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John Kingston

John has an almost 40-year career covering commodities, most of the time at S&P Global Platts. He created the Dated Brent benchmark, now the world’s most important crude oil marker. He was Director of Oil, Director of News, the editor in chief of Platts Oilgram News and the “talking head” for Platts on numerous media outlets, including CNBC, Fox Business and Canada’s BNN. He covered metals before joining Platts and then spent a year running Platts’ metals business as well. He was awarded the International Association of Energy Economics Award for Excellence in Written Journalism in 2015. In 2010, he won two Corporate Achievement Awards from McGraw-Hill, an extremely rare accomplishment, one for steering coverage of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and the other for the launch of a public affairs television show, Platts Energy Week.
Nov - 2024 -
01 November
John Kingston

Truck transportation job numbers in October barely budge from a year ago

The number of truck transportation jobs in the U.S., as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is only slightly off from where it was a year ago.

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Oct - 2024 -
31 October
John Kingston

Good news/bad news at Uber Freight: EBITDA loss widens but revenue improves

Uber Freight posted a wider EBITDA loss but showed improvement in revenue in the third quarter.

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30 October
John Kingston

C.H. Robinson’s model increasingly validated with another solid quarter

C.H. Robinson CEO Dave Bozeman talked with analysts Wednesday about his model for turning the company around. The evidence indicates it’s working.

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John Kingston

C.H. Robinson Q3 earnings: First look

A first look at C.H. Robinson’s third-quarter earnings reveals slightly slower sequential gains than in recent quarters.

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John Kingston

Report: Driver shortage claim ‘spurious,’ fixation on efficiency causes turnover

A federally authorized study on driver retention finds turnover results from trucking companies’ economically driven policies.

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29 October
John Kingston

Werner CEO stands out for optimistic trucking market outlook

Werner CEO Derek Leathers delivered a surprisingly positive outlook for the trucking market.

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John Kingston

Werner Enterprises Q3 earnings: First look

Werner Enterprises’ third-quarter operating ratio deteriorated by 320 basis points.

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28 October
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price rises against backdrop of falling futures

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose though the broader futures market fell.

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John Kingston

As Helene keeps key roads closed, Trimble’s routing service makes adjustments

Interstate traffic in North Carolina and Tennessee is still dealing with the fallout from Hurricane Helene.

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24 October
John Kingston

Less reliance on rentals, more on contracts: Ryder continuing its mission

Ryder has been pushing to rely less on vehicle leasing, and it’s getting there. 

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23 October
John Kingston

SONAR webinar: Chasing the coveted title of Shipper of Choice

October’s SONAR webinar looked at key factors in earning the Shipper of Choice distinction.

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John Kingston

Manhattan Associates’ growing supply chain problem: Slow-closing software deals

Supply chain software provider Manhattan Associates says it is taking longer to close deals.

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22 October
John Kingston

TFI’s Bedard: Buying UPS’ LTL operations was not a mistake

TFI CEO Bedard said on an analyst call that he wasn’t sorry the company bought UPS Freight, but he was plainspoken about its issues.

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21 October
John Kingston

First look: LTL operating income falls at TFI International

Canadian transport and logistics company TFI International’s third-quarter earnings missed consensus forecasts by 18 cents per share.

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John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price reverses course in biggest 1-week drop in 10 months

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined Monday after four weeks of rising prices.

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18 October
John Kingston

Marten’s earnings and almost all other key operating metrics down

Marten Transport turned in a quarterly earnings report that was negative by almost every measure.

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17 October
John Kingston

State of Freight for October: The bullish feeling is starting to grow

Forecasts of a bullish freight market were featured in this month’s State of Freight webinar for FreightWaves SONAR.

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John Kingston

Trucking and marijuana testing find their way to the Supreme Court

Trucking and marijuana use was the background issue in arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this week regarding a driver who was dismissed for failing a THC test even though he hadn’t used marijuana.

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16 October
John Kingston

TriumphPay gets back to a positive EBITDA

The TriumphPay payments network turned in a positive EBITDA performance in Q3, a key benchmark for the company.

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John Kingston

AB5 notches another win: Supreme Court won’t hear Postmates/Uber case 

Backers of California’s AB5 independent contractor law have scored a fresh victory after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the Postmates/Uber case.

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15 October
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price rises, but futures prices now headed sharply lower

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for a fourth straight week, but futures prices plunged.

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14 October
John Kingston

ATRI survey: Drivers and carriers see top issues in trucking differently

The annual ATRI survey of top industry concerns reveals a big gap between what drivers and carriers worry about.

