Werner Enterprises Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

Third Quarter 2026 Highlights (all metrics compared to third quarter 2025)

• Total revenues of $950.5 million, increased $179.0 million, or 23%
• Operating income of $17.0 million compared to an operating loss of $13.0 million in the prior year; non-GAAP adjusted operating income of $21.0 million, increased $10.1 million, or 92%
• Operating margin of 1.8%, increased 350 basis points from (1.7)%; non-GAAP adjusted operating margin of 2.2%, increased 80 basis points from 1.4%
• Diluted earnings per share of $0.11 compared to diluted loss per share of $0.34 in the prior year; non-GAAP adjusted diluted earnings per share of $0.16 compared to non-GAAP diluted loss per share of $0.03 in the prior year

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Werner Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WERN), a premier transportation and logistics provider, today reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026.

“Werner’s third-quarter results demonstrate strong top-line momentum, highlighted by a 28% increase in freight revenue and double-digit Truckload Transportation Services (“TTS”) revenue per truck growth,” said Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers. “While rapidly rising fuel costs and elevated claims temporarily impacted near-term margins, our underlying strategy is working, driving a near-doubling of adjusted operating income. We made the deliberate decision to accelerate investments in driver recruiting and onboarding to capture rising customer demand and support fleet expansion as industry capacity tightens. We remain confident in our trajectory and our ability to capitalize on the early stages of this freight upcycle.”

Total revenues for the quarter were $950.5 million, an increase of $179.0 million compared to the prior year, due to a $194.2 million, or 37%, increase in TTS revenues, partially offset by a decline in Werner Logistics revenues of $16.8 million. A portion of the TTS revenue increase was due to $65.8 million higher fuel surcharge revenues.

Operating income was $17.0 million compared to an operating loss of $13.0 million in the prior year, while operating margin of 1.8% increased 350 basis points from (1.7)%. The increase in operating income is partially due to the non-recurrence of litigation costs of $21.4 million recorded in the prior year related to an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit. On a non-GAAP basis, adjusted operating income of $21.0 million increased $10.1 million, or 92%. Adjusted operating margin of 2.2% increased 80 basis points from 1.4%.

TTS had operating income of $23.2 million compared to an operating loss of $13.8 million in the prior year, and TTS had non-GAAP adjusted operating income of $24.3 million, an increase of $15.4 million, or 172%. Werner Logistics had an operating loss of $0.4 million compared to $3.0 million operating income in the prior year, and Werner Logistics had non-GAAP adjusted operating income of $0.8 million, a decrease of $3.4 million, or 82%. Corporate and Other (including driving schools) had an operating loss of $5.9 million compared to a $2.2 million operating loss in the prior year driven primarily by acquisition expenses, which were excluded for non-GAAP purposes, and lower non-operating gains, partially offset by year-over-year favorability in our driver schools.

Net interest expense of $9.5 million increased $1.0 million primarily due to an increase in average debt outstanding, partially offset by a decrease in average interest rates. The effective income tax rate during the quarter was 13.2%, compared to 3.8% in third quarter 2025 due to differences in discrete income tax items.

Net gain on our strategic investments was $0.3 million compared to a net loss of $0.3 million in the prior year. Consistent with prior reporting, increases or decreases to the values of these strategic investments are adjusted out for determining non-GAAP adjusted net income (loss) and non-GAAP adjusted earnings (loss) per share.

Net income attributable to Werner was $6.6 million compared to a $20.6 million net loss attributable to Werner in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, adjusted net income attributable to Werner was $9.5 million compared to a $2.0 million adjusted net loss attributable to Werner in the prior year. Diluted earnings per share was $0.11 compared to diluted loss per share of $0.34 in the prior year. On a non-GAAP basis, adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.16 compared to adjusted diluted loss per share of $0.03 in the prior year.

Truckload Transportation Services (TTS) Segment

• Revenues of $714.0 million increased $194.2 million, or 37%; trucking revenues, net of fuel surcharge, increased $127.6 million, or 28% year over year
• Operating income of $23.2 million compared to an operating loss of $13.8 million in the prior year; non-GAAP adjusted operating income of $24.3 million increased $15.4 million, or 172%, due to the addition of FirstFleet, lower insurance and claims expense (excluding FirstFleet), and higher gains from sale of used equipment
• Operating margin of 3.3%, increased 600 basis points from (2.7%); non-GAAP adjusted operating margin, net of fuel surcharge, of 4.1% increased 220 basis points from 1.9%
• Average segment trucks in service totaled 8,668, an increase of 1,165 trucks year over year, or 15.5%, while segment trucks at quarter end increased by 1,295 trucks, or 17.4%. The increase is driven by the FirstFleet acquisition, partially offset by a smaller One-Way Truckload fleet
• Dedicated unit trucks at quarter end totaled 7,090, or 81% of the total TTS segment fleet, compared to 4,965 trucks, or 67%, a year ago
• One-Way Truckload average revenues per truck per week increased 34.3% from total miles per truck production gains of 22.4% following our restructuring efforts earlier this year, plus rate improvement and spot-vs-contract mix changes
• One-Way revenues per total mile, net of fuel surcharge, increased 9.7% year over year

We acquired FirstFleet on January 27, 2026. FirstFleet financial results are reported in our Dedicated operating segment within Truckload Transportation Services. As a result of this acquisition, Dedicated experienced a net increase in average trucks in service, up 2,130 trucks, or 43.8% year over year, and up 19 trucks sequentially. Dedicated quarter-end fleet size was up 42.8% year over year. Dedicated average revenues per truck per week, net of fuel surcharge, increased 5.6%.

