ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
When evaluating our company, the following risks should be considered in conjunction with the other information contained in this Annual Report. If we are unable to mitigate and/or are exposed to any of the following risks in the future, then there could be a material, adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
Our risks are grouped into the following risk categories:
Strategic Operational Compliance Financial
*Market Changes *Employees *Environmental Regulation *Debt
*Mergers and Acquisitions *Vendors and Suppliers *Goodwill and Intangibles
*International Operations *Customers
*Information Systems
Strategic Risk
Our business is subject to economic, credit, business, and regulatory factors affecting the truckload industry that are largely beyond our control, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations.
The truckload industry is highly cyclical, and our business is dependent on a number of factors that may have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations, many of which are beyond our control.
Economic conditions that decrease shipping demand or increase the supply of available tractors and trailers can exert downward pressure on rates and equipment utilization, thereby decreasing asset productivity. The risks associated with these factors are heightened when the US economy is weakened. During such times, we may a experience a reduction in overall freight levels and freight patterns may change as supply chains are redesigned, resulting an imbalance between our capacity and our customers’ freight demands.
We cannot predict future economic conditions, fuel price fluctuations, cost increases, revenue equipment resale values, or how consumer confidence, macroeconomic conditions, or production capabilities, could be affected by armed conflicts or terrorist attacks, government efforts to combat terrorism, military action against a foreign state or group located in a foreign state, or heightened security requirements. Enhanced security measures in connection with such events could impair our operating efficiency and productivity and result in higher operating costs.
We operate in a highly competitive and fragmented industry, and numerous competitive factors could limit growth opportunities and could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations.
We operate in a highly competitive industry. The following factors could limit our growth opportunities and have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations:
•many of our competitors periodically reduce their freight rates to gain business, especially during times of reduced growth rates in the economy, which may limit our ability to maintain or increase freight rates or maintain or grow profitability of our business;
•some of our customers operate their own private trucking fleets and they may decide to transport more of their own freight;
•competition from non-asset-based and other logistics and freight brokerage companies may adversely affect our customer relationships and freight rates;
•advances in technology may require us to increase investments in order to remain competitive, and our customers may not be willing to accept higher freight rates to cover the cost of these investments; and
•our brand names are valuable assets that are subject to the risk of adverse publicity (whether or not justified), which could result in the loss of value attributable to our brand and reduced demand for our services.
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Increased prices for new revenue equipment, design changes of new engines, decreased availability of new revenue equipment, future use of autonomous trucks, and the failure of manufacturers to meet their sale or trade-back obligations to us could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and profitability.
We are subject to risk with respect to higher prices for new equipment for our truckload operations. We have experienced an increase in prices for new tractors over the past few years, and the resale value of the tractors has not increased to the same extent. Increased regulation has increased the cost of our new tractors and could impair equipment productivity, in some cases, resulting in lower fuel mileage, and increasing our operating expenses. We expect to continue to pay increased prices for equipment and incur additional expenses for the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, a decrease in vendor output may have a materially adverse effect on our ability to purchase a quantity of new revenue equipment that is sufficient to sustain our desired growth rate and to maintain a late-model fleet.
We have certain revenue equipment leases and financing arrangements with balloon payments at the end of the lease term equal to the residual value we are contracted to receive from certain equipment manufacturers upon sale or trade back to the manufacturers. If we do not purchase new equipment that triggers the trade-back obligation, or the equipment manufacturers do not pay the contracted value at the end of the lease term, we could be exposed to losses equal to the excess of the balloon payment owed to the lease or finance company over the proceeds from selling the equipment on the open market.
We have trade-in and repurchase commitments that specify, among other things, what our primary equipment vendors will pay us for disposal of a substantial portion of our revenue equipment. The prices we expect to receive under these arrangements may be higher than the prices we would receive in the open market. We may suffer a financial loss upon disposition of our equipment if these vendors refuse or are unable to meet their financial obligations under these agreements.
Declines in demand for our used revenue equipment could result in decreased equipment sales, resale values, and gains on sales of assets.
We are sensitive to the used equipment market and fluctuations in prices and demand for tractors and trailers. The market for used equipment is affected by several factors, including the demand for freight, the supply of used equipment, the availability of financing, the presence of buyers for export to foreign countries, and commodity prices for scrap metal. Declines in demand for the used equipment we sell could result in diminished sales volumes or lower used equipment sales prices, either of which could negatively affect our gains on sales of assets.
If fuel prices increase significantly, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our truckload operations are dependent upon diesel fuel, and accordingly, significant increases in diesel fuel costs could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition if we are unable to pass increased costs on to customers through rate increases or fuel surcharges.
Fuel is subject to regional pricing differences and often costs more on the West Coast and in the Northeast, where we have significant operations. While we use a fuel surcharge program to recapture a portion of the increases in fuel prices it does not protect us against the full effect of increases in fuel prices. Because our fuel surcharge recovery lags behind changes in fuel prices, our fuel surcharge recovery may not capture the increased costs we pay for fuel, especially when prices are rising. Our results of operations would be negatively affected and more volatile to the extent we cannot recover higher fuel costs or fail to improve our fuel price protection through our fuel surcharge program. Additionally, a shortage or rationing of diesel fuel, could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
We are subject to certain risks arising from doing business in Mexico.
We have growing operations in Mexico, through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Trans-Mex, which subjects us to general international business risks, including:
•foreign currency fluctuation;
•changes in Mexico's economic strength;
•difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations and intellectual property rights;
•burdens of complying with a wide variety of international and US export, import, business procurement, transparency, and corruption laws, including the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;
•changes in trade agreements and US-Mexico relations;
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•theft or vandalism of our revenue equipment; and
•social, political, and economic instability.
We may not make acquisitions in the future, or if we do, we may not be successful in our acquisition strategy.
Historically, acquisitions were a part of our growth strategy. There is no assurance that we will be successful in identifying, negotiating, or consummating any future acquisitions. If we do not make any future acquisitions, our growth rate could be materially and adversely affected. Any future acquisitions we undertake could involve issuing dilutive equity securities or incurring indebtedness. In addition, acquisitions involve numerous risks, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business and results of operations, including:
•the acquired company may not achieve anticipated revenue, earnings, or cash flow;
•we may assume liabilities beyond our estimates or what was disclosed to us;
•we may be unable to successfully assimilate or integrate the acquired company's operations or assets into our business and realize the anticipated economic, operational, and other benefits in a timely manner, which could result in substantial costs and delays or other operational, technical, or financial problems;
•transaction costs and acquisition-related integration costs could adversely affect our results of operations in the period in which such costs are recorded;
•diverting our management's attention from other business concerns;
•risks of entering into new markets or business offerings in which we have had no or only limited prior experience; and
•the potential loss of customers, key employees, or driving associates of the acquired company.
Operational Risk
We may not grow substantially in the future and we may not be successful in sustaining or improving our profitability.
There is no assurance that in the future, our business will grow substantially or without volatility, nor can we assure you that we will be able to effectively adapt our management, administrative, and operational systems to respond to any future growth. Furthermore, there is no assurance that our operating margins will not be adversely affected by future changes in and expansion of our business or by changes in economic conditions or that we will be able to sustain or improve our profitability in the future.
Furthermore, the continued progression and development of new business offering’s are subject to risks, including, but not limited to:
•initial unfamiliarity with pricing, service, operational, and liability issues;
•customer relationships may be difficult to obtain or we may have to reduce rates to gain and develop customer relationships;
•specialized equipment and information and management systems technology may not be adequately utilized;
•insurance and claims may exceed our past experience or estimations; and
•we may be unable to recruit and retain qualified personnel and management with requisite experience or knowledge of our logistics services, and other developing service offerings.
We derive a significant portion of our revenues from our major customers, the loss of one or more of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
A significant portion of our operating revenue is generated from a number of major customers, the loss of one or more of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business. Refer to Part I, Item 1, "Business" for information regarding our customer concentrations. Aside from our dedicated operations, we generally do not have long-term contractual relationships or rate agreements or minimum volume guarantees with our customers. There is no assurance any of our customers will continue to utilize our services, renew our existing contracts, continue at the same volume levels, or not seek to modify terms of existing contracts. A reduction in or termination of our services by one or more of our major customers could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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Retail and discount retail customers account for a substantial portion of our freight. Accordingly, our results may be more susceptible to trends in unemployment and retail sales than carriers that do not have this concentration.
In addition, our customers' financial difficulties could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition, especially if these customers were to delay or default on payments to us. For our multi-year and dedicated contracts, the rates we charge may not remain advantageous.
We depend on third-party capacity providers, and service instability from these transportation providers could increase our operating costs and reduce our ability to offer intermodal and brokerage services, which could adversely affect our revenue, results of operations, and customer relationships.
Our intermodal operations use railroads and some third-party drayage carriers to transport freight for our customers, and intermodal dependence on railroads could increase as intermodal services expand. In certain markets, rail service is limited to a few railroads or even a single railroad. Intermodal providers have experienced poor service from providers of rail-based services in the past. Our ability to provide intermodal services in certain traffic lanes would be reduced or eliminated if the railroads' services became unstable. Railroads could reduce their services in the future, which could increase the cost of the rail-based services we provide and could reduce the reliability, timeliness, efficiency, and overall attractiveness of our rail-based intermodal services. Furthermore, price increases could result in higher costs to us, which we may be unable to pass on to our customers and could result in the reduction or elimination of our ability to offer intermodal services. In addition, we may not be able to negotiate additional contracts with railroads to expand our capacity, add additional routes, obtain multiple providers, or obtain railroad services at current cost levels, any of which could limit our ability to provide this service.
