Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. - Annual Report: 2012 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2012

For the transition period from            to            

Commission file number 001-35007

Swift Transportation Company

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2200 South 75th Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85043

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(602) 269-9700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    x  Yes    ¨  No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    ¨  Yes    x  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    x  Yes    ¨  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    x  Yes    ¨  No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    ¨  Yes    x  No

As of June 29, 2012, the aggregate market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates was $793,315,536, based on the closing price of our common stock as quoted on the NYSE as of such date.

There were 87,175,166 shares of the registrant’s Class A Common Stock and 52,495,236 shares of the registrant’s Class B Common Stock outstanding as of February 18, 2013.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

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SWIFT TRANSPORTATION COMPANY

2012 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

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PART I

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include statements we make concerning our plans, objectives, goals, strategies (including our growth strategies and the benefits to us compared to others in the trucking industry), future events, future revenues or performance and financing needs; the impact that recent and proposed regulatory rules and laws will have on the trucking industry generally and Swift specifically; the benefits of our business model, operations and strategies in light of changing trends in the trucking industry; that we expect to pursue acquisitions; our compliance with environmental, transportation and other laws and regulations; adjustments to income tax assessments as the result of ongoing and future audits; anticipated changes in our unrecognized tax benefits during the next 12 months; the outcome of pending litigation and actions we intend to take in respect thereof; the amount and timing of the recognition of unrealized losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income; trends concerning supply, demand, pricing and costs in the trucking industry; our expectation of increasing driver wage and hiring expenses; our expectation that depreciation costs for equipment will increase in the future; our expectations concerning the mix and composition of our operating expenses that could result from changes in the mix of company-driven miles, owner-operator driven miles, and intermodal miles; trends in the age of our tractor and trailer fleet; the benefits of our fuel surcharge program and our ability to recover increasing fuel costs through surcharges; the impact of the lag effect relating to our fuel surcharges; the sources and sufficiency of our liquidity and financial resources to pay debt, make capital expenditures and operate our business; the consequences of a failure to maintain compliance with our debt covenants; the impact of new accounting standards; the timing of our disposition of assets held for sale; the value of equipment under operating leases relating to our residual value guarantees; our intentions concerning the potential use of derivative financial instruments to hedge fuel price increases; our expectations regarding the use of the NYSE’s “controlled company” exemption concerning certain corporate governance requirements; our intention to reinvest foreign earnings outside the United States; our intentions concerning the payment of dividends; the timing and amount of future amortization costs of intangible assets; our ability and intention to hold investment securities to maturity; the timing and amounts of recognizing unrecognized equity compensation costs; and the timing and amount of future acquisitions of trucking equipment and other capital expenditures and the use and availability of cash, cash flow from operations, leases and debt to finance such acquisitions. Such statements appear under the headings entitled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business.” When used in this report, the words “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “foresees,” “seeks,” “likely,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “goal,” “target,” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of any such words) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, we, through our senior management, from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning our expected future operations and performance and other developments. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may change at any time, and, therefore, our actual results may differ materially from those that we expected. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. We derive many of our forward-looking statements from our operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and, of course, it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us on the date of this report. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations (“cautionary statements”) are disclosed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report. All forward-looking statements in this report and subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements.

Item 1. Business

Overview

We are a multi-faceted transportation services company and the largest truckload carrier in North America. As of December 31, 2012, we operated a tractor fleet of approximately 15,300 units comprised of 11,300 tractors driven by company drivers and 4,000 owner-operator tractors, a fleet of 52,800 trailers, and 8,700 intermodal containers from 35 major terminals positioned near major freight centers and traffic lanes in the United States and Mexico. During 2012, our tractors covered 1.6 billion miles for shippers throughout North America. 2012 was our most profitable year with record operating revenue of $3.5 billion and operating income of $322 million. We use sophisticated technologies and systems that contribute to asset productivity, operating efficiency, customer satisfaction, and safety. We believe the depth of our fleet capacity, the breadth of our terminal network, our commitment to customer service, and our extensive suite of services provide us and our customers with significant advantages.

Truckload carriers typically transport a full trailer (or container) of freight for a single customer from origin to destination without intermediate sorting and handling. Truckload carriers provide the largest part of the transportation supply chain for most retail and manufactured goods in North America.

Many of our customers are large corporations with extensive operations, geographically distributed locations, and diverse shipping needs. We receive revenue from a broad customer base that includes clients from the retail, discount retail, consumer products, food and beverage, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics industries. We offer the opportunity for “one-stop-shopping” for their truckload transportation needs through our broad spectrum of services and equipment.

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In our trucking operations, we principally operate in short-to-medium-haul traffic lanes around our terminals or dedicated customer locations. We concentrate on this length of haul because the majority of domestic truckload freight (as measured by revenue) moves in these lanes and our extensive terminal network affords us marketing, equipment control, supply chain, customer service, and driver retention advantages in local markets. Our relatively short average length of haul also helps reduce competition from railroads and trucking companies that lack a regional presence.

