J.B. Hunt

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J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

Type	Public
Founded	1969
Headquarters	Lowell, Arkansas
Key people	Johnnie Bryan Hunt, Founder
Products	none
Employees	16500
Slogan	The Transportation Logistics Company
Website	www.jbhunt.com

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT) is a trucking and transportation company that was founded by Johnnie Bryan Hunt in 1969. Originally started with only five trucks and seven refrigerated trailers to support the original rice hull business. By 1983, J.B. Hunt had grown into the 80th largest trucking firm in the U.S. and earned $63 million in revenue. At that time J.B. Hunt was operating 550 tractors, 1,049 trailers, and had roughly 1,050 employees. Today this company has grown into one of the largest truckload transportation companies in the United States with annual revenues of over $2 billion. The company primarily operates large semi-trailer trucks, and provides transportation services throughout the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. The company currently employs over 16,000 employees and operates in excess of 11,000 trucks. Over 47,000 trailers and containers can be found in the companies fleet.

The companies three major competitors in the United States are YRC Worldwide Inc., Schneider National and Swift Transportation.

J.B. Hunt Transport was a leader in the industry in technology and operation. In 1989, J.B. Hunt Transport started partnering with railroads to offer intermodal service. Today, 40% of the company’s revenues and 50% of its profits come from intermodal. The company also launched a specialzed trucking service division along with a flatbed operation, which were later sold.

[edit] The founder

Mr. J. "Johnnie" Bryan Hunt was born in Cleburne County, Arkansas in 1927. Growing up during the great depression put a large strain on him, and after the 7th grade at the age of 12, he left school to find work. His first job was working for his uncle in his sawmill so that the family could survive. After a brief time in the Army, Hunt spent the 1950s as a lumber salesman, auctioneer, and truck driver before starting a rice hull business with his wife Johnelle in 1961. Unfortunately his first attempt at the trucking business was not a success. He lost roughly $19,000.

After a brief period, he returned to the trucking industry in 1969. He began to remove himself from the company when he stepped down as president in 1982, but was still a main fixture within the company and remainded chairman till 1995. However, like all great leaders, retirement is a fact. As of December 31, 2004, Mr. J. Bryan Hunt, founder and senior chairman of Lowell, AR-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services, retired from the company that he founded over 37 years ago. Entrepreneur J.B. Hunt, founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. as well as several other successful business ventures, passed away at Northwest Medical Center in Springdale on December 7th, 2006. Mr. Hunt suffered a critical head injury on Saturday, December 2nd from a fall on ice in a parking lot near his home in Northwest Arkansas. He was 79. [1]