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10 October
John Kingston

E2open stock price plunges after earnings report; strategic review ‘ongoing’

A tough earnings report at supply chain software provider E2open was greeted with a big sell-off on Wall Street.

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09 October
John Kingston

OOIDA, Truckstop team up; load board is now group’s ‘exclusive’ partner

OOIDA and load board operator have teamed up in a deal that will give OOIDA members a discount.

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08 October
John Kingston

NFI’s Brown seeks dismissal of New Jersey case, cites minor role in dispute

NFI CEO Sidney Brown has filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss his criminal indictment stemming from a New Jersey real estate dispute.

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07 October
John Kingston

Diesel benchmark up a few cents; futures prices soar on Mideast concerns

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for the third consecutive week.

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04 October
John Kingston

Jobs report: Downward trend continues in trucking; warehouses see huge drop

The Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed a small drop in trucking jobs in September but an enormous one at warehouses.

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John Kingston

Second regional NLRB office rules that Amazon, delivery service partners employ drivers jointly

A second front will be opened in the legal battle over whether Amazon is a joint employer of drivers along with its delivery service partners.

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02 October
John Kingston

Closures continue on I-40 and I-26 in North Carolina, I-40 in Tennessee

Major interstate closures are continuing in both North Carolina and Tennessee after Hurricane Helene.

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01 October
John Kingston

Pilot’s new debt rating from Moody’s brings it up to investment-grade

Pilot Travel Centers got a two-notch upward bump in its debt rating from  Moody’s.

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Sep - 2024 -
30 September
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price sees small increase for second straight week

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose 0.5 cents per gallon this week.

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John Kingston

Bill that could hinder warehouse growth in California signed by Newsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law AB98, which will impact the growth of warehouses in California.

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John Kingston

NFI’s Brown, others move to dismiss criminal indictment in redevelopment case

NFI CEO Sidney Brown and other defendants in the criminal case related to the Camden, New Jersey, waterfront redevelopment have moved for dismissal.

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27 September
John Kingston

Trimble’s transportation offerings focus on connectivity after big ELD deal

Its big deal with Platform Science announced, Trimble’s transportation segment is touting upgrades and new products.

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26 September
John Kingston

Reinke leaves TIA to head IANA; Burroughs takes her place

Anne Reinke is leaving the Transportation Intermediaries Association to head the Intermodal Association of North America, and Chris Burroughs, already a VP at TIA, will fill her slot.

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John Kingston

RXO gets support from S&P after 2 big stock sales to fund Coyote acquisition

S&P gave a thumbs-up to the credit metrics at RXO after the company set two deals to fund the Coyote Logistics acquisition.

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25 September
John Kingston

CVSA data on International Roadcheck confirms that many drivers stayed home

Data released by CVSA on International Roadcheck supports earlier numbers that suggest plenty of drivers stayed home.

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John Kingston

CEO says Relay covers 75% of diesel payment market after Love’s deal

A deal between Relay Payments and Love’s Travel Stops means the payments provider will cover about 75% of the diesel market.

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24 September
John Kingston

Small unionization effort at Werner-owned facilities in New Jersey falls short

A decertification effort by a small group of unionized workers at a Werner unit in New Jersey has ousted the United Food & Commercial Workers union a year after it was certified.

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23 September
John Kingston

After 10 straight weeks of declines, DOE/EIA diesel price up slightly

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for the first time Monday after 10 weeks of declines.

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John Kingston

Per diem rate for expense payments to truckers sees big jump for fiscal 2025

The basic per diem rate allowed by the IRS for payments to transportation workers is rising by $11 in fiscal year 2025.

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20 September
John Kingston

Marten, citing weak freight market, cuts base salaries of 6 top executives

Marten Transport cited the weak freight market in reducing the salaries of six top executives. The executives’ 2023 salaries ranged from $267,000 to about $811,000.

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19 September
John Kingston

Trimble panelists: Great tech alone won’t keep drivers behind the wheel

Technology alone is not enough to retain drivers, according to a panel at Trimble’s technology conference Insight. Human intervention still matters.

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17 September
John Kingston

Trimble and Platform Science pushed hard to get deal done before Vegas meeting

Trimble customers who gathered in Las Vegas got the big news that Platform Science is acquiring Trimble’s telematics business.

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John Kingston

Streak of lower benchmark diesel prices hits 10 weeks with latest drop

The retail diesel price used as the basis for most fuel surcharges has fallen for a 10th straight week.

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13 September
John Kingston

Another nuclear verdict in trucking: $160M award against Daimler

Daimler Truck North America is the latest trucking-related company to get hit with a nuclear verdict.

