• Your Feb. 26 Pre-Trip: Trucking company owner convicted in murder-for-hire case

    Here are five things worth knowing today.
    Feb. 26, 2016
    2 min read
    Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. The operator of an oil trucking company in North Dakota has been convicted of orchestrating the killings of two business rivals, the Daily Globe reports. James Henrikson has been convicted of hiring a man to kill Kristopher Clarke in February 2012 and Douglas Carlile in December 2013, according to the report. Clarke and Carlile were Henrikson’s business rivals in North Dakota’s Bakken Oil Patch. Henrikson faces the possibility of life in prison when he is sentenced on May 24. The Daily Globe has more.2. According to AAA, drowsy driving causes about 328,000 crashes annually, and nearly 87% of U.S. drivers engage in at least one risky behavior behind the wheel, the East Valley Tribune reports. According to the report, at least one in three drivers say they’ve driven while tired in the last month; nearly half of drivers report speeding over 15 mph on highways; and more than two in five drivers report reading text or email in the past 30 days.3. A federal judge has instructed Volkswagen AG to fix nearly 600,000 diesel-powered vehicles on U.S. roads violating pollution laws within the next month, Nasdaq reports. Judge Breyer gave the company until no later than March 24 to give him a detailed update on how the automaker intends to fix the vehicles. Nasdaq has more.4. According to a Phys Org report, driverless vehicles could increase reliance on roadways. According to the report, a study led by a University of Leeds researcher finds that driverless vehicles could intensify car use, reducing or eliminating promised energy savings and environmental benefits. Phys Org has more.5. Gas prices in Southern California could jump 37 cents per gallon this weekend, San Jose Mercury News reports. The state average was $2.31 on Thursday, according to the report, but several stations in San Jose bumped prices 3 cents or more from a day earlier. Mercury News has more.

    About the Author

    Cristina Commendatore

    Cristina Commendatore is a past FleetOwner editor-in-chief. She wrote for the publication from 2015 to 2023. 

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!

    Sign up for our free eNewsletters

    Latest from Operations

    Oxy
    Occidental Chemical, known as OxyChem, produces indispensable chemicals internationally. This small private fleet covers about 2.5 million miles annually, delivering products to customers across the U.S.
    Members Only
    Leadership and training turned this chemical bulk hauler into one of the safest fleets in the U.S. Intensive training and experience pay off for Oxy's Occidental Chemical transportation...
    249455233 | Siwakorn Klomwinyarn | Dreamstime.com
    trucking internal promotions
    By recognizing and developing your internal talent today, you lay the foundation for stronger, smarter fleet operations tomorrow.
    4126654 | Phartisan | Dreamstime.com
    driver retention
    Turnover and its causes are expenses we like to ignore or accept as the cost of running a trucking company. In a market like today’s, investing in retention doesn’t mean spending...