Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Overview
We are one of the largest North American less-than-truckload (“LTL”) motor carriers. We provide regional, inter-regional and national LTL services through a single integrated, union-free organization. Our service offerings, which include expedited transportation, are provided through an expansive network of service centers located throughout the continental United States. Through strategic alliances, we also provide LTL services throughout North America. In addition to our core LTL services, we offer a range of value-added services including container drayage, truckload brokerage and supply chain consulting. More than 98% of our revenue has historically been derived from transporting LTL shipments for our customers, whose demand for our services is generally tied to industrial production and the overall health of the U.S. domestic economy.
In analyzing the components of our revenue, we monitor changes and trends in our LTL volumes and LTL revenue per hundredweight. While LTL revenue per hundredweight is a yield measurement, it is also a commonly-used indicator for general pricing trends in the LTL industry. This yield metric is not a true measure of price, however, as it can be influenced by many other factors, such as changes in fuel surcharges, weight per shipment and length of haul. As a result, changes in revenue per hundredweight do not necessarily indicate actual changes in underlying base rates. LTL revenue per hundredweight and the key factors that can impact this metric are described in more detail below:
•LTL Revenue Per Hundredweight - Our LTL transportation services are generally priced based on weight, commodity, and distance. This measurement reflects the application of our pricing policies to the services we provide, which are influenced by competitive market conditions and our growth objectives. Generally, freight is rated by a class system, which is established by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. Light, bulky freight typically has a higher class and is priced at higher revenue per hundredweight than dense, heavy freight. Fuel surcharges, accessorial charges, revenue adjustments and revenue for undelivered freight are included in this measurement, and we regularly monitor the components that impact our pricing. The fuel surcharge is generally designed to offset fluctuations in the cost of our petroleum-based products and is indexed to diesel fuel prices published by the U.S. Department of Energy, which reset each week. Revenue for undelivered freight is deferred for financial statement purposes in accordance with our revenue recognition policy; however, we believe including it in our revenue per hundredweight metrics results in a more accurate representation of the underlying changes in our yields by matching total billed revenue with the corresponding weight of those shipments.
•LTL Weight Per Shipment - Fluctuations in weight per shipment can indicate changes in the mix of freight we receive from our customers, as well as changes in the number of units included in a shipment. Generally, increases in weight per shipment indicate higher demand for our customers’ products and overall increased economic activity. Changes in weight per shipment can also be influenced by shifts between LTL and other modes of transportation, such as truckload and intermodal, in response to capacity, service and pricing issues. Fluctuations in weight per shipment generally have an inverse effect on our revenue per hundredweight, as a decrease in weight per shipment will typically cause an increase in revenue per hundredweight.
•Average Length of Haul - We consider lengths of haul less than 500 miles to be regional traffic, lengths of haul between 500 miles and 1,000 miles to be inter-regional traffic, and lengths of haul in excess of 1,000 miles to be national traffic. This metric is used to analyze our tonnage and pricing trends for shipments with similar characteristics, and also allows for comparison with other transportation providers serving specific markets. By analyzing this metric, we can determine the success and growth potential of our service products in these markets. Changes in length of haul generally have a direct effect on our revenue per hundredweight, as an increase in length of haul will typically cause an increase in revenue per hundredweight.
•LTL Revenue Per Shipment - This measurement is primarily determined by the three metrics listed above and is used in conjunction with the number of LTL shipments we receive to evaluate LTL revenue.
Our primary revenue focus is to increase density, which is shipment and tonnage growth within our existing infrastructure. Increases in density allow us to maximize our asset utilization and labor productivity, which we measure over many different functional areas of our operations including linehaul load factor, pickup and delivery (“P&D”) stops per hour, P&D shipments per hour, platform pounds handled per hour and platform shipments per hour. In addition to our focus on density and operating efficiencies, it is critical for us to obtain an appropriate yield, which is measured as revenue per hundredweight, on the shipments we handle. We focus on the profitability of each customer account and generally seek to obtain an appropriate yield to offset our cost inflation and support our ongoing investments in capacity and technology. We believe the continued execution of this yield-management philosophy, continued increases in density, and ongoing improvements in operating efficiencies are the key components of our ability to further improve our operating ratio and long-term profitable growth.
Our primary cost elements are direct wages and benefits associated with the movement of freight, operating supplies and expenses, which include diesel fuel, and depreciation of our equipment fleet and service center facilities. We gauge our overall success in managing costs by monitoring our operating ratio, a measure of profitability calculated by dividing total operating expenses by revenue, which also allows for industry-wide comparisons with our competition.
