v3.26.1
Note 11 - Revenue and Business Segments
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2026
Notes to Financial Statements  
Segment Reporting [Text Block]

(11) Revenue and Business Segments

 

We account for our revenue in accordance with FASB ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. We combine our five current operating segments (Temperature-Sensitive and Dry Truckload, Dedicated, Brokerage and MRTN de Mexico), along with our Intermodal operating segment which was sold effective September 30, 2025, into four reporting segments (Truckload, Dedicated, Brokerage and Intermodal) for financial reporting purposes. These four reporting segments are also the appropriate categories for the disaggregation of our revenue under FASB ASC 606.

 

Our Truckload segment provides a combination of regional short-haul and medium-to-long-haul full-load transportation services. We transport food and other consumer packaged goods that require a temperature-controlled or insulated environment, along with dry freight, across the United States and into and out of Mexico and Canada. Our agreements with customers are typically for one year.

 

Our Dedicated segment provides customized transportation solutions tailored to meet each individual customer’s requirements, utilizing temperature-controlled trailers, dry vans and other specialized equipment within the United States. Our agreements with customers range from three to five years and are subject to annual rate reviews.

 

Generally, we are paid by the mile for our Truckload and Dedicated services. We also derive Truckload and Dedicated revenue from fuel surcharges, loading and unloading activities, equipment detention and other accessorial services. The main factors that affect our Truckload and Dedicated revenue are the rate per mile we receive from our customers, the percentage of miles for which we are compensated, the number of miles we generate with our equipment and changes in fuel prices. We monitor our revenue production primarily through average Truckload and Dedicated revenue, net of fuel surcharges, per tractor per week. We also analyze our average Truckload and Dedicated revenue, net of fuel surcharges, per total mile, non-revenue miles percentage, the miles per tractor we generate, our fuel surcharge revenue, our accessorial revenue and our other sources of operating revenue.

 

Our Brokerage segment develops contractual relationships with and arranges for third-party carriers to transport freight for our customers in temperature-controlled trailers and dry vans within the United States and into and out of Mexico through Marten Transport Logistics, LLC, which was established in 2007 and operates pursuant to brokerage authority granted by the United States Department of Transportation, or DOT. We retain the billing, collection and customer management responsibilities. The main factors that affect our Brokerage revenue are the rate per mile and other charges that we receive from our customers.

 

Operating results of our MRTN de Mexico business, which offers our customers door-to-door service between the United States and Mexico with our Mexican partner carriers, is reported within our Truckload and Brokerage segments.

 

Our Intermodal segment transported our customers’ freight within the United States utilizing our refrigerated containers on railroad flatcars for portions of trips, with the balance of the trips using our tractors or, to a lesser extent, contracted carriers. The main factors that affected our Intermodal revenue were the rate per mile and other charges we received from our customers. As discussed in Note 10, our Intermodal operations were sold effective September 30, 2025.

 

Our customer agreements are typically for one-year terms except for our Dedicated agreements which range from three to five years with annual rate reviews. Under FASB ASC 606, the contract date for each individual load within each of our four reporting segments is generally the date that each load is tendered to and accepted by us. For each load transported within each of our four reporting segments, the entire amount of revenue to be recognized is a single performance obligation and our agreements with our customers detail the per-mile charges for line haul and fuel surcharges, along with the rates for loading and unloading, stop offs and drops, equipment detention and other accessorial services, which is the transaction price. There are no discounts that would be a material right or consideration payable to a customer. We are required to recognize revenue and related expenses over time, from load pickup to delivery, for each load within each of our four reporting segments. We base our calculation of the amount of revenue to record in each period for individual loads picking up in one period and delivering in the following period using the number of hours estimated to be incurred within each period applied to each estimated transaction price. Contract assets for this estimated revenue which are classified within prepaid expenses and other within our consolidated condensed balance sheets were $1.8 million and $1.4 million as of June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025, respectively. We had no impairment losses on contract assets in the first six months of 2026 or in 2025. As a practical expedient as permitted under FASB ASC 606-10-50-14, we do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected duration of one year or less. We bill our customers for loads after delivery is complete with standard payment terms of 30 days.

