Looking back on ground transportation stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ) and its peers.

The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, especially last-mile delivery, presenting opportunities for ground transportation companies. The industry continues to invest in data, analytics, and autonomous fleets to optimize efficiency and find the most cost-effective routes. Despite the essential services this industry provides, ground transportation companies are still at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact the demand for these companies’ offerings while fuel costs can influence profit margins.

The 15 ground transportation stocks we track reported a softer Q4. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.8%.

Luckily, ground transportation stocks have performed well with share prices up 18.8% on average since the latest earnings results.

Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ)

Started with a dozen Model T Fords, Hertz (NASDAQ: HTZ) is a global car rental company providing vehicle rental services to leisure and business travelers.

Hertz reported revenues of $2.03 billion, flat year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income and EPS estimates.

“Hertz sits on a stronger foundation today than we did one year ago,” said Gil West, Chief Executive Officer of Hertz.

Interestingly, the stock is up 34.6% since reporting and currently trades at $5.95.

Read our full report on Hertz here, it’s free.

Best Q4: XPO (NYSE: XPO)

Owning a mobile game simulating freight operations for the Tour de France, XPO (NYSE: XPO) is a transportation company specializing in expedited shipping services.

XPO reported revenues of $2.01 billion, up 4.7% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income and revenue estimates.

XPO delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 18.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $212.02.

Is now the time to buy XPO? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: Werner (NASDAQ: WERN)

Conducting business in over a 100 countries, Werner (NASDAQ: WERN) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal delivery services.

Werner reported revenues of $737.6 million, down 2.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 13.4% since the results and currently trades at $32.79.

Read our full analysis of Werner’s results here.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD)

Founded by the son of a trucker, Heartland Express (NASDAQ: HTLD) offers full-truckload deliveries across the United States and Mexico.

Heartland Express reported revenues of $179.4 million, down 26.1% year on year. This print missed analysts’ expectations by 6%. It was a softer quarter as it also logged a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

Heartland Express had the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 3.2% since reporting and currently trades at $11.12.

Read our full, actionable report on Heartland Express here, it’s free.

ArcBest (NASDAQ: ARCB)

Historically owning furniture, banking, and other subsidiaries, ArcBest (NASDAQ: ARCB) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal deliveries of freight.

ArcBest reported revenues of $972.7 million, down 2.9% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. More broadly, it was a softer quarter as it logged a significant miss of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.

The stock is up 27% since reporting and currently trades at $108.34.

Read our full, actionable report on ArcBest here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

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