Our logistics operations are dependent upon the services of third-party capacity providers, including other truckload capacity providers. These third-party providers may seek other freight opportunities and may require increased compensation in times of improved freight demand or tight truckload capacity. Most of our third-party capacity provider transportation services contracts are cancelable on 30 days' notice or less. If we are unable to secure the services of these third-parties, or if we become subject to increases in the prices we must pay to secure such services, and we are not able to obtain corresponding customer rate increases, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Insurance and claims expenses could significantly reduce our earnings.
Our future insurance and claims expense might exceed historical levels, which could reduce our earnings. We self-insure, or insure through our captive insurance companies, a significant portion of our claims exposure. For a detailed discussion of our self-insurance programs, including self-insurance retention limits, please refer to Note 13 to the consolidated financial statements, included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. Higher self-insured retention levels may increase the impact of auto liability occurrences on our results of operations. We reserve for anticipated losses and expenses and periodically evaluate and adjust our claims reserves to reflect our experience. Estimating the number and severity of claims, as well as related judgment or settlement amounts, is inherently difficult, and claims may ultimately prove to be more severe than our estimates. This, along with legal expenses, incurred but not reported claims, and other uncertainties can cause unfavorable differences between actual self-insurance costs and our reserve estimates. Accordingly, ultimate results may differ materially from our estimates, which could result in losses over our reserved amounts and could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Although we believe our aggregate insurance limits should be sufficient to cover reasonably expected claims, it is possible that the amount of one or more claims could exceed our aggregate coverage limits. If any claim were to exceed our coverage, we would bear the excess, in addition to our other self-insured amounts. Furthermore, insurance carriers have raised premiums for many businesses, including transportation companies.
In addition, rising healthcare costs could negatively impact financial results or force us to make changes to existing benefit programs, which could negatively impact our ability to attract and retain employees.
Insuring risk through our captive insurance companies could adversely impact our operations.
We insure a portion of our risk through our captive insurance companies, Mohave and Red Rock. In addition to insuring portions of our own risk, Mohave provides reinsurance coverage to third-party insurance companies associated with our affiliated companies' independent contractors. Red Rock insures a share of our automobile liability risk. The insurance and reinsurance markets are subject to market pressures. Our captive insurance companies' abilities or needs to access the reinsurance markets may involve the retention of additional risk, which could expose us to volatility in claims expenses.
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Our captive insurance companies are regulated by state authorities. State regulations generally provide protection to policy holders, rather than stockholders. These regulations may increase our costs of regulatory compliance, limit our ability to change premiums, restrict our ability to access cash held in our captive insurance companies, and otherwise impede our ability to take actions we deem advisable.
In the future, we may continue to insure our automobile liability risk through our captive insurance subsidiaries, which will cause increases in the required amount of our restricted cash or other collateral, such as letters of credit. Significant increases in the amount of collateral required by third-party insurance carriers and regulators would reduce our liquidity.
If we are unable to recruit, develop, and retain our key employees, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We are highly dependent upon the services of certain key employees and we believe their valuable knowledge about the trucking industry and relationships with our key customers and vendors would be difficult to replicate. We currently do not have employment agreements with our key employees, and the loss of any of their services or inadequate succession planning could negatively impact our operations and future profitability.
Increases in driving associate compensation or difficulties attracting and retaining qualified driving associates could have a materially adverse effect on our profitability and the ability to maintain or grow our fleet.
Difficulty in attracting and retaining sufficient numbers of qualified driving associates, independent contractors, and third-party capacity providers, could have a materially adverse effect on our growth and profitability. The truckload transportation industry is subject to a shortage of qualified driving associates. Such shortage is exacerbated during periods of economic expansion, in which there may be alternative employment opportunities, or during periods of economic downturns, in which unemployment benefits might be extended and financing is limited for independent contractors who seek to purchase equipment or for students who seek financial aid for driving school. Furthermore, capacity at driving schools may be limited by COVID-19-related social distancing requirements. Regulatory requirements could further reduce the number of eligible driving associates. We believe our employee screening process, which includes extensive background checks and hair follicle drug testing, is more rigorous than generally employed in our industry and has decreased the pool of qualified applicants available to us.Our inability to engage a sufficient number of driving associates and independent contractors may negatively affect our operations. Further, our driving associate compensation and independent contractor expenses are subject to market conditions and we may find it necessary to increase driving associate and independent contractor contracted rates in future periods.
In addition, we suffer from a high turnover rate of driving associates and independent contractors. This high turnover rate requires us to spend significant resources on recruiting and retention.
Our arrangements with independent contractors expose us to risks that we do not face with our company driving associates.
Our financing subsidiaries offer financing to some of the independent contractors we contract with to purchase or lease tractors from us. If these independent contractors default or experience a lease termination in conjunction with these agreements and we cannot replace them, we may incur losses on amounts owed to us. Also, if liquidity constraints or other restrictions prevent us from providing financing to the independent contractors we contract with in the future, then we could experience a shortage of independent contractors.
Our lease contracts with independent contractors are governed by federal leasing regulations, which impose specific requirements on us and the independent contractors. In the past, we have been the subject of lawsuits, alleging violations of lease agreements or failure to follow the contractual terms, some of which resulted in adverse decisions against the Company. We could be subjected to similar lawsuits and decisions in the future, which if determined adversely to us, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.
We are dependent on management information and communications systems and other information technology assets (including the data contained therein), and a significant systems disruption or failure in the foregoing, including those caused by cybersecurity breaches, could adversely affect our business.
Our business depends on the efficient, stable, and uninterrupted operation of our management information and communications systems and other information technology assets (including the data contained therein). Our management information and communication systems are used in various aspects of our business. If any of our critical information or communications systems fail or become unavailable, it could temporarily affect the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations. Our operations and those of our providers are vulnerable to interruption by
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natural disaster, fire, power loss, telecommunications failure, cyber-attacks, terrorist attacks, internet failures, and other events beyond our control. Our business and operations could be adversely affected in the event of a system failure, disruption, or security breach that causes a delay, interruption, or impairment of our services and operations.
We receive and transmit confidential data in the normal course of business. Despite our implementation of safeguards, our information and communication systems are vulnerable to disruption, unauthorized access and viewing, misappropriation, altering, or deleting of information. A security breach could damage our business operations and reputation and could cause us to incur costs associated with repairing our systems, increased security, customer notifications, lost operating revenue, litigation, regulatory action, and reputational damage.
Seasonality and the impact of weather and other catastrophic events could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations and profitability or make our results of operations and profitability more volatile.
"Seasonality" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, discusses in detail how seasonality and weather could impact our operations.
Our business and results of operations have been and will be, and our financial condition may be, impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19 or other similar outbreaks, and such impact could be materially adverse, during the pandemic or after the pandemic subsides.
The global spread of COVID-19 has created, and any other outbreaks of similar contagious diseases or other adverse public health developments could create, significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. We have experienced an increase in absences among our driver and non-driver personnel due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Further, our operations, particularly in areas of increased COVID-19 infections could be disrupted. Negative financial results, operational disruptions, driver and non-driver absences, uncertainties in the market, and a tightening of credit markets, caused by COVID-19, other similar outbreaks, or a recession, could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, reduce credit options available to us, and adversely impact our ability to effectively meet our short- and long-term obligations.
The COVID-19 outbreak has caused uncertainty in the economy. Risks related to an economic slowdown or recession are described in our risk factor titled "Our business is subject to economic, credit, business, and regulatory factors affecting the truckload industry that are largely beyond our control, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations."
Developments related to COVID-19 have been unpredictable and the extent to which further developments could impact our operations, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and cash flows is highly uncertain. Such developments may include the duration of the virus, the distribution and availability of vaccines, the severity of the disease, and the actions that may be taken by various governmental authorities and other third parties in response to the pandemic.
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Compliance Risk
We operate in a highly regulated industry, and changes in existing regulations or violations of existing or future regulations could have a materially adverse effect on our operations and profitability.
We, our drivers, and our equipment are regulated by the DOT, the EPA, the DHS, and other state and federal agencies in the states, provinces, and countries in which we operate. Future laws and regulations or changes to existing laws and regulations may be more stringent, require changes in our operating practices, influence the demand for transportation services, or require us to incur significant additional costs, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
"Industry Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, discusses in detail industry regulations that could materially impact our business, financial condition, and operations.
Receipt of an unfavorable DOT safety rating or an unfavorable ranking under the CSA program could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and operations.
If we received a conditional or unsatisfactory DOT safety rating or an unfavorable ranking under the CSA program, it could lead to increased risk of liability, increased insurance, maintenance and equipment costs, and potential loss of customers, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
"Industry Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, provides discussion of the DOT safety rating system and the CSA program.
Compliance with various environmental laws and regulations to which our operations are subject may increase our costs of operations, and non-compliance with such laws and regulations could result in substantial fines or penalties.
