Saia’s 4Q Income Declines

Saia Inc. said Friday its fourth-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 million, or 10 cents a share, from $2 million, or 15 cents, a year ago.

Revenue fell 5.3% to $230.9 million, the company said in a statement. Saia is the parent company of less-than-truckload carrier Saia Motor Freight Line.

The quarter’s performance reflected “soft tonnage and declining fuel surchage,” the company said.

LTL tonnage fell 4.7% on a per-day basis, with LTL yield down 0.2%, Saia said.

For the full year 2008, income declined to $25.7 million, or 64 cents a share, from $38.2 million, or $1.31, the previous year.

Revenue rose 5.6% during that period to $1.03 billion, from $976.1 million in 2007.

Saia is ranked No. 25 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.