Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Earnings Watch: Marten Profit Bumps 2% Higher

Temperature-controlled carrier Marten Transport reported an increase in its second quarter earnings. Although it's another small gain, it did beat analysts' expectations.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
July 19, 2016
Earnings Watch: Marten Profit Bumps 2% Higher

 

2 min to read


Another trucking company has reported an increase in its second quarter earnings, but it’s also another small gain.

Temperature-controlled carrier Marten Transport Ltd. (NASDAQ:MRTN) says it had a 2.1% increase in net income, totaling $8.5 million, or 26 cents per diluted share compared to 25 cents per share a year earlier. The per share performance is 1 cent better than a consensus estimate by analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.

Ad Loading...

Revenue improved to $166.1 million, compared to $163.6 million in the second quarter of 2015, despite substantially lower fuel surcharges due to a drop in fuel prices this year. Operating revenue minus fuel surcharges improved 6.2% to $152.9 million.

“We have continued to demonstrate the strength of our multifaceted and diverse business model, which drove growth in our top line revenue and profitability despite pricing pressures and a soft freight market,” says Chairman and CEO Randolph L. "Randy" Marten.

The Wisconsin company grew its average number of truckload and dedicated tractors by 362 tractors, or 15.4%, in the first half of this year over the first half of 2015.

Ad Loading...

“We are confident in our ability to capitalize on further profitable growth opportunities with our unique business model and the dedicated people who have built it with their smart, hard work,” Marten said.

For the first six months of 2016, Marten reported net income $16.7 million, or 51 cents per diluted share, compared to $18.5 million, or 55 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue increased to $328 million from $324.9 million for the first half of 2015, as fuel surcharge revenue during the period decreased to $23.3 million from $40.2 million for the 2015 six-month period.

The performance follows numbers released on Monday by J.B. Hunt, the first fleet to report second quarter earnings, showing its profit was also just 2% higher over the past year with a similar increase in revenue.

More Fleet Management

Red Kodiak-branded autonomous tractor with Charger-branded trailer backed up to warehouse
Fleet Management•October 30, 2026

Kodiak Lines Up Fleets for Driverless Trucking

An agreement for 75 trucks, a new Texas freight lane, and progress on safety validation move Kodiak closer to its planned driverless highway launch.

Read More →
Illustration with Star of David and EEOC logo
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 28, 2026

ITS Logistics Settles Religious Harassment Case

The Nevada-based logistics firm agreed to pay more than $396,000 to settle a religious harassment charge involving an employee's Jewish identity.

Read More →
Truck on divided interstate highway driving toward sunrise
Fleet Management•October 27, 2026

Your Trucks Are Busy. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Winning.

High utilization doesn’t always mean strong margins. Looking beyond the current load can help fleets make better dispatch decisions and get more value from each truck’s time.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
ATA economist Bob Costello speaking beside a graph showing truckload operating costs rising as freight revenue per mile declined after 2022.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 22, 2026

Why This Trucking Recovery Is Different

Freight demand remains sluggish, but rising costs and tougher enforcement have taken enough capacity out of the market to change the outlook for motor carriers.

Read More →
PS Coach tablet interface showing a driver’s coaching inbox, safety event video and coaching advice for a harsh-braking event.
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools

Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.

Read More →
Screen capture showing PrePass Intelligence data on tolls
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

PrePass Intelligence Mines Fleet Bypass, Toll and Safety Data

PrePass Intelligence helps fleets measure bypass savings, flag potential toll overcharges, and spot suspicious transactions by combining data from separate systems.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Computer screen showing examples of what fleets could ask Motive AI Agents to do
Fleet Management•by Staff•October 20, 2026

Motive Adds AI Agents for Fleet Operations

New tools automate follow-up on fleet data, from maintenance work orders to driver alerts, with two-way voice conversations planned for later this year.

Read More →
Graphic art with a heavy-duty tractor trailer and a work truck with the words "trivia lunch"
Fleet Management•by Lauren Fletcher•October 19, 2026

Can You Beat Our Trucking Trivia Challenge?

Test your truck knowledge with 19 trivia questions from Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange. Can you keep up with the fleet pros?

Read More →
Four horizontal and two vertical video screens show different aspects of BeyondTruck's new compatibility engine
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

BeyondTrucks Adds Rules Checks to Dispatch

New Compatibility Engine checks driver qualifications, equipment requirements and fleet policies before loads are dispatched.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Gloved hand fueling a truck beside a graphic listing ATRI’s top three trucking concerns for 2026: fuel prices, lawsuit abuse reform and CSA.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

Diesel Prices Hijack Trucking’s Worry List

ATRI’s annual survey finds cautious optimism about freight, but diesel costs, litigation, and insurance continue to squeeze fleets. Drivers have different priorities on several issues.

Read More →