Since 2006, our asset-light intermodal segment has grown rapidly and as of December 31, 2012 represented approximately 10% of our total revenue. The transportation service offerings of our intermodal segment utilize arrangements with most major North American rail carriers to provide intermodal freight solutions for our customers throughout the continental United States and Mexico. In 2010, we re-entered the freight brokerage and logistics services and are currently building a foundation for further expansion in this service offering. Going forward, we intend to continue to expand our revenue from these operations to improve our overall return on invested capital.

Organizational Structure and Corporate History

Swift Transportation Company’s predecessor was founded by Jerry Moyes, along with his father and brother, in 1966 with one truck and taken public on the NASDAQ stock market in 1990.

In April 2007, Mr. Moyes and his wife contributed their ownership of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Interstate Equipment Leasing, Inc. (now Interstate Equipment Leasing, LLC), or IEL, to Swift Corporation in exchange for additional Swift Corporation shares. In May 2007, Mr. Moyes, The Jerry and Vickie Moyes Family Trust dated December 11, 1987, and various Moyes children’s trusts, collectively referred to as the Moyes Affiliates, contributed their shares of Swift Transportation Co., Inc. common stock to Swift Corporation in exchange for additional Swift Corporation shares. Swift Corporation then completed its acquisition of Swift Transportation Co., Inc. through a merger on May 10, 2007, thereby acquiring the remaining outstanding shares of Swift Transportation Co., Inc. common stock, the foregoing sequence of transactions being, collectively, the 2007 Transactions. Upon completion of the 2007 Transactions, Swift Transportation Co., Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Swift Corporation and at the close of the market on May 10, 2007, the common stock of Swift Transportation ceased trading on NASDAQ.

On May 20, 2010, in contemplation of our initial public offering, or IPO, Swift Corporation formed Swift Transportation Company (formerly Swift Holdings Corp.), a Delaware corporation. Swift Transportation Company did not engage in any business or other activities except in connection with its formation and the IPO and held no assets and had no subsidiaries prior to such offering.

Immediately prior to the consummation of the IPO, Swift Corporation merged with and into Swift Transportation Company, with Swift Transportation Company surviving as a Delaware corporation. In the merger, all of the outstanding common stock of Swift Corporation was converted into shares of Swift Transportation Company Class B common stock on a one-for-one basis, and all outstanding stock options of Swift Corporation were converted into options to purchase shares of Class A common stock of Swift Transportation Company. All outstanding Class B shares are held by Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates.

In December 2010 and January 2011, Swift Transportation Company completed its IPO of 79,350,000 shares of its Class A common stock and received proceeds of $829.2 million net of underwriting discounts and commissions and before expenses of such issuance. The proceeds were used, together with the proceeds from our senior secured term loan and from our private placement of senior second priority secured notes, which debt issuances were completed substantially concurrently with the IPO, to (a) repay all amounts outstanding under our previous senior secured credit facility, (b) purchase an aggregate amount of $490.0 million of our prior senior secured fixed-rate notes and $192.6 million of our prior senior secured floating rate notes, (c) pay $66.4 million to our interest rate swap counterparties to terminate the interest rate swap agreements related to our then existing floating rate debt, (d) pay fees and expenses related to the debt issuance and stock offering and (e) pay down our accounts receivable securitization and other indebtedness.

Mr. Moyes holds shares of Class A and Class B common stock directly and indirectly through various Moyes Affiliates, including M Capital Investors, LLC, Cactus Holding Company II, LLC and through various family trusts. On December 15, 2011, Cactus Holding Company II, LLC, an entity controlled by Mr. Moyes, converted 6,553,253 shares of Class B common stock into 6,553,253 shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. The shares were converted in connection with a pledge of securities to support a personal loan arrangement entered into by Cactus Holding Company II, LLC and relating to Mr. Moyes. Throughout 2012, the Moyes Affiliates converted an additional 1,068,224 shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock and entered into a Sale and Repurchase Agreement pursuant to which they sold 4,831,878 Class A shares to a counter-party with a full recourse obligation to repurchase the securities at the same price on the fourth anniversary of sale.

As of December 31, 2012, we have 87,055,664 shares of Class A common stock and 52,495,236 shares of Class B common stock outstanding, of which the Moyes Affiliates held 3,069,699 shares of Class A and 52,495,236 shares of Class B common stock.

Available information

Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to such reports filed pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) are available free of charge on our website at www.swifttrans.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information contained on our web site is not included as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Industry Background

The U.S. trucking industry is large, fragmented, and highly competitive. We compete with thousands of other truckload carriers, most of which operate fewer than 100 trucks. To a lesser extent, our intermodal and freight brokerage and logistics services operating segments compete with railroads, less-than-truckload carriers, third-party logistics providers, and other transportation companies. The principal means of competition in our industry are service, the ability to provide capacity when and where needed, and price. In times of strong freight demand, service and capacity become increasingly important, and in times of weak freight demand pricing becomes increasingly important. Because most truckload contracts (other than dedicated contracts) do not guarantee truck availability or load levels, pricing is influenced by supply and demand.

