Trucking is profitable for J.B. Hunt

Those J.B. Hunt trucks rolling up and down I-40 and I-35 in Oklahoma are proving profitable for the Arkansas based company.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., based in Lowell, Arkansas announced second quarter 2019 net earnings of $133.6 million, or diluted earnings per share of $1.23 vs. second quarter 2018 net earnings of $151.7 million, or $1.37 per diluted share.

Total operating revenue for the current quarter was $2.26 billion, compared with $2.14 billion for the second quarter 2018, an increase of 6%. Current quarter total operating revenue, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 6.5% vs. the comparable quarter 2018. Revenue growth was driven primarily by a 19% increase in revenue producing trucks and an 8% increase in truck productivity in Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), but partially offset by an 8% decline in volume in Intermodal (JBI), a 7% decline in volume in Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), and fewer tractors operating in Truck (JBT) compared to prior year.

The amount of ICS operating revenue executed through Marketplace for J.B. Hunt 360° increased to $222 million from $137 million in second quarter 2018. JBI executed approximately $41 million of third-party dray cost and JBT executed approximately $5 million of its independent contractor costs through the platform during this quarter.