Then, in subsequent conversations, UP asked them to reduce rail shipments even further by 50 percent or face embargoes. Konar said that the reductions will significantly impact the availability of fuel and fuel prices. Pilot Flying J supplies roughly 30% of diesel exhaust fuel (DEF) in the country. The trucking sector of our economy depends on DEF as all trucks manufactured after 2010 cannot operate without it, and the cut in deliveries will heavily impact the trucking industry.
According to Konar, no other companies are being instructed by UP or any other railroad to reduce their shipments to the extent that UP demands Pilot Flying J. Union Pacific's largest shareholders are Vanguard and BlackRock. UP also recently reduced shipments of fertilizer to farmers. Internet critic Jim Stone suggested that Pilot Flying J knowingly caused the problem by changing their paperwork to jam up the system, resulting in a steep loss in service. He wrote that both Pilot Flying J and UP are elite owned and proposed that both companies are acting as a tag team, putting on a show to intentionally cause serious problems.