Since 2000, our industry has encountered four major economic cycles: (1) the period of industry over-capacity and depressed freight volumes from 2000 through 2001; (2) the economic expansion from 2002 through 2006; (3) the freight slowdown, fuel price spike, economic recession, and credit crisis from 2007 through 2009; and (4) from 2010- present, a moderate recovery where the industry freight data began to show positive trends for both volume and pricing. The slow steady growth is a result of the moderate increases in GDP coupled with a tighter supply of available tractors due to several years of below average truck builds, an increase in truckload fleet bankruptcies in 2009 and 2010, increasing equipment prices due to stringent EPA requirements, less available credit, and driver availability.

Uncertainty remains regarding the extent and timing of the current economic recovery as economic conditions have recently regressed. We will continue to monitor the current economic environment and its potential impact on both the customers that we serve as well as our end-markets and closely manage our costs and capital resources so that we can respond appropriately as circumstances continue to change.

In addition to economic cycles, the trucking industry faces other challenges that we believe we are well-positioned to address. First, we believe that the recent regulatory initiatives such as hours-of-service limitations, electric on-board recorders, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s, or FMCSA, Comprehensive Safety Analysis, or CSA, may have the effect of reducing the size of the driver pool. Moreover, new or changing regulatory constraints on drivers may further decrease the utilization of an already shrinking driver pool. As this occurs, we believe our driver development programs, including our driver training schools and nationwide recruiting, will become increasingly advantageous. In addition, we believe that the negative impact of such regulations will be partially mitigated by our average length of haul, regional terminal network, and less mileage-intensive operations, such as intermodal, dedicated, brokerage, and cross-border operations. Further, we are complete with the process of retrofitting our entire tractor fleet with electronic on-board recorders, which we believe can help us more efficiently utilize our drivers’ available hours of service. Second, we believe that significant increases and rapid fluctuations in fuel prices will continue to be a challenge to the industry. We believe we can effectively address these issues through fuel surcharges, effective fuel procurement strategies and network management systems, and further developing our dedicated, intermodal, and brokerage operations. Third, the industry also faces increased prices for new revenue equipment, design changes of new engines, and volatility in the used equipment sales market. We believe that we are well-positioned to effectively address these issues because of our relatively new fleet, trade-back protections, buying power, and in-house nationwide maintenance facilities.

Our Mission and Vision

Our mission is to attract and retain customers by providing best in class transportation solutions and fostering a profitable, disciplined culture of safety, service, and trust. Our vision consists of seven primary themes:

We aspire to achieve the themes of our mission and vision and believe our competitive strengths and the goals we have defined will enable us to attain our desired level of service to customers and results for our shareholders.

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Our Competitive Strengths

We believe the following competitive strengths provide a solid platform for pursuing our goals and strategies:

Our Growth Strategy and Most Important Goals

Our most important goals are to increase our Adjusted EPS, improve our return on net assets and reduce our leverage ratio. To achieve these goals, we have aligned our organization to achieve metrics within its circle of influence that are targeted to continue our revenue growth annually over the next several years, to increase the productivity of our assets and our return on capital, and to continue to improve the efficiency of our processes while maintaining control of our costs:

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We believe that by achieving profitable revenue growth, improved asset utilization and cost control, we will be able to grow our Adjusted EPS and our return on net assets while generating free cash flow to repay debt and reduce our leverage ratio. These goals are in part dependent on continued improvement in industry-wide truckload volumes and pricing. Although we expect the economic environment and capacity constraints in our industry to support achievement of our goals, we have limited ability to affect industry volumes and pricing and cannot assure you that this environment will continue. Nevertheless, we believe our competitive strengths and the current supply and demand environment in the truckload industry are aligned to support the achievement of our goals through the strategies outlined above.

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Our Reportable Segments and Operations

We strive to provide what we believe are timely, efficient, safe, and cost effective transportation solutions that help our customers better manage their transportation needs. In anticipation that our intermodal service offering would eventually constitute a reportable segment in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we re-evaluated our management reporting structure, which resulted in separating the business into three reportable segments. Our three reportable operating segments consist of Truckload, Dedicated and Intermodal:

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, revenue by reportable segment expressed as a percentage of total operating revenue:

Additional information regarding our reportable segments is provided in Management’s Discussion and Analysis and the notes to our consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report in “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 28. Segment Information.”

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Customers and Marketing

Customer satisfaction is an important priority for us, which is demonstrated by the numerous “carrier of the year” or similar awards we received from customers over the past several years. Such achievements have helped us maintain a large and stable customer base featuring Fortune 500 and other leading companies from a number of different industries. The principal types of freight we transport include discount and other retail merchandise, perishable and non-perishable food, beverages and beverage containers, paper and packaging products, consumer non-durable products, manufactured goods, automotive goods, and building materials. Consistent with industry practice, our typical customer contracts (other than dedicated contracts) do not guarantee shipment volumes by our customers or truck availability by us. This affords us and our customers some flexibility to negotiate rates up or down in response to changes in freight demand and industry-wide truck capacity. We believe our fleet capacity, terminal network, customer service, and breadth of services offer a competitive advantage to major shippers, particularly in times of rising freight volumes when shippers must access capacity quickly across multiple facilities and regions.

