Old Dominion Freight Line reported third-quarter 2026 LTL tonnage of 32,194 tons per day, essentially unchanged from 32,231 a year earlier, while revenue per hundredweight climbed 13.3 percent to $38.40. FreightWaves published the carrier's key performance indicators on October 28, 2026.

Shipments per day fell 2.0 percent to 43,332 from 44,201, and weight per shipment rose 1.9 percent to 1,486 pounds. Excluding fuel surcharges, revenue per hundredweight rose 5.1 percent to $30.25. Diesel prices ran 48 percent above the prior year during the quarter, which explains much of the gap between the fuel-inclusive and fuel-exclusive yield figures. Revenue per shipment excluding fuel rose 7.1 percent to $449.47, and average length of haul was 912 miles.

Consolidated revenue reached $1,590.7 million, up 13.1 percent. The operating ratio improved 280 basis points to 71.5 percent from 74.3 percent, and earnings per share rose 28.9 percent to $1.65 from $1.28. Average headcount fell 4.1 percent to 20,202, lifting shipments per employee per day to 2.14.

Monthly tonnage trends improved through the quarter. Tonnage per day was down roughly 1 percent year over year in both July and August, then rose 1.6 percent in September and into October. Comparisons are easy, since tonnage fell 10.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. The company put a 4.9 percent general rate increase into effect on October 5 and guided to a fourth-quarter operating ratio of 73.5 percent.

Source: FreightWaves -- https://www.freightwaves.com/news/old-dominions-tonnage-turns-positive-recovery-needs-demand-inflection