MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2025--
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) announces Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert E. Sanchez, 60, will retire on March 31, 2026. As part of the succession plan approved by the company’s board of directors, Ryder’s President and Chief Operating Officer John J. Diez, 54, will assume the chief executive officer role of the fully integrated logistics and transportation company, effective March 31, 2026. Diez was also elected to the company’s board of directors, effective March 31, 2026.
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Sanchez, who was named Ryder CEO in January 2013 and chairman of the board in May 2013, will assume the role of executive chair of the company’s board of directors to ensure a smooth transition.
“On behalf of the board, I offer a heartfelt thank you to Robert for his steadfast leadership, strategic vision, and for delivering excellent results and record shareholder value. Robert has led the development and execution of Ryder’s balanced growth strategy to derisk the business, improve returns, and accelerate the growth of our supply chain and dedicated businesses that has transformed the company’s return profile,” says Michael F. Hilton, lead independent director of Ryder’s board. “We are proud to name John to be Ryder’s next CEO as part of a well-planned succession. John has an exceptional business track record, understands our customers’ needs, and knows the company very well as a result of his more-than-20-year tenure with Ryder.”
“Serving Ryder for more than three decades has truly been an extraordinary experience. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside the most talented and dedicated professionals in our industry to deliver for our employees, customers, and shareholders,” says Sanchez. “I’ve worked with John for over two decades and his deep understanding of our business, sound judgment and strategic mindset uniquely positions him to lead the company. I am confident that he is the right leader to drive Ryder’s continued growth.”
“It is a great honor to be a part of this exceptional organization and culture. Ryder is home to incredibly talented and determined people and a superb culture that are the foundation of its commitment to our customers,” says Diez. “Thanks to Robert’s strong leadership, we have enormous opportunities to continue growing as the complexity of supply chains intensify and the demand for our port-to-door services increases. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Robert, the board, and our entire team to leverage the power of Ryder.”
Diez has served as president and chief operating officer since January 1, 2025, contributing to the company's strategic direction and operational management. Previously, he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer. During his tenure with Ryder, Diez was also president of Ryder’s fleet management business, leading all areas of fleet operations and maintenance, as well as president of the company’s dedicated transportation business unit where he led strong revenue growth and improved business returns.
NOTE: Headshots of Sanchez and Diez are available in the Ryder Newsroom and via BusinessWire.
About Ryder System, Inc.
Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) is a fully integrated port-to-door logistics and transportation company. It provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including warehousing and distribution, contract packaging and manufacturing, e-commerce fulfillment, last-mile delivery, managed transportation, professional drivers, freight brokerage, cross-border solutions, full-service fleet leasing, maintenance, commercial truck rental, and used vehicle sales to some of the world’s most-recognized brands. Ryder provides services to businesses across more than 20 industries throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In addition, Ryder manages nearly 250,000 commercial vehicles, services fleets at approximately 760 maintenance locations, and operates nearly 300 warehouses encompassing more than 100 million square feet. Ryder is regularly recognized for its industry-leading practices; technology-driven innovations; environmental management; safety, health and security programs; and recruitment and hiring initiatives. www.ryder.com
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this news release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current plans and expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including those risks set forth in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on our business. Accordingly, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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As part of a planned succession, Ryder System, Inc. announces Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert E. Sanchez (pictured right) will retire on March 31, 2026; President and Chief Operating Officer John J. Diez (pictured left) to assume the chief executive officer role of the logistics and transportation company, effective March 31, 2026.
WASHINGTON (AP) — This holiday season isn’t quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump, a new AP-NORC poll finds.
The vast majority of U.S. adults say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for groceries, electricity and holiday gifts in recent months, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Roughly half of Americans say it’s harder than usual to afford the things they want to give as holiday gifts, and similar numbers are delaying big purchases or cutting back on nonessential purchases more than they would normally.
It's a sobering assessment for the Republican president, who returned to the White House in large part by promising to lower prices, only to find that inflation remains a threat to his popularity just as it did for Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. The poll’s findings look very similar to an AP-NORC poll from December 2022, when Biden was president and the country was grappling with higher rates of inflation. Trump's series of tariffs have added to inflationary pressures and generated anxiety about the stability of the U.S. economy, keeping prices at levels that many Americans find frustrating.