We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations. We have instituted programs to monitor and control environmental risks and promote compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations; however, in the event of any of the following, we could be subject to clean-up costs and liabilities, including substantial fines or penalties or civil and criminal liability, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business and results of operations:
•we are involved in a spill or other accident involving hazardous substances;
•there are releases of hazardous substances we transport;
•soil or groundwater contamination is found at our facilities or results from our operations; and
•we are found to be in violation of or fail to comply with applicable environmental laws or regulations, then we fail to comply with such laws and regulations.
Certain of our terminals are located on or near environmental Superfund sites designated by the EPA and/or state environmental authorities. We have not been identified as a potentially responsible party with regard to any such site. Nevertheless, we could be deemed responsible for clean-up costs.
In addition, tractors and trailers used in our truckload operations are affected by laws and regulations related to air emissions and fuel efficiency. "Environmental Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, provides a discussion of the environmental laws and regulations applicable to our business and operations.
Developments in labor and employment law and any unionizing efforts by employees could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations.
Although our only collective bargaining agreement exists at our Mexican subsidiary, Trans-Mex, we always face the risk that our employees will try to unionize. If we entered into a collective bargaining agreement with our domestic employees, the terms could materially adversely affect our costs, efficiency, and ability to generate acceptable returns on the affected operations. If the independent contractors we contract with were ever re-classified as employees, the magnitude of this risk would increase. "Industry Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, provides discussion of labor and employment laws applicable to our business and operations.
If our independent contractors are deemed by regulators or the judicial process to be employees, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Tax and other regulatory authorities, as well as independent contractors themselves, have increasingly asserted that independent contractors in the trucking industry are employees rather than independent contractors. Carriers such
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as us that operate or have operated lease-purchase programs have been more susceptible to lawsuits seeking to reclassify independent contractors that have engaged in such programs. If the independent contractors we engage were determined to be our employees, we would incur additional exposure under federal and state tax, workers' compensation, unemployment benefits, labor, employment, insurance, discrimination, and tort laws, including for prior periods, as well as potential liability for employee benefits and tax withholdings. Furthermore, if independent contractors were deemed employees, then certain of our third-party revenue sources, including shop and insurance margins, would be eliminated. "Industry Regulation" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, provides discussion of legislation regarding independent contractors.
Litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business is subject to the risk of litigation. Recently, trucking companies, including us, have been subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, alleging violations of various federal and state wage and hour laws regarding, among other things, employee meal breaks, rest periods, overtime eligibility, and failure to pay for all hours worked. A number of these lawsuits have resulted in the payment of substantial settlements or damages by the defendants.
The outcome of litigation, particularly class action lawsuits and regulatory actions, is difficult to assess or quantify, and the magnitude of the potential loss relating to such lawsuits may remain unknown for substantial periods of time. The cost to defend litigation may also be significant. Not all claims are covered by our insurance, and there can be no assurance that our coverage limits will be adequate to cover all amounts in dispute. To the extent we experience claims that are uninsured, exceed our coverage limits, involve significant aggregate use of our self-insured retention amounts, or cause increases in future premiums, the resulting expenses could have a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.
In addition, we may be subject, and have been subject in the past, to litigation resulting from trucking accidents. The number and severity of litigation claims may be worsened by distracted driving by both truck drivers and other motorists. These lawsuits have resulted, and may result in the future, in the payment of substantial settlements or damages and increases of our insurance costs.
Changes to trade regulation, quotas, duties or tariffs, caused by the changing US and geopolitical environments or otherwise, may increase our costs and adversely affect our business.
The approach of President Biden’s administration to tariffs and other trade regulations is uncertain.The imposition of additional tariffs or quotas or changes to certain trade agreements, could, among other things, increase the costs of the materials used by our suppliers to produce new revenue equipment or increase the price of fuel. Such cost increases for our revenue equipment suppliers would likely be passed on to us, and to the extent fuel prices increase, we may not be able to fully recover such increases through rate increases or our fuel surcharge program, either of which could have an adverse effect on our business.
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Financial Risk
We have significant ongoing capital requirements that could affect our profitability if our capital investments do not match customer demand for invested resources, we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations, or we are unable to obtain financing on favorable terms.
Our truckload operations are capital intensive, and our policy of operating newer equipment requires us to expend significant amounts on capital annually. If anticipated demand differs materially from actual usage, our capital intensive truckload operations may have too many or too few assets. During periods of decreased customer demand, our asset utilization may suffer, and we may be forced to sell equipment on the open market or turn in equipment under certain equipment leases in order to right-size our fleet. This could cause us to incur losses on such sales or require payments in connection with such turn-ins, particularly during times of a softer used equipment market, either of which could have a materially adverse effect on our profitability.
In the event that we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations, maintain compliance with financial and other covenants in our financing agreements, or obtain equity capital or financing on favorable terms in the future, we may have to limit our fleet size, enter into less favorable financing, or operate our revenue equipment for longer periods, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our operations and profitability.
Credit markets may weaken at some point in the future, which would make it difficult for us to access our current sources of credit and difficult for our lenders to find the capital to fund us. We may need to incur additional debt, or issue debt or equity securities in the future, to refinance existing debt, fund working capital requirements, make investments, or support other business activities. Declines in consumer confidence, decreases in domestic spending, economic contractions, rating agency actions, and other trends in the credit market may impair our future ability to secure financing on satisfactory terms, or at all.
In the future, we may need to obtain additional financing that may not be available or, if it is available, may result in a reduction in the percentage ownership of our then-existing stockholders.
We may need to raise additional funds in order to:
•finance unanticipated working capital requirements, capital investments, or refinance existing indebtedness;
•develop or enhance our technological infrastructure and our existing products and services;
•fund strategic relationships;
•respond to competitive pressures; and
•acquire complementary businesses, technologies, products, or services.
If the economy and/or the credit markets weaken, or we are unable to enter into finance or operating leases to acquire revenue equipment on terms favorable to us, our business, financial results, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected, especially if consumer confidence declines and domestic spending decreases. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to fund our strategic initiatives, take advantage of unanticipated opportunities, develop or enhance technology or services, or otherwise respond to competitive pressures could be significantly limited. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity or convertible debt securities, the percentage ownership of our then-existing stockholders may be reduced, and holders of these securities may have rights, preferences, or privileges senior to those of our then-existing stockholders.
In the event of an economic downturn or disruption in the credit markets, our indebtedness could place us at a competitive disadvantage in terms of our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and prevent us from meeting our debt obligations compared to our competitors that are less leveraged.
This could have negative consequences that include:
•increased vulnerability to adverse economic, industry, or competitive developments;
•cash flows from operations that are committed to payment of principal and interest, thereby reducing our ability to use cash for our operations, capital expenditures, and future business opportunities;
•increased interest rates that would affect our variable rate debt;
•potential noncompliance with financial covenants, borrowing conditions, and other debt obligations (where applicable);
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•lack of financing for working capital, capital expenditures, product development, debt service requirements, and general corporate or other purposes; and
•limits on our flexibility to plan for, or react to, changes in our business, market conditions, or in the economy.
Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.
As detailed in Note 16 to the consolidated financial statements, included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, we must comply with various affirmative, negative, and financial covenants. A breach of any of these covenants could result in default or (when applicable) cross-default. Upon default under our primary credit facility, the lenders could elect to declare all outstanding amounts to be immediately due and payable, as well as terminate all commitments to extend further credit. Such actions by those lenders could cause cross-defaults with our other debt agreements. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders could use the collateral granted to satisfy all or part of the debt owed to them. If the lenders accelerated our debt repayments, we might not have sufficient assets to repay all amounts borrowed.
In addition, we have other financing that includes certain affirmative and negative covenants and cross-default provisions. Failure to comply with these covenants and provisions may jeopardize our ability to continue to sell receivables under the facility and could negatively impact our liquidity.
We could determine that our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangibles are impaired, thus recognizing a related impairment loss.
We have goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets on our balance sheet. We periodically evaluate our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment. We could recognize impairments in the future, and we may never realize the full value of our intangible assets. If these events occur, our profitability and financial condition will suffer.
If our investments in entities are not successful or decrease in market value, we may be required to write off or lose the value of a portion or all of our investments, which could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations.
Through one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, we have directly or indirectly invested in certain entities that make privately negotiated equity investments. In the past, the Company has recorded impairment charges to reflect the other-than-temporary decreases in the fair value of its portfolio. If the financial position of any such entity declines, we could be required to write down all or part of our investment in that entity, which could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our Knight and Swift headquarters are both located in Phoenix, Arizona. Including Knight's former headquarters location, which was re-purposed as a regional operations facility, our combined headquarters cover approximately 200 acres, consisting of about 300 thousand square feet of office space, 150 thousand square feet of repair and maintenance facilities, a twenty thousand square-foot driving associates' center and restaurant, an eight thousand square-foot recruiting and training center, a six thousand square-foot warehouse, a 300-space parking structure, as well as two truck wash and fueling facilities.
We have over 110 locations in the US and Mexico, including our headquarters, terminals, driving academies, and certain other locations, which are included in the table below. Our terminals may include customer service, marketing, fuel, and/or repair facilities, which are used by our Trucking, Logistics, Intermodal, and non-reportable segments. We also own or lease parcels of vacant land, drop yards, and space for temporary trailer storage for ourselves and other carriers, as well as several non-operating facilities, which are excluded from the table below. As of December 31, 2020, our aggregate monthly rent for all leased properties was approximately $1.1 million with varying terms expiring through December 2053. We believe that substantially all of our property is in good condition and our facilities have sufficient capacity to meet our current needs.
