Werner beats Q3 estimates

Carrier guides 3% to 5% increase in revenue per total mile in Q4

Werner truck on highway (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Werner Enterprises (NASDAQ: WERN) reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of 69 cents on Wednesday after the market close. The result was ahead of consensus estimates ranging from 65 cents to 67 cents.

The company’s truckload (TL) segment saw revenue excluding fuel surcharges of $417 million, flat year-over-year. Revenue per tractor per week increased 4% in the company’s one-way segment and 6% in the dedicated unit as both divisions saw pricing improve.

LINK TO FULL ARTICLEWerner sees ‘stronger setup’ going into 2021

Revenue per total mile increased 3% in the one-way segment. Management expects revenue per total mile to increase in the 3% to 5% range year-over-year during the fourth quarter.

Price improvements and cost management drove 380 basis points of improvement in the TL adjusted operating ratio (OR) of 84.5%.

“The rapidly recovering economy and tight driver market produced strong freight conditions in third quarter 2020, which have continued into October,” said President and CEO Derek Leathers.

Logistics revenue was 3% lower year-over-year and gross margin fell 440 basis points to 10.8%. TL brokerage loads declined 15% in the quarter with revenue per load remaining level compared to the 2019 third quarter. The decline in gross margin was the result of surging spot rates, which forced the company to pay more for TL capacity in order to meet contractual rate agreements. The division posted a loss of $852,000.

Werner will host a conference call to discuss these results with analysts at 5 p.m. EDT Wednesday. Stay tuned to FreightWaves for more coverage on Werner’s earnings report.

Werner’s key performance indicators

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden.

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Fraud & Security

Freight Fraud Symposium

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

May 20, 2026
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH
Register Now
AI & Technology

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL
Register Now
Rail & Policy

Future of Rail Symposium

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

July 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Fraud & Security Freight Fraud Symposium May 20 • Cleveland, OH

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH Register Now
AI & Technology Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL Register Now
Rail & Policy Future of Rail Symposium Jul 28 • Chattanooga, TN

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

Todd Maiden

Based in Richmond, VA, Todd is the finance editor at FreightWaves. Prior to joining FreightWaves, he covered the TLs, LTLs, railroads and brokers for RBC Capital Markets and BB&T Capital Markets. Todd began his career in banking and finance before moving over to transportation equity research where he provided stock recommendations for publicly traded transportation companies.