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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.
Apr - 2025 -
02 April
John Kingston

Truck driver triumphs at Supreme Court in case involving marijuana testing

A truck driver has won a victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that traces back to a failed marijuana test.

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Mar - 2025 -
31 March
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price up for second straight week, futures markets rise sharply

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

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28 March
John Kingston

5 takeaways from State of Freight: Getting ready for auto tariffs

In the March State of Freight webinar, Craig Fuller and Zach Strickland talked about a freight market on the verge of auto tariffs.

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27 March
John Kingston

Orbcomm’s debt rating holds at Moody’s but is deep in speculative territory

Moody’s has affirmed its speculative debt rating for Orbcomm, a provider of ELDs and Internet of Things applications.

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26 March
John Kingston

FreightTech companies spotlight new or enhanced products for TCA crowd

It’s a tough battlefield in FreightTech, and these companies are joining the fray with new or enhanced offerings.

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24 March
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price up first time in 3 weeks, futures markets edge higher

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for the first time in three weeks.

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John Kingston

Punitive damages in huge Wabash judgment slashed but still over $100M

Trailer builder Wabash National won a massive reduction in punitive damages stemming from a lawsuit over a deadly crash but lost on other requests in a Missouri courtroom.

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John Kingston

Trucking company owner gets almost 4 years in prison for lying to FMCSA

A Rochester, New York-area truck company owner got almost four years in prison for lying to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

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21 March
John Kingston

Clash on legal status of California transportation waivers highlighted at TCA

A former head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, now executive director of the Clean Freight Coalition, recapped some key trucking-related environmental battles in Washington.

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20 March
John Kingston

Brad Jacobs’ QXO has first building products acquisition, as Beacon OKs sale

Logistics entrepreneur Brad Jacobs has closed his first deal in the building products sector with the purchase of Beacon Roofing Supply.

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19 March
John Kingston

Carriers big and small at TCA wait for signs of freight market turnaround

On panels for both small and large carriers, the talk at the Truckload Carriers Association was of coping with a freight recession as a turnaround remains elusive.

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18 March
John Kingston

ATA economist: US port fees on Chinese ships will hurt freight markets

American Trucking Associations economist Bob Costello foresees negative impacts on freight markets from new port fees on Chinese ships calling at U.S. ports.

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17 March
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price drops for a third straight week

The diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined for the third week in a row.

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John Kingston

Stolen load of cellphones involving RXO may be another key broker liability case

RXO is involved in a legal case that could become another precedent in the question over when brokers can be held liable after a theft or accident.

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13 March
John Kingston

Kal Freight bankruptcy staying under Chapter 11, allaying fears of chaotic exit

The bankruptcy of Kal Freight will be completed through Chapter 11, after creditors reached a settlement.

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12 March
John Kingston

J.B. Hunt keeps its 11-year-old debt rating from Moody’s

J.B. Hunt’s long-standing investment-grade debt rating from Moody’s has been affirmed.

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11 March
John Kingston

TransForce, which hires thousands of drivers a year, eyeing smaller fleets

TransForce has a new CEO, and the supplier of drivers is looking to expand into smaller fleets.

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10 March
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel down over 11 cents in 2 weeks; refineries at risk?

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges is near its lowest level for 2025.

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John Kingston

Kal Freight on its last legs: Will drivers be stranded if it closes quickly?

Kal Freight is likely to be going out of business, but just how that will happen is a subject of dispute in bankruptcy court.

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07 March
John Kingston

Downward drift in truck transportation employment continued in February

Truck transportation employment continued to fall in February and is now more than 15,000 jobs below year-ago numbers.

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06 March
John Kingston

New York City wants wider use of WIM technology to fight overweight trucks 

With success in cutting down the number of overweight trucks on a key highway, New York City looks to expand use of weigh-in-motion technology around the state.

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05 March
John Kingston

Tariff impacts on diesel prices will likely hit New England first

New England may be the first location in the country to see an impact from the tariff on imported Canadian oil.

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04 March
John Kingston

Project44 and MyCarrier can both claim partial win in Delaware court decision

The Delaware Chancery Court dealt a short-term setback to project44 in its case against MyCarrier, but the longer-term impact is uncertain.

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03 March
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price heads lower as futures markets drop even more

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges dropped for the first time in five weeks.

