance measurements for the annual incentive awards and the long-term performance-based equity awards, subject to HR Committee approval. The CFO certifies the achievement of these financial performance measures. The HR Committee recommends the CEO's compensation to the independent directors for their approval. The CEO makes recommendations to the HR Committee on compensation for each of the other named executive officers.

The Role of the HR Committee

Throughout the year, the CEO provides the HR Committee with an ongoing assessment of the performance of the other named executive officers. These assessments provide background information for any adjustment to base salary, annual incentive, or long-term incentive. Both annual incentives and long-term incentives are established with threshold, target, and maximum payout levels.

The HR Committee realizes that benchmarking and comparing peer group proxy disclosure data require certain levels of interpretation due to the complexities associated with executive compensation plans. The HR Committee uses the benchmarking information and the peer group proxy disclosure data provided by the Compensation Consultant as general guidelines and makes adjustments to compensation levels based on what the HR Committee believes is in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders. The HR Committee uses its judgment and bases its consideration of each executive’s compensation on performance in respect to the value of the executive’s contributions to the Company, the executive’s tenure, and peer survey data that establishes the ranges against which compensation is benchmarked.

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE


Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

The Audit Committee has the responsibility to oversee the Company’s policies and procedures relating to risk assessment, management, and mitigation. The Finance Committee has the responsibility to review and assess risk exposure related to the Company’s operations, including safety, environmental, financial, contingent liabilities, and other risks that may be material to the Company, as well as the activities of management in identifying, assessing, and mitigating against business, commercial, operational, financial, and personal risks associated with the Company’s products and services. The Finance Committee accomplishes this responsibility as described at www.trin.net under the heading “Investor Relations - Governance - Governance Documents - Finance and Risk Committee Charter.” In addition, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, reviews the Company’s major risks and exposures, including (i) any special-purpose entities, complex financing transactions and related off-balance sheet accounting matters and (ii) legal matters that may significantly impact the Company’s financial statements or risk management.


Risk Assessment of Compensation Policies and Practices

The Company conducts a detailed risk assessment of its compensation policies and practices (the “Compensation Policies”) for its employees, including its executive officers. Participants in the Compensation Policies risk assessment include the Company’s management, human resources group, internal audit group, Compliance and Risk Committee (which consists of senior corporate and business segment executives who meet regularly to identify and review risks and assess exposures), the Compensation Consultant, and the HR Committee.

At the request of the HR Committee, the Compensation Consultant performs a risk assessment with respect to the Compensation Policies applicable to executive officers. The Compensation Consultant did not find any excessive risk in its review of the Compensation Policies applicable to executive officers.

Also, representatives of the Company’s management, human resources group, and internal audit group review the Compensation Policies and meet to discuss and assess the likelihood and potential impact of the risk presented by the Compensation Policies and present findings to the Company’s internal Compliance and Risk Committee. The Compliance and Risk Committee considers these findings and assessments and reviews the Compensation Policies and the Compensation Consultant’s risk assessment. The Corporate Compliance and Risk Committee has concluded that the Compensation Policies are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.


Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

Messrs. Boze, Echols, Jordan, Maclin, Matthews, and Ms. Savage served on the HR Committee during the last completed fiscal year. During the time of her service on the HR Committee, Ms. Savage was considered independent of the Company and its management under the standards set forth in the listing standards of the NYSE and the SEC rules and regulations.

None of the members of the HR Committee had ever served as an executive officer or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries at the time of such member's service on the HR Committee. There were no compensation committee interlocks during 2020.


Communications with Directors

The Board has established a process to receive communications by mail from stockholders and other interested parties. Stockholders and other interested parties may contact any member of the Board, including the Chairman, Mr. Echols, or the non-management directors as a group, any Board committee or any chair of any such committee. To communicate with the Board of Directors, any individual director, or any group or committee of directors, correspondence should be addressed to the Board of Directors or any such individual director or group or committee of directors by either name or title. All such correspondence should be sent “c/o Corporate Secretary” at 14221 N. Dallas Parkway, Suite 1100, Dallas, Texas 75254.

