ArcBest Announces Second Quarter 2024 Results

ArcBest^® (Nasdaq: ARCB), a leader in supply chain logistics, today reported second quarter 2024 revenue from continuing operations of $1.08 billion, compared to $1.10 billion in the second quarter of 2023. Second quarter 2024 operating income from continuing operations was $48.8 million, compared to $42.1 million in the prior year period, and net income from continuing operations was $46.9 million, or $1.96 per diluted share, compared to $39.6 million, or $1.60 per diluted share, in 2023.

Excluding certain items in both periods as identified in the attached reconciliation tables, second quarter 2024 non‑GAAP operating income from continuing operations was $64.2 million, compared to $50.1 million in the prior year period, an improvement of $14.1 million. On a non-GAAP basis, net income from continuing operations was $47.4 million, or $1.98 per diluted share, compared to $38.0 million, or $1.54 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2023.

“I am incredibly proud of our employees’ commitment to utilizing our quality process in pursuit of excellence every day. This dedication has led to significant improvements in our operational execution, with ABF Freight achieving its best on-time service performance in recent years,” said Judy R. McReynolds, ArcBest Chairman and CEO. “Furthermore, our substantial year-over-year improvement in operating income is a solid performance, especially considering ongoing macroeconomic headwinds.”

Results of Operations Comparisons

Asset-Based

Second Quarter 2024 Versus Second Quarter 2023

• Revenue of $712.7 million compared to $722.0 million, a per-day decrease of 2.1 percent.
• Total tonnage per day decrease of 20.3 percent.
• Total shipments per day decrease of 4.8 percent.
• Total billed revenue per hundredweight increase of 23.0 percent.
• Core daily shipments increase of 14 percent and tonnage increase of 11 percent.
• Operating income of $72.8 million and an operating ratio of 89.8 percent, on both a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, compared to prior-year GAAP operating income of $43.3 million and an operating ratio of 94.0 percent and prior-year non-GAAP operating income of $51.7 million and an operating ratio of 92.8 percent.

On a non-GAAP basis, the Asset-Based segment generated $21.1 million more operating income than second quarter 2023 despite lower revenue levels and higher labor costs, which highlights the continued focus on serving core customers well and improving operational efficiencies. Total second quarter daily shipment and tonnage levels were below the prior year, due primarily to fewer transactional shipments offset by increased core shipments, which positively impacted productivity and contributed to an improved operating ratio. On a non-GAAP basis, the Asset‑Based segment delivered its second-best operating income result for a second quarter in company history.

Pricing momentum continued in the quarter, driven by improved freight mix, higher pricing on transactional shipments and contract renewal increases of 5.1 percent. Overall, LTL industry pricing remains rational.

Compared sequentially to the first quarter of 2024, second quarter 2024 revenue per day was up 5.3 percent, tons per day improved 2.3 percent and shipments per day were better by 1.9 percent. Second quarter billed revenue per hundredweight increased 3.2 percent from first quarter 2024. The operating ratio improved 220 basis points sequentially, which was within the range of sequential quarterly changes seen in recent years.

Asset-Light

Second Quarter 2024 Versus Second Quarter 2023

• Revenue of $395.8 million compared to $409.8 million, a per-day decrease of 4.2 percent.
• Operating loss of $9.5 million compared to operating income of $13.2 million. On a non‑GAAP basis, operating loss of $2.5 million compared to operating income of $6.4 million.
• Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”) of negative $0.6 million compared to $8.3 million, as detailed in the attached non-GAAP reconciliation tables.

Compared to the second quarter of 2023, Asset-Light revenues were impacted by lower revenue per shipment and reduced margins associated with the soft rate environment and a higher mix of managed transportation business, which has lower revenue per shipment and margins. Shipments per day grew 12.6 percent, driven in part by customers turning to ArcBest’s managed solution to optimize their logistics spend. The decline in financial results on a year-over-year basis was primarily due to lower rates and margins for truckload solutions, reflecting the soft freight environment and excess full truckload capacity. The segment continues to benefit from productivity initiatives, as shipments per employee per day and SG&A cost per shipment both significantly improved on a year-over-year basis.

Compared sequentially to first quarter 2024, second quarter 2024 revenue per day was down one percent. Purchased transportation costs decreased sequentially as carrier rates dipped following the first quarter spike related to winter weather. The reduced purchased transportation costs were the biggest contributor to the lower non-GAAP operating loss in second quarter 2024, versus first quarter. Total shipments per day decreased 1.4 percent compared to first quarter 2024 and revenue per shipment was flat.

