A refrigerated rail service sold by Union Pacific Railroad to shippers has shut down amid the COVID-19 downturn in volumes and competition from rival BNSF Railway and other large IMCs.

Some of the biggest trucking companies are riding the 2018 wave well into 2019, and they’re focused more on building profit than revenue as the US economy slows.

A strong surge in dedicated trucking business helped balance falling fuel surcharges for Marten Transport in the first quarter. The trucker bucked trends and increased revenue.

Plummeting fuel surcharges took a bite out of the refrigerated transporter's total revenue, but strong dedicated and brokerage business helped build underlying profits, shore up weaker truckload unit in the third quarter.

Refrigerated trucking operator Marten Transport nearly doubled net profit in the first quarter while expanding dedicated operations as shippers scrambled to secure truck capacity.

Rail service problems are starting to hurt truckers with intermodal operations, especially those such that move refrigerated goods, a transportation analyst says.

Marten Transport provided evidence this week that tightening truck capacity is leading to higher contract truck rates.

Trucking’s early third quarter earnings reports looked better than might be expected in a sluggish and inconsistent economy. That’s largely because the first publicly owned motor carriers past the quarterly post took advantage of opportunities to move more freight by intermodal rail, diversified their over-the-road services and, most important, protected profit margins in the quarter.

Marten Transport today reported its net income in the second quarter of 2013 was $7.7 million, inching up 1.1 percent from $7.6 million in the second quarter of 2012.