J.B. Hunt executives see pay boost

The top five executives at J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. were granted base pay raises last week by the company’s executive compensation board. The new salaries were outlined in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last updated Oct. 30.

John N. Roberts III, president and CEO, will earn a base salary this year of $635,000, up 15.6% from his base pay in 2011. The base salary is only a small portion of Roberts’ total compensation package which totaled $7.8 million in 2011, according to proxy filings with SEC.

Kirk Thompson, chairman of the board, will see an 18.2% decline in base pay this year earning $500,000. Thompson stepped down from the CEO post near the beginning of fiscal 2011.

Terry Matthews, president of intermodal, will earn a base pay of $400,000 this year. His previous pay was not listed on any former filings with the SEC.

David Mee, chief financial officer, will earn a base salary of $395,000 this year, an 8.2% raise over last year.

Craig Harper, chief operations officer, has a base salary of $375,000 this year, a 2.7% raise from last year.

All top five executives are eligible for performance-based bonuses equal up to 35% of base salary this year, according to the filing.

J.B. Hunt Transport is one of most profitable carriers in the sector this year posting total revenue of $3.717 billion in the first nine months 2012, up 12% from the same period in 2011. Net income rose nearly 23% to $226.37 million in the same year-over-year time frame.

Shares of J.B. Transport (NASDAQ: JBHT) closed Friday at $58.59, down 1 cent. In the past 52 weeks the share price has ranged from a $40.87 low to a $61.18 high.