Owned/Leased Brand
Location Owned Leased Knight Swift Barr Nunn Abilene Total
Massachusetts 1 1 1
New Jersey 1 1 1
New Mexico 1 1 1
South Carolina 2 2 2
South Dakota 1 1 1
West Virginia 1 1 1
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are party to certain lawsuits in the ordinary course of business. Information about our legal proceedings is included in Note 19 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report and is incorporated by reference herein. Based on management's present knowledge of the facts and (in certain cases) advice of outside counsel, management does not believe that loss contingencies arising from pending matters are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company's overall financial position, operating results, or cash flows after taking into account any existing accruals. However, actual outcomes could be material to the Company's financial position, operating results, or cash flows for any particular period.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
Common Stock
Our common stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol "KNX". Prior to the completion of the 2017 Merger, shares of Swift Class A common stock traded on the NYSE under the symbol "SWFT" while shares of Knight common stock traded on the NYSE under the symbol "KNX."
Common Stock — As of December 31, 2020, we had 166,552,762 shares of common stock outstanding. On February 16, 2021, there were 41 holders of record of our common stock. Because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers or other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of individual stockholders represented by the record holders.
Dividend Policy
We have paid a quarterly cash dividend as Knight-Swift since December 27, 2017, consistent with Knight's historical practice that started in December 2004, and that continued in consecutive quarters since prior to the 2017 Merger.
Our most recent dividend was declared in February of 2021 for $0.08 per share of common stock and is scheduled to be paid in March of 2021.
We currently expect to continue to pay comparable quarterly cash dividends in the future. Future payment of cash dividends, and the amount of any such dividends, will depend upon our financial condition, results of operations, cash requirements, tax treatment, and certain corporate law requirements, as well as other factors deemed relevant by our Board.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
The following table shows our purchases of our common stock and the remaining amounts we are authorized to repurchase for each monthly period in the fourth quarter of 2020.
1On November 30, 2020, we announced that the Board approved the $250.0 million 2020 Knight-Swift Share Repurchase Plan, replacing the 2019 Knight-Swift Share Repurchase Plan. There is no expiration date associated with this share repurchase authorization. See Note 20 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
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Stockholders Return Performance Graph
The following graph compares the cumulative annual total return of stockholders from December 31, 2015 to December 31, 2020 of our stock relative to the cumulative total returns of the NYSE Composite index and an index of other companies within the trucking industry (NASDAQ Trucking & Transportation) over the same period. The graph assumes that the value of the investment in Swift's common stock and in each of the indexes (including reinvestment of dividends) was $100 on December 31, 2015, and tracks it through December 31, 2020. The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of Knight-Swift's future stock price performance.
Note: The below investment in Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. was calculated using Swift's historical stock price (SWFT), adjusted for the reverse split of 0.72, for periods prior to the 2017 Merger and calculated using Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.'s historical stock price (KNX) for periods following the 2017 Merger.
December 31,
ITEM 6. RESERVED
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Certain acronyms and terms used throughout this Annual Report are specific to our company, commonly used in our industry, or are otherwise frequently used throughout our document. Definitions for these acronyms and terms are provided in the "Glossary of Terms," available in the front of this document.
Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read together with "Business" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, as well as the consolidated financial statements and accompanying footnotes in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A. "Risk Factors" and Part I "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements" of this Annual Report, and elsewhere in this report. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed.
Executive Summary
Company Overview
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. is North America's largest truckload carrier and a provider of transportation solutions, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The Company provides multiple truckload transportation, intermodal, and logistics services using a nationwide network of business units and terminals in the US and Mexico to serve customers throughout North America. In addition to its truckload services, Knight-Swift also contracts with third-party capacity providers to provide a broad range of shipping solutions to its customers while creating quality driving jobs for our driving associates and successful business opportunities for independent contractors. Our three reportable segments are Trucking, Logistics, and Intermodal. Additionally, we have various non-reportable segments. Refer to Note 1 and Note 25 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for descriptions of our segments.
Our objective is to operate our business with industry-leading margins and growth while providing safe, high-quality, cost-effective solutions for our customers.
2017 Merger —On September 8, 2017, we became Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. upon the effectiveness of the 2017 Merger. Immediately upon the consummation of the 2017 Merger, former Knight stockholders and former Swift stockholders owned approximately 46.0% and 54.0%, respectively, of the Company. Upon closing of the 2017 Merger, the shares of Knight common stock that previously traded under the ticker symbol "KNX" ceased trading and were delisted from the NYSE. Our shares of Class A common stock commenced trading on the NYSE on a post-reverse split basis under the ticker symbol "KNX" on September 11, 2017.
Acquisitions — On January 1, 2020, the Company acquired a warehousing company to complement its suite of services. Please refer to Note 5 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Revenue
•Our trucking services include irregular route and dedicated, refrigerated, expedited, flatbed, and cross-border transportation of various products, goods, and materials for our diverse customer base. We primarily generate revenue by transporting freight for our customers through our Trucking segment.
•Our brokerage and intermodal operations provide a multitude of shipping solutions, including additional sources of truckload capacity and alternative transportation modes, by utilizing our vast network of third-party capacity providers and rail providers, as well as certain logistics and freight management services. Revenue in our brokerage and intermodal operations is generated through our Logistics and Intermodal segments.
•Our non-reportable segments include support services provided to our customers and independent contractors (including repair and maintenance shop services, equipment leasing, warranty services, and insurance), trailer parts manufacturing, warehousing, and certain driving academy activities, as well as certain corporate expenses (such as legal settlements and accruals, certain impairments, and amortization of intangibles related to the 2017 Merger and certain acquisitions).
•In addition to the revenues earned from our customers for the trucking and non-trucking services discussed above, we also earn fuel surcharge revenue from our customers through our fuel surcharge program, which serves to recover a majority of our fuel costs. This applies only to loaded miles and typically does not offset non-
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paid empty miles, idle time, and out-of-route miles driven. Fuel surcharge programs involve a computation based on the change in national or regional fuel prices. These programs may update as often as weekly, but typically require a specified minimum change in fuel cost to prompt a change in fuel surcharge revenue. Therefore, many of these programs have a time lag between when fuel costs change and when the change is reflected in fuel surcharge revenue for our Trucking segment.
Expenses —Our most significant expenses vary with miles traveled and include fuel, driving associate-related expenses (such as wages and benefits), and services purchased from independent contractors and other transportation providers (such as railroads, drayage providers, and other trucking companies). Maintenance and tire expenses, as well as the cost of insurance and claims generally vary with the miles we travel, but also have a controllable component based on safety improvements, fleet age, efficiency, and other factors. Our primary fixed costs are depreciation and lease expense for revenue equipment and terminals, amortization of intangibles, interest expense, and non-driver employee compensation.
Operating Statistics — We measure our consolidated and segment results through certain operating statistics, which are discussed under "Results of Operations — Segment Review — Operating Statistics," below.
Our results are affected by various economic, industry, operational, regulatory, and other factors, which are discussed in detail in "Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors," as well as in various disclosures in our press releases, stockholder reports, and other filings with the SEC.
Key Financial Highlights and Operating Metrics
GAAP Financial data: (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
Non-GAAP financial data:
Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift 1 $ 466,147 $ 373,082
Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 85.3 % 88.4 %
Revenue equipment: 2
Average tractors (Trucking segment only) 3 18,448 18,877
1Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, and Adjusted Operating Ratio are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered alternatives, or superior, to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. However, management believes that presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors regarding the Company's results of operations. Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, and Adjusted Operating Ratio are reconciled to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures," below.
2See "Results of Operations — Segment Review — Operating Statistics" in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report regarding definitions of these operating data.
3Our tractor fleet had a weighted average age of 2.2 years and 1.9 years for 2020 and 2019, respectively. Average tractors within our Trucking segment includes 16,379 and 16,432company-owned tractors for 2020 and 2019, respectively.
4Our trailer fleet had a weighted average age of 7.8 years and 7.5 years for 2020 and 2019, respectively.
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Market Trends and Company Performance
Trends and Outlook — Our operational discipline, agility, and cost-control culture enabled us to execute through the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced a new source of volatility throughout the global market in 2020. Our diversified customer base, networks, and unique brands positioned us to navigate a disrupted freight environment of unpredictable shipping volumes, shifts in pricing, and continued challenges in driver sourcing.
The national unemployment rate was 6.7%1 as of December 31, 2020. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain it continued to affect the labor market. Economic activities that were once curtailed during the initial surge of the pandemic began to resume during the third quarter and into the fourth quarter of 2020. Within our industry, social distancing measures continue to affect the population of available trained drivers across the nation. Additionally, ongoing competition for experienced hires, increased safety regulations, and various alternative sources of income to potential drivers continue to hamper driver sourcing efforts throughout the industry.
During the fourth quarter of 2020, the US gross domestic product, which is the broadest measure of goods and services produced across the economy, increased at an annual rate of 4.0%3 per third-party estimates. This reflects the US economy's continued recovery from the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused economic declines earlier in 2020. This may result in an expected annualized growth rate of approximately 5.0% to 6.0%3 for full-year 2021, as third-party forecasts are predicting additional fiscal stimulus that may support continued economic rebound. The 2020 US employment cost index rose 2.5%1 on a year-over-year basis.
