New York, Feb 6, 2026, 15:29 EST — Regular session
- Werner shares slipped roughly 8% after the company reported a Q4 loss, citing restructuring charges.
- The 2026 forecast calls for average truck-count growth of 23% to 28%, with FirstFleet now included in the baseline.
- Attention has shifted to leverage, margin repair, and whatever management says next in public updates.
Shares of Werner Enterprises dropped 7.9% to $34.87 Friday afternoon, pressured by a quarterly loss and a sizable restructuring charge related to its one-way truckload segment. The stock swung between $36.95 and $34.53 during the session.
The decline hits as investors debate if U.S. truckload rates have found a floor or if more pain could be ahead. Werner, for its part, is shifting its focus toward “dedicated” fleets—these operate on longer-term deals for individual shippers.
The shift in the mix is significant, as it tends to smooth out earnings volatility—though the effects on margins aren’t immediate. Werner, for its part, is digesting a major acquisition while also paring down and retooling a key segment of its old one-way business.
Werner reported a 2% drop in fourth-quarter revenue to $737.6 million, swinging to a net loss of $27.8 million, or 46 cents per share. On an adjusted basis, earnings were 5 cents a share, after stripping out certain items. “2025 is a difficult operating year,” Chairman and CEO Derek Leathers said, adding the FirstFleet acquisition should help set Werner up for “sustainable, profitable growth.” 1
Looking at 2026, Werner is projecting average truck-count growth of 23% to 28% for its Truckload Transportation Services segment, factoring in FirstFleet. The company also put out a net capital spending target between $185 million and $225 million, and released guidance on revenue-per-truck-per-week and revenue-per-mile figures — both key gauges for how much each rig and each mile are bringing in.
Leverage figures stand out here. Werner reported $752.0 million in total debt as of Dec. 31. After the FirstFleet deal closed, borrowings under its revolver and receivables securitization facility jumped to $884.6 million by Jan. 31—this tally includes assumed leases.
But some aren’t backing down. TD Cowen bumped its Werner price target up to $39 from $31 and stuck with a Hold, pointing to the FirstFleet deal. The firm called Werner “meaningfully less spot-levered than prior” as it looks ahead to 2026. 2
CFO Chris Wikoff, on the earnings call, blamed winter storms for heavy operational setbacks—at one point, “about 50% of our tractor fleet was parked,” he said. Executives highlighted persistent strain on brokerage-related logistics margins, but stuck to their previously announced goal: $18 million in yearly cost synergies from the FirstFleet integration. 3
Werner faces a straightforward dilemma at its core. Dedicated freight offers more stability, though contract rates might not keep up with costs, squeezing short-term returns. One-way truckload, on the other hand, can surge when the market tightens, but drops off fast if spot prices fall.
Still, things could go south. If freight doesn’t bounce back quickly enough, or if brokerage faces steeper purchased-transportation costs, margin pressure sticks around. Trouble meshing FirstFleet, plus extra debt, would leave little room if volumes falter again.
Investors are set to track whether the one-way restructuring—meant to dump money-losing freight and pivot toward more niche loads—actually delivers tidier utilization numbers and cuts down on unexpected charges. In the end, early 2026 rate and cost trajectories could weigh as heavily on sentiment as any quarter’s headline EPS.
Werner’s agenda has him on deck for the Stifel Transportation and Logistics Conference on Feb. 10. After that, he’s slated for Citi’s Global Industrial Tech and Mobility event Feb. 17, then Barclays’ Industrial Select Conference on Feb. 18, the company said. 4
