| The Daily // Fri 10.16.26 | View in browser → |
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The Daily
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NEWSLETTER BROUGHT TO YOU BY — QUANTIX
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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First look: J.B. Hunt’s Q3 earnings
J.B. Hunt beat a lowered bar in the third quarter, according to Todd Maiden’s reporting. Revenue was $3.68 billion against the $3.59 billion consensus, and EPS of $1.82 came in one cent above analysts’ revised expectations. A higher tax rate was a 4-cent EPS headwind, partly offset by a 2-cent decline in net interest expense. In September, the company warned of a 5% to 10% sequential EPS decline, which implied $1.77 at the midpoint, and cited diesel, driver-related costs and cargo claims.
Intermodal revenue rose 20% year over year to $1.83 billion, on 8% load growth and an 11% increase in revenue per load. Volumes rose 18% in the East and 1% on transcontinental lanes, and the operating ratio was 91.9%, 15 basis points worse year over year. Dedicated revenue rose 11%, while its operating ratio deteriorated 360 basis points to 91.5%. Brokerage posted its second straight operating profit after 13 quarters in the red, and asset-light truckload swung to a $7 million operating profit after a modest Q2 loss.
Q3 was the fifth straight quarter of year-over-year improvement in operating income and EPS, a run that began in Q3 2025. The article describes the quarter as a modest slowdown after four quarters of strong recovery. Shares fell 2.4% in after-hours trading Thursday.
The cost pressures J.B. Hunt flagged in September came in larger than itemized: the three items it cited total about $45 million, and the article says the actual impact was over $50 million. Intermodal revenue per load rose 11%, but only 2% excluding fuel, so fuel did much of the lifting.
Federal DOT grants will fund more than 2,400 parking spots
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced INFRA grants to fund 14 truck parking projects with a total of 2,403 new spaces, to be built over the next few years, according to John Kingston’s reporting. Projects range from 500 spaces in Tennessee, about $24 million across two projects at five Pilot Travel Center locations along I-40 and I-24, to 38 spaces in southern Illinois. Other awards include 305 spaces in Los Indios, Texas ($9.2 million), 275 at the Port of Savannah ($24.5 million) and 260 in Enfield, Connecticut ($13.5 million). DOT said the funding aims "to directly address the national shortage" of commercial vehicle parking.
Parking funds can go only to public entities or public-private partnerships. The article gives no timeline beyond "the next few years."
Opinion: How politics and policy are rewriting the rules of parcel delivery
In an opinion piece, Daniil Davydoff, senior manager of market intelligence and strategy at DHL eCommerce Americas, argues that politics and policy increasingly decide which parcel carriers gain or lose ground. He points to labor rules, with New York City’s proposed Delivery Protection Act that would require direct hiring of core workers and a $131.5 million DoorDash and Uber settlement with the city’s consumer and worker protection department. He also cites trade changes, including the removal of the de minimis exemption, and data security. He writes that "no parcel labor model looks politically uncomplicated anymore."
The article states the views are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of FreightWaves or DHL. Davydoff concludes shippers will weigh continuity, labor stability and data security alongside price and speed.
Fleetworthy expands Expedited Inspection to five states
Fleetworthy added California, Michigan, Vermont and Maine to Expedited Inspection, bringing it to five states, according to Thomas Wasson’s reporting. Nevada has used it since June 2025. When an officer selects a truck, the program sends fleet and vehicle data and the driver’s eRODS logs to the officer and pre-fills inspection forms. Fleets need Fleetworthy’s Weigh Station Bypass service and ELDs from Geotab or Platform Science. Sgt. Scott Keane of the Nevada Highway Patrol said, "With Expedited Inspection, we’re easily saving about 15 minutes per inspection."
Fleetworthy estimates $22.82 saved per inspection, based on 15 minutes at $91.27 an hour from ATRI’s 2024 report. The program is free to state agencies, and fleets in the five states pay nothing extra if they have Weigh Station Bypass and a participating ELD provider.
Jury hits Wyoming logistics broker with $9.4M fraud verdict
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury found Oak Sourcing & Logistics LLC and managing member Matthew John Sandvig liable for intentional misrepresentation and awarded Ashtel Studios, a California importer of nitrile examination gloves, $9.397 million in economic damages, according to Noi Mahoney’s reporting. Ashtel alleged Sandvig told its executives in March 2021 that Oak Sourcing had an $800 million PPE contract, leading it into two glove deals totaling $14.7 million. The jury rejected Oak Sourcing’s counterclaims and found it owed Ashtel $4,272,252 on a separate open book account claim. Ashtel attorney Eugene Rome said, "That goes well beyond a breach of contract."
The article cautions that the $4.27 million should not be added to the fraud award until the court addresses overlapping damages. Ashtel agreed to forgo punitive damages in exchange for the defendants waiving post-trial motions and appeals, and a separate bench trial on alter ego allegations involving Oak Insurance Group is still to come.
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| Time | Guest | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 12pm | Todd Maiden | Finance Editor at FreightWaves |
The Four Eras of Freight Audit & Pay
A hundred years of checking carrier math, 1900 to 2026 and on.
The IKEA Lens
Running Delivery at Global Scale When Nothing Holds Still
One Network for Every Form of Chemical Freight
One partner for dry bulk, liquid bulk and warehousing.
What It Takes to Win in the Next Era of Drayage
Demand volatility, terminal congestion and driver shortages are squeezing drayage margins. FreightWaves and CargoWise Landside surveyed operators on where automation and digital investment are actually paying off.
High-Stakes Freight Brokerage: Risk and Accountability
Shippers moving high-value freight say lower-cost brokerage is starting to carry higher risk. FreightWaves and Werner surveyed where compliance gaps and carrier performance issues are driving accountability higher.
New Research: Tariffs Didn’t Raise Costs. They Raised the Execution Standard.
Infios research shows the 2025 tariff overhaul turned transport mode, tariff exposure and trade-route selection into variables shippers now have to manage actively, not fixed costs they can set and forget.
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How AI Agents Boost Fleet Safety & Efficiency by 30%A look at Samsara’s new Agent Studio, a no-code builder for AI agents aimed at physical operations. |
![Is Your Trailer Leasing EXPOSURE Covered? [New Risks]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tLvZhrA4G8c/maxresdefault.jpg) ▶ |
Is Your Trailer Leasing EXPOSURE Covered? [New Risks]Freight brokers that move into trailer leasing face new liabilities beyond arranging transportation, with Andy Kuchar of Centerline. |
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
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Whether J.B. Hunt’s cost pressures prove transitoryThe article says some of the incremental costs were likely transitory. Watch whether Q4 intermodal and dedicated margins bear that out. |
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Where the INFRA parking spaces get builtThe 2,403 spaces will be built over the next few years, and the article gives no firmer timeline. Watch for construction dates on the larger projects in Tennessee, Texas and Georgia. |
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How the court treats the Oak Sourcing judgmentAshtel plans to submit a proposed judgment, and a bench trial on the Oak Insurance Group alter ego claims is still to come. Watch how the court handles the overlapping damages. |