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12 September
John Kingston

IEA: Weak demand, particularly from China, still pushing oil prices lower

The monthly report on oil demand from the International Energy Agency should be good news for transportation companies.

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John Kingston

Ancora didn’t oust Norfolk Southern’s Shaw at first but ultimately succeeded

Ancora placed a few of its people on the Norfolk Southern board in May, and that likely led to CEO Shaw’s ouster.

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10 September
John Kingston

Supreme Court to hear case of truck driver who failed CBD-related drug test

A driver who lost his job after taking a CBD product he thought didn’t have THC is about to argue before the Supreme Court that he should be able to sue the manufacturers under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

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09 September
John Kingston

Diesel surcharge benchmark down 9th week in a row amid oil sell-off

In the middle of an overarching downward trend in the price of oil, the benchmark diesel price fell for the ninth straight week.

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John Kingston

Universal Logistics eliminating a shift in Detroit, laying off 92 workers

Universal Logistics is cutting more than 90 workers at its facility in Detroit.

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06 September
John Kingston

Truck transportation jobs about where they were when Yellow folded a year ago

The BLS report for August showed another decline in truck transportation jobs and another increase in warehouse employment.

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05 September
John Kingston

California bill would expand state’s power over warehouses and related trucking

Opponents of a bill transferring significant authority over California warehouses from local governments to the state are waiting to see whether Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign it.

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04 September
John Kingston

Appeal of Werner nuclear verdict will be heard by Texas Supreme Court

The Texas Supreme Court will hear an appeal by Werner Enterprises in a long-running, $100 million nuclear verdict case.

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03 September
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price drops a little; oil futures markets drop a lot

The drop in the benchmark retail diesel price is a lot smaller than what is going on in futures markets.

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Aug - 2024 -
27 August
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price down for seventh consecutive week

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges fell for the seventh straight week.

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John Kingston

Lender BMO’s Q3 numbers show even more trucking credit deterioration

BMO’s transportation group, a big lender to trucking, showed even more third-quarter credit deterioration in the sector.

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23 August
John Kingston

Teamsters say NLRB decision undercuts Amazon delivery ownership model, could boost unionization

A regional decision by the National Labor Relations Board undermines Amazon’s delivery service partner model and will force greater recognition of unionized workers by the retail giant across the country, according to the Teamsters union.

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John Kingston

Supply Chain Council adds new executive, looks beyond California

The Supply Chain Council has extended its executive team and plans to be a national rather than “California-first” organization.

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22 August
John Kingston

End of an era: California Trucking Association dropping appeal against AB5

The California Trucking Association is ending its long-fought legal battle against the state’s AB5 independent contractor law.

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21 August
John Kingston

CSX, well before a deadline, cuts a deal with several of its unions

Eastern U.S. railroad operator CSX has reached a deal with several of its unions well before a deadline.

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John Kingston

Transportation/warehouse job figures for 2024 rise after annual adjustment

The annual BLS benchmark adjustment used to determine employment levels moved up for transportation, unlike most of the economy.

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John Kingston

Ryder and Terminal tout success of AI-based yard traffic-monitoring pilot

RyderVentures invested in AI system developer Terminal Industries last year; now the companies say they’re getting highly accurate check-in and monitoring with Terminal technology at one of Ryder’s warehouse yards in California.

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20 August
John Kingston

Logistics deals can still get done, Tenney Group head says

Though most logistics companies are operating with reduced revenue and earnings, deals in the sector have not ground to a halt. One recent deal was significant enough that the Tenney […]

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19 August
John Kingston

No war for now brings another drop in benchmark diesel price

The price used for most diesel surcharges dropped for the sixth consecutive week.

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16 August
John Kingston

Court decision impacting Illinois could snare any carrier crossing the state

A federal court decision on an Illinois employment law could pose a legal threat to carriers well beyond the state’s borders.

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15 August
John Kingston

Brokerage acquires truckload and LTL carrier, forming Southeast-focused BRW

BRW has been created through an acquisition as a combined brokerage and truckload and LTL carrier.

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14 August
John Kingston

ATA chief rips OOIDA stance on Biden independent contractor rule

ATA and OOIDA are at odds in a very public way over the Biden administration independent contractor rule.

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12 August
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price drops for a fifth week, but higher prices loom

The benchmark price of diesel used for most fuel surcharges fell for the fifth straight week.

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John Kingston

Oppenheimer analysts see fertile ground for Jacobs’ plans at new venture QXO

QXO, the latest venture by Brad Jacobs, has a strong opportunity in building products distribution, according to an Oppenheimer & Co. report.