We regularly upgrade our technological capabilities to improve our customer service and lower our operating costs. Our technology provides our customers with visibility of their shipments throughout our network, increases the productivity of our workforce, and provides key metrics that we use to monitor and enhance our processes.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, expenses and other items as a percentage of revenue from operations:
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Three Months Ended |
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Nine Months Ended |
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September 30, |
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September 30, |
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2025 |
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2024 |
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2025 |
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2024 |
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Revenue from operations |
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100.0 |
% |
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100.0 |
% |
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100.0 |
% |
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100.0 |
% |
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Operating expenses: |
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Salaries, wages and benefits |
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47.1 |
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46.3 |
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47.6 |
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45.9 |
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Operating supplies and expenses |
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10.3 |
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10.6 |
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10.4 |
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11.1 |
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General supplies and expenses |
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3.2 |
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3.1 |
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3.0 |
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3.1 |
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Operating taxes and licenses |
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2.5 |
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2.6 |
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2.5 |
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2.5 |
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Insurance and claims |
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1.3 |
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1.2 |
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1.3 |
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1.2 |
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Communications and utilities |
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0.7 |
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0.7 |
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0.7 |
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0.6 |
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Depreciation and amortization |
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6.6 |
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5.9 |
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6.5 |
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5.8 |
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Purchased transportation |
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2.0 |
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2.1 |
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2.0 |
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2.1 |
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Miscellaneous expenses, net |
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0.6 |
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0.2 |
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0.8 |
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0.4 |
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Total operating expenses |
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74.3 |
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72.7 |
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74.8 |
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72.7 |
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Operating income |
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25.7 |
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27.3 |
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25.2 |
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27.3 |
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Interest income, net |
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(0.0 |
) |
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(0.1 |
) |
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(0.1 |
) |
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(0.3 |
) |
Other expense, net |
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0.1 |
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0.0 |
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0.1 |
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0.0 |
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Income before income taxes |
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25.6 |
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27.4 |
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25.2 |
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27.6 |
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Provision for income taxes |
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6.3 |
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6.4 |
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6.2 |
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6.8 |
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Net income |
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19.3 |
% |
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21.0 |
% |
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19.0 |
% |
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20.8 |
% |
Key financial and operating metrics are presented below:
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Three Months Ended |
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Nine Months Ended |
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September 30, |
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September 30, |
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2025 |
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2024 |
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% Change |
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2025 |
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2024 |
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% Change |
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Work days |
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64 |
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64 |
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— |
% |
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191 |
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192 |
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(0.5 |
)% |
Revenue (in thousands) |
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$ |
1,406,511 |
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$ |
1,470,211 |
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(4.3 |
)% |
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$ |
4,189,093 |
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$ |
4,428,981 |
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(5.4 |
)% |
Operating ratio |
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74.3 |
% |
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72.7 |
% |
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74.8 |
% |
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72.7 |
% |
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Net income (in thousands) |
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$ |
270,947 |
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$ |
308,580 |
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(12.2 |
)% |
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$ |
794,233 |
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$ |
922,929 |
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(13.9 |
)% |
Diluted earnings per share |
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$ |
1.28 |
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$ |
1.43 |
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(10.5 |
)% |
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$ |
3.74 |
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$ |
4.25 |
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(12.0 |
)% |
LTL tons (in thousands) |
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2,063 |
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2,266 |
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(9.0 |
)% |
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6,274 |
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6,870 |
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(8.7 |
)% |
LTL tonnage per day |
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32,231 |
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35,408 |
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(9.0 |
)% |
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32,847 |
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35,783 |
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(8.2 |
)% |
LTL shipments (in thousands) |
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2,829 |
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3,070 |
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(7.9 |
)% |
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8,511 |
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9,174 |
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(7.2 |
)% |
LTL shipments per day |
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44,201 |
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47,967 |
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(7.9 |
)% |
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44,558 |
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47,781 |
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(6.7 |
)% |
LTL weight per shipment (lbs.) |
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1,458 |
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1,476 |
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(1.2 |
)% |
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1,474 |
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1,498 |
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(1.6 |
)% |
LTL revenue per hundredweight |
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$ |
33.88 |
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$ |
32.36 |
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4.7 |
% |
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$ |
33.13 |
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$ |
32.03 |
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3.4 |
% |
LTL revenue per shipment |
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$ |
494.17 |
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$ |
477.70 |
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3.4 |
% |
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$ |
488.41 |
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$ |
479.79 |
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1.8 |
% |
Average length of haul (miles) |
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909 |
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923 |
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(1.5 |
)% |
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912 |
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920 |
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(0.9 |
)% |
Our financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2025 reflect continued softness in the domestic economy, which contributed to the decline in our revenue, net income and diluted earnings per share. We maintained our commitment to superior customer service by providing our customers with 99% on-time service and a cargo claims ratio of 0.1% during the third quarter and first nine months of 2025. This service performance supported the continued improvement in our yield. We also maintained our focus on operating efficiently and controlling discretionary spending during the quarter, although the deleveraging effect from the decrease in revenue and increases in depreciation and miscellaneous expenses led to an increase in our operating ratio. As a result, our net income and diluted earnings per share decreased 12.2% and 10.5%, respectively, for the third quarter of 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024 and decreased 13.9% and 12.0%, respectively, for the first nine months of 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024.
Revenue
Our revenue decreased $63.7 million, or 4.3%, and $239.9 million, or 5.4%, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2024, primarily due to a decrease in volumes. LTL tonnage per day decreased 9.0% and 8.2% in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2024, due to decreases in both LTL shipments per day and LTL weight per shipment, which reflects continued softness in the domestic economic environment.
