Let’s dig into the relative performance of Landstar (NASDAQ: LSTR) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q2 ground transportation earnings season.

The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, especially last-mile delivery, presenting opportunities for ground transportation companies. The industry continues to invest in data, analytics, and autonomous fleets to optimize efficiency and find the most cost-effective routes. Despite the essential services this industry provides, ground transportation companies are still at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact the demand for these companies’ offerings while fuel costs can influence profit margins.

The 16 ground transportation stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q2. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 8.9% since the latest earnings results.

Landstar (NASDAQ: LSTR)

Covering billions of miles throughout North America, Landstar (NASDAQ: LSTR) is a transportation company specializing in freight and last-mile delivery services.

Landstar reported revenues of $1.22 billion, down 1.1% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 8.5% since reporting and currently trades at $126.26.

Is now the time to buy Landstar? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q2: Werner (NASDAQ: WERN)

Conducting business in over a 100 countries, Werner (NASDAQ: WERN) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal delivery services.

Werner reported revenues of $753.1 million, down 1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3%. The business had a stunning quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 4.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $26.56.

Is now the time to buy Werner? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q2: Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD)

Founded by the son of a trucker, Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD) offers full-truckload deliveries across the United States and Mexico.

Heartland Express reported revenues of $210.4 million, down 23.4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 10.4%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Heartland Express delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 11.8% since the results and currently trades at $7.64.

Read our full analysis of Heartland Express’s results here.

Saia (NASDAQ: SAIA)

Pivoting its business model after realizing there was more success in delivering produce than selling it, Saia (NASDAQ: SAIA) is a provider of freight transportation solutions.

Saia reported revenues of $817.1 million, flat year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also put up a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is down 10.2% since reporting and currently trades at $279.05.

Read our full, actionable report on Saia here, it’s free.

ArcBest (NASDAQ: ARCB)

Historically owning furniture, banking, and other subsidiaries, ArcBest (NASDAQ: ARCB) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal deliveries of freight.

ArcBest reported revenues of $1.02 billion, down 5.2% year on year. This result lagged analysts' expectations by 2.8%. It was a softer quarter as it also recorded a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and a miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is down 16.1% since reporting and currently trades at $68.73.

Read our full, actionable report on ArcBest here, it’s free.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.

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