John Paul Hampstead

John Paul conducts research on multimodal freight markets and holds a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Michigan. Prior to building a research team at FreightWaves, JP spent two years on the editorial side covering trucking markets, freight brokerage, and M&A.
Jul - 2025 -
10 July
John Paul Hampstead

Massive rare earths elements deposit confirmed in Wyoming

The deposits are in soft coal, making them economically feasible to develop.

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02 July
John Paul Hampstead

SkyWater buys Austin chip factory

SkyWater anticipates growing demand for domestically-sourced semiconductors.

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Jun - 2025 -
25 June
John Paul Hampstead

Piston raises $7.5M for cardless fuel payments solution

Eliminating fuel fraud with unique QR codes and flexible business rules.

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24 June
John Paul Hampstead

The first tropical storm of the 2025 hurricane season is here

NOAA forecasts above-average activity for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.

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19 June
John Paul Hampstead

C.H. Robinson will use AI agents to classify LTL freight

One of the thorniest processes in trucking logistics may have been solved.

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10 June
John Paul Hampstead

CarrierSource launches Shipper Intent Data to revolutionize freight sales

Data from shippers’ searches for capacity is piped into broker CRMs with CarrierSource’s newly launched Shipper Data Intent feature.

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06 June
John Paul Hampstead

Analyst on X: Trucking is set up for inflationary cycle

May Ling compares logistics to other components of the Producer Price Index.

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05 June
John Paul Hampstead

How GM + Nvidia are changing the face of the automotive industry

The AI-focused partnership will usher in the next generation of industrial robotics.

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John Paul Hampstead

Truckload’s path to equilibrium

The Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago freight markets are all tightening.

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May - 2025 -
29 May
John Paul Hampstead

Why Craig Fuller is bullish on the second half of 2025

FreightWaves CEO and founder Craig Fuller analyzed the latest SONAR data on the State Street Markets podcast and says he’s upbeat about the freight market for the latter half of 2025.

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28 May
John Paul Hampstead

Bonus depreciation for manufacturing plants now!

The obscure clause in the reconciliation bill that could juice manufacturing investment.

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19 May
14 May
John Paul Hampstead

2025 FreightWaves Fraud Fighters Awards recognize FreightTech innovators

Transportation providers and tech startups are among the winners of the 2025 FreightWaves Fraud Fighters Awards.

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06 May
John Paul Hampstead

Tariffs threaten model railroading as industry group seeks relief

The Hobby Industry Coalition seeks targeted refinements to what it sees as crippling tariffs.

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02 May
Apr - 2025 -
30 April
John Paul Hampstead

Trump administration adjusts metals tariffs to support US manufacturers

The Trump administration eases tariffs on auto industry metals, offering relief to U.S. automakers and suppliers through exemptions and reimbursement incentives.

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22 April
16 April
John Paul Hampstead

Can the US learn from China?

America must forge its own path to reindustrialization.

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John Paul Hampstead

Ocean container bookings plummet as Trump’s tariffs take effect

China-to-U.S. freight has been hit especially hard by President Trump’s tariffs.

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08 April
John Paul Hampstead

Trade policy changes alone won’t bring manufacturing back

Trade policy and industrial policy must work together for reindustrialization.

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Mar - 2025 -
25 March
John Paul Hampstead

Automotive resurgence? Hyundai’s $21B bet on the US

Hyundai will increase production to >1M units per year and build a steel plant.

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06 March
John Paul Hampstead

The tech giants open their wallets

Tech companies have pledged to invest more than $1 trillion in the U.S. in recent months.

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Feb - 2025 -
26 February
John Paul Hampstead

Stress on US electrical grid fuels new investments

More than $1B has been invested in recent months in U.S. electrical power equipment manufacturing capacity.

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20 February
John Paul Hampstead

Getting US industrial production unstuck

Industrial production has grown 1.5% since the summer of 2007.

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17 February
John Paul Hampstead

Better-than-expected industrial production data hides softness

Utility power production during cold weather was behind the growth in industrial production in January.

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13 February
John Paul Hampstead

McKinsey: Geopolitical partners trading more with one another, less with rivals

China’s share of U.S. manufactured goods imports is falling, while Vietnam’s and Mexico’s are rising.

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07 February
John Paul Hampstead

Super Bowl freight swamps the Big Easy

Truckload shipments spike into New Orleans ahead of Sunday’s showdown between the Chiefs and Eagles.

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06 February
John Paul Hampstead

Making sense of Trump’s new trade war

Border security is just as important to Trump as trade imbalances.

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03 February
John Paul Hampstead

It’s time to build (ships again)

President Trump wants to resurrect American shipbuilding. What’s at stake?

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Jan - 2025 -
30 January
John Paul Hampstead

Norfolk Southern poised for opportunistic growth in 2025

Norfolk Southern COO John Orr has the railroad running tighter and faster.

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29 January
John Paul Hampstead

The necessity of nuclear power

Why America will build out more nuclear power plants.

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22 January
John Paul Hampstead

Intermodal volume still outperforming

Container volumes have not slowed in January, blowing out year-over-year comps.

