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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.
Mar - 2024 -
19 March
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price up slightly but futures are surging

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose 2.4 cents, though diesel futures are climbing rapidly.

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18 March
John Kingston

Further appeals to block AB5 from California trucking seen as a long shot

The odds of winning the big AB5 independent contractor case on appeal, after last week’s smackdown in a lower court, are considered slim, observers say.

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16 March
John Kingston

Groups lose latest court attempt to block California’s AB5 from state’s trucking sector

A new attempt to keep California’s independent contractor law AB5 from the state’s trucking sector was thoroughly rejected by a federal judge this week.

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15 March
John Kingston

After minimum pay rule passes, Uber and Lyft threaten to leave Minneapolis

Uber and Lyft have declared their intention to pull out of Minneapolis after a minimum pay ordinance for app-based drivers survived a mayoral veto.

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John Kingston

California gets another pot of money for ZEV and other cleaner trucks, courtesy of Volkswagen

The Volkswagen diesel scandal settlement is providing more money to buy zero-emission drayage trucks and other vehicles in California.

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14 March
John Kingston

Key analysis sees Red Sea shipping diversions starting to boost oil demand

The closely watched International Energy Agency analysis of oil supply and demand is seeing consumption growing in part because of shipping diversions.

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13 March
John Kingston

Union Pacific CEO defends safety practices without mentioning key critic

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena defended the railroad’s safety record, which recently has come in for criticism from Federal Railroad Administration Chairman Amit Bose.

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12 March
John Kingston

GXO acquisition of Wincanton draws caution and praise from ratings agencies

The two key ratings agencies expressed caution about the debt metrics on GXO’s acquisition of Wincanton. (Photo: GXO)

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11 March
John Kingston

As diesel settles into tight trading range, retail benchmark dips again

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

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John Kingston

Federal court in Texas nixes NLRB rule on joint employee status

An NLRB rule on joint employee status that was widely feared by employers has been vacated by a federal court in Texas just before it was to take effect.

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08 March
John Kingston

Jobs report: Truck transportation employment flat; warehouse jobs drop again

Truck transportation jobs in the monthly BLS report were slightly down, but that couldn’t be said for plunging warehouse numbers.

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07 March
John Kingston

E2open stock pops higher on announcement it is launching ‘strategic review’

Supply chain software provider E2open, with Elliott Investment Management holding a big stake, has launched a “strategic review” on its future.

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John Kingston

SEC backs off on requiring companies to report scope 3 emissions

The Securities and Exchange Commission has withdrawn a rule that would have required reporting of scope 3 emissions, those related to companies’ supply chains.

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06 March
John Kingston

FTR, ACT report solid but not stellar new Class 8 truck build numbers

The latest figures from ACT and FTR show a new truck build market that remains solid but that slowed from a month earlier.

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John Kingston

TIA chief: In tough times, strengthening broker-carrier ties is vital

At the FreightWaves 3PL Summit, TIA’s Anne Reinke talks about the natural distrust between brokers and carriers.

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05 March
John Kingston

Norfolk Southern fires back at Ancora, gets Wall Street analyst’s support

Norfolk Southern has defended its safety measures and CEO pay package amid criticism and calls to action from activist investor Ancora Holdings.

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John Kingston

Dispute over ESG policies leads to a director departure at Werner

A director at Werner Enterprises has resigned over several disputes, including one over the truckload carrier’s environmental, social and governance policies.

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04 March
John Kingston

12-month story: Crude oil prices move slightly lower, but diesel falls further

The benchmark price used for most diesel fuel surcharges was down for a second consecutive week.

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John Kingston

ACF spurs small gain in zero-emission drayage trucks at Port of Long Beach

Drayage carriers at the Port of Long Beach may be adding more internal combustion engine vehicles than zero-emission vehicles to prepare for California’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule. The Port of LA’s use of ZEVs is also low.

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03 March
John Kingston

Amid debate over rail safety concerns, another Norfolk Southern train derails

A Norfolk Southern train derailed in Pennsylvania on Saturday amid an already heated battle over railroad safety issues. Here’s the latest.

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01 March
John Kingston

Teamsters, Anheuser-Busch reach new 5-year contract

The Teamsters and Anheuser-Busch have reached a new five-year contract covering 5,000 workers across operations in the U.S. 

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Feb - 2024 -
29 February
John Kingston

Shelley Simpson named CEO at J.B. Hunt in long-expected move

J.B. Hunt President Shelley Simpson becomes CEO on July 1, succeeding John H. Roberts III.

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28 February
John Kingston

Settlement of case involving BNSF’s use of trucker biometrics set at $75M 

A case in Illinois involving BNSF Railway and a federal law on biometric information privacy has its settlement figure: $75 million.