 

We account for revenue of our Brokerage segment and formerly of our Intermodal segment, along with revenue on freight transported by independent contractors within our Truckload and Dedicated segments, on a gross basis because we are the principal service provider controlling the promised service before it is transferred to each customer. We are primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide each specified service to each customer. We bear the primary risk of loss in the event of cargo claims by our customers. We also have complete control and discretion in establishing the price for each specified service. Accordingly, all such revenue billed to customers is classified as operating revenue and all corresponding payments to carriers for transportation services we arrange in connection with brokerage and formerly intermodal activities and to independent contractor providers of revenue equipment are classified as purchased transportation expense within our consolidated condensed statements of operations.

 

The following table sets forth for the periods indicated our operating revenue and operating income by segment.

 

   

Three Months

   

Six Months

 
   

Ended June 30,

   

Ended June 30,

 

(In thousands)

 

2026

   

2025

   

2026

   

2025

 

Operating revenue:

                               

Truckload revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue

  $ 92,721     $ 92,484     $ 182,031     $ 182,590  

Truckload fuel surcharge revenue

    23,599       14,002       39,679       28,287  

Total Truckload revenue

    116,320       106,486       221,710       210,877  
                                 

Dedicated revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue

    52,578       61,338       105,752       123,743  

Dedicated fuel surcharge revenue

    14,718       10,536       25,007       21,756  

Total Dedicated revenue

    67,296       71,874       130,759       145,499  
                                 

Brokerage revenue

    39,927       39,859       74,600       72,878  
                                 

Intermodal revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue

    -       10,093       -       20,361  

Intermodal fuel surcharge revenue

    -       1,610       -       3,459  

Total Intermodal revenue

    -       11,703       -       23,820  

Total operating revenue

  $ 223,543     $ 229,922     $ 427,069     $ 453,074  
                                 

Operating income/(loss):

                               

Truckload

  $ 2,417     $ 2,344     $ 1,473     $ 2,044  

Dedicated

    2,440       5,429       4,062       10,283  

Brokerage

    2,059       2,696       2,973       4,856  

Intermodal

    -       (735 )     -       (1,590 )

Total operating income

  $ 6,916     $ 9,734     $ 8,508     $ 15,593  

 

The following segment operating results for the periods indicated are provided monthly to our chief operating decision maker, our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and used in assessing segment performance and allocating resources, primarily based upon each segment’s variances in operating revenue, operating income and operating ratio. We do not prepare separate balance sheets by segment and, as a result, assets are not separately identifiable by segment.

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2026 Segment Operating Results

 

(In thousands)

 

Truckload

   

Dedicated

   

Brokerage

   

Intermodal

   

Total

 

Operating revenue

  $ 116,320     $ 67,296     $ 39,927     $ -     $ 223,543  

Operating expense (income):

                                       

Salaries, wages and benefits

    42,419       28,226       1,893       -       72,538  

Purchased transportation

    1,386       2,417       35,016       -       38,819  

Fuel and fuel taxes

    31,049       14,718       -       -       45,767  

Supplies and maintenance

    10,883       4,438       (3 )     -       15,318  

Depreciation

    16,186       8,173       403       -       24,762  

Operating taxes and licenses

    1,361       856       56       -       2,273  

Insurance and claims

    6,185       3,224       (103 )     -       9,306  

Communications and utilities

    1,299       673       180       -       2,152  

Gain on disposition of revenue equipment

    (990 )     (683 )     -       -       (1,673 )

Other

    4,125       2,814       426       -       7,365  

Total operating expenses

    113,903       64,856       37,868       -       216,627  

Operating income

  $ 2,417     $ 2,440     $ 2,059     $ -     $ 6,916  
                                         

Operating ratio

    97.9 %     96.4 %     94.8 %     - %     96.9 %

Operating ratio, net of fuel surcharges

    97.4 %     95.4 %     94.8 %     - %     96.3 %

 

Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 Segment Operating Results

 

(In thousands)

 

Truckload

   

Dedicated

   

Brokerage

   

Intermodal

   

Total

 

