Company Earnings

Saia’s operating ratio was up more than 500 basis points in Q4 2021 compared to the final quarter of 2020.

Despite strong revenue growth, freight broker productivity fell sharply.

UPS posted its best quarterly operating profit in its history. It also declared a 49% dividend increase.

ArcBest raised long-term expectations Tuesday in conjunction with its fourth-quarter results, which were better than expected. The company now eyes doubling its size by 2025.

ArcBest on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter results, which once again outpaced analysts’ expectations.

Carrier profits are reaching previously unimaginable heights as supply chain disruptions supercharge gains.

Volvo Trucks pulled out the stops to deliver in Q4, but it cost extra for expedited shipping and to navigate parts shortages.

A Mexican government crackdown has shifted volumes of refined products to truck instead of rail. But KCS hopes for that traffic to return to rail, according to executives.

Any concessions that CP would consider as it seeks federal approval to merge with Kansas City Southern must be “reasonable” and grounded in supporting competition, CP said during its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call late Thursday.

Covenant Logistics Group said revenue for the second half of 2022 could be impacted by wage pressures and higher equipment and over-the-road repair costs.

The Chattanooga, Tennessee-based truckload carrier said the outlook is for continued operational progress during 2022.

Freight broker Landstar closes 2021 with another beat-and-raise quarter. Demand has yet to buck normal seasonal trends, indicating the first quarter will be strong as well.

NS plans to roll out an operations program that will progress beyond precision scheduled railroading, according to executives speaking on NS’ fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call.

Knight-Swift Transportation reported another big quarterly result Wednesday. However, it appears the stretch of rapid growth will moderate as the comps have stiffened.

Canadian railway CN eyes volume growth from vaccine mandates and grain, and it expects higher volumes in the second half of 2022.

The railcar leasing market for 2022 feels more solid than past years, executives said Tuesday during GATX’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call.

Less-than-truckload carrier Saia announced a 7.5% general rate increase Tuesday. The carrier was the latest to announce rate hikes greater than the normal mid-single-digit increases.

Marten’s labor and purchased transportation costs were higher in 2021 but were more than offset by rising revenue.

Management from the nation’s largest flatbed operator, Daseke, says the demand backlog extends for “the foreseeable future.”

Paccar Q4 new truck deliveries were up 45% over Q3, suggesting some easing of supply chain disruptions and semiconductor shortages.

Triumph’s CEO Graft is not holding back, likening the automated deals to the invention of the telephone in terms of technical significance.

CSX has been hiring more aggressively not only to meet anticipated market demand but to safeguard against COVID-19-related absences, according to executives on its fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call Thursday.

UP’s capital expenditures plan for 2022 includes investments to intermodal terminals and intermodal ramps, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call Thursday.

Among the major U.S. passenger carriers, United Airlines was the big winner in cargo performance during 2021.

FreightWaves reports very positive financial performance in 4Q 2021.

Heartland Express announced 2021 was its best year since going public. Fourth-quarter results were in line with consensus.

P.A.M. Transportation Services finished 2021 on a high note, posting another large earnings beat during the fourth quarter.

It’s a sign of the supply chain times when customers are renting entire planes from United Airlines to haul low-value commodities like mayonnaise.

Prologis provided better-than-expected 2022 guidance on Wednesday, citing the expectation that demand will continue to outpace logistics real estate additions during the year.

Logistics real estate investment trust Prologis issued 2022 guidance ahead of expectations on Wednesday.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services beat fourth-quarter expectations. Visibility into 2022 remains murky but management is calling for continued growth.

J.B. Hunt’s fourth quarter comes in ahead of consensus as the intermodal, brokerage and truckload divisions see notable year-over-year improvements.

Delta Air Lines is on the path to recovery from the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, but omicron remains a hurdle.

Following numerous transportation and logistics deals in 2021, industry insiders discuss lofty expectations for 2022.

The year 2023 and beyond could boost railcar production volumes for Greenbrier as global low-carbon mandates drive freight to rail, say Greenbrier executives.

Supply chain visibility provider project44 sees record top-line growth during the fourth quarter, with bookings, account wins and retention coming in better than expected.

Schneider became the latest truckload carrier to bolt on a fleet. The company announced Tuesday the $263 million acquisition of dedicated carrier Midwest Logistics Systems.

The LTL carrier’s debt at the end of the third quarter was higher than a year earlier, but Moody’s is optimistic in making its upgrade.

Several asset-based carriers changed their course through M&A in 2021.

FedEx’s Express and LTL units delivered solid performances, while the bottom may have been hit at its Ground unit.

Volume and yield gains powered the Express and LTL units, while staffing shortages and operating inefficiencies continued to hurt the Ground unit.

Less-than-truckload carrier Yellow Corp reports the weakest revenue trends out of the public carriers providing fourth-quarter updates.

Forward Air’s initiative to upgrade its freight mix to a heavier class of premium cargo was evident in November results.

Truck broker Landstar System announced Wednesday it will use 2021’s record performance to pay shareholders a $2-per-share special dividend.

Less-than-truckload carrier Old Dominion said share-taking efforts led to revenue growth ahead of its peers during November.

Radiant Logistics announced Monday that it acquired digital logistics services provider Navegate for $35 million.

BMO’s quarterly figures on the health of its transportation portfolio are considered a strong indicator of underlying financials.

Knight-Swift adds to its less-than-truckload offering with the acquisition of Midwest Motor Express. Investors continue to see the value in owning LTL assets.

Difficulties finding trailers is starting to rival the effects of the driver shortage at the nation’s largest fleets.