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John Kingston

Deadline nears for filings as Werner seeks review of nuclear verdict

The Texas Supreme Court has set a March 6 deadline for any parties that want to weigh in on the $90 million verdict against Werner Enterprises.

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27 February
John Kingston

BMO’s Q1 earnings show more credit deterioration in trucking industry

Financial data from Canadian bank BMO, a major lender to the trucking industry, showed further credit deterioration.

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26 February
John Kingston

In quieter diesel market, benchmark price moves down just over 5 cents

The weekly diesel price that serves as the basis for most fuel surcharges fell in its latest posting.

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John Kingston

Pilot’s drop in profits led to lower valuation in final Berkshire purchase

When Berkshire Hathaway bought the last 20% of Pilot Travel Centers, the deal valued the chain at significantly less than just a year earlier.

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23 February
John Kingston

If truckers haul bread and cakes, is their business baking or trucking?

Supreme Court considers that question and what it means for disputes taken to arbitration or to court.

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John Kingston

New report details challenges, opportunities in freight market

A new report from venture capital firm UP.Partners takes a look at the impact of the freight recession and new developments in the industry.

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22 February
John Kingston

Triumph factoring group’s new COO sits atop a business that has doubled

Kimberly Fisk, the new COO of Triumph’s factoring group, sat down for an interview with FreightWaves as she begins the job.

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21 February
John Kingston

State of Freight takeaways: Is a weak February the bottom of the cycle?

Takeaways from the State of Freight webinar this month kick off with an “abysmal” February.

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20 February
John Kingston

Volume weakness at Expeditors continues, but rate of decline slows

Volume data at Expeditors suggests that the year-on-year decline is slowing from where it was earlier in 2023.

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19 February
John Kingston

Live on stage: The complex relationship between a trucking job and life

“Grabbing the Hammer Lane,” a one-actor show with trucking as a theme, is winning strong reviews.

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16 February
John Kingston

Teamsters ousted at Dr Pepper Wisconsin, face off against Anheuser-Busch

The Teamsters, which have been mostly winning lately, saw their union kicked out by some workers in Wisconsin.

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15 February
John Kingston

FMC upholds ruling upending current chassis pool system

An administrative law judge ruling against the current system of chassis pools was upheld by the full Federal Maritime Commission.

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John Kingston

Investment bank praises Triumph Financial but cuts its stock price rating

Investment bank Piper Sandler cut its rating on trucking-focused bank Triumph Financial even as it offered praise for the company’s strategy.

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14 February
John Kingston

Ryder continues shift toward less reliance on leasing, talks up Cardinal

Ryder has a plan in place to reduce its reliance on equipment leasing. Its progress could be seen in its earnings.

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13 February
John Kingston

Dates set for International Roadcheck: May 14-16

International Roadcheck through North America will take place in mid-May this year.

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John Kingston

NJ insurers: Umbrella policies key to meeting new truck coverage minimums

New Jersey’s leading insurance trade group says umbrella coverage is likely the way to go for fleets  looking to meet the state’s new $1.5 million minimum.

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12 February
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price jumps the most since October, back above $4

The DOE/EIA benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges is above $4 for the first time since December.

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John Kingston

RXO looked to be avoiding the worst of the freight market, but no more

Reaction to RXO’s fourth-quarter earnings has been decidedly negative, and the first quarter started off weak.

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08 February
John Kingston

RXO touts performance even as numbers show impact of weak freight market

RXO’s fourth quarter was slightly better than the third, but overall, the 3PL had its challenges last year.

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07 February
John Kingston

Uber Freight’s revenue and EBITDA still weak

There isn’t much sign of an upturn in Uber Freight’s latest earnings report.

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John Kingston

Thomas Schmitt out as CEO at beleaguered Forward Air

Thomas Schmitt, the Forward Air CEO who put together the deal with Omni Logistics trashed by investors, is leaving the company. 

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06 February
John Kingston

14-year-old case that brought ABC test to New Jersey was just settled

A lawsuit that goes back to 2010 and opened the door for the ABC test in New Jersey has been settled.

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05 February
John Kingston

A first since September: Benchmark diesel price up 2 straight weeks

The benchmark price used for most fuel surcharges has risen two straight weeks for the first time since September.

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John Kingston

U.S. Bank Index variances suggest possible bottom for excess capacity

U.S. Bank’s freight indices are down but at a rate that may suggest a balancing of capacity could be ongoing.

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03 February
John Kingston

Plan to replace I-81 in Syracuse with urban boulevard gets court win

Tearing down the Interstate 81 viaduct in Syracuse, New York, and replacing it with an urban boulevard moved closer to fruition after a Friday court decision.