The decreases in our volumes were partially offset by increases in our LTL revenue per hundredweight of 4.7% and 3.4% in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2024. Our LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, also increased 4.7% in the third quarter of 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024. In the first nine months of 2025, the increase in our LTL revenue per hundredweight includes the impact of lower fuel surcharges that resulted from a decline in the average price of diesel fuel from the comparable period. Our LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 4.7% in the first nine months of 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024. We believe the increase in our LTL revenue-per-hundredweight metrics in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, as compared to the same periods of 2024, was driven by the ongoing execution of our long-term yield management strategy. Our consistent, cost-based approach to pricing focuses on offsetting our cost inflation while also supporting additional investments into our business to expand capacity and enhance our technology.
October 2025 Update
Revenue per day decreased 6.8% in October 2025 as compared to the same month last year. LTL tons per day decreased 11.7%, due to a 9.8% decrease in LTL shipments per day and a 2.2% decrease in LTL weight per shipment. LTL revenue per hundredweight increased 5.6% as compared to the same month last year. LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 5.3% as compared to the same month last year.
Operating Costs and Other Expenses
Salaries, wages and benefits decreased $18.2 million, or 2.7%, in the third quarter of 2025 as compared to the third quarter of 2024, due to a $17.2 million, or 3.5%, decrease in salaries and wages and a $1.0 million, or 0.5%, decrease in employee benefit costs. Salaries, wages and benefits decreased $40.2 million, or 2.0%, in the first nine months of 2025 as compared to the same period of 2024, due to a $50.7 million, or 3.4%, decrease in salaries and wages that was partially offset by a $10.5 million, or 1.9%, increase in employee benefit costs.
The decrease in salaries and wages in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, as compared to the same periods of 2024, was primarily due to the decrease of 6.2% and 5.2%, respectively, in our average number of active full-time employees as we balanced our workforce with current shipping trends. Salaries and wages also decreased as a result of lower performance-based bonus compensation, the impacts of which were partially offset by the annual wage increase provided to our employees at the beginning of both September 2025 and 2024. Our productive labor costs, which include wages for drivers, platform employees, and fleet technicians, increased as a percent of revenue to 24.1% and 24.4%, respectively, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, as compared to 24.0% in both the third quarter and first nine months of 2024 as a result of the decrease in network density. Despite this decrease in network density that generally results from the decline in volumes, our team continued to deliver superior service to our customers while also focusing on operating efficiencies. Our other salaries and wages as a percent of revenue increased to 9.7% and 9.8%, respectively, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, as compared to 9.4% and 9.5%, respectively, in the same periods of 2024.
Our costs attributable to employee benefits were negatively impacted by higher costs associated with our group health and dental plans during the third quarter and first nine months of 2025 due to increases in the average costs per claim as compared to the same periods of 2024. Our employee benefit costs were also impacted by decreases in retirement benefit plan costs directly linked to our net income as well as the reduction in our average number of active full-time employees. As a result, employee benefit costs as a percent of salaries and wages increased to 39.7% in the third quarter of 2025 from 38.6% in the comparable period of 2024 and increased to 39.2% in the first nine months of 2025 from 37.1% in the comparable period of 2024.
Operating supplies and expenses decreased $12.0 million, or 7.7%, and $53.1 million, or 10.9%, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2024, due to decreases in our costs for diesel fuel used in our vehicles as well as lower maintenance and repair costs. The cost of diesel fuel, excluding fuel taxes, represents the largest component of operating supplies and expenses, and can vary based on both average price per gallon and consumption. Our average cost per gallon of diesel fuel increased 2.3% in the third quarter of 2025 and decreased 6.7% in the first nine months of 2025 as compared to the same periods of 2024. We do not use diesel fuel hedging instruments; therefore, our costs are subject to market price fluctuations. Our gallons consumed decreased 8.6% and 7.7% in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2024, primarily due to a decrease in miles driven. Additionally, our other operating supplies and expenses decreased between the periods compared primarily due to lower maintenance and repair costs for our fleet.
Depreciation and amortization costs increased $5.6 million, or 6.4%, and $16.3 million, or 6.4%, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2024, primarily due to the increases in depreciation costs of the assets acquired as part of our 2024 and 2025 capital expenditure programs. We believe depreciation costs will continue to increase in future periods based on our 2025 capital expenditure plan. While our investments in real estate, equipment, and technology can increase our costs in the short-term, we believe these investments are necessary to support our continued long-term growth and strategic initiatives.
Miscellaneous expenses, net increased $6.6 million, or 201.7%, and $11.6 million, or 64.8%, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2024, primarily due to changes in gains and losses on the disposal of property and equipment.
Our effective tax rate was 24.8% for both the third quarter and first nine months of 2025, as compared to 23.4% and 24.5%, respectively, for the third quarter and first nine months of 2024. Our effective tax rate generally exceeds the federal statutory rate due to the impact of state taxes and, to a lesser extent, certain other non-taxable or non-deductible items.