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J.B. Hunt warns Q3 profit will fall as fuel, driver costs climb
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-12%
JBHT shares, Wednesday trading after Q3 warning
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$1.77
Implied Q3 EPS midpoint, vs. $2.10 Street consensus
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$35M+
Combined driver ($25M) and fuel ($10M+) cost pressure
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J.B. Hunt Transport Services shares fell 12% in early Wednesday trading after the company warned investors that fuel and driver costs will push third-quarter earnings well below Wall Street’s expectations.
The trucking and intermodal giant said it now expects a sequential earnings decline of 5% to 10%, implying Q3 earnings per share of about $1.77 at the midpoint — 16% below the Street’s $2.10 consensus and roughly in line with last year’s third quarter. J.B. Hunt pointed to $25 million in incremental driver-related costs, including recruiting and bonuses, plus at least $10 million in sequential fuel cost increases after diesel prices climbed 10% from July to August and rose in eight of the quarter’s first 11 weeks.
Intermodal and dedicated contract services generate 96% of J.B. Hunt’s operating income, and both segments reprice more slowly than over-the-road trucking, leaving the company exposed when costs move faster than contracts reset. Intermodal bid season opens in October, with roughly 10% of contracts up for renewal in the fourth quarter, and intermodal currently runs about 32% cheaper than truckload — well below the 10% to 15% discount typical in the East and 25% in the West. J.B. Hunt said it won’t push through out-of-cycle rate increases to close that gap, betting instead on bid season to catch pricing up.
J.B. Hunt described the cost inflation as "more cyclical than structural," tying the pressure to fuel volatility and a freight market that’s tighter than it looks from the outside.
A scaled, asset-based carrier with intermodal and dedicated cushioning 96% of its operating income is still getting squeezed by fuel and driver costs — smaller over-the-road carriers without that mix are feeling it faster, and shippers pricing contracts off last year’s rates should expect intermodal carriers to push harder for increases once October’s bid season opens.
FMCSA orders 111 CDL schools shut down over English proficiency violations
FMCSA issued emergency removal orders Aug. 31 against 111 driver-training providers across 20 states, 84 with physical locations and 23 online-only, after cross-referencing the Training Provider Registry against roadside inspection data. Investigators found each targeted school had certified at least 10 drivers later cited for failing federal English-language proficiency rules, along with instructors lacking required licenses and inadequate driving ranges or classroom facilities. Texas, Pennsylvania and California each had 13 or more entries flagged, and the shutdown schools collectively trained more than 5,000 drivers. Emergency removal takes effect immediately, cutting schools off from enrolling students or issuing training certifications, though providers can seek administrative review. The action is separate from a July sweep that proposed removing 160-plus schools, including major networks like 160 Driving Academy and Truck Driver Institute, whose graduates were linked to 239 fatal crashes.
Carriers hiring recent CDL graduates should check whether their pipeline runs through any of the flagged schools, and expect FMCSA’s roadside-inspection-to-registry matching to keep expanding as the agency works through last month’s 160-school sweep too.
Hapag-Lloyd CEO says container demand holds up despite Middle East risk
Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said container-shipping demand has been "surprisingly strong" even as tariffs in the 15-20% range and Middle East turmoil complicate the operating picture, with the pace of freight-rate declines moderating from earlier in the year. Hapag-Lloyd has suspended transits through the Strait of Hormuz as Houthi rebels step up Red Sea attacks on Saudi targets, and disruption-related costs ran an estimated $50 million to $60 million a week during the line’s June reporting period. The Gemini alliance with Maersk has normalized four additional services back to Suez routing from Cape of Good Hope diversions, a shift that would shorten voyages and free up vessel capacity if it continues. Habben Jansen also addressed Hapag-Lloyd’s restructured, $4.2 billion bid for Zim, saying the company has "listened carefully" to Israeli government security concerns; the combined carrier would run more than 400 vessels and 3 million TEU of capacity, still behind Cosco globally.
If Gemini keeps shifting ships back through Suez, expect more effective capacity to hit the market and add downward pressure on rates just as the Zim deal’s security terms get finalized — shippers negotiating Q4 ocean contracts should watch both threads closely.
Chemical maker Oxea taps Uber Freight to run global logistics
Houston-based chemical manufacturer Oxea, which sells oxo intermediates and performance chemicals in more than 60 countries, has selected Uber Freight to manage its transportation across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe. It’s Uber Freight’s first managed transportation engagement built to span all four regions at once, folding truckload, rail and ocean freight into a single network instead of Oxea’s prior region-by-region management. "Everything starts with the customer. We want to anticipate issues sooner, respond faster and deliver consistently," said Scott Farmer, Oxea’s chief supply chain officer. Uber Freight Chief Commercial Officer D’Andrae Larry said the goal is to combine technology, data and logistics expertise to spot problems earlier across Oxea’s network.
A chemical shipper consolidating four regions under one managed-transportation provider is the kind of deal brokers and 3PLs should watch — it signals more multinational shippers are willing to trade regional carrier relationships for a single global network promising earlier visibility into disruptions.
Nebraska troopers seize record $50 million drug load on I-80
A Nebraska State Patrol trooper conducting a commercial vehicle inspection near mile marker 228 in Dawson County on Sept. 4 detected the odor of marijuana and searched the trailer, turning up roughly 19,800 pounds of drugs across 27 pallets — about 5,200 pounds of marijuana, 13,600 pounds of THC products and 1,000 pounds of psilocybin products, worth more than $50 million. The agency called it its largest drug interdiction by volume on record. William Gomez, 44, of Virginia, was arrested and charged with controlled substance possession and possession with intent to deliver. Investigators haven’t released the shipment’s origin, destination or the motor carrier’s identity.
A record-volume bust from a routine commercial vehicle inspection is a reminder that roadside odor and documentation checks still catch loads that clear other screening — carriers moving high-value freight through the I-80 corridor should expect inspection intensity to stay elevated while the case is active.
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| Time | Guest | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 12pm | Tom Kloza | Chief Energy Advisor, Gulf Oil |
| 12:30pm | Daniel Silverfield | Head of Value and Selection, Amazon Business |
| 1pm | Bill Stephens | Trains Magazine Editor |
| 1:30pm | Michael Caney | Chief Commercial Officer, Highway |
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White Paper: Q3 2026 Shipper Rate Report
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Best Of FreightWaves Today | September 15Watch the full breakdown on FreightWaves TV. |
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Whether J.B. Hunt’s bid season closes the pricing gapWatch October’s intermodal bid season, when roughly 10% of contracts renew, to see whether pricing catches up to fuel and driver costs without the out-of-cycle hikes J.B. Hunt says it won’t make. |
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Whether more CDL schools get swept upFMCSA’s emergency action against 111 providers runs alongside a July sweep proposing removal of 160-plus more. Watch whether that larger group, tied to 239 fatal crashes, moves from proposed to emergency status next. |
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How much capacity Gemini frees up in the Red SeaHapag-Lloyd and Maersk have already normalized four Gemini services back to Suez routing. Watch whether more ships follow, releasing effective vessel capacity just as Hapag-Lloyd’s restructured Zim bid nears a security resolution. |
