It’s a larger Proficient Auto Logistics that reported earnings for the third quarter, with little sign of improving its performance.
Proficient had a significant increase in deliveries, due in part to the acquisition of Brothers Auto Transport in April. Brothers was Proficient’s (NASDAQ: PAL ) second acquisition since going public last year. The first was ATG in August 2024.
Total Proficient truck deliveries — which management has said it wants to increase as a percentage of business — rose 24.8 percent to 209,340, while undercarriage deliveries rose 19.4 percent to 396,001. The total number of delivered units was 605,341 units, which was a 21% increase compared to the third quarter of 2024. But in the second quarter, the number of units transported was 631,426 units.
Proficient posted a 250 basis point improvement in operating ratio (OR) to 96.3% in the quarter compared to the same quarter last year. The sequential increase from the second quarter was only 40 bps.
Even with the growth in deliveries, Proficient still had an operating loss of $101,000. However, this was a significant improvement over the $2.2 million operating loss from the third quarter of 2024. But that was down from Q2 2025 operating profit of $125,000.
The higher volume drawn at Proficient was reflected in operating income. It increased to $114.3 million from $91.5 million last year.
EBITDA margin was flat compared to the previous year and was 10.5%. Sequentially, it increased from 9.8%.
In the company’s prepared statement that accompanied the earnings, CEO Rick O’Dell echoed a theme heard by many trucking CEOs this quarter: Things are going to get better.
Given what he said was “an excess of transportation supply over current demand,” O’Dell added that “we do not expect this to continue in the long term, as smaller carriers will face acute challenges related to equipment age and reinvestment, increased insurance costs, driver recruitment and attrition, and more stringent service, quality, technology and regulatory requirements.”
Investors liked PAL’s gains in aftermarket trading. Shares of PAL traded up 10.94% to $7.30 at approximately 4:30 PM EST, according to Barchart . Although the 12-month performance has been weak, down about 31.5%, recent gains have sent Proficient shares up about 13.2% over the past month and 10.2% over the past three months.
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