Truckers mostly fall in the 3Q amid weak demand

Following an optimistic end to the second quarter, U.S. freight trends weakened throughout the third quarter, dulling any pre-holiday ramp-up. Some analysts suggest the 2008 peak season will be even weaker than last year.

While truckload carriers were slightly helped by lower fuel prices, less-than-truckload carriers were dragged down by weaker pricing. One analyst noted that some LTL carriers were actually hurt by falling fuel surcharges.

Truckload carriers generally dedicate an entire trailer to one customer and move the freight directly from the shipper to the receiver. Less-than-truckload carriers fill their trucks with freight from a variety of sources and might re-sort and redistribute it at a company terminal along their route.

Among truckload carriers, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. shares lost 3 percent in the third quarter. But some truckers improved in the quarter, including Werner Enterprises Inc., which gained 16 percent.

Shares of Overland Park, Kansas-based YRC Worldwide Inc., the nation's largest less-than-truckload operator, lost about 19 percent in the quarter. Shares of fellow LTL carrier Arkansas Best Corp. lost about 8 percent.