Conference Call

ArcBest will host a conference call with company executives to discuss the quarterly results. The call will be today, Friday, August 2, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. EDT (8:30 a.m. CDT). Interested parties are invited to listen by calling (800) 715‑9871 or by joining the webcast which can be found on ArcBest’s website at arcb.com. Slides to accompany this call are included in Exhibit 99.3 of the Form 8-K filed on August 2, 2024, will be posted and available to download on the company’s website prior to the scheduled conference time, and will be included in the webcast. Following the call, a recorded playback will be available through the end of the day on August 15, 2024. To listen to the playback, dial (800) 770-2030. The conference call ID for the live conference call and the playback is 4743250. The conference call and playback can also be accessed through August 15, 2024 on ArcBest’s website at arcb.com.

About ArcBest

ArcBest^® (Nasdaq: ARCB) is a multibillion-dollar integrated logistics company that helps keep the global supply chain moving. Founded in 1923 and now with 15,000 employees across 250 campuses and service centers, the company is a logistics powerhouse, using its technology, expertise and scale to connect shippers with the solutions they need — from ground, air and ocean transportation to fully managed supply chains. ArcBest has a long history of innovation that is enriched by deep customer relationships. With a commitment to helping customers navigate supply chain challenges now and in the future, the company is developing ground-breaking technology like Vaux™, one of the TIME Best Inventions of 2023. For more information, visit arcb.com.

The following is a “safe harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements and information in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among others, statements regarding (i) our expectations about our intrinsic value or our prospects for growth and value creation and (ii) our financial outlook, position, strategies, goals, and expectations. Terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “foresee,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “scheduled,” “should,” “would,” and similar expressions and the negatives of such terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s beliefs, assumptions, and expectations based on currently available information, are not guarantees of future performance, and involve certain risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control). Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, we cannot provide assurance that our expectations will prove to be correct. Actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied, or forecasted in these statements due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to: the effects of a widespread outbreak of an illness or disease or any other public health crisis, as well as regulatory measures implemented in response to such events; external events which may adversely affect us or the third parties who provide services for us, for which our business continuity plans may not adequately prepare us, including, but not limited to, acts of war or terrorism, or military conflicts; data privacy breaches, cybersecurity incidents, and/or failures of our information systems, including disruptions or failures of services essential to our operations or upon which our information technology platforms rely; interruption or failure of third-party software or information technology systems or licenses; untimely or ineffective development and implementation of, or failure to realize the potential benefits associated with, new or enhanced technology or processes, including our customer pilot offering of Vaux; the loss or reduction of business from large customers or an overall reduction in our customer base; the timing and performance of growth initiatives and the ability to manage our cost structure; the cost, integration, and performance of any recent or future acquisitions and the inability to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition within the expected time period or at all; unsolicited takeover proposals, proxy contests, and other proposals/actions by activist investors; maintaining our corporate reputation and intellectual property rights; nationwide or global disruption in the supply chain resulting in increased volatility in freight volumes; competitive initiatives and pricing pressures; increased prices for and decreased availability of equipment, including new revenue equipment, decreases in value of used revenue equipment, and higher costs of equipment-related operating expenses such as maintenance, fuel, and related taxes; availability of fuel, the effect of volatility in fuel prices and the associated changes in fuel surcharges on securing increases in base freight rates, and the inability to collect fuel surcharges; relationships with employees, including unions, and our ability to attract, retain, and upskill employees; unfavorable terms of, or the inability to reach agreement on, future collective bargaining agreements or a workforce stoppage by our employees covered under ABF Freight’s collective bargaining agreement; union employee wages and benefits, including changes in required contributions to multiemployer plans; availability and cost of reliable third-party services; our ability to secure independent owner-operators and/or operational or regulatory issues related to our use of their services; litigation or claims asserted against us; governmental regulations; environmental laws and regulations, including emissions-control regulations; default on covenants of financing arrangements and the availability and terms of future financing arrangements; our ability to generate sufficient cash from operations to support significant ongoing capital expenditure requirements and other business initiatives; self-insurance claims, insurance premium costs, and loss of our ability to self-insure; potential impairment of long-lived assets and goodwill and intangible assets; general economic conditions and related shifts in market demand that impact the performance and needs of industries we serve and/or limit our customers’ access to adequate financial resources; increasing costs due to inflation and higher interest rates; seasonal fluctuations, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, and climate change; and other financial, operational, and legal risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in ArcBest Corporation’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, please see our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8K.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Financial Data and Operating Statistics

The following tables show financial data and operating statistics on ArcBest^® and its reportable segments.