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21 January
John Paul Hampstead

Rebuilding American munitions production

Will the U.S. be able to produce 100,000 artillery shells every month?

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14 January
John Paul Hampstead

Lessons from Germany’s deindustrialization

The cost of energy is driving productive capital out of Germany.

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10 January
John Paul Hampstead

China’s economy is sputtering

Bond yields are falling and GDP growth is weakening in China as exporters cut prices.

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09 January
John Paul Hampstead

The reefer market isn’t cooling down

Severe winter weather and strong restaurant performance are keeping reefer hot.

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06 January
John Paul Hampstead

Why ocean container spot rates are spiking now

Eastbound trans-Pacific container spot rates just broke $5,900 — here’s why.

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03 January
John Paul Hampstead

Why Susquehanna is getting bullish on trucking

Susquehanna has upgraded JBHT, KNX, CHRW and HUBG to “Positive.”

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Dec - 2024 -
30 December
John Paul Hampstead

Solid holiday spending growth supporting truckload market

Spending exceeded expectations, sending tender rejections higher than they’ve been in years.

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19 December
John Paul Hampstead

Why the intermodal market is in a ‘long peak’ right now

Intermodal volumes are robust, even past peak retail season. What does it mean for 2025?

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04 December
John Paul Hampstead

SONAR inks data partnership with Transfix

SONAR data will power Transfix’s predictive rating models for freight brokers.

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Nov - 2024 -
21 November
John Paul Hampstead

2025 FreightTech 25 sees a shakeup as new companies surge in the rankings

Intermediaries and incumbents roared back in the FreightTech 25 rankings during a protracted soft market for freight.

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Oct - 2024 -
09 October
Aug - 2024 -
08 August
John Paul Hampstead

Why MyCarrier and project44 are fighting in court

MyCarrier asked a Delaware judge to stop project44 from cutting off visibility data to MyCarrier.

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Jul - 2024 -
Apr - 2024 -
19 April
John Paul Hampstead

Freight brokerages struggle through a long trough

The bleak first quarter of 2024 looks much like 2023 for freight brokerages.

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03 April
John Paul Hampstead

Trans-Pacific container rates plunge again

A key ocean container spot rate benchmark dropped nearly 18% this week.

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Mar - 2024 -
20 March
13 March
John Paul Hampstead

Is China spying on American ports?

ZPMC’s cranes appear to be part of a global digital surveillance effort on the part of the Chinese.

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Feb - 2024 -
28 February
Nov - 2023 -
08 November
John Paul Hampstead

Where does FreightTech go from here?

Venture capitalists have plenty of dry powder but they’re being choosier.

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Oct - 2023 -
24 October
John Paul Hampstead

Edge Logistics fighting through the freight brokerage winter

Edge continues to win new business on the back of a regional carrier strategy.

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19 October
John Paul Hampstead

Convoy discussing tech sale with 2 active bidders

Prospective acquirers are looking at Convoy’s platform and engineering and product teams.

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09 October
John Paul Hampstead

PCS Software: How a carrier TMS transformed itself into a digital freight network

The incumbent TMS provider is unifying its carrier and shipper platforms to generate network effects.

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Sep - 2023 -
01 September
John Paul Hampstead

Convoy and OTR Solutions resolve ‘misunderstanding’

Convoy and OTR Solutions have issued a joint statement saying that the situation has been resolved.

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Aug - 2023 -
24 August
23 August
Jul - 2023 -
20 July
John Paul Hampstead

The data to watch if Yellow shuts down

LTL contract rates and tender rejections in select markets will tell us if transportation networks can handle a sudden Yellow exit.

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17 July
John Paul Hampstead

DAT, Convoy drop lawsuits against each other

Neither DAT nor Convoy would be able to refile lawsuits against each other that they have agreed to drop.

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Jun - 2023 -
16 June
John Paul Hampstead

How Kroger expanded margins when growth was hard to come by

Kroger management reaffirmed the “low end” of 1-2% identical sales growth guidance.

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May - 2023 -
11 May
John Paul Hampstead

Even CPG volumes are slowing for brokers

CPG companies are trying to lock in low freight rates in a cyclical trough.

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Apr - 2023 -
13 April
John Paul Hampstead

Waiting for Kroger merger approval, Albertsons sees challenges ahead

Food price inflation is outstripping Albertsons’ sales growth. It’s another challenge for the grocer that’s looking to merge with Kroger.

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Mar - 2023 -
John Paul Hampstead

Load boards are broken — fixing them is critical

Newtrul has built a marketplace focused on integrity, compliance and credibility.

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Feb - 2023 -
16 February
John Paul Hampstead

Coyote to announce layoffs Friday, sources say

Expected layoffs at Coyote are part of a restructuring implemented by parent company UPS.

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John Paul Hampstead

Coyote anunciará despidos el viernes, según fuentes 

Alrededor de 200 empleados serán despedidos, dicen personas familiarizadas con el asunto

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Dec - 2022 -
Nov - 2022 -
22 November
John Paul Hampstead

Appellate Court reinstates project44’s defamation suit against FourKites

Gmail accounts allegedly connected to FourKites made accusations of accounting fraud and organized crime to project44 board members and executives.

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