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09 August
John Kingston

Newly public Proficient has strong Q2, makes first post-IPO acquisition

Proficient Auto Logistics, the auto hauler that went public in May, has made its first acquisition since its IPO.

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John Kingston

OOIDA appeal: AB5 will kill off lease drivers, raising Commerce Clause issues

OOIDA, in its appeal in California’s AB5 independent contractor law case, raised the law’s B2B exemption as an issue.

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07 August
John Kingston

RXO points to bright spots even as soft freight market persists

RXO did not see significant improvement in its key financials, but it highlighted where things were better.

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John Kingston

NFI CEO Brown pleads not guilty in New Jersey political corruption case

The CEO of truckload carrier NFI pleaded not guilty in a New Jersey political corruption case.

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John Kingston

Bestpass acquiring Drivewyze in expansion of FreightTech offerings

Bestpass-Fleetworthy Solutions, known primarily for its toll management services, is acquiring weigh station bypass company Drivewyze and signals that more acquisitions are ahead.

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John Kingston

First look: RXO’s Q2 revenue declined, but gross margin improved

3PL RXO saw its revenue decline in the second quarter, but gross margin was higher.

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06 August
John Kingston

Uber Freight EBITDA still in the red, and revenue continues to slide

EBITDA at Uber Freight remained negative in the second quarter, and revenue continued to fall.

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John Kingston

Expeditors’ airfreight business up in Q2 even as ocean freight fell

Expeditors International saw an increase in its airfreight business in the second quarter and a downturn on the ocean.

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John Kingston

Trucking industry relieved as Tax Commission rejects shift in state taxation

A proposed shift in how tax revenue generated by freight movements is allocated among states has hit a dead end.

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05 August
John Kingston

Benchmark retail diesel price falls again – but only slightly

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined for a fifth straight week.

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John Kingston

FTR, ACT Research report slower Class 8 build rates

Two key reporting agencies saw a slowdown in truck orders last month.

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02 August
John Kingston

Fourth consecutive month of decline in truck transportation jobs

The employment report for July showed truck transportation jobs down for the fourth straight month. 

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01 August
John Kingston

First look: Amazon stock slides after projections for 3Q revenue

Wall Street wasn’t happy with the revenue forecast for Amazon’s third quarter.

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John Kingston

Crackdown on BQE with WIM technology slashed overweight trucks by two-thirds

New York City is claiming early victory in cutting down traffic on a troubled highway segment in Brooklyn.  

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Jul - 2024 -
31 July
John Kingston

C.H. Robinson earnings again surprise to the upside; CEO cites operating model

Dave Bozeman, one year into the job as CEO of C.H. Robinson, cites a new operating model as the company’s earnings surprise to the upside.

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John Kingston

C.H. Robinson first look: Q2 numbers up from both Q1 and 2023

C.H. Robinson’s earnings look solidly positive, and the stock market reacted that way.

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30 July
John Kingston

Werner CEO Leathers says freight market inflection point may be close

The CEO of Werner Enterprises says an inflection point in the freight market might be near.

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John Kingston

Werner first look: Revenues down, OR in truckload segment deteriorates

Werner Enterprises saw revenue and earnings per share drop in the second quarter.

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John Kingston

On eve of earnings report, C.H. Robinson sells European brokerage operations

C.H. Robinson has made its first acquisition or divestiture since Dave Bozeman took over, selling its European brokerage operations.

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John Kingston

Where do propane powered trucks fit in the energy transition? Ask New Jersey

A key port in New Jersey is adopting propane as a preferred fuel for the vehicles that move around its property.

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29 July
John Kingston

After 4 increases, benchmark diesel price down third week in a row

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined for a third straight week.

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28 July
John Kingston

‘We’re too fat’: TFI International CEO targets costs at US LTL operations

In an earnings call with analysts, TFI International CEO Alain Bedard gave a strong critique of the company’s LTL cost structure.

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26 July
John Kingston

Ryder, reporting sluggish earnings growth, sees ‘trough’ in freight market

Ryder’s earnings report for the second quarter showed some sluggishness, but company executives see a bottom.

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25 July
John Kingston

California Supreme Court upholds AB5 exemption for gig workers

The California Supreme Court unanimously upheld the exemption from independent contractor law AB5 that Prop 22 granted to gig drivers.

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24 July
John Kingston

Backed by big companies and labor, Supply Chain Council debuts

The Supply Chain Council heralded its beginning with an outdoor briefing near the Port of New York/New Jersey.

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John Kingston

California’s forklifts were going zero-emission even before latest mandate

California’s latest environmental logistics rule focuses on forklifts, but clean technology there has been growing already.

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