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02 February
John Kingston

BLS says fewer truck transportation jobs in ’23 than first estimated

As the Bureau of Labor Statistics signaled in August, the annual revision of employment data shows fewer truck transportation jobs last year than initially reported.

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John Kingston

New Jersey hikes truck insurance minimum to $1.5M, higher than most states

New Jersey is raising its truck liability insurance requirement to $1.5 million, one of the highest in the U.S.

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01 February
John Kingston

Ryder buys Cardinal Logistics, significantly growing its dedicated business 

Ryder System is increasing its dedicated footprint with the acquisition of Cardinal Logistics.

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Jan - 2024 -
31 January
30 January
John Kingston

Norfolk Southern’s weak Q4, deteriorating OR draw Wall Street criticism

It was a tough earnings report for Norfolk Southern, and a few Wall Street analysts let management know of their disappointment.

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29 January
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price has been up and down for 6 straight weeks

The benchmark price used for most diesel fuel surcharges rose for the third time in six weeks.

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John Kingston

Omni’s Schickel won’t have executive role at Forward Air

J.J. Schickel, CEO of Omni Logistics, will not be in an executive role at the combined Forward Air-Omni company.

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26 January
John Kingston

Love’s: Restraint in new travel centers/truck parking in ’24, but larger growth plans

Love’s plans on adding as many as 2,000 truck parking spots this year, less than in recent years.

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25 January
John Kingston

Marten’s net income drops by more than half from a year earlier

Marten Transport reported net fourth-quarter income that was more than 50% lower than a year ago.

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23 January
John Kingston

EBITDA at TriumphPay, its key metric, turned positive in Q4

TriumphPay came in at positive EBITDA in the fourth quarter, a full year ahead of schedule.

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John Kingston

Another decline in benchmark diesel prices comes as winter’s impact fades

The benchmark price of diesel used for most fuel surcharges was down again, its 14th drop in 18 weeks.

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21 January
John Kingston

Free safety messages at the core of a new Drivewyze offering

Drivewyze has launched a new service to push safety notifications live to ELDs and other devices.

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18 January
John Kingston

State of Freight takeaways: Impacts of the deep freeze; data looking up

The January State of Freight webinar from FreightWaves looked at low temperatures and signs of a warming market.

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John Kingston

3 supply chain software providers tell their latest stories at NRF

Supply chain software providers Manhattan Associates, Blue Yonder and AWS Supply Chain used the National Retail Federation’s annual meeting to tout new offerings and discuss recent challenges.

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17 January
John Kingston

Haslams sell final 20% stake in Pilot to Berkshire Hathaway

The Haslam family has exercised its option to have Berkshire Hathaway buy the final 20% of Pilot Travel Centers it did not already own.

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John Kingston

Benchmark diesel price makes atypical move upward

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose for only the fourth time in the past 17 weeks.

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15 January
John Kingston

From pandemic chaos to AI, supply chain panelists have seen it all lately

At the big National Retail Federation meeting in New York, a daylong discussion on supply chains looked back on the craziness and ahead to a bold future.

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12 January
John Kingston

Teamsters rack up late-2023 wins, stage significant strike in ’24

The Teamsters had a good few months at the end of 2023 in their organizing efforts, racking up several victories.

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09 January
John Kingston

Tweaks in final independent contractor rule could benefit trucking

The final Department of Labor rule on independent contractors was mostly unchanged but with some small wins for the trucking industry.

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John Kingston

Supreme Court rejects review in broker liability case, leaving the issue unresolved

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to review a case involving broker liability leaves that question unresolved among the circuit courts.

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08 January
John Kingston

Benchmark diesel down again as Saudi moves suggest there’s more declines to come

The benchmark used for most diesel surcharges was down for the 13th time in 16 weeks.

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John Kingston

Berkshire, Haslams settle suits, avoiding trial over valuation of Pilot Travel Centers

Berkshire Hathaway and the former owners of Pilot Travel Centers have settled their legal differences on the day trial was set to begin.

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05 January
John Kingston

Court rules CRST team drivers must be paid for some hours in sleeper berth

The Fair Labor Standards Act can be applied to team drivers for some of the time spent in the sleeper berth, according to a federal court.

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John Kingston

Truck transportation jobs trend higher while warehouses shed workers

The monthly BLS report showed a relatively modest gain for truck transportation jobs but another decline in warehouses.

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John Kingston

After 2023 price declines, diesel focus turns to its relationship to crude oil

After a year in which crude and diesel prices fell, new refineries and the supply and demand balance appear to be bearish in ’24.

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04 January
John Kingston

Prime moves into hopper trucks with highly transparent way of announcing it

Truckload carrier Prime is moving into the hopper business and took to YouTube to announce its expansion.

