Winter
Business Update
Contributed by: Dan Vander Pol, Co-President
With 2025 in the books lets look back at how we did.
2025 In the Numbers
Shipment Count
Overall shipment count was up 2% for the year. We started off hot in the beginning and really cooled off in the fourth quarter, where we were down 4% when compared to the fourth quarter in 2024.
Revenue
Revenue was up 2% for the year, along with the Revenue per Bill being flat year over year. We were able to secure increases from our Customers last year, but the increases were offset by the fact that shipment weight was down 3%.
It costs us the same to haul a 1000 lb pallet as a 950 lb pallet, but we earn less from the shipment. This lower weight per shipment trend seems to go along with the general freight economy. When shipments are up, the weight per shipment also tends to be up and vice versa. We have seen a steady trend of smaller shipments for the last 3 years now.
Shipment Count
↑ 2%
Compared to 2024
Revenue
↑ 2%
Compared to 2024
On-Time Performance
Our On-Time percentage for 2025 finished at 96.39% compared to 95.58% On-Time in 2024. Almost a full point improvement!
We continue to offer a highly desirable service that is 2nd to none. Great job to all of our Employees on continuing to Bring Peace of Mind to our Customers with timely service! Offering the largest overnight and 2nd day reach in our region along with delivering on time and damage free is why people continue to desire to ship with Oak Harbor Freight Lines versus our competitors
Operating Ratio
We have the goal of improving our OR while not sacrificing Safety and Service this year. When we look back at the last 5 years you can see that we have been going the wrong direction since 2022, with 2025 being the worst of the 5 (hover over the bars to see the details of each). That is a trend we need to turn around, and we will be looking at all options to do this.
The biggest factor that is hurting our OR is healthcare costs. They were up another 25% last year. From $23.5M to $29.7M. This is completely unsustainable and we will have to make changes to our healthcare if we want to survive as a company long term.
What's In Store for 2026
110 Years
Speaking of long term, we are celebrating our 110th year in business this year. We have been blessed with so many hard-working employees that have brought us through all these years and we thank you all for your excellent service to the company.
Above is a look at one of our anniversary logos you will be seeing this year. We are proud to be one of the oldest trucking companies in the Nation and believe our legacy is a vital part of who we are today.
The Year Ahead
Now let’s look ahead to 2026. I believe we have seen the bottom of the freight recession and 2026 will be a slow but hopefully steady increase in shipments. Most analysts predict 0-3% growth this year. Hopefully those predictions turn out to be on the low side, and we are ready to excel when the economy does finally turn around. We have capacity at almost all terminals, and we also have the equipment in place to handle an uptick. So, when that uptick happens, we will be set up for success.
