Thomas Black, Columnist

J.B. Hunt Signals That Trucking Is on a Real Road to Recovery

J.B. Hunt sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

US truck cargo rates have been on a tear since November, surging as freight-hauling capacity tightens amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign drivers. What had been missing was freight growth for an industry that has been stalled for the last three years.

Executives at J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., the US’ largest long-haul trucking company, dropped hints that demand may have also turned the corner. The tone of the company’s quarterly earnings conference call late Wednesday was more positive than it has been in years.