Company Q1 Revenue Expectations Below Forecast at Approximately $55M
The company states: "Preliminary total revenue for the combined months of January and February was approximately $55M, roughly 4% below the comparable period of 2025. As earlier indicated, January had extended plant shutdowns, weak seasonally adjusted annual rate ("SAAR"), and severe winter weather, which impacted both new vehicle shipments and dealership operations. While February auto sales showed some rebound, with a modestly stronger month-over-month SAAR forecasted (though down from February 2025 SAAR), transportation pipelines by rail and sea have been slower to recover, resulting in February monthly revenue being lower year-over-year and $6-8M short of our expectations. Absent impacts of weather in the Northeast in the last week of February, run rates for volume and revenue have now returned to expected levels. Our previously communicated expectations for revenue and profitability for the month of March remain intact; however, the weak January and February revenue, below fixed cost coverage levels, will result in full quarter revenue below our previously disclosed expectation and a resulting sequential increase in adjusted operating ratio. Although uncertainty remains in the automotive industry outlook for 2026, we expect our revenue and adjusted operating ratio as we look forward to be substantially in line with current analyst consensus." Amy Rice, COO, shared, "Our automotive OEM customers and current channel checks on rail and sea volumes affirm seasonal strengthening into March and April, which will meaningfully improve our efficiency and performance. While we expect healthy dealer inventory levels, continued sales incentives, and a stronger tax refund season to support improved consumer demand over the coming months, this update for the first quarter reflects softer than expected February market conditions and timing impacts versus prior expectations."