We concentrate our marketing efforts on expanding the amount of service we provide to existing customers, as well as on establishing new customers with shipment needs that complement our terminal network and existing routes. At December 31, 2012, we had a sales staff of approximately 50 individuals across the United States and Mexico, who work closely with senior management to establish and expand accounts.

For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010, respectively, our top 25 customers generated approximately 52%, 50%, and 52% of our total revenue, and our top 200 customers accounted for approximately 85%, 86%, and 87% of our total revenue. Wal-Mart and its subsidiaries, our largest customer, and a customer we have had for over 20 years, accounted for approximately 12%, 11%, and 10% of our operating revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, and 2010, respectively. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of our operating revenue during any of the three years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, or 2010.

Revenue Equipment

We operate a modern company tractor fleet to help attract and retain drivers, promote safe operations, and reduce maintenance and repair costs. We believe our modern fleet offers at least four key advantages over competitors with older fleets. First, newer tractors typically have lower operating costs. Second, newer tractors require fewer repairs and are available for dispatch more of the time. Third, newer tractors typically are more attractive to drivers. Fourth, we believe many competitors that allowed their fleets to age excessively will face a deferred capital expenditure spike accompanied by difficulty in replacing their tractors because new tractor prices have increased, the value received for the old tractors will be low, and financing sources have diminished. According to ACT Research, the average age of Class 8 trucks on the road is 6.6 years, whereas the average age of our fleet is 3.2 years. The following table shows the type and age of our owned and leased tractors and trailers as of December 31, 2012:

We typically purchase tractors and trailers manufactured to our specifications. We follow a comprehensive maintenance program designed to reduce downtime and enhance the resale value of our equipment. In addition to our major maintenance facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, Memphis, Tennessee, and Greer, South Carolina, we perform routine servicing and maintenance of our equipment at most of our regional terminal facilities, in an effort to avoid costly on-road repairs and deadhead miles. The contracts governing our equipment purchases typically contain specifications of equipment, projected delivery dates, warranty terms, and trade or return conditions, and are typically cancelable upon 60 to 90 days’ notice without penalty.

Our current tractor trade-in cycle ranges from approximately 48 months to 72 months, depending on equipment type and usage. Management believes this tractor trade cycle is appropriate based on current maintenance costs, capital requirements, prices of new and used tractors, and other factors, but we will continue to evaluate the appropriateness of our tractor trade cycle. We balance the lower maintenance costs of a shorter tractor trade cycle against the lower capital expenditure and financing costs of a longer tractor trade cycle.

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We invest in sophisticated technologies and systems that allow us to increase the utilization of our assets and our operating efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and communicate critical information to our drivers. In virtually all of our trucks, we have installed Qualcomm^tm onboard, two-way satellite communication systems. This communication system links drivers to regional terminals and corporate headquarters, allowing us to alter routes rapidly in response to customer requirements and weather conditions and to eliminate the need for driver detours to report problems or delays. This system allows drivers to inform dispatchers and driver leaders of the status of routing, loading and unloading, or the need for emergency repairs. We believe our customers, our drivers, and our company benefit from this investment through service-oriented items such as on-time deliveries, continuous tracking of loads, updating of customer commitments, rapid in-cab communication of routing, fueling, and delivery instructions, and our integrated service offerings that support a paperless, electronic environment from tender of loads to collection of accounts. In the first half of 2012 we completed the upgrade of our entire fleet with the Qualcomm MCP-200, which provides additional benefits such as electronic, on-board recorders, text-to-voice messaging, and turn-by-turn directions designed specifically for our industry, and video streaming to enhance communications with our drivers. Based on our initial testing we have found that the link between the electronic, on-board recorders and our planning systems have afforded us additional productivity as we are able to more efficiently plan and dispatch our drivers to utilize more of their available driving hours. In addition, other features of the device, such as, text-to-messaging and turn-by-turn directions, have also helped to improve productivity, safety and driver satisfaction. We reduce costs through programs that manage equipment maintenance, select fuel purchasing locations in our nationwide network of terminals and approved truck stops, and inform us of inefficient or undesirable driving behaviors that are monitored and reported through electronic engine sensors. We believe our technologies and systems are superior to those employed by most of our smaller competitors.

Our trailers and containers are equipped with Qualcomm^tm trailer-tracking devices, which allow us, via satellite, to monitor locations of empty and loaded equipment, as well as to receive notification if a unit is moved outside of the electronic geofence encasing each piece of equipment. This enables us to more efficiently utilize equipment, by identifying unused units, and enhances our ability to charge for units detained by customers. This technology has enabled us to reduce theft as well as to locate units hijacked with merchandise on board.

