Let’s dig into the relative performance of Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR) and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q4 ground transportation earnings season.

The growth of e-commerce and global trade continues to drive demand for shipping services, especially last-mile delivery, presenting opportunities for ground transportation companies. The industry continues to invest in data, analytics, and autonomous fleets to optimize efficiency and find the most cost-effective routes. Despite the essential services this industry provides, ground transportation companies are still at the whim of economic cycles. Consumer spending, for example, can greatly impact the demand for these companies’ offerings while fuel costs can influence profit margins.

The 15 ground transportation stocks we track reported a softer Q4. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.8%.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 9.9% on average since the latest earnings results.

Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR)

The parent company of brands such as Zipcar and Budget Truck Rental, Avis (NASDAQ: CAR) is a provider of car rental and mobility solutions.

Avis Budget Group reported revenues of $2.66 billion, down 1.7% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. Overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

“As we enter 2026, we’ve repositioned the business and turned a challenging fourth quarter into a catalyst for meaningful change,” said Brian Choi, Avis Budget Group CEO.

Interestingly, the stock is up 75% since reporting and currently trades at $215.76.

Read our full report on Avis Budget Group here, it’s free.

Best Q4: XPO (NYSE: XPO)

Owning a mobile game simulating freight operations for the Tour de France, XPO (NYSE: XPO) is a transportation company specializing in expedited shipping services.

XPO reported revenues of $2.01 billion, up 4.7% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. The business had an exceptional quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income and revenue estimates.

XPO achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 11.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $199.98.

Is now the time to buy XPO? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Werner (NASDAQ: WERN)

Conducting business in over a 100 countries, Werner (NASDAQ: WERN) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and intermodal delivery services.

Werner reported revenues of $737.6 million, down 2.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 18.2% since the results and currently trades at $31.00.

Read our full analysis of Werner’s results here.

RXO (NYSE: RXO)

With access to millions of trucks, RXO (NYSE: RXO) offers full-truckload, less-than-truckload, and last-mile deliveries.

RXO reported revenues of $1.47 billion, down 11.9% year on year. This result missed analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. It was a disappointing quarter as it also recorded a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is down 7.5% since reporting and currently trades at $15.34.

Read our full, actionable report on RXO here, it’s free.

Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX)

Covering 1.6 billion loaded miles in 2023 alone, Knight-Swift Transportation (NYSE: KNX) offers less-than-truckload and full truckload delivery services.

Knight-Swift Transportation reported revenues of $1.86 billion, flat year on year. This print came in 2.4% below analysts' expectations. Overall, it was a softer quarter as it also produced a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and EPS estimates.

The stock is up 3.1% since reporting and currently trades at $59.75.

Read our full, actionable report on Knight-Swift Transportation here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

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