Transportation software firm Xata Corp.

FedEx Corp. said Thursday it earned $181 million, or 58 cents a share, in its fiscal first quarter, down from a year ago but an improvement from a fourth-quarter loss.

Following last week’s announcement that it expected fiscal first quarter earnings to exceed guidance, FedEx said today that net income for the quarter at $181 million was down 53 percent from $384 million last year.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association has released its second-quarter 3PL Market Report, which showed that total dollars billed by all study participants for all activities increased about 7% from the first quarter.