Employees

The strength of our company is our people, working together with a common goal. As of December 31, 2012, we employed approximately 17,600 employees, of whom approximately 13,500 were drivers (including driver trainees), 1,500 were technicians and other equipment maintenance personnel, and the balance were support personnel, such as corporate managers and sales and administrative personnel. As of December 31, 2012, our 770 Trans-Mex drivers were our only employees represented by a union.

Terminal staff

Our larger terminals are staffed with terminal leaders, fleet leaders, driver leaders, safety coordinators and customer service representatives. Our terminal leaders work with driver leaders, customer service representatives, and other operations personnel to coordinate the needs of both our customers and our drivers. Terminal leaders also are responsible for soliciting new customers and serving existing customers in their areas. Each fleet leader supervises approximately five driver leaders at our larger terminals. Each driver leader is responsible for the general operation of approximately 40 trucks and their drivers, focusing on driver retention, productivity per truck, routing, fuel consumption and efficiency, safety, and scheduled maintenance. Customer service representatives are assigned specific customers to ensure specialized, high-quality service and frequent customer contact.

Company drivers

All of our drivers must meet or exceed specific guidelines relating primarily to safety records, driving experience, and personal evaluations, including a physical examination and mandatory drug and alcohol testing. Upon being hired, drivers are to be trained in our policies and operations, safety techniques, and fuel-efficient operation of the equipment. All new drivers must pass a safety test and have a current Commercial Driver’s License, or CDL. In addition, we have ongoing driver efficiency and safety programs to ensure that our drivers comply with our safety procedures.

Senior management is actively involved in the development and retention of drivers. Recognizing the continuing need for qualified drivers, we have established five driver training academies across the U.S. Our academies are strategically located in areas where external driver-training organizations are lacking. In other areas of the U.S., we have contracted with driver-training schools, which are managed by outside organizations such as local community colleges. Candidates for the schools must be at least 23 years old with a minimum of a high school education or equivalent, pass a basic skills test, and pass the Department of Transportation, or DOT, physical examination, which includes drug and alcohol screening. Students are required to complete three weeks of instructor-led study/training and then spend a minimum of 240 behind-the-wheel hours, driving with an experienced trainer.

In order to attract and retain qualified drivers and promote safe operations, we purchase high quality tractors equipped with optional comfort and safety features, such as air ride suspension, air conditioning, high quality interiors, power steering, engine brakes, and raised-roof double-sleeper cabs. We base our drivers at terminals and monitor each driver’s location on our computer system. We use this information to schedule the routing for our drivers so they can return home regularly. The majority of company drivers are compensated based on dispatched miles, loading/unloading, and number of stops or deliveries, plus bonuses. The driver’s base pay per mile increases with the driver’s length of experience, as augmented by the ranking system described below. Drivers employed by us are eligible to participate in company-sponsored health, life, and dental insurance plans and are eligible to participate in our 401(k) plan and employee stock purchase plan, in each case, subject to customary enrollment terms.

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We believe our driver-training programs, driver compensation, regionalized operations, trailer tracking, and late-model equipment provide important incentives to attract and retain qualified drivers. We have made a concerted effort to reduce the level of driver turnover and increase our driver satisfaction. We have recently implemented a driver ranking program that ranks drivers into five categories based on criteria for safety, legal operation, customer service, and number of miles driven. The higher rankings provide drivers with additional benefits and/or privileges, such as special recognition, the ability to self-select freight, and the opportunity for increased pay when pay raises are given. We monitor the effectiveness of our driver programs by measuring driver turnover and actively addressing issues that may cause driver turnover to increase.

Owner-Operators

In addition to the company drivers we employ, we enter into contracts with owner-operators. Owner-operators operate their own tractors (although some employ drivers they hire) and provide their services to us under contractual arrangements. They are responsible for most ownership and operating expenses and are compensated by us primarily on a rate per mile basis. By operating safely and productively, owner-operators can improve their own profitability and ours. We believe that our owner-operator fleet provides significant advantages that primarily arise from the motivation of business ownership. Owner-operators tend to be more experienced, produce more miles-per-truck per-week, and have fewer accidents-per-million miles than average company drivers, thus providing better profitability and financial returns. As of December 31, 2012, owner-operators comprised approximately 26% of our total fleet, as measured by tractor count.

We provide tractor financing to independent owner-operators through our subsidiary, IEL. IEL generally leases premium equipment from the original equipment manufacturers and subleases the equipment to owner-operators. The owner-operators are qualified based on their driving and safety records. In our experience, we have lower turnover among owner-operators who obtain their financing through IEL than with our other owner-operators and our company drivers. In the event of default, IEL has the option to re-take possession of the tractor and sublease it to a replacement owner-operator.

Additional services offered to some owner-operators include insurance, maintenance, and fuel pass-throughs. Through our captive insurance subsidiary, Mohave Transportation Insurance Company, or Mohave, we offer owner-operators occupational-accident, physical damage, and other types of insurance. Owner-operators may also procure maintenance services at our in-house shops and fuel at our terminals. We provide these services conveniently at competitive and attractive prices to our owner-operators, which also enable us to earn additional revenue and margin.