Operating revenue

  $ 221,710     $ 130,759     $ 74,600     $ -     $ 427,069  

Operating expense (income):

                                       

Salaries, wages and benefits

    84,931       55,941       3,785       -       144,657  

Purchased transportation

    2,454       4,821       65,012       -       72,287  

Fuel and fuel taxes

    53,864       25,810       -       -       79,674  

Supplies and maintenance

    21,884       8,560       2       -       30,446  

Depreciation

    32,390       16,556       822       -       49,768  

Operating taxes and licenses

    2,702       1,708       108       -       4,518  

Insurance and claims

    13,655       8,227       669       -       22,551  

Communications and utilities

    2,553       1,311       393       -       4,257  

Gain on disposition of revenue equipment

    (1,822 )     (1,271 )     -       -       (3,093 )

Other

    7,626       5,034       836       -       13,496  

Total operating expenses

    220,237       126,697       71,627       -       418,561  

Operating income

  $ 1,473     $ 4,062     $ 2,973     $ -     $ 8,508  
                                         

Operating ratio

    99.3 %     96.9 %     96.0 %     - %     98.0 %

Operating ratio, net of fuel surcharges

    99.2 %     96.2 %     96.0 %     - %     97.7 %

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2025 Segment Operating Results

 

(In thousands)

 

Truckload

   

Dedicated

   

Brokerage

   

Intermodal

   

Total

 

Operating revenue

  $ 106,486     $ 71,874     $ 39,859     $ 11,703     $ 229,922  

Operating expense (income):

                                       

Salaries, wages and benefits

    43,726       30,785       1,981       2,078       78,570  

Purchased transportation

    864       2,371       33,529       6,359       43,123  

Fuel and fuel taxes

    20,793       10,755       -       1,043       32,591  

Supplies and maintenance

    10,410       4,566       5       625       15,606  

Depreciation

    16,219       9,378       493       1,217       27,307  

Operating taxes and licenses

    1,418       947       26       60       2,451  

Insurance and claims

    8,997       6,100       402       353       15,852  

Communications and utilities

    1,195       689       225       55       2,164  

Gain on disposition of revenue equipment

    (3,394 )     (1,661 )     -       (127 )     (5,182 )

Other

    3,914       2,515       502       775       7,706  

Total operating expenses

    104,142       66,445       37,163       12,438       220,188  

Operating income/(loss)

  $ 2,344     $ 5,429     $ 2,696     $ (735 )   $ 9,734  
                                         

Operating ratio

    97.8 %     92.4 %     93.2 %     106.3 %     95.8 %

Operating ratio, net of fuel surcharges

    97.5 %     91.1 %     93.2 %     107.3 %     95.2 %

 

Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 Segment Operating Results

 

(In thousands)

 

Truckload

   

Dedicated

   

Brokerage

   

Intermodal

   

Total

 

Operating revenue

  $ 210,877     $ 145,499     $ 72,878     $ 23,820     $ 453,074  

Operating expense (income):

                                       

Salaries, wages and benefits

    87,156       62,219       3,769       4,226       157,370  

Purchased transportation

    1,919       4,715       61,234       12,911       80,779  

Fuel and fuel taxes

    41,246       22,502       -       1,960       65,708  

Supplies and maintenance

    20,659       9,098       7       1,355       31,119  

Depreciation

    32,273       18,929       999       2,576       54,777  

Operating taxes and licenses

    2,785       1,914       47       122       4,868  

Insurance and claims

    16,483       11,445       597       704       29,229  

Communications and utilities

    2,460       1,435       438       110       4,443  

Gain on disposition of revenue equipment

    (4,309 )     (2,369 )     -       (169 )     (6,847 )

Other

    8,161       5,328       931       1,615       16,035  

Total operating expenses

    208,833       135,216       68,022       25,410       437,481  

Operating income/(loss)

  $ 2,044     $ 10,283     $ 4,856     $ (1,590 )   $ 15,593  
                                         

Operating ratio

    99.0 %     92.9 %     93.3 %     106.7 %     96.6 %

Operating ratio, net of fuel surcharges

    98.9 %     91.7 %     93.3 %     107.8 %     96.1 %