J.B. Hunt Shares Fall After CFO Flags Rise in Costs -- WSJ

By Esther Fung

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services are down 13% Wednesday after Chief Financial Officer Brad Delco said the trucking company's third-quarter earnings will decline around 5% to 10% sequentially because of elevated driver-related costs, the rapid rise in fuel prices and higher claims as medical costs outpace general inflation.

"The cost of recruiting, advertising, onboarding, training, sign-on bonuses-help me if I'm missing one of them, we're going to see about $25 million more in Q3 versus Q2," said Delco at a Morgan Stanley investor conference Tuesday.

A number of U.S. businesses have said they are facing a shortage of truck drivers as federal officials continue efforts to control the number of immigrants that are eligible to drive commercial vehicles.

Delco said that investors should see the spending to bring in new drivers as a positive sign that J.B. Hunt focused on growth. On the fuel costs, Delco said that J.B. Hunt faces at least a $10 million headwind sequentially from the second quarter to the third. The price of diesel reached $6.29 this week, up 68% from a year ago.

"We have seen some of the most radical and abnormal swings in fuel prices that we've ever seen," said Delco.

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September 16, 2026 11:46 ET (15:46 GMT)