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John Kingston

Penske Truck Leasing hangs on to investment-grade debt rating from Moody’s

Moody’s has affirmed its debt rating for Penske Truck Leasing, a key supplier of trucking rentals.

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Feb - 2025 -
28 February
John Kingston

Ravaged by Helene, I-40 in North Carolina to reopen, with limits

A large stretch of interstate 40 in North Caroline, shut by Hurricane Helene, is reopening this weekend.

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27 February
26 February
John Kingston

‘What did these men do?’ judge asks in throwing out indictment of NFI’s Brown

In dismissing the case against NFI CEO Sidney Brown, the New Jersey judge took aim at some of the charges against him.

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25 February
John Kingston

BMO’s numbers on trucking credit suggest worst may be over

The numbers in Canadian bank BMO’s quarterly earnings suggest credit problems in trucking may have hit bottom.

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24 February
John Kingston

Diesel benchmark goes up a bit, again, as stability continues

The DOE/EIA benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges posted a small increase Monday.

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John Kingston

Chalk up another nuclear verdict: More than $21M in Los Angeles case

The trucking industry has been hit with another nuclear verdict, this time in Los Angeles.

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22 February
John Kingston

3 ratings agencies weigh in on Patriot Rail’s finances amid debt structure change

A debt issuance by shortline operator Patriot Rail provides a look into its finances.

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21 February
John Kingston

TFI acknowledges US LTL ‘disaster’ and difficult Daseke integration in Q4

The fourth quarter was a “disaster” at TFI International, and its CEO gave an update on how the Daseke acquisition is doing.

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20 February
John Kingston

State of Freight: Taking stock of the market after a month of Trump

The State of Freight webinar for February focused on the market uncertainty brought about by the first month of the presidency of Donald Trump.

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19 February
John Kingston

First look: More weak numbers out of TFI’s US LTL operations

The fourth-quarter earnings report of TFI International had bad news for investors.

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John Kingston

EPA starts uncertain attempt to revoke several California truck emissions waivers

An EPA action initiating the process of revoking three California emissions waivers faces legal hurdles.

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18 February
John Kingston

Quiet diesel market awaits potential tariff impacts on Canadian oil

Oil markets have been quiet, but the impact of potential tariffs on Canada and Mexico is on the horizon.

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John Kingston

Strong quarter for Expeditors as disruptions and uncertainty led to a volume increase

Expeditors International had a strong quarter, beating analyst estimates on profitability and revenue.

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John Kingston

XPO lawsuit against 2 ex-employees gives look into noncompete agreements

LTL carrier XPO has filed suit against two workers who had a noncompete but went to Central Transport.

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17 February
John Kingston

Flatbed operator and aggregator PS Logistics holds on to debt rating at Moody’s

PS Logistics hangs on to its debt rating at Moody’s, giving a look at the finances of the privately held flatbed operator.

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14 February
John Kingston

Missouri truck company owner gets 9 years for PPP fraud, other felonies

A Missouri truck company owner who was convicted of Paycheck Protection Program fraud was sentenced to nine years in prison.

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John Kingston

Manhattan Associates’ sudden C-suite change not what it seemed, executives say

The change at the top of Manhattan Associates looked like an ouster, but former CEO Eddie Capell met with analysts to say it wasn’t.

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13 February
John Kingston

Ryder not counting on stronger freight market in ’25, so it touts broader trends

Ryder System’s outlook doesn’t see a lot of gains from a stronger freight market, so it is looking to more structural changes.

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12 February
John Kingston

First look: Ryder data offers mixed signals on strength of used vehicle market

Ryder System’s fourth-quarter used vehicle sales were flat from the third quarter but down from a year ago.

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11 February
John Kingston

Proficient, in midst of huge upheaval for auto carriers, is cautious in analyst earnings call

With the Jack Cooper closing set to roil the market for auto haulers, Proficient met analysts on a momentous day.

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John Kingston

In 3 months, Jack Cooper went from discussing new funding to closing its doors

Jack Cooper’s end came just a few months after it was reportedly talking about some form of financial support from GM.

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10 February
John Kingston

Auto hauler Jack Cooper shutting down: CEO letter to workers

Auto hauler Jack Cooper is closing after recent contract difficulties with Ford and GM.

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08 February
John Kingston

Jack Cooper-GM relationship under siege, cars not loaded onto JC trucks

The Jack Cooper-GM relationship has been severed, with GM no longer providing cars to the auto hauler.

