Showing posts with label first quarter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first quarter. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Arkansas Best slips to loss in Q1

Transportation holding company Arkansas Best Corp. reported a loss in its first quarter, reflecting significantly lower freight levels, hurt by poor economy, and a very competitive pricing environment.

For quarter, the company posted a net loss of $18.16 million or $0.73 per share, compared to a net income of $8.54 million or $0.34 per share last year. The company noted that the quarterly results included $0.15 per share costs from the ABF RPM initiative compared to $0.10 per share in the preceding year.

Quarterly operating revenues fell to $339.68 million, a per-day decrease of 22.9%, from $447.51 million in the same quarter a year ago. Operating loss was $28.60 million, versus operating income of $13.15 million in the prior year. Interest and dividend income plunged to $930 thousands from $1.82 million in the previous year.

ABF Freight System, Inc., the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best, generated revenues of $323.11 million, lower than last year's $427.75 million. Total billed revenue per hundredweight was $23.85, a decrease of 9.4%, compared to $26.32 in the prior year. The decline was mainly due to the steep decline in fuel surcharge compared to the first quarter of 2008. Other revenues and eliminations were $16.56 million, in comparison with $19.76 million in the preceding year.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

YRC sees up to $185 mln in charges; stock plummets

U.S. truck firm YRC Worldwide Inc said on Tuesday it expects to report first-quarter charges of up to $185 million due to ongoing restructuring of its network and the faltering U.S. economy, sending its shares down 20 percent.

In a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, YRC said the charges include severance pay and pension settlements.

The Overland Park, Kansas-based company also said that daily freight tonnage in its U.S. national network was down 29 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier.

The U.S. trucking sector has suffered from weak freight volumes since the third quarter of 2006 due to a combination of weak retail and auto sales, the meltdown of the housing sector and the decline of the overall economy.

This has forced truckers to slash prices to compete for business.

YRC has had additional problems of its own because of over-capacity in its network following a couple of big acquisitions in 2003 and 2005.

The company has slashed jobs, closed facilities and its unionized workers agreed to more flexible conditions. They approved a 10 percent wage cut in January in return for 15 percent stake in the company.

In February the company also finalized an amendment with its lenders on its credit facilities, a step seen by analysts as crucial to avoiding collapse.

In its filing on Tuesday, YRC said it expects to have 400 facilities by the end of 2009, compared with 521 at the end of 2008.

The company plans capital expenditures of $130 million, and said they could reach a maximum of $150 million.

YRC said it still expects to raise around $100 million in excess property sales in 2009, with $18 million raised in the first quarter.