Truck maker Paccar Inc.’s second-quarter profit rose to $99.6 million, or 27 cents a share, from $26.5 million, or 7 cents, a year ago, the company said.

Seven of the eight publicly traded motor carriers that reported second-quarter earnings last week reinforced the trend of improved financial results driven by tight capacity, along with modest rate, volume and utilization improvements.

UPS Inc. “fired on all cylinders” in the second quarter, boosting profits and firming rates, despite spottiness in the global economic recovery, Chief Executive Officer Scott Davis said July 22.

Union Pacific Corp. said Thursday its second-quarter net income rose 53% to $711 million, or $1.40 a share.

Logistics and intermodal firm Hub Group’s second-quarter profit rose 16% to $9.6 million, or 26 cents a share, from $8.3 million, or 22 cents, a year ago.

YRC Worldwide reconfirmed Monday that its second quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization would be positive, within a range of $35 million to $45 million, as second-quarter tonnage improved.

While Wall Street and economists are fretting about the staying power of the economic recovery, good news is expected to begin arriving this week in the form of sharply higher second-quarter earnings for publicly traded trucking firms.

Third-party logistics provider AutoInfo said its first-quarter earnings rose to $425,000, or 1 cent a share, from $219,000, or 1 cent, last year.