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02 January
John Kingston

Red Sea issues not hitting oil prices yet; diesel benchmark renews slide

After an increase last week, the benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges declined in its first posting of 2024.

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Dec - 2023 -
29 December
John Kingston

SoCal warehouse emissions rule, and possible impact on trucks, upheld by judge

A rule on warehouse emissions that the California Trucking Association viewed as like a zero-emission vehicle mandate has been upheld in court.

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28 December
John Kingston

California holds off on only allowing new zero-emission vehicles in drayage registry

California won’t enforce its rule that only zero-emission vehicles can be registered as drayage trucks after the start of 2024.

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27 December
John Kingston

Logistics M&A slower but opportunities still there

At this year’s Benesch conference, the panel on mergers and acquisitions focused on survival in a market where most valuations have plummeted.

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26 December
John Kingston

After dropping for 8 weeks, benchmark diesel price turns higher

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges rose Tuesday, the first increase since the end of October.

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John Kingston

Registration deadline for California Clean Truck Check gets another month

The California Clean Truck Check registration deadline has been extended to Jan. 31.

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John Kingston

Drilling Deep: Looking at 2024 regulatory landscape with Scopelitis

In the closing edition of Drilling Deep for 2023, P. Sean Garney of Scopelitis looks at the regulatory landscape for the new year.

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21 December
John Kingston

Challenge to California’s Advanced Clean Trucks EPA waiver on hold

A lawsuit challenging the waiver granted by the EPA to California for its Advanced Clean Trucks rule will be delayed.

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John Kingston

Nuclear verdict alert: More than $16M awarded in Georgia court

There’s a new nuclear verdict against a trucking company and it comes out of a case in Georgia.

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20 December
John Kingston

9th Circuit panel will hear Uber/Postmates case on AB5

An earlier Uber/Postmates court victory over AB5 in California has been vacated.  

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19 December
John Kingston

Court kills CARB’s reefer truck fee, but refrigeration unit rules intact

A small victory in court over a new California rule doesn’t slow another part of the state’s march toward zero-emission refrigerated trucks … but not trailers.

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18 December
John Kingston

Diesel benchmark down again, futures markets up amid Red Sea tension

The benchmark diesel price used for most fuel surcharges was down Monday, but its long decline is threatened by Red Sea strife.

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John Kingston

Convoy autopsy continues: Panel sees capacity issues, lack of discipline

A panel at a conference on private equity in transportation reviewed the reasons why Convoy collapsed.

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15 December
John Kingston

Drilling Deep: Is the truck parking squeeze easing?

On this week’s Drilling Deep, we talk truck parking and weakening oil demand. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

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John Kingston

Haslam payments to Pilot execs won’t be issue in Berkshire Hathaway trial

The upcoming trial between the Haslam family and Berkshire Hathaway will see some limits on discussing a contentious issue.

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14 December
John Kingston

State of Freight: Strong volume, stuck OTRI and caution for shippers in ’24

FreightWaves’ December State of Freight webinar looked at the disconnect between healthy volumes and low rejection rates.

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John Kingston

California asks EPA for waiver to implement Advanced Clean Fleets rule

California has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver to implement the Advanced Clean Fleets rule.

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13 December
John Kingston

Cybercriminals are only getting smarter: NMFTA’s Banks

The sophistication of the world’s cybercriminals keeps improving and trucking companies need to invest, according to NMFTA’s Antwan Banks.

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12 December
John Kingston

GlobalTranz wants Supreme Court to punt on broker liability issue

GlobalTranz prefers the Supreme Court not review its appellate court victory in a case involving a fatal accident. 

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11 December
John Kingston

DOE/EIA diesel price falls again; physical markets sagging also

The basis for most fuel surcharges declined for the eighth time in 10 weeks.

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John Kingston

Building products mark the spot for Brad Jacobs’ new focus: QXO

XPO founder turns away from logistics to “highly fragmented” industry.

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08 December
John Kingston

Monthly trucking employment report: Steady after lots of volatility

The small rise in truck transportation jobs in November contrasts with more recent big swings.

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John Kingston

Sentencings in Louisiana staged truck accident case delayed again

Two of the most significant plotters in the Louisiana staged accident scheme were to be sentenced Thursday but it’s been delayed.

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06 December
John Kingston

California trucking regulation flies under radar as first deadline looms

The first deadline for a little-noticed environmental rule affecting all trucks traveling in California is Dec. 31.

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John Kingston

Hydrogen’s slow march as fuel gets boost on San Francisco waterfront

Hydrogen as a fuel is being used in a San Francisco ferry and now it has money to go farther.

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