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07 February
John Kingston

BLS revision: Far fewer workers in truck transportation than earlier estimated

The annual revision to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment report showed a lot fewer jobs in truck transportation than earlier thought.

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05 February
John Kingston

Senators seek answers from Ford about Jack Cooper contract cancellation

Two U.S. senators are asking Ford to explain why it canceled its contract with auto hauler Jack Cooper.

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John Kingston

First look: RXO earnings

RXO predicts in its fourth-quarter earnings report that it will have greater synergies from its Coyote acquisition.

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04 February
John Kingston

Georgia-based RSTZ, with operations also in New England, files for bankruptcy protection

A Georgia-based carrier has filed for bankruptcy protection, citing a weak freight market.

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03 February
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel up a tiny bit; futures markets on tariff-driven wild ride

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges was up a small amount as oil futures went on a wild ride.

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John Kingston

Trucking-backed suit may be arena for dumping Biden independent contractor rule

The ping-pong question of how the National Labor Relations Board defines independent contractors is on hold, for now, in a key trucking case.

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Jan - 2025 -
31 January
John Kingston

Saia starts its engines: LTL carrier will sponsor a leading NASCAR team

Saia is turning to NASCAR as a new marketing platform, sponsoring a car from the Joe Gibbs Racing team.

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30 January
John Kingston

Takeaways from State of Freight: Volatility in Washington, intermodal surge

In the first State of Freight webinar for the year, intermodal and politics were on the agenda.

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John Kingston

C.H. Robinson’s Q4 performance soars year on year but slows sequentially

C.H. Robinson posted strong year-on-year gains, but some of the sequential numbers were softer.

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29 January
John Kingston

C.H. Robinson fourth-quarter earnings: first look

C.H. Robinson’s fourth-quarter earnings show some continued improvement sequentially, which has been a key metric for investors.

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John Kingston

Love’s in California: Gauging impact of Advanced Clean Fleets rule demise

Love’s Travel Stops built a new travel center in California even as diesel was targeted for phase-out; now that’s not an issue.

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28 January
John Kingston

Project44, MyCarrier trade courtroom claims of contract violation, poor service

The project44 vs. My Carrier dispute over eBOL technology has reached a Delaware court, with both sides asking for injunctions.

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John Kingston

Western Express prevails at federal appeals level in ‘wall of water’ case ATA saw as important

Western Express prevailed in federal appellate court in a case involving a Virginia wreck from 2018.

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27 January
John Kingston

After 4 straight increases, benchmark diesel price falls

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges fell for the first time in five weeks.

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24 January
John Kingston

A disconnect: EBITDA at Triumph Payments is all-time high, but Triumph Financial’s stock plummets on earnings

Trucking-focused bank Triumph Financial had a solid EBITDA performance at its Payments unit, but a lower bottom line.

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22 January
John Kingston

Drivers settle class action with Lytx over in-cab surveillance, data gathering

In an Illinois case involving gathering biometric data from truck drivers, telematics provider Lytx has settled for $4.25 million.

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21 January
John Kingston

Big jump puts benchmark diesel price back at August levels

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose to the highest level since August.

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20 January
John Kingston

Connectivity, generative AI’s impact key supply chain software themes at NRF ’25

Manhattan Associates and Blue Yonder were key supply chain software providers highlighting their new capabilities at NRF ’25.

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17 January
John Kingston

Louisiana staged accident murder: Harris pleads guilty but fingers others for the shooting

Bombshell in Louisiana: a guilty plea in staged accident murder and an accusation against two others.

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16 January
John Kingston

The day after: Speculation abounds on California trucking regulation with no ACF

California’s trucking industry is starting to try to figure out what the world looks like with the Advanced Clean Fleets rule dead.

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15 January
John Kingston

CARB, in a stunner, drops request for EPA waiver on Advanced Clean Fleets rule

The California Air Resources Board has withdrawn its request for a waiver to implement the Advanced Clean Fleets rule.

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14 January
John Kingston

Carrier loses fight against Biden independent contractor rule in New Mexico court

A New Mexico carrier came up short in its lawsuit against the Biden administration’s independent contractor rule.

