May 6 (Reuters) - Global freight forwarder Expeditors International of Washington ( EXPD )

reported first-quarter earnings above Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, driven by

companies pulling forward goods in anticipation of price hikes from President Donald Trump's

tariffs.

"While we often have performed well when the marketplace is most unpredictable, I am not

sure any of us have ever seen anything like the non-stop, rapidly shifting rules and regulations

that have impacted our industry in recent days," said Expeditors CEO Daniel Wall.

The company's airfreight tonnage rose by 9%, and ocean container volume increased by 8% for

the quarter ending March 31, compared to the previous year.

U.S. container imports hit record highs in January and February as companies rushed to bring

goods early, boosting demand for Expeditors' ocean services.

Wall added that he expects air capacity and rates to remain volatile, saying it is too early

to predict the impact of the current economic and geopolitical situation.

On an adjusted basis, the company reported a profit of $1.47 per share for the quarter

ended March 31, beating analysts' average expectation of $1.37 per share, according to data

compiled by LSEG.

Revenue at its air freight segment rose by 18.8% to about $902 million from last year.

The Seattle, Washington-based company reported quarterly revenue of $2.67 billion, beating

analysts' estimate of $2.56 billion.

Shares of the company are down 5% to $107.