From a freight market perspective, demand toward the beginning of the year was weak, but gradually strengthened throughout 2020. We are encouraged by the continued strength in freight demand; however, we expect demand will be difficult to predict for 2021.
Consolidated revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge, decreased by 0.6%, while operating income increased by 32.1% and Adjusted Operating Income increased by 25.7% in 2020, as compared to 2019. Our business model continues to generate a meaningful amount of free cash flow (computed as net cash provided by operating activities, less net cash capital expenditures), which was $531.8 million in 2020.
Our Trucking segment improved its Adjusted Operating Income by 25.5%, resulting in a 350 basis point Adjusted Operating Ratio improvement to 83.0% in 2020 from 86.5% in 2019. Our Logistics segment produced a 94.5% Adjusted Operating Ratio in 2020, as a result of an 18.5% improvement in its revenue per load, excluding intersegment transactions in 2020, as compared to 2019. Our Intermodal segment generated a 100.2% Adjusted Operating Ratio in 2020, as load volumes were pressured, compared to the prior year.
We continue to manage our leverage ratio relative to our targeted range and remain committed to a strong capital structure, which we believe will position us for long-term success and enable us to pursue further opportunities for organic growth, growth through acquisitions, and other capital allocation opportunities. We do not foresee material liquidity constraints or any issues with our ongoing ability to meet our debt covenants.
Impact of COVID-19 — Refer to Note 1 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion around the impact of COVID-19 on our company. Refer to Part 1, Item 1A "Risk Factors" of this Annual Report for discussion about trends, potential risks, and uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic that may impact our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
_________
1 bls.gov
2 bea.gov
3 kiplinger.com
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Note regarding presentation: A discussion of changes in our results of operations from 2018 to 2019 has been omitted from this Annual Report, but may be found in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our 2019 Annual Report filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020.
Operating Results: 2020 Compared to 2019 — The $100.8 million increase in net income attributable to Knight-Swift to $410.0 million in 2020 from $309.2 million in 2019, includes the following:
•Contributor — $109.8 million increase in operating income within our Trucking segment driven by a 3.5% increase in revenue per loaded mile, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions, partially offset by a 1.5% decrease in total miles per tractor.
•Contributor — $34.3 million improvement in operating results within the non-reportable segments. Improved operating loss within the non-reportable segments was primarily due to a $29.5 million year-over-year reduction in recorded legal costs for increases in legal reserves in 2019 related to various pre-2017 Merger related legal matters, which were previously disclosed by Swift, as well as additional income earned from a warehousing company acquired in 2020. These improvements were offset by a $6.7 million of expenses in 2020 for the change in fair value of the deferred earnout related to the acquisition of the recently acquired warehousing company and a $4.1 million impairment related to investments in certain alternative fuel technology.
•Offset — $45.9 million increase in consolidated income tax expense was primarily due to an increase in pre-tax earnings and negative impacts from certain tax-related items within our Mexico operations recognized as a discrete item. This was partially offset by stock compensation deductions and a partial release of our reserve for uncertain tax positions recognized as discrete items. In 2019, we recognized discrete items related to a partial release of our reserve for uncertain tax positions, which was partially offset by a decrease in foreign income tax deductions. All of these factors resulted in a 2020 effective tax rate of 26.7% and a 2019 effective tax rate of 25.1%.
See additional discussion of our operating results within "Results of Operations — Consolidated Operating and Other Expenses" below.
2020 Liquidity and Capital — During 2020, we generated $919.6 million in operating cash flows. We invested $387.8 million in capital expenditures (net of equipment sales proceeds), reduced our operating lease liabilities by $83.7 million, repurchased $179.6 million of our common stock, and returned $54.6 million in quarterly dividends to our stockholders during the year. We ended the year with $156.7 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, $210.0 million outstanding on the Revolver, $300.0 million outstanding on the Term Loan, and $5.9 billion of stockholders' equity. We remain committed to a strong capital structure, which we believe will position us for long-term success and enable us to pursue further opportunities for organic growth and growth through acquisition.
See discussion under "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional information.
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Results of Operations — Segment Review
During the first quarter of 2019, the Company reorganized its reportable segments. Accordingly, the Company now has three reportable segments: Trucking, Logistics, and Intermodal, as well as certain non-reportable segments. Refer to Note 25 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for descriptions of our segments. Refer to Part I, Item 1, "Business – Our Mission and Company Strategy" of this Annual Report for discussion related to our segment operating strategies.
Consolidating Tables for Total Revenue and Operating Income (Loss)
Revenue: (Dollars in thousands)
Operating income (loss): (Dollars in thousands)
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Operating Statistics
Our chief operating decision makers monitor the GAAP results of our reportable segments, as supplemented by certain non-GAAP information. Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for more details. Additionally, we use a number of primary indicators to monitor our revenue and expense performance and efficiency.
Operating Statistic Relevant Segment(s) Description
Average Trailers Trucking Average trailers in operation during the period
Average Containers Intermodal Average containers in operation during the period
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Segment Review
Trucking Segment
We generate revenue in the Trucking segment primarily through irregular route, dedicated, refrigerated, flatbed, expedited, and cross-border service offerings, with 13,386 irregular route tractors and 5,062 dedicated route tractors. Generally, we are paid a predetermined rate per mile or per load for our trucking services. Additional revenues are generated by charging for tractor and trailer detention, loading and unloading activities, dedicated services, and other specialized services, as well as through the collection of fuel surcharge revenue to mitigate the impact of increases in the cost of fuel. The main factors that affect the revenue generated by our Trucking segment are rate per mile from our customers, the percentage of miles for which we are compensated, and the number of loaded miles we generate with our equipment.
The most significant expenses in the Trucking segment are primarily variable and include fuel and fuel taxes, driving associate-related expenses (such as wages, benefits, training, and recruitment), and costs associated with independent contractors primarily included in "Purchased transportation" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Maintenance expense (which includes costs for replacement tires for our revenue equipment) and insurance and claims expenses have both fixed and variable components. These expenses generally vary with the miles we travel, but also have a controllable component based on safety, fleet age, efficiency, and other factors. The main fixed costs in the Trucking segment are depreciation and rent expenses from leasing and acquiring revenue equipment and terminals, as well as compensating our non-driver employees.
(Dollars in thousands, except per tractor data) Increase (decrease)
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 2 83.0 % 86.5 % (350 bps)
Non-paid empty miles percentage 2 13.1 % 12.8 % 30 bps
Average length of haul (miles) 2 425 430 (1.2 %)
1Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
2Defined within "Operating Statistics" above.
3Includes 16,379 and 16,432 company-owned tractors for 2020 and 2019, respectively.
2020 Compared to 2019 — Operating ratio improved by 340 basis points to 84.7% in 2020 and Adjusted Operating Ratio improved by 350 basis points to 83.0% in 2020. Average revenue per tractor increased by 1.6% driven by a 3.5% increase in revenue per loaded mile, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions, and was partially offset by a 1.5% decrease in total miles per tractor.
Our focus in our Trucking segment remains on developing our freight network, improving the productivity of our assets and controlling costs in areas where we have experienced higher than normal inflation, such as maintenance, driving associate pay, and professional fees.
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Logistics Segment
The Logistics segment is less asset-intensive than the Trucking segment and is dependent upon capable non-driver employees, modern and effective information technology, and third-party capacity providers. Logistics revenue is primarily generated by its brokerage operations. We generate additional revenue by offering specialized logistics solutions (including, but not limited to, trailing equipment, origin management, surge volume, disaster relief, special projects, and other logistic needs). Logistics revenue is mainly affected by the rates we obtain from customers, the freight volumes we ship through third-party capacity providers, and our ability to secure third-party capacity providers to transport customer freight.
The most significant expense in the Logistics segment is purchased transportation that we pay to third-party capacity providers, which is a primarily variable cost, and is included in "Purchased transportation" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Variability in this expense depends on truckload capacity, availability of third-party capacity providers, rates charged to customers, current freight demand, and customer shipping needs. Fixed Logistics operating expenses primarily include non-driver employee compensation and benefits recorded in "Salaries, wages, and benefits" and depreciation and amortization expense recorded in "Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
(Dollars in thousands, except per load data) Increase (decrease)
Gross margin percentage – Brokerage only 2 14.5 % 15.9 % (140 bps)
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 2 94.5 % 93.5 % 100 bps
1Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
2Defined under "Operating Statistics" above.
2020 Compared to 2019 —Operating ratio increased by 80 basis points and Adjusted Operating Ratio increased by 100 basis points year-over-year. Brokerage gross margin decreased to 14.5% in 2020 from 15.9% in 2019. An 18.5% increase in brokerage revenue per load, partially offset by an 8.3% decrease in brokerage load volumes, contributed to a 8.8% increase in brokerage revenue, excluding intersegment transactions. Load volumes grew 67.0% year-over-year within our power-only service offering, contributing to 96.3% revenue growth within power-only and representing 24.3% of our total 2020 brokerage load volumes.
In the first half of 2020, we introduced our Select platform, which digitally matches shippers with available capacity across our brands through frictionless transactions. By the fourth quarter of 2020, over 5,000 carriers were digitally matched with loads through our Select platform, representing approximately 20% of our brokerage load volume.
