shares of norfolk southern corp nsc tacked on 03 in premarket trading wednesday after the railroad operator reported record thirdquarter earnings that beat expectations boosted by higher fuel surcharges and pricing and robust hiring initiatives net income rose to 958 million or 410 a share from 753 million or 306 a share in the yearago period that beat the factset consensus for earnings per share of 360 total revenue grew 172 to 334 billion above the factset consensus of 323 billion with revenue per unit up 20 due to higher fuel surcharges and pricing norfolks coal and merchandise business segments beat revenue expectations to offset a slight miss by its intermodal business operating expenses rose more than revenue up 207 to 207 billion as operating profit as a percentage of revenue contracted to 380 from 398 the stock has dropped 118 over the past three months as the railroad industry faced the threat of labor strikes in comparison the dow jones transportation average djt has slipped 27 and the dow jones industrial average djia has edged up 02