December 21, 2005 8:45 AM, EST

U.S. Xpress Boosts Fourth-Quarter Earnings Outlook

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ruckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises said late Tuesday its expected range of earnings for the fourth quarter would be 43 to 47 cents a share.

The company attributed the expectation of better-than-expected results to strong freight demand and improved pricing within its truckload business, along with lower net fuel expense.

The forecast is higher than analyst firm Stifel Nicolaus' 32-cent per-share estimate and even further ahead of the Wall Street consensus estimate of 28 cents a share, Stifel Nicolaus' John Larkin said in a report issued Wednesday.

The company said it will release its results in late January.

U.S. Xpress is ranked No. 22 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.