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Intermodal Segment
The Intermodal segment complements our regional operating model, allows us to better serve customers in longer haul lanes, and reduces our investment in fixed assets. Through the Intermodal segment, we generate revenue by moving freight over the rail in our containers and other trailing equipment, combined with revenue for drayage to transport loads between railheads and customer locations. The most significant expense in the Intermodal segment is the cost of purchased transportation that we pay to third-party capacity providers (including rail providers), which is primarily variable and included in "Purchased transportation" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Purchased transportation varies as it relates to rail capacity, freight demand, and customer shipping needs. The main fixed costs in the Intermodal segment are depreciation of our containers and chassis, as well as non-driver employee compensation and benefits.
(Dollars in thousands, except per load data) Increase (decrease)
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating (Loss) Income 1 2 $ (830) $ 4,501 (118.4 %)
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 2 100.2 % 99.0 % 120 bps
1Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
2Defined within "Operating Statistics" above.
3Includes 518 and 568 company-owned tractors for 2020 and 2019, respectively.
2020 Compared to 2019— Our Intermodal segment produced a 100.2% operating ratio during 2020, compared to 99.0% during 2019. Total revenue decreased 14.1% due to a 10.8% decrease in load volumes and a decrease of 3.5% in average revenue per load.
We continue to work on initiatives to support our business, develop our network, and improve our cost structure within the Intermodal segment, and we expect to see improved results in 2021.
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Non-reportable Segments
The non-reportable segments include support services provided to our customers and independent contractors (including repair and maintenance shop services, equipment leasing, warranty services, and insurance), trailer parts manufacturing, warehousing, and certain driving academy activities, as well as certain corporate expenses (such as legal settlements and accruals, certain impairments, and $45.9 million in annual amortization of intangibles related to the 2017 Merger and various acquisitions).
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
2020 Compared to 2019— The increase in total revenue within our non-reportable segments is primarily attributed to revenues from the acquisition of a warehousing company made at the beginning of the year. Improved operating loss within the non-reportable segments was primarily due to a $29.5 million year-over-year reduction in recorded legal costs for increases in legal reserves in 2019 related to various pre-2017 Merger related legal matters, which were previously disclosed by Swift, as well as additional income earned from a warehousing company acquired in 2020. These improvements were offset by a $6.7 million of expenses in 2020 for the change in fair value of the deferred earnout related to the acquisition of the recently acquired warehousing company and a $4.1 million impairment related to investments in certain alternative fuel technology.
Results of Operations — Consolidated Operating and Other Expenses
Consolidated Operating Expenses
The following tables present certain operating expenses from our consolidated statements of comprehensive income, including each operating expense as a percentage of total revenue and as a percentage of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge. Fuel surcharge revenue can be volatile and is primarily dependent upon the cost of fuel, rather than operating expenses unrelated to fuel. Therefore, we believe that revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge is a better measure for analyzing many of our expenses and operating metrics.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 33.9 % 33.5 % 40 bps
Salaries, wages, and benefits expense is primarily affected by the total number of miles driven by company driving associates, the rate per mile we pay our company driving associates, and employee benefits, including healthcare, workers' compensation and other benefits. To a lesser extent, non-driver employee headcount, compensation, and benefits affect this expense. Driving associate wages represent the largest component of salaries, wages, and benefits expense.
Several ongoing market factors have reduced the pool of available driving associates, contributing to a challenging driver sourcing market, which we believe will continue. Having a sufficient number of qualified driving associates is our biggest headwind, although we continue to seek ways to attract and retain qualified driving associates, including heavily investing in our recruiting efforts, our driving academies, technology, and terminals that improve the experience of driving associates. We expect driving associate pay to remain inflationary, leading to additional driving associate pay increases.
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2020 Compared to 2019 — The increase in consolidated salaries, wages, and benefits was primarily due to $9.0 million in incremental payroll premiums paid during the first half of 2020 to our company driving associates and shop technicians in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 expenses were clearly separable from our normal business operations and are not expected to recur once the pandemic subsides.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 8.9 % 12.0 % (310 bps)
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 9.5 % 13.3 % (380 bps)
Fuel expense consists primarily of diesel fuel expense for our company-owned tractors and fuel taxes. The primary factors affecting our fuel expense are the cost of diesel fuel, the fuel economy of our equipment, and the miles driven by company driving associates.
Our fuel surcharge programs help to offset increases in fuel prices, but apply only to loaded miles and typically do not offset non-paid empty miles, idle time, and out-of-route miles driven. Typical fuel surcharge programs involve a computation based on the change in national or regional fuel prices. These programs may update as often as weekly, but typically require a specified minimum change in fuel cost to prompt a change in fuel surcharge revenue for our trucking segments. Therefore, many of these programs have a time lag between when fuel costs change and when the change is reflected in fuel surcharge revenue. Due to this time lag, our fuel expense, net of fuel surcharge, negatively impacts our operating income during periods of sharply rising fuel costs and positively impacts our operating income during periods of falling fuel costs. We continue to utilize our fuel efficiency initiatives such as trailer blades, idle-control, managing tractor speeds, updating our fleet with more fuel-efficient engines, managing fuel procurement, and driving associate training programs that we believe contribute to controlling our fuel expense.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The decrease in consolidated fuel expense is primarily due to a decrease in the average DOE fuel price to $2.56 per gallon for 2020 from $3.06 per gallon for 2019, and a 0.8% reduction in the total miles driven by company driving associates.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 5.9 % 6.7 % (80 bps)
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 6.3 % 7.3 % (100 bps)
Operations and maintenance expense consists of direct operating expenses, such as driving associate hiring and recruiting expenses, equipment maintenance, and tire expense. Operations and maintenance expenses are affected by the age of our company-owned fleet of tractors and trailers, as well as total miles driven by company driving associates. We expect the driver market to remain competitive into 2021, which could increase future driving associate development and recruiting costs and negatively affect our operations and maintenance expense. We expect to continue refreshing our fleet in the coming quarters to maintain our current fleet age and low maintenance costs.
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2020 Compared to 2019 — The decrease in consolidated operations and maintenance expense is attributed to the reduced maintenance expense associated with refreshing our fleet with newer equipment and the 0.8% reduction in total miles driven by company driving associates noted above.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 4.1 % 4.0 % 10 bps
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 4.4 % 4.4 % — bps
Insurance and claims expense consists of claims costs related to our self-insured limits for liability, physical damage, and cargo, and will vary based upon the frequency and severity of claims, as well as excess premium expense above these limits. In recent years, insurance carriers have raised premiums for many businesses, including transportation companies, and as a result, our insurance and claims expense could increase in the future, or we could raise our self-insured retention limits or reduce excess coverage limits when our policies are renewed or replaced. Insurance and claims expense also varies based on the number of miles driven by company driving associates and independent contractors, the frequency and severity of accidents, trends in development factors used in actuarial accruals, and developments in large, prior-year claims. In future periods, higher self-retention limits or lower excess coverage limits may cause increased volatility in our consolidated insurance and claims expense.
2020 Compared to 2019 — Consolidated insurance and claims expense decreased, but remained flat as a percentage of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge. We expect insurance expense to stabilize as we begin to see the realization of our increased focus on improving our safety standards for our driving associates and independent contractors.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 1.9 % 1.8 % 10 bps
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 2.0 % 2.0 % — bps
Operating taxes and licenses include expenses such as state franchise taxes, federal highway use taxes, property taxes, vehicle license and registration fees, and fuel and mileage taxes. The expense is impacted by changes in the tax rates and registration fees associated with our tractor fleet and regional operating facilities.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 0.4 % 0.4 % — bps
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 0.4 % 0.4 % — bps
Communications expense is comprised of costs associated with our tractor and trailer tracking systems, information technology systems, and phone systems.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 9.9 % 8.7 % 120 bps
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 10.5 % 9.6 % 90 bps
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Depreciation relates primarily to our owned tractors, trailers, buildings, ELDs and other communication units, and other similar assets. Changes to this fixed cost are generally attributed to increases or decreases to company-owned equipment, the relative percentage of owned versus leased equipment, and fluctuations in new equipment purchase prices, which have historically been precipitated in part by new or proposed federal and state regulations. Depreciation can also be affected by the cost of used equipment that we sell or trade and the replacement of older used equipment. Management periodically reviews the condition, average age, and reasonableness of estimated useful lives and salvage values of our equipment and considers such factors in light of our experience with similar assets, used equipment market conditions, and prevailing industry practice.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The increase in consolidated depreciation and amortization of property and equipment is primarily due to an increase in owned versus leased equipment.
We expect consolidated depreciation and amortization of property and equipment to generally increase both in total and as a percentage of consolidated revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge, as we do not plan to use operating leases as a primary means of funding our equipment purchases in 2021.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 1.0 % 0.9 % 10 bps
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 1.1 % 1.0 % 10 bps
Amortization of intangibles relates to intangible assets identified with the 2017 Merger and other acquisitions. See Note 5 and Note 11 in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report for further details regarding the Company's intangible assets, historical amortization, and anticipated future amortization.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The increase in consolidated amortization of intangibles for 2020 is attributed to an acquisition completed on January 1, 2020. See Note 5 in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report for more details regarding details of our acquisitions.
.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of total revenue 1.9 % 2.5 % (60 bps)
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 2.0 % 2.8 % (80 bps)
Rental expense consists primarily of payments for tractors and trailers financed with operating leases. The primary factors affecting the expense are the size our revenue equipment fleet and the relative percentage of owned versus leased equipment.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The decrease in consolidated rental expense was primarily due to increasing our ratio of owned versus leased equipment.
