TL carrier Pamt posts Q4 loss

Arkansas company continues to trim fleet count

The company's truckload segment reported a ninth straight operating loss. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Truckload carrier Pamt Corp. reported a net loss for the fourth quarter before the market closed on Friday. It was the Arkansas-based carrier’s fifth consecutive quarterly loss.

The headline loss was $29.3 million, or $1.40 per share. The result included a $26.5 million adjustment to its auto liability reserve “associated with a specific claim expected to settle in excess of insurance policy limits,” according to a news release. Excluding the charge, the carrier lost $9.4 million, or 45 cents per share. That compares to a 36-cent-per-share loss in the 2024 fourth quarter, excluding one-offs and an impairment.

On a year-over-year comparison, the per-share results benefitted from an 18-cent increase in gains on equipment sales and a 12-cent increase in non-operating income (change in value of stock portfolio). Higher interest expense was a 3-cent headwind.

Pamt’s (NASDAQ: PAMT) consolidated revenue fell 15% y/y to $141 million. Roughly one-third of the company’s revenue comes from the automobile industry, which remains under pressure from tariffs.

Table: Pamt’s key performance indicators

The TL unit saw a 10% y/y decline in average trucks in service, with revenue per truck per week dropping 12%. Loaded miles fell 2% while revenue per loaded mile was down 9% to $2.12 (excluding fuel).

The segment reported a roughly 114% adjusted operating ratio (inverse of operating margin), excluding the insurance charge. That was 700 basis points worse y/y.

Salaries, wages and benefits expenses (as a percentage of revenue) increased 240 bps y/y even with a reduction in company drivers. Depreciation expenses were 200 bps higher, excluding a prior-year item. (All expense lines are reported on a consolidated basis.)

This was the ninth straight operating loss for the TL unit.

SONAR: National Truckload Index (linehaul only – NTIL.USA) for 2026 (blue shaded area), 2025 (yellow line), 2024 (green line) and 2023 (pink line). The NTIL is based on an average of booked spot dry van loads from 250,000 lanes. The NTIL is a seven-day moving average of linehaul spot rates excluding fuel. Spot rates stepped higher through peak season as new constraints on the driver pool took hold. Severe winter weather amid a tighter capacity backdrop has kept rates elevated in recent weeks.

Logistics revenue declined 10% y/y to $40 million. The OR deteriorated 90 bps y/y to 99.2%. Pamt doesn’t provide gross profit margins for the unit, or operating metrics like load counts and revenue per load.

Pamt generated operating cash flow of $17 million in 2025. Liquidity (cash, equity holdings and availability on its line of credit) of $144 million was $31 million lower than in the third quarter. Outstanding debt of $334 million was $8 million lower sequentially.

More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden:

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Compliance

Brokerage Compliance Symposium

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Awards

F3 Awards Dinner

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

Todd Maiden

Based in Richmond, VA, Todd is the finance editor at FreightWaves. Prior to joining FreightWaves, he covered the TLs, LTLs, railroads and brokers for RBC Capital Markets and BB&T Capital Markets. Todd began his career in banking and finance before moving over to transportation equity research where he provided stock recommendations for publicly traded transportation companies.