The situation appears to be mixed across the globe. Some routes have done well this week and freight levels have recovered, but others have been quiet, which has put pressure on those rates. -by Adrian Brown

Warren Distribution completed and commissioned its fourth blending plant, located in Houston, with initial blending capacity of 8 million gallons, which can be scaled up to 20 million gallons with additional infrastructure investment.The private label blender cited Texas' explosive growth in business and population as a key factor.

U.S. suppliers of lubricants, lube additives and base oils are hoping that their government and China avoid an impending trade war but preparing to cope with Chinese tariffs on imports in case they dont.

Ted Selby, a lubricant testing pioneer whose inventions are used worldwide to unlock the secrets of oil rheology, oxidation, deposits and more, next month will receive STLEs highest technical honor, the International Award. The accolade will come during the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers annual meeting, which expects to draw some 1,600 delegates to Minneapolis, May 20-24.