October 13, 2006 9:00 AM, EDT

J.B. Hunt Earnings, Revenue Increase in 3Q

Click here to write a Letter to the Editor.

ruckload carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services reported Friday that it earned $57.8 million or 39 cents a share, up from $39.8 million or 25 cents a year ago.

img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/jbhunt.gif" width=120 align=right>Revenue rose 7% to a record $858 million, the company said. Operating income rose to $100 million from $91 million a year earlier.

The revenue gain was due primarily to an increase in fleet size to 12,106 trucks in the third quarter of compared with 11,752 a year earlier, J.B. Hunt said.

Truck segment revenue rose 5% to $258 million, while truck segment operating income declined 6% to $25.6 million.

ntermodal segment revenue jumped 12% to $366 million, while operating income gained 18% to $46.4 million.

he company’s dedicated contract services segment’s revenue 9% to $239 million. The segment’s operating income segment rose 26% to $30.8 million.

The carrier noted that its earnings for the third quarter of 2005 included an arbitration claim of $25.8 million.

.B. Hunt is ranked No. 10 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.