Old Dominion Unveils Weak LTL Unit Performance for February

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (ODFL) has provided an update on the performance of its less-than-truckload (LTL) segment, which is its primary revenue generator, for February.

Old Dominion's revenues per day fell 3.3% year over year in February 2026, owing to a 6.8% decrease in LTL tons per day, which was partially offset by an increase in LTL revenue per hundredweight. The reduction in LTL tons per day was owing to an 7% decrease in LTL shipments per day, which was partially offset by a 0.2% increase in LTL weight per shipment.

Quarter to date, Old Dominion’s LTL revenues per hundredweight and LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 3.5% and 4.1%, respectively, year over year.

Marty Freeman, president and chief executive officer of Old Dominion, stated, “We are encouraged by trends that we have seen develop in our business. While our LTL tons per day declined on a year-over-year basis for the first two months of the quarter, we remain cautiously optimistic about the direction of the domestic economy. In addition, our best-in-class service continues to support our disciplined approach to yield management and the ongoing improvement in our LTL revenue per hundredweight. Due to our consistent execution of our strategic plan, we have the available capacity necessary to effectively manage incremental volume opportunities as the demand environment improves. As a result, we remain confident that we are in a unique position to generate profitable revenue growth and increase shareholder value over the long term.” 

ODFL’s Zacks Rank & Price Performance

ODFL currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Shares of ODFL have gained 34.1% over the past three months, outperforming the 31% growth of the transportation-truck industry.

ODFL Stock Three-Month Price Comparison

Stocks to Consider

Investors interested in the Transportation sector may also consider Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) and LATAM Airlines Group LTM.

Southwest Airlines presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Southwest Airlines has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The company has an encouraging earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters (missed the mark in the remaining quarter), delivering an average beat of 253.92%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LUV’s 2026 earnings has moved 43.7% north in the past 90 days. Shares of Southwest Airlines have gained 59.5% over the past year.

LTM presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). LTM has an expected earnings growth rate of 25.66% for the current year. The company has a solid earnings surprise history. Its earnings outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 36.13%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LTM’s 2026 earnings has moved 7.06% north in the past 60 days. LTM shares have gained 52.1% in the past year.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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