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

GM stopped loading cars onto Jack Cooper trucks earlier this week, say media reports

GM and Jack Cooper have had a significant rupture in their relationship. (Photo: Jim Allen\FreightWaves)

Just weeks after Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) canceled its contract for auto-hauling services by Jack Cooper, the GM-Jack Cooper relationship is also over, at least for now, with both sides claiming it was the other company’s fault.

On Friday, the Detroit Free Press reported that GM had stopped providing Jack Cooper with cars to be transported. Late Friday, GM (NYSE: GM) released a statement that said the relationship had deteriorated to the point that no cars were being loaded and that the auto carrier was taking other steps.

“We can confirm that Jack Cooper Transport management has informed us of their plans to unilaterally stop services to GM, effective immediately,” a statement provided to FreightWaves by GM said. “In light of this material breach of their agreement and the ongoing and timely needs of GM’s business, we have no choice but to implement contingency plans with other providers. We do not anticipate any further disruptions to the delivery of our vehicles.” 

But a statement from Jack Cooper laid the blame at the feet of GM. 

On Friday, “General Motors informed Jack Cooper that it would pull all business with Jack Cooper, rejecting all proposals that were then on the table to continue working together,” the statement read.

But to emphasize that the relationship is not permanently ended, the statement also said the auto hauler “remains ready, willing and able to negotiate with General Motors regarding a continued business relationship.”

The rupture in the relationship comes about five weeks after Ford Motor Co. canceled the automaker’s contract to haul cars for that company, and a few days after two U.S. senators requested Ford provide it with answers to several questions about the fate of the Ford-Jack Cooper deal.

Jack Cooper workers are organized by the Teamsters.

This is a continuing story. 

More articles by John Kingston

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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.