The president has insisted there is “no” inflation and the U.S. economy is booming, as he expressed frustration that the public feels differently.
“When will people understand what is happening?” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social. “When will Polls reflect the Greatness of America at this point in time, and how bad it was just one year ago?”
Most U.S. adults, 68%, continue to say the country’s economy is “poor,” which is unchanged from December 2024, before Trump returned to the presidency.
White House officials plan to send Trump barnstorming across the country in hopes of bucking up people's faith in the economy before next year's midterm elections. But the president this week in Pennsylvania defended the price increases tied to his tariffs by suggesting that Americans should buy fewer dolls and pencils for children. His message is a jarring contrast with what respondents expressed in the poll, even among people who backed him in the 2024 election.
Sergio Ruiz, 44, of Tucson, Arizona, said he is using more buy now, pay later programs to spread out over time the expense of gifts for his children. He doesn't put a huge emphasis on politics, but he voted for Trump last year and would like to see lower interest rates to help boost his real estate business. He believes that more Americans having higher incomes would help to manage any affordability issues.
“Prices are up. What can you do? You need to make more money,” Ruiz said.
The poll found that when they do shop, about half of Americans are finding the lowest price more than they would normally. About 4 in 10 are dipping into their savings more than at other times.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they’re cutting back on expenses or looking for low prices, but many Republicans are budgeting more than usual as well. About 4 in 10 Republicans are looking for low prices more than they usually would, while a similar share are shopping for nonessential items less than usual.
People felt similarly dismal about holiday shopping and the economy when Biden was president in 2022. Inflation had spiked to a four-decade high that summer. Three years later, inflation has eased substantially, but it's still running at 3%, a full percentage point above the Federal Reserve's target as the job market appears to have entered a deep freeze.
The survey indicates that it's the level of prices — and not just the rate of inflation — that is the point of pain for many families. Roughly 9 in 10 U.S. adults, 87%, say they've noticed higher than usual prices for groceries in the past few months, while about two-thirds say they've experienced higher prices than usual for electricity and holiday gifts. About half say they've seen higher than normal prices for gas recently.
The findings on groceries and holiday gifts are only slightly lower than in the 2022 poll, despite the slowdown from an inflation rate that hit a four-decade peak in the middle of that year.
Consumer spending has stayed resilient despite the negative sentiments about the economy, yet Trump's tariffs have caused changes for shoppers such as Andrew Russell.
The 33-year-old adjunct professor in Arlington Heights, Illinois, said he used to shop for unique gifts from around the globe and buy online. But with the tariffs, he got his gifts locally and “this year, I only bought things that I can pick up in person,” he said.
Russell, who voted Democratic in last year's election, said he worries about the economy for next year. He thinks the investment in artificial intelligence has become a bubble that could burst, taking down the stock market.
Few people expect the situation to meaningfully improve next year — a sign that Trump has done little to instill much confidence from his mix of tariffs, income tax cuts and foreign trips to attract investments. Trump has maintained that the benefits from his policies will begin to snowball in 2026.
About 4 in 10 U.S. adults expect next year will be economically worse for the country. Roughly 3 in 10 say conditions won’t change much. Only about 2 in 10 think things will get better, with Republicans being more optimistic.
The belief that things will get better has slipped from last year, when about 4 in 10 said that 2025 would be better than 2024.
Millicent Simpson, 56, of Cleveland, Ohio, said she expects the economy to be worse for people like her who rely on Medicaid for health care and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Simpson voted Democratic last year and blames Trump for the greater economic pressures that she faces going into the winter.
“He’s making it rough for us,” she said. “He’s messing with the government assistance for everybody, young and old.”
The AP-NORC poll of 1,146 adults was conducted Dec. 4-8 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
FILE - Shoppers browse through Kohl's department store for Black Friday deals, Nov. 28, 2025, in Woodstock, Ga. (AP Photo/Megan Varner, File)
Kashish Ali shops for groceries before filling a One Love Community Fridge, Nov. 15, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
FILE - A Utah Food Bank volunteer carries groceries at a mobile food pantry distribution site Dec. 21, 2022, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
FILE - Goldie Getter, the wife of a civil service employee who was furloughed due to the government shutdown, unpacks groceries her husband received from a food bank, in Gulfport, Miss., Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