We expect consolidated rental expense to continue to decrease both in total and as a percentage of consolidated revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge, as we do not plan to use operating leases as a primary means of funding our equipment purchases in 2021.
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(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
% of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge 21.4 % 23.6 % (220 bps)
Purchased transportation expense is comprised of payments to independent contractors in our trucking operations, as well as payments to third-party capacity providers related to logistics, freight management, and non-trucking services in our logistics and intermodal businesses. Purchased transportation is generally affected by capacity in the market as well changes in fuel prices. As capacity tightens, our payments to third-party capacity providers and to independent contractors tend to increase. Additionally, as fuel prices increase, payments to third-party capacity providers and independent contractors increase.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The decrease in consolidated purchased transportation expense is primarily due to a 17.5% decrease in miles driven by independent contractors, as well as lower purchased transportation expense from third-party carrier activities in our Logistics and Intermodal segments.
We expect consolidated purchased transportation will increase as a percentage of revenue, excluding trucking fuel surcharge, if we grow our logistics and intermodal businesses at a faster rate than our trucking business. The increase could be partially offset if independent contractors exit the market due to regulatory changes.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
2020 Compared to 2019 — During 2020, impairments were related to investments in certain alternative fuel technology (within the non-reportable segments), certain tractors (within the Trucking segment), certain legacy trailers (within the non-reportable segments) as a result of a softer used equipment market, and trailer tracking equipment (within the Trucking segment). During 2019, we incurred impairment charges related to certain revenue equipment technology, warehousing equipment no longer in use, leasehold improvements from the early termination of a lease of one of our operating properties, and certain Swift legacy trailer models as a result of a softer used equipment market. The impairments were recorded across various segments, depending on the nature of the impairment.
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
Miscellaneous operating expenses primarily consists of legal and professional services fees, general and administrative expenses, and other costs, net of gain on sales of equipment.
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2020 Compared to 2019 — The decrease in consolidated miscellaneous operating expenses is primarily due to a $29.5 million year-over-year reduction in recorded legal costs for increases in legal reserves in 2019 related to various pre-2017 Merger legal matters previously disclosed by Swift. This was partially offset by a $23.2 million reduction in gain on sales of equipment due to a softer used truck market and the $6.7 million expense for the change in fair value of a deferred earnout related to the acquisition of a warehousing company.
Consolidated Other Expenses, net
The following table summarizes fluctuations in certain non-operating expenses, included in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income:
(Dollars in thousands) Increase (decrease)
Interest income — Interest income includes interest earned from financing revenue equipment to independent contractors, as well as interest earned from our investments.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The decrease in consolidated interest income is primarily due to the rebalancing of our portfolio to cash and cash equivalents investments, due to lower yields from other types of short-term investments during 2020.
Interest expense —Interest expense is comprised of debt and finance lease interest expense as well as amortization of deferred loan costs.
2020 Compared to 2019 — Consolidated interest expense decreased when compared to 2019, primarily due to reduced interest rates.See Note 16 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for further information related to the 2017 Debt Agreement and related interest rates and deferred loan costs.
Other income, net —Other income, net is primarily comprised of income from unrealized gains (losses) from equity securities, realized gains (losses) from Knight's investments in Transportation Resource Partners ("TRP") accounted for under the equity method, as well as certain other non-operating income and expense items that may arise outside of the normal course of business. See Note 7 in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The unfavorable change in consolidated other income is primarily due to lower performance from our portfolio of investments when compared to 2019.
Income tax expense — In addition to the discussion below, Note 14 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report provides further analysis related to income taxes.
2020 Compared to 2019 — The increase in consolidated income tax expense was primarily due to an increase in pre-tax earnings and negative impacts from certain tax-related items within our Mexico operations recognized as a discrete item. This was partially offset by stock compensation deductions and a partial release of our reserve for uncertain tax positions recognized as discrete items. In 2019, we recognized discrete items related to a partial release of our reserve for uncertain tax positions which was partially offset by a decrease in foreign income tax deductions. All of these factors resulted in a 2020 effective tax rate of 26.7% and a 2019 effective tax rate of 25.1%.
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Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The terms "Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift," "Adjusted EPS," "Adjusted Operating Income," "Adjusted Operating Ratio", and "Free Cash Flows," as we define them, are not presented in accordance with GAAP. These financial measures supplement our GAAP results in evaluating certain aspects of our business. We believe that using these measures improves comparability in analyzing our performance because they remove the impact of items from our operating results that, in our opinion, do not reflect our core operating performance. Management and the Board focus on Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Ratio, and Free Cash Flows as key measures of our performance, all of which are reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measures and further discussed below. We believe our presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is useful because it provides investors and securities analysts the same information that we use internally for purposes of assessing our core operating performance.
Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Ratio, and Free Cash Flows are not substitutes for their comparable GAAP financial measures, such as net income, cash flows from operating activities, operating income, operating margin, or other measures prescribed by GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP financial measures. Although we believe that they improve comparability in analyzing our period to period performance, they could limit comparability to other companies in our industry if those companies define these measures differently. Because of these limitations, our non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered measures of income generated by our business or discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. Management compensates for these limitations by primarily relying on GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures on a supplemental basis.
Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation G, the following tables reconcile GAAP consolidated net income attributable to Knight-Swift to non-GAAP consolidated Adjusted Net Income attributable to Knight-Swift, GAAP consolidated earnings per diluted share to non-GAAP consolidated Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share, GAAP consolidated operating ratio to non-GAAP consolidated Adjusted Operating Ratio, GAAP reportable segment operating income to non-GAAP reportable segment Adjusted Operating Income, and GAAP reportable segment operating ratio to non-GAAP reportable segment Adjusted Operating Ratio.
Note regarding presentation: A discussion in changes in our results of operations from 2018 to 2019 has been omitted from this Annual Report, but may be found in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our 2019 Annual Report filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020.
Non-GAAP Reconciliation:
Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS
(Dollars in thousands)
GAAP: Net income attributable to Knight-Swift $ 410,002 $ 309,206
Adjusted for:
Income tax expense attributable to Knight-Swift 149,676 103,798
Income before income taxes attributable to Knight-Swift 559,678 413,004
Change in fair value of deferred earnout 2 6,730 —
Provision for income tax expense at effective rate 6 (169,910) (122,124)
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift $ 466,147 $ 373,082
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Note: Since the numbers reflected in the table below are calculated on a per share basis, they may not foot due to rounding.
GAAP: Earnings per diluted share $ 2.40 $ 1.80
Adjusted for:
Income tax expense attributable to Knight-Swift 0.88 0.60
Income before income taxes attributable to Knight-Swift 3.28 2.40
Amortization of intangibles 1 0.27 0.25
Change in fair value of deferred earnout 2 0.04 —
COVID-19 incremental costs 5 0.07 —
Adjusted income before income taxes 3.73 2.88
Provision for income tax expense at effective rate 6 (1.00) (0.71)
Non-GAAP: Adjusted EPS $ 2.73 $ 2.17
1"Amortization of intangibles" reflects the non-cash amortization expense relating to intangible assets identified in the 2017 Merger, and other acquisitions.
2"Change in fair value of deferred earnout" reflects the expense for the change in fair value of a deferred earnout related to the acquisition of a warehousing company, which is recorded in "Miscellaneous operating expenses." Refer to Note 5 in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report for additional details.
3"Impairments" reflects the following non-cash impairments:
•During 2020, impairments related to investments in certain alternative fuel technology (within the non-reportable segments), certain tractors (within the Trucking segment), certain legacy trailers (within the non-reportable segments) as a result of a softer used equipment market, and trailer tracking equipment (within the Trucking segment).
•During 2019, impairments related to certain revenue equipment technology, warehousing equipment no longer in use, certain Swift legacy trailer models as a result of a softer used equipment market, as well as $2.2 million related to certain leasehold improvements from an early termination of a lease of one of our operating properties. The impairments were recorded across various segments, depending on the nature of the impairment.
4"Legal accruals" are included in "Miscellaneous operating expenses" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income and reflect the following:
•2020 costs related to certain class action lawsuits involving certain pre-merger employment-related claims that were previously disclosed by Swift,
•2019 legal costs reflecting revised estimates for various pre-2017 merger legal matters within the non-reportable segments, and costs associated with an issued jury verdict.
5"COVID-19 incremental costs" reflects costs incurred during the first half of 2020 that were directly attributable to the pandemic and were incremental to those incurred prior to the outbreak. These include payroll premiums paid to our driving associates and shop technicians, additional disinfectants and cleaning supplies, and various other pandemic-specific items. The costs are clearly separable from our normal business operations and are not expected to recur once the pandemic subsides.
6For 2019, an effective tax rate of 24.6% was applied in our 2019 Adjusted EPS calculation to normalize permanent differences pertaining to a Value Added Tax ("VAT") adjustment within Swift's Mexico operations. The adjustment pertains to pre-2017 Merger VAT receivables from 2016 and prior years that have been deemed unrecoverable as of December 31, 2019.
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Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio
GAAP Presentation (Dollars in thousands)
Non-GAAP Presentation
Adjusted for:
Change in fair value of deferred earnout 2 (6,730) —
Adjusted Operating Ratio 85.3 % 88.4 %
1See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 1.