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John Kingston

Daimler Truck NA resumes Oregon sales after dispute over Advanced Clean Trucks rule

Daimler Truck North America has lifted its ban on sales of new internal combustion engine trucks in Oregon over a dispute about the Advanced Clean Trucks rule that several states have adopted following California’s lead.

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13 January
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price up for third week as oil futures markets soar again

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for the third week in a row.

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John Kingston

Supreme Court, in case involving TQL, again declines to review broker liability

In a case involving 3PL giant TQL, the Supreme Court has again chosen not to review the issue of whether a broker is liable when a carrier it hires is held liable in an accident or other incident.

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John Kingston

Battles over California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule rage far beyond state line

The impact of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule extends far beyond the Golden State’s borders, as recent developments show.

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11 January
John Kingston

C.H. Robinson – and 3PL industry – win another broker liability case in 7th Circuit

A federal court has again ruled in favor of the 3PL industry on the issue of broker liability.

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10 January
John Kingston

Slight drop in trucking jobs in December wraps up overall down employment year

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a slight decline in truck transportation employment in December, wrapping up a down year in the sector.

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09 January
John Kingston

Daimler halts ICE truck sales in Oregon, citing dispute on clean truck credits

Daimler North America is not selling internal combustion engine trucks in Oregon over a dispute the state believes was settled.

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07 January
John Kingston

Kuebix TMS relaunch a key part of new FreightWise-Estes deal

Kuebix is being relaunched as a TMS by FreightWise in a recent deal with less-than-truckload carrier Estes.

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06 January
John Kingston

Jump in benchmark diesel price biggest since June

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose Monday by the biggest level since June.

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03 January
John Kingston

Project44’s latest lawsuit in intellectual property dispute targets SMC3

A ruptured deal between project44 and MyCarrier now has spawned a p44 lawsuit against SMC3.

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Dec - 2024 -
31 December
John Kingston

OOIDA’s latest move against AB5 focuses on leased owner-operators in California

OOIDA is looking at the issue of leased independent owner-operators as it keeps up its legal fight against AB5 in California.

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30 December
John Kingston

Diesel benchmark up slightly; futures market soars on forecast of extreme cold

The benchmark price for most fuel surcharges was higher against a backdrop of climbing diesel futures prices.

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John Kingston

Oil in 2025 increasingly looking like a buyer’s market

The supply/demand outlook for oil increasingly points to downward pressure on oil prices next year, as does greater use of electric vehicles.

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26 December
John Kingston

Trac Intermodal’s outlook at Moody’s now negative, but debt rating affirmed

Chassis provider Trac Intermodal saw its debt rating affirmed by Moody’s, but its outlook is now negative.

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24 December
John Kingston

Benesch 2024: Pent-up dollars could be big factor in logistics M&A next year

Participants in a key conference discussed how private equity dollars sitting on the sidelines could boost logistics M&A.

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23 December
John Kingston

After cleaning up mess, Roadrunner CEO Jamroz plots new future

Chris Jamroz doesn’t mince words about what he found at Roadrunner, but a new ownership structure launches its next phase

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20 December
John Kingston

EPA OKs California’s tighter diesel NOx rule; can waiver survive under Trump?

California has received a waiver that allows tighter rules on diesel emissions; will it have a short shelf life?

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19 December
John Kingston

Strike against Amazon reveals complicated interrelationship among warring parties

Surveying the issues in the strike against Amazon by the Teamsters union and defining an “employee” can get tricky.

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18 December
John Kingston

Teamsters have some legal issues to overcome after wins at Amazon and with DSPs

The Teamsters are making gains at Amazon and among the company’s direct service providers, but the e-commerce retailer says not so fast.

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16 December
John Kingston

After last week’s big drop, benchmark diesel price turns higher

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose this week from the lowest level in more than three years.

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John Kingston

Supreme Court won’t review Ohio case, boosting California’s emissions rules

A key case regarding California’s ability to receive environmental waivers, Ohio vs. EPA, won’t be taken up by the Supreme Court.

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John Kingston

Despite win on appeal, TQL wants Supreme Court to review broker liability issue

TQL isn’t satisfied with its victory in a federal appeals court; it wants the Supreme Court to take up the question of broker liability.

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14 December
John Kingston

Question over ability of California to be granted environmental waivers headed to SCOTUS

The ability of California to receive a waiver for tougher environmental rules will be taken up by the Supreme Court.

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