Werner Logistics Segment

• Revenues of $215.8 million decreased $16.8 million, or 7%
• Operating loss was $0.4 million compared to $3.0 million operating income in the prior year; non-GAAP adjusted operating income of $0.8 million decreased $3.4 million, or 82%
• Operating margin of (0.2)% decreased 150 basis points from 1.3%; non-GAAP adjusted operating margin of 0.4% decreased 140 basis points from 1.8%; non-GAAP adjusted operating margin, calculated on operating revenues, less purchased transportation, was 14.4%, up 210 basis points sequentially from 12.3%
• Truckload Logistics Brokerage operating margin improved sequentially by over 600 basis points

Truckload Logistics revenues (70% of Werner Logistics revenues) decreased $23.2 million, or 13%, driven by a decrease in shipments of 40%, partially offset by a 44% increase in revenue per shipment.

Intermodal revenues (17% of Werner Logistics revenues) increased $2.4 million, or 7%, due to a 6% increase in revenue per shipment and a 1% increase in shipments.

Final Mile revenues (13% of Werner Logistics revenues) increased $4.1 million, or 18%, and increased 8% sequentially.

 Cash Flow and Capital Allocation

Cash flow from operations in third quarter 2026 was $21.5 million compared to $44.1 million in third quarter 2025, a decrease of 51%. In October 2025, we entered into an $18.0 million agreement to settle a class action lawsuit, for which a full accrual was recorded in third quarter 2025. Following court approval in July 2026, all remaining settlement funds were distributed during the third quarter 2026.

Net capital expenditures in third quarter 2026 were $37.3 million compared to $35.2 million in third quarter 2025. We continue to prioritize business reinvestment in safe and modern equipment, including trucks and trailers, intermodal containers, technology, and our terminal network. The average ages of our truck and trailer fleets were 2.8 years and 6.5 years, respectively, as of September 30, 2026. The average age of our trucks decreased 0.2 years sequentially. We expect further reduction as we accelerate tractor purchases in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Gains on sales of property and equipment in third quarter 2026 were $8.0 million, or $0.10 per share, compared to $4.5 million, or $0.06 per share, in third quarter 2025. Gains on sales of property and equipment are reflected as a reduction of other operating expenses in our income statement.

We did not repurchase shares of our common stock in third quarter 2026. As of September 30, 2026, we had 5.0 million shares remaining under our share repurchase authorization.

As of September 30, 2026, we had $39.2 million of cash and cash equivalents and $1.4 billion of stockholders’ equity. Total debt outstanding, including finance lease liabilities of $44.4 million, was $847.4 million at September 30, 2026. After considering letters of credit issued, we had available liquidity consisting of cash and cash equivalents and available borrowing capacity as of September 30, 2026 of $654.3 million. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, on October 5, 2026, we entered into a new $1.1 billion unsecured credit facility with various lenders (“2026 Credit Agreement”) and terminated our existing $1.075 billion unsecured credit facility (“2022 Credit Agreement”). On October 5, 2026, we borrowed $465 million under the 2026 Credit Agreement and used $431.7 million of these proceeds to pay off the outstanding balances, accrued interest, and fees under the 2022 Credit Agreement. Outstanding debt on our credit facilities totaled $840 million as of October 5, 2026, including $465 million of revolving credit loans under the 2026 Credit Agreement and $375 million under our existing Loan and Security Agreement. Considering outstanding borrowings and stand-by letters of credit of $31.9 million, we have a remaining borrowing capacity of $603.1 million under our credit facilities as of October 5, 2026.

2026 Guidance Metrics and Assumptions

The following table summarizes our updated 2026 guidance assumptions:

 Call Information

Werner Enterprises, Inc. will conduct a conference call to discuss third quarter 2026 earnings today beginning at 4:00 p.m. CT. The news release, live webcast of the earnings conference call, and accompanying slide presentation will be available at werner.com in the “Investors” section under “News & Events” and then “Events Calendar.” To participate in the conference call, please dial (844) 701-1165 (domestic) or (412) 504-9718 (international). Please mention to the operator that you are dialing in for the Werner Enterprises call.

A replay of the conference call will be available on October 27, 2026 at approximately 6:00 p.m. CT through November 27, 2026 by dialing (855) 669-9658 (domestic) or (412) 317-0088 (international) and using the access code 5222855. A replay of the webcast will also be available at werner.com in the “Investors” section under “News & Events” and then “Events Calendar.”

About Werner Enterprises

Werner Enterprises, Inc. (“Werner”) (Nasdaq: WERN) delivers superior truckload transportation and logistics services to customers across the United States, Mexico and Canada. With Werner® 2025 revenues of nearly $3.0 billion, a modern truck and trailer fleet, more than 14,800 talented associates and our innovative Werner EDGE^® technology, we are an essential solutions provider for customers who value the integrity of their supply chain and require safe and exceptional on-time service. In January 2026, Werner acquired FirstEnterprises, Inc. (“FirstFleet”), which generated more than $600 million in unaudited 2025 revenues. Werner provides Dedicated and One-Way Truckload services as well as Logistics services that include truckload brokerage, freight management, intermodal and final mile. Werner embraces inclusion as a core value and manages key risks and opportunities through a balanced sustainability strategy.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are based on information presently available to the Company’s management and are current only as of the date made. Actual results could also differ materially from those anticipated as a result of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed in the Company’s latest available Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

For those reasons, undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement. The Company assumes no duty or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, although it may do so from time to time as management believes is warranted or as may be required by applicable securities law. Any such updates or revisions may be made by filing reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), through the issuance of press releases or by other methods of public disclosure.

Consolidated Financial Information

Segment Financial and Operating Statistics Information

Christopher D. Wikoff
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer,
and Treasurer
(402) 894-3700