Safety and Insurance

We take pride in our safety-oriented culture and maintain an active safety and loss-prevention program at each of our terminals. We have terminal and regional safety management personnel that focus on loss prevention for their designated facilities. We also equip our tractors with many safety features, such as roll-over stability devices and critical-event recorders, to help prevent, or reduce the severity of, accidents.

We self-insure for a significant portion of our claims exposure and related expenses. We currently carry six main types of insurance, which generally have the following self-insured retention amounts, maximum benefits per claim, and other limitations:

We insure certain casualty risks through our wholly-owned captive insurance company, Mohave. In addition to insuring a proportionate share of our corporate casualty risk, Mohave provides insurance coverage to certain of our and our affiliated companies’ owner-operators in exchange for insurance premiums paid to Mohave by the owner-operators. In February 2010, we initiated operations of a second captive insurance subsidiary, Red Rock Risk Retention Group, Inc., or Red Rock. Red Rock and Mohave each insured a share of our automobile liability risk.

While under dispatch and our operating authority, our owner-operators are covered by our liability coverage and self-insurance retentions. However, each is responsible for physical damage to his or her own equipment, occupational accident coverage, liability exposure while the truck is used for non-company purposes, and, in the case of fleet operators, any applicable workers’ compensation requirements for their employees.

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We regulate the speed of our company tractors to a maximum of 62 miles per hour and have adopted a speed limit of 68 miles per hour for owner-operator tractors through their contractual terms with us. These adopted speed limits are below the limits established by statute in many states. We believe our adopted speed limits for company drivers reduce the frequency and severity of accidents, enhance fuel efficiency, and reduce maintenance expense, when compared to operating without our imposed speed limits. Substantially all of our company tractors are equipped with electronically-controlled engines that are set to limit the speed of the vehicle.

Fuel

We actively manage our fuel purchasing network in an effort to maintain adequate fuel supplies and reduce our fuel costs. In 2012, we purchased 17.0% of our fuel in bulk at 35 Swift and dedicated customer locations across the United States and Mexico and substantially all of the rest of our fuel through a network of retail truck stops with which we have negotiated volume purchasing discounts. The volumes we purchase at terminals and through the fuel network vary based on procurement costs and other factors. We seek to reduce our fuel costs by routing our drivers to truck stops when fuel prices at such stops are cheaper than the bulk rate paid for fuel at our terminals. We store fuel in underground storage tanks at four of our bulk fueling terminals and in above-ground storage tanks at our other bulk fueling terminals. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations relating to the storage and dispensing of fuel.

Shortages of fuel, increases in fuel prices, or rationing of petroleum products could have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability. In response to increases in fuel costs, we utilize a fuel surcharge program to pass on the majority of the increases in fuel costs to our customers. We believe that our most effective protection against fuel cost increases is to maintain a fuel-efficient fleet and to continue our fuel surcharge program. However, there can be no assurance that fuel surcharges will adequately cover potential future increases in fuel prices. We generally have not used derivative instruments as a hedge against higher fuel costs in the past, but continue to evaluate this possibility. We have contracted with some of our fuel suppliers to buy limited quantities of fuel at a fixed price or within banded pricing for a specific period, usually not exceeding 12 months, to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs on miles not covered by fuel surcharges.

Seasonality

In the transportation industry, results of operations generally show a seasonal pattern. As customers ramp up for the holiday season at year-end, the late third and fourth quarters have historically been our strongest volume quarters. As customers reduce shipments after the winter holiday season, the first quarter has historically been a lower volume quarter for us than the other three quarters. In 2010, the increase in volumes in the third and fourth quarters was muted as a result of the sharp increase in demand in the second quarter of 2010 following the deep recession of 2008 and 2009. In 2012 and 2011 as we have seen in recent years, the macro consumer buying patterns combined with shippers’ supply chain management, which historically contributed to the fourth quarter “peak” season, continued to evolve. As a result, our fourth quarter 2012 and 2011 volumes were more evenly disbursed throughout the quarter rather than peaking early in the quarter. In the Eastern and Midwestern United States, and to a lesser extent in the Western United States, during the winter season, our equipment utilization typically declines and our operating expenses generally increase, with fuel efficiency declining because of engine idling and harsh weather conditions can cause higher accident frequency, increased claims, and more equipment repairs. Our revenue also may be affected by bad weather and holidays as a result of curtailed operations or vacation shutdowns, because our revenue is directly related to available working days of shippers. From time to time, we also suffer short-term impacts from weather-related events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, and explosions that could harm our results of operations or make our results of operations more volatile.

Regulation

Our operations are regulated and licensed by various government agencies in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Our company drivers and owner-operators must comply with the safety and fitness regulations of the DOT, including those relating to drug- and alcohol-testing and hours-of-service. Weight and equipment dimensions also are subject to government regulations. We also may become subject to new or more restrictive regulations relating to fuel emissions, drivers’ hours-of-service, driver eligibility requirements, on-board reporting of operations, ergonomics, and other matters affecting safety or operating methods. Other agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, and DHS, also regulate our equipment, operations, and drivers.

