Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Growth Drives UPS Earnings Higher

Growth across all business segments let to higher earnings for trucking and parcel delivery giant UPS in the second quarter.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
July 25, 2018
Growth Drives UPS Earnings Higher

Net income for UPS increased 7.3% from a year earlier to nearly $1.49 billion as revenue increased 9.6% to almost $17.5 billion.

Photo courtesy of UPS.

2 min to read


Trucking and parcel delivery giant UPS on Wednesday reported it increased its profit during the second quarter of the year due to growth across all business segments. Net income increased 7.3% from a year earlier to nearly $1.49 billion as revenue increased 9.6% to almost $17.5 billion.

“UPS is making great progress on our transformation initiatives to enhance profitable growth and improve operating leverage,” said David Abney, UPS chairman and CEO. “We are confident that our strategies will position the company to provide improved value for customers and shareowners.”

Ad Loading...

UPS’ U.S. domestic segment experienced strong revenue growth of 6.3%, totaling $10.4 billion, driven by e-commerce demand and increased revenue per piece over the prior year, according to the company. Operating profit, down from $1.26 billion a year earlier to $939 million in the most recent quarter, was primarily reduced by planned increases in pension expense and cost for ongoing network projects.

The international segment delivered its 14th consecutive quarter of currency-neutral double-digit operating profit growth, totaling $618 million. The segment enjoyed its highest second quarter operating profit ever, led by the Europe region.

The supply chain and freight segment delivered another quarter of double-digit growth in revenue, up 16% from a year earlier and totaling $3.5 billion, as well as adjusted operating profit of $247 million. Unadjusted operating profit was $212 million. UPS Freight revenue increased 13% on higher pricing and tonnage gains, according to the company.

Ad Loading...

"There seems to be a new focus on pricing and service at UPS - both keys to a successful company that, in our view, didn't get enough serious attention before," noted David Ross, a transportation analyst at Stifel, in an email note to investors.


Related: Don’t Let Fear of Change Mire You in Mediocrity

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 →