Oct 15 (Reuters) - U.S. trucking firm J.B. Hunt

Transport Services on Wednesday reported a 12% rise in

third-quarter profit, driven by ongoing cost-cutting measures

initiated in response to a freight downturn in the industry.

Shares of the company were up 11% in after-market trading.

The trucking industry has been in decline since 2022, driven

by excess capacity, falling freight rates, and modest growth in

shipment volumes.

Experts anticipate the downturn will persist, with tariffs

imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump adding pressure and

delaying recovery.

The Arkansas-based company reported net earnings of $170.9

mln, or $1.76 per share, for the quarter ended September 30, up

from $152.1 mln, or $1.49 per share, a year ago.

It reported revenue of $3.05 billion, slightly lower than

$3.07 billion in the year-ago quarter, but above analysts'

estimate of $3.03 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Revenue performance was driven by a 1% and 4% decline in

gross revenue per load in the intermodal and truckload segments,

respectively, the company said.

J.B. Hunt also noted an 8% decrease in load volume during

the reported quarter in its Integrated Capacity Solutions

segment and 1% in the Dedicated Contract Services segment, as

well as 8% fewer stops in Final Mile Services business.