2See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 2.
3See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote3.
4See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote4.
5See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote5.
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Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Reportable Segment Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio
Trucking Segment
GAAP Presentation (Dollars in thousands)
Non-GAAP Presentation
Intersegment transactions (753) (157)
Adjusted for:
Intersegment transactions (753) (157)
Adjusted Operating Ratio 83.0 % 86.5 %
1"Amortization of intangibles" reflects the non-cash amortization expense relating to intangible assets identified in historical Knight acquisitions.
2See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 3.
3See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 5.
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Logistics Segment
GAAP Presentation (Dollars in thousands)
Non-GAAP Presentation
Adjusted for:
Impairments 1 — (621)
Adjusted Operating Ratio 94.5 % 93.5 %
1See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 3.
Intermodal Segment
GAAP Presentation (Dollars in thousands)
Operating (loss) income $ (943) $ 4,501
Non-GAAP Presentation
Intersegment transactions (364) (1,488)
Adjusted for:
Intersegment transactions (364) (1,488)
COVID-19 incremental costs 1 (113) —
Adjusted Operating (Loss) Income $ (830) $ 4,501
Adjusted Operating Ratio 100.2 % 99.0 %
1See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 5.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources of Liquidity
The following table presents our available sources of liquidity as of December 31, 2020:
Source: Amount
(In thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents, excluding restricted cash $ 156,699
Total unrestricted liquidity $ 738,774
Cash and cash equivalents – restricted 3 40,578
Restricted investments, held-to-maturity, amortized cost 3 9,001
Total liquidity, including restricted cash and restricted investments $ 788,353
1As of December 31, 2020, we had $210.0 million in borrowings under our $800.0 million Revolver. We additionally had $29.3 million in outstanding letters of credit (discussed below), leaving $560.7 million available under the Revolver.
2Based on eligible receivables at December 31, 2020, our borrowing base for the 2018 RSA was $302.7 million, while outstanding borrowings were $214.0 million. We additionally had $67.3 million in outstanding letters of credit (discussed below), leaving $21.4 million available under the 2018 RSA. The Company intends to refinance prior to the maturity date.
3Restricted cash and restricted investments are primarily held by our captive insurance companies for claims payments. "Cash and cash equivalents – restricted" consists of $39.3 million, which is included in "Cash and cash equivalents — restricted" in the consolidated balance sheet and is held by Mohave and Red Rock for claims payments. The remaining $1.3 million is included in "Other long-term assets" and is held in escrow accounts to meet statutory requirements.
Uses of Liquidity
Our business requires substantial amounts of cash for operating activities, including salaries and wages paid to our employees, contract payments to independent contractors, insurance and claims payments, tax payments, and others. We also use large amounts of cash and credit for the following activities:
Capital Expenditures — When justified by customer demand, as well as our liquidity and our ability to generate acceptable returns, we make substantial cash capital expenditures to maintain a modern company tractor fleet, refresh our trailer fleet, maintain and improve our driving associate facing shop and office facilities, invest in technology, and fund replacement in our revenue equipment fleet. We expect net cash capital expenditures to be in the range of $450.0 to $500.0 million in 2021, but intend to keep this range as flexible as possible to appropriately respond to pending business opportunities and the overall market environment. We believe we have ample flexibility with our trade cycle and purchase agreements to alter our current plans if economic or other conditions warrant.
Over the long-term, we will continue to have significant capital requirements, which may require us to seek additional borrowing, lease financing, or equity capital. The availability of financing or equity capital will depend upon our financial condition and results of operations as well as prevailing market conditions. If such additional borrowing, lease financing, or equity capital is not available at the time we need it, then we may need to borrow more under the Revolver (if not then fully drawn), extend the maturity of then-outstanding debt, rely on alternative financing arrangements, engage in asset sales, limit our fleet size, or operate our revenue equipment for longer periods.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional debt under our existing financial arrangements to satisfy our ongoing capital requirements. However, we believe the combination of our expected cash flows, financing available through operating and capital leases, available funds under the 2018 RSA, and availability under the Revolver will be sufficient to fund our expected capital expenditures for at least the next twelve months.
Refer to Note 18 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for additional discussion of our short-term and long-term contractual payment obligations related to purchase commitments.
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Principal and Interest Payments — As of December 31, 2020, we had material debt and finance lease obligations of $914.8 million (gross of deferred loan costs) which are discussed under "Material Debt Agreements," below. A modest portion of our cash flows from operations are committed to minimum payments of principal and interest on our debt facilities and lease obligations. Additionally, when our financial position allows, we periodically make voluntary prepayments on our outstanding debt balances. Following the 2017 Merger, the combined company carries substantially more debt than Knight has historically carried and the combined company has significantly higher interest expense and exposure to interest rate fluctuations than Knight historically had.
Prior to the maturity of our 2018 RSA, Term Loan, and Revolver, we expect to be contractually obligated to make interest payments of approximately $1.2 million, $7.4 million, and $4.3 million, respectively. Refer to Notes 15 and 16 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for additional discussion of the principal payment obligations related to the 2018 RSA and 2017 Debt Agreement.
Refer to Note 17 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for additional discussion on our contractual principal and interest payment obligations for finance leases.
Letters of Credit — Pursuant to the terms of the 2017 Debt Agreement and our 2018 RSA, our lenders may issue standby letters of credit on our behalf. When we have letters of credit outstanding, it reduces the availability under our $800.0 million Revolver or 2018 RSA. Standby letters of credit are typically issued for the benefit of regulatory authorities, insurance companies and state departments of insurance for the purpose of satisfying certain collateral requirements, primarily related to our automobile, workers' compensation, and general insurance liabilities.
Share Repurchases — From time to time, and depending on free cash flow availability, debt levels, stock prices, general economic and market conditions, as well as Board approval, we may repurchase shares of our outstanding common stock. In November 2020, the Board authorized $250.0 million in share repurchases, replacing the previous plan which had approximately $54.1 million of authorized purchases remaining. The 2020 Knight-Swift Repurchase Plan had $250.0 million available as of December 31, 2020. See further details regarding our share repurchases under Note 20 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Working Capital
As of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had a working capital surplus of $83.7 million and a working capital deficit of $103.0 million, respectively. The change was primarily due to reclassification of the Term Loan from "Finance lease liabilities and long-term debt – current portion" to "Long-term debt – less current portion" due to the 2020 amendment of the 2017 Debt agreement. This was partially offset by the 2018 RSA maturing on July 9, 2021, resulting in a $213.9 million reclassification from "Accounts receivable securitization – less current portion" to "Accounts receivable securitization – current portion" on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020. We intend to refinance the 2018 RSA prior to its maturity.
Material Debt Agreements
As of December 31, 2020, we had $913.6 million in material debt obligations at the following carrying values:
•$298.9 million: Term Loan, due October 2022, net of $1.1 million in deferred loan costs
•$213.9 million: 2018 RSA outstanding borrowings, due July 2021, net of $0.1 million in deferred loan costs
•$190.8 million: Finance lease obligations
•$210.0 million: Revolver, due October 2022
As of December 31, 2019, we had $918.8 million in material debt obligations at the following carrying values:
•$364.8 million: Term Loan, due October 2020, net of $0.2 million in deferred loan costs
•$204.8 million: 2018 RSA outstanding borrowings, due July 2021, net of $0.2 million in deferred loan costs
•$70.2 million: Finance lease obligations
•$279.0 million: Revolver, due October 2022
Key terms and other details regarding our material debt and finance leases are discussed in Notes 15, 16, and 17 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, and is incorporated by reference herein.
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Cash Flow Analysis
(In thousands)
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
2020 Compared to 2019 — The $80.1 million increase in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to a $137.0 million increase in operating income and an $11.5 million decrease in interest payments on our long-term debt and finance leases. This was partially offset by a $93.4 million cash settlement paid during 2020, associated with a pre-2017 Merger legal matter that was previously accrued and disclosed by Swift.
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities
2020 Compared to 2019 — The $103.0 million decrease in net cash used in investing activities was primarily due to a $182.0 million decrease in net cash capital expenditures, which was partially offset by a $44.9 million increase in net cash used for acquisitions and a $40.9 million increase in cash invested in equity method investments, which included a $39.6 million investment in a transportation-related company.
Net Cash Used in Financing Activities
2020 Compared to 2019 — We used $259.2 million more cash for financing activities, primarily as a result of a $142.3 million net increase in repayments of our debt and finance lease obligations, increasing our repurchases of our common stock by $92.7 million, and increasing dividends paid by $13.2 million.
Inflation
Inflation can have an impact on our operating costs. A prolonged period of inflation could cause interest rates, fuel, wages, and other costs to increase, which would adversely affect our results of operations unless freight rates correspondingly increased. Consistent with trends in the trucking industry overall, we have recently experienced inflationary pressures with respect to driver wages, as compared to prior years.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that impact the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Therefore, the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and associated disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities are affected by these estimates and assumptions. We evaluate these estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis, utilizing historical experience, consultation with experts, and other methods considered reasonable in the particular circumstances. Nevertheless, actual results may differ significantly from our estimates and assumptions, and it is possible that materially different amounts could be reported using differing estimates or assumptions. We consider our critical accounting estimates to be those that require us to make more significant judgments and estimates when we prepare our financial statements.