During a Stephens conference presentation before investors, CEO Fuller also discussed the unique driver retention tool at Variant called the “squad.”

Intraquarter updates from less-than-truckload carriers show record third-quarter operating conditions have continued through the first two months of the fourth quarter.

General rate increases for less-than-truckload shipments not under contract are rolling in ahead of schedule and are a little higher than normal.

Werner Enterprises triples the size of its final-mile offering with the addition of Northeast-based Nehds Logistics.

Picking transport stocks in 2022 will not involve a blanket approach, according to Deutsche Bank. However, there are still several companies with significant upside potential.

Zim’s profits are still going up — way up — despite more vessels getting snared in West Coast port gridlock.

Although customers may have pulled back from ordering in the third quarter, that pullback is temporary and customers will still need new railcars eventually, FreightCar America executives said during Monday’s third-quarter earnings call.

Rates expected to remain strong into 2022, fallout from new ship deliveries in 2023-2024 to be muted.

Also on the podcast: Why banning oil exports would have no impact on prices.

Crude and product tankers may be totally different markets, but 2021 proved how connected they are.

Berkshire Grey’s revenue was up 750% year-over-year, but it still missed on analyst expectations, more than tripled its net loss and more than doubled its adjusted-EBITDA loss.

Parts shortages delay winter testing of Hyliion’s Hypertruck ERX while Cummins’ competition casts doubt on the future of the startup’s current Hybrid eX.

Cross-border trucking and logistics firm Titanium is negotiating higher rates with customers as inflation puts pressure on margins. “Nobody is shocked,” COO Marilyn Daniel says.

Third-party logistics provider Radiant Logistics again posted record quarterly results on Tuesday. On a call with analysts and investors, company officials called out strength in virtually every segment Radiant serves.

Domestic headwinds were balanced out by an international expansion as DoorDash stock popped 10% in post-market trading.

Less-than-truckload carriers report strong October results. But one analyst questions if the stocks have run too far ahead of results.

Truckload carriers booked record gains on the sale of revenue equipment during the third quarter but the profits shouldn’t be viewed as artificial earnings.

BNSF’s third-quarter net income rose 14%, to $1.5 billion, despite supply chain disruptions.

EBITDA at the digital brokerage remains in the red, but it is getting closer to breakeven.

Q3 2021 marked the first adjusted EBITDA-profitable quarter in Uber’s publicly traded history and the second in a row for Lyft.

ATSG is hitting on all cylinders with its aircraft leasing and cargo airline units, as third quarter results demonstrate.

The road ahead looks brighter than ever for the ride-hailing giant after posting an adjusted-EBITDA profit of $8 million.

Crude-tanker owners continue to pile up huge losses, but hopes are high for next year.

Square posted a 45% increase in revenue, but lower-than-expected bitcoin revenue dampened analysts’ enthusiasm for the Q3 results.

The company expects record 2021 earnings and boosts its 2023 bottom line forecast by $700 million, to $9.24 billion.

Editor’s Note: Updates with closing stock price Nikola Corp. set aside $125 million to potentially settle a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint but will seek to get indicted founder Trevor […]

Wayfair stock is down in the early hours of trading on Thursday after a lackluster quarter.

Trimble Inc.’s third-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings per share topped analyst expectations in a challenging supply chain environment.

Fleetcor’s third-quarter adjusted earnings per share grew 26% year-over-year, while new sales bookings grew 52% in the same period.

Yellow Corp. rode a hot freight market and an internal overhaul to positive net income for the first time in several quarters.

The company’s first reporting quarter post-spinoff could have gone better.

Air Canada Cargo has been a strong pandemic performer, but the passenger side of the business is finally beginning to recover.

After becoming adjusted EBITDA-profitable for the first time ever in Q2 2021, Lyft keeps it rolling with another solid quarter.

Company plans to double LTL trailer capacity and add 900 dock doors.

Engine maker Cummins reduces its outlook for the full year amid the supply-constrained inability to meet elevated demands.

Despite beating the Wall Street consensus, Expeditors’ stock declined.

ArcBest reported record quarterly results on Tuesday, and management sees the possibility of incremental improvement moving forward.

ArcBest posted record quarterly results for the third time this year on Tuesday. Each of its segments reported double-digit top-line growth.

Maersk expands air business after earning more in a single quarter than in any prior full year.

TA’s diesel sales figures are a strong indicator of demand for the fuel, and they suggest that the third quarter wasn’t that much stronger than the second.

The company beats earnings per-share consensus, and posts revenue gains while hiking its full-year outlook.

Underneath the supply chain disruptions and the chip shortage are customers that need Wabtec’s components to improve their rail operations, executives said during the third-quarter earnings call.

Arkansas-based carrier’s trucking segment posted revenue of $113M and brokerage division posted revenue of $81M in Q3.

Universal Logistics misses third-quarter expectations and said it will look to its customers to address wage inflation and accessorial charges at the ports.

In its last quarter as part of Daimler AG, Daimler Truck reported higher unit sales but lower revenue.

TFI International plans to shut down four terminals at the former UPS Freight operation and the CEO signals more to come as the company targets costs.

Inventory restocking and demand for domestic intermodal service will support Hub Group into next year, executives said.

Notable cost headwinds around driver sourcing and equipment downtime weighed heavily on Werner Enterprises’ third-quarter results. But the carrier still raised long-term margin expectations.

Both companies see their financial results weighed down by higher labor costs and operational disruptions due to staffing shortages.

TFI International fails to replicate early herculean improvement at ex-UPS Freight as operating ratio weakens slightly in record third-quarter financial results.

CEO Jassy says Amazon faces billions of dollars in additional costs during the fourth quarter.