Document And Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 shares
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	HUNT J B TRANSPORT SERVICES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000728535
Trading Symbol	jbht
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)	109,751,895
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false