All communications received as set forth in the preceding paragraph will be opened by the office of the Corporate Secretary for the sole purpose of determining whether the contents represent a message to directors. Any contents that are not in the nature of advertising, promotions of a product or service, or offensive material will be forwarded promptly to the addressee. In the case of communications to the Board or any group or committee of directors, the Corporate Secretary will make sufficient copies of the contents to send to each director who is a member of the group or committee to which the envelope is addressed.

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE


Commitment to Sustainability

The Company recognizes that further integrating the key principles of sustainability, including environmental stewardship, safety and quality assurance, corporate social responsibility, governance, and diversity and inclusion, are important to enhancing long-term value. The Company strives to employ Company resources in ways that make positive contributions to its stakeholders and the communities in which it operates. As the Company pursues improvements to its products and services, it keeps in mind the environmental and societal impacts of its decisions and works to protect natural resources and the environment for the benefit of current and future generations. The Company continuously looks for ways to improve its governance practices with the goal of promoting the long-term interests of stakeholders, strengthening accountability, and inspiring trust.

Environmental Stewardship

The Company takes its commitment to reducing its own environmental impact seriously, as it recognizes climate change is a challenge facing its business, industry, and communities today. The Company is committed to contributing to a more resource-efficient economy and embedding climate change mitigation into its business strategy to help confront challenges such as energy management, fuel economy and efficiency, and materials sourcing. The Company aims to operate its business in a manner that minimizes the impact on natural resources and the environment. The Company believes railcars are a more environmentally-friendly way to fuel the North American supply chain. U.S. freight railroads produce far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than certain other modes of commercial transportation, such as trucks. The Company strives to responsibly support customers' products at each stage of the product lifecycle, including recycling the railcar through scrap and salvage at the end of its useful life.

Social Responsibility

The Company actively engages stakeholders across its environmental, health, and safety initiatives to continually improve processes and performance as it operates its businesses with a goal of zero injuries and incidents. The Company's goal is to add value to the communities in which its employees live and work, strengthening relationships and leveraging partnerships to amplify its impact. The Company strives to attract and retain a diverse and empowered workforce. Its priorities include fostering an inclusive and collaborative workplace, promoting opportunities for professional development, improving the well-being of its employees and other stakeholders, and contributing to the communities in which the Company operates.

Workforce Talent and Diversity

The Company is committed to attracting and retaining highly skilled and diverse employees and is proud that its workforce is made up of talented people from a variety of backgrounds. This commitment to diversity as a driver of long-term success is one that the Company strives to uphold throughout the organization, including through all stages of the human resources process, from recruitment and hiring to talent retention.

The Company encourages and supports employee resource and networking groups, such as the Women of Trinity, the diversity and inclusion committee, and other employee groups, which offer educational, professional development, and community service opportunities. The Company also provides focused training, mentoring, and employee development for specialized positions, such as plant managers, engineers, accountants, and more.

Through strategies such as its employee experience survey, the employee recognition program, and a comprehensive commitment to its core values, the Company is dedicated to building a healthy, engaging workplace where employees can thrive and do their best work. The Company takes pride in maintaining an active dialogue with employees. In its U.S. facilities, for example, the Company benchmarks overall employee engagement with an annual cross-organization survey targeting metrics such as safety, job satisfaction, and more.

The Company's Mexico Corporate Social Responsibility program is part of its broader environmental stewardship and social responsibility program, which addresses stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, customers, and the local communities where we operate.

Trinity Industries, Inc.

2021 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE


Board Diversity

The following table provides information regarding the diversity of the members of the Board standing for election at the Annual Meeting.

Gender

Director

Black

Caucasian/White

Hispanic/Latino

Other

Female

Male

SEC Form DEF 14A filed by Trinity Industries, Inc.