The DOT, through FMCSA, imposes safety and fitness regulations on the Company and our drivers. In December 2011, FMCSA released its final rule on hours-of-service, which retained the current 11 hour daily driving time limit, reduced the maximum number of hours a truck driver can work within a week from 82 hours to 70 hours and expanded the 34-hour restart provision to require any restart period to include two consecutive nighttime periods from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Additionally, the final rule limits the number of consecutive driving hours a truck driver can work to eight hours before requiring the driver to take a 30 minute break. Interstate motor carriers and drivers must comply with the final hours-of-service rule by July 1, 2013.

In 2010, CSA introduced a new enforcement and compliance model that will rank both fleets and individual drivers on seven categories of safety-related data and will eventually replace the current Safety Status measurement system, or SafeStat. The seven categories of safety-related data, known as Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, or BASICs, include Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service), Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Cargo-Related, and Crash Indicator. In 2012, CSA modified several BASICs categories by moving certain violations previously classified within the Cargo-Related category to the Vehicle Maintenance category and simultaneously renamed the Cargo-Related category to Hazardous Materials (“HM”) Compliance category, which identifies hazardous material related safety and compliance problems. The new measurements expand the current methodology for determining a carrier’s DOT safety rating. There is currently no proposed rulemaking with respect to BASICs. Delays already have taken place in the implementation and effective dates. Despite these delays, certain BASICs information has been published and made available to carriers and the public. Based on these publically disclosed results, our CSA rankings score us in the acceptable level in these safety-related categories, although these scores are preliminary and are subject to change by FMCSA.

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Although certain BASICs information has been made available to carriers and the public, the current SafeStat measurement system remains in effect until final rules for BASICs are adopted. We currently have a satisfactory SafeStat DOT rating, which is the best available rating under the current safety rating scale. FMCSA also is considering revisions to the existing rating system and the safety labels assigned to motor carriers evaluated by the DOT. Under the revised rating system being considered by FMCSA, our safety rating would be evaluated more regularly, and our safety rating would reflect a more in-depth assessment of safety-based violations.

On July 6, 2012, Congress passed into law the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century bill. Included in the new highway bill is a provision that mandates electronic logging devices (ELD) in commercial motor vehicles (CMV). The provision tasks the DOT with issuing regulations to require the use of ELDs for the purpose of recording hours-of-service in CMVs. During 2012, the FMCSA published a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking announcing its plan to proceed with the Electronic On-Board Recorders and Hours of Service Supporting Documents rulemaking. As noted under the heading “Revenue Equipment” above, we have already installed new Qualcomm units in our tractors, which include electronic, on-board recorders, in conjunction with our efforts to improve efficiency and communications with drivers and owner-operators.

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, federal, state, and municipal authorities implemented and continue to implement various security measures on large trucks, including checkpoints and travel restrictions. The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, has adopted regulations that require a determination by the TSA that each driver who applies for or renews his or her license for carrying hazardous materials is not a security threat.

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations dealing with the hauling and handling of hazardous materials, fuel storage tanks, emissions from our vehicles and facilities, engine-idling, discharge and retention of storm water, and other environmental matters that involve inherent environmental risks. We have instituted programs to monitor and mitigate environmental risks and maintain compliance with applicable environmental laws. As part of our safety and risk management program, we periodically perform internal environmental reviews. We are a Charter Partner in the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, a voluntary program promoting energy efficiency and air quality. We believe that our operations are in substantial compliance with current laws and regulations and do not know of any existing environmental condition that would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results.

We maintain bulk fuel storage and fuel islands at many of our terminals. We also have vehicle maintenance, repair, and washing operations at some of our facilities. Our operations involve the risks of fuel spillage or seepage, discharge of contaminants, environmental damage, and hazardous waste disposal, among others. Some of our operations are at facilities where soil and groundwater contamination have occurred, and we or our predecessors have been responsible for remediating environmental contamination at some locations.

We would be responsible for the cleanup of any releases caused by our operations or business, and in the past we have been responsible for the costs of clean up of cargo and diesel fuel spills caused by traffic accidents or other events. We transport a small amount of environmentally hazardous materials. We generally transport only hazardous material rated as low-to-medium-risk, and less than 1% of our total shipments contain any hazardous materials. If we are found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to liabilities, including substantial fines or penalties or civil and criminal liability. We have paid penalties for spills and violations in the past.

On November 14, 2011, the NHTSA and the EPA finalized regulations that regulate fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions beginning in 2014 through 2018. The state of California has adopted its own regulations, including requiring new performance requirements for diesel trucks, with targets to be met between 2011 and 2023, implementing its own trailer regulations, which require all 53-foot or longer box-type trailers (dry vans and refrigerated vans) that operate at least some of the time in California (no matter where they are registered) to meet specific aerodynamic efficiency requirements when operating in California and requiring operators to register California-based refrigerated trailers with the California Air Regulations Board. Additionally, beginning January 1, 2010, 2011 model year and newer 53-foot or longer box-type trailers subject to the California regulations were required to be either SmartWay certified or equipped with low-rolling, resistance tires and retrofitted with SmartWay-approved, aerodynamic technologies. Beginning December 31, 2012, pre-2011 model year 53-foot or longer box-type trailers (with the exception of certain 2003 to 2008 refrigerated van trailers) must meet the same requirements as 2011 model year and newer trailers or have prepared and submitted a compliance plan, based on fleet size, that allows them to phase in their compliance over time. Compliance requirements for 2003 to 2008 refrigerated van trailers will be phased in between 2017 and 2019. Federal and state lawmakers also have proposed potential limits on carbon emissions under a variety of climate-change proposals, including certain states and municipalities which continue to restrict the locations and amount of time where diesel-powered tractors, such as ours, may idle, in order to reduce exhaust emissions.

In addition, increasing efforts to control emissions of greenhouse gases are likely to have an impact on us. The EPA has announced a finding relating to greenhouse gas emissions that may result in promulgation of greenhouse gas air quality standards. Federal and state lawmakers are also considering a variety of climate-change proposals. New greenhouse gas regulations could increase the cost of new tractors, impair productivity, and increase our operating expenses.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained in this report when evaluating our business. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, results of operations, or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our business is subject to general economic and business factors affecting the truckload industry that are largely beyond our control, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

The truckload industry is highly cyclical, and our business is dependent on a number of factors that may have a negative impact on our results of operations, many of which are beyond our control. We believe that some of the most significant of these factors are economic changes that affect supply and demand in transportation markets, such as:

The risks associated with these factors are heightened when the U.S. economy is weakened. Some of the principal risks during such times, which we experienced during the recent recession, are as follows:

Economic conditions that decrease shipping demand or increase the supply of tractors and trailers can exert downward pressure on rates and equipment utilization, thereby decreasing asset productivity. Another period of declining freight rates and volumes, a prolonged recession, or general economic instability could result in further declines in our results of operations, which declines may be material.

We also are subject to cost increases outside our control that could materially reduce our profitability if we are unable to increase our rates sufficiently. Such cost increases include, but are not limited to, increases in fuel prices, driver wages, interest rates, taxes, tolls, license and registration fees, insurance, revenue equipment, and healthcare for our employees.

In addition, events outside our control, such as strikes or other work stoppages at our facilities or at customer, port, border, or other shipping locations, or actual or threatened armed conflicts or terrorist attacks, efforts to combat terrorism, military action against a foreign state or group located in a foreign state, or heightened security requirements could lead to reduced economic demand, reduced availability of credit, or temporary closing of shipping locations or U.S. borders. Such events or enhanced security measures in connection with such events could impair our operating efficiency and productivity and result in higher operating costs.

We operate in the highly competitive and fragmented truckload industry, and our business and results of operations may suffer if we are unable to adequately address downward pricing and other competitive pressures.

Our operating segments compete with many truckload carriers and, to a lesser extent, with less-than-truckload carriers, railroads, and third-party logistics, brokerage, freight forwarding, and other transportation companies. Additionally, some of our customers may utilize their own private fleets rather than outsourcing loads to us. Some of our competitors may have greater access to equipment, a wider range of services, greater capital resources, less indebtedness, or other competitive advantages. Numerous competitive factors could impair our ability to maintain or improve our profitability. These factors include the following:

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We have several major customers, the loss of one or more of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, our top 25 customers, based on revenue, accounted for approximately 52% of our revenue; our top 10 customers, approximately 38% of our revenue; our top 5 customers, approximately 28% of our revenue; and our largest customer, Wal-Mart and its subsidiaries, accounted for approximately 12% of our revenue. A substantial portion of our freight is from customers in the retail and discount retail sales industries. As such, our volumes are largely dependent on consumer spending and retail sales and our results may be more susceptible to trends in unemployment and retail sales than carriers that do not have this concentration.

Economic conditions and capital markets may adversely affect our customers and their ability to remain solvent. Our customers’ financial difficulties can negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition if they were to delay or default on their payments to us. Generally, we do not have contractual relationships that guarantee any minimum volumes with our customers, and we cannot assure you that our customer relationships will continue as presently in effect. Our dedicated segment is generally subject to longer term written contracts than our truckload segment business; however, certain of these contracts contain cancellation clauses and there is no assurance any of our customers, including our dedicated customers, will continue to utilize our services, renew our existing contracts, or continue at the same volume levels. A reduction in or termination of our services by one or more of our major customers, including our dedicated segment customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

Fluctuations in the price or availability of fuel, the volume and terms of diesel fuel purchase commitments, and surcharge collection may increase our costs of operation, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability.

Fuel is one of our largest operating expenses. Diesel fuel prices fluctuate greatly due to factors beyond our control, such as political events, terrorist activities, armed conflicts, depreciation of the dollar against other currencies, and hurricanes and other natural or man-made disasters, such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, each of which may lead to an increase in the cost of fuel. Fuel prices also are affected by the rising demand in developing countries, including China, and could be adversely impacted by the use of crude oil and oil reserves for other purposes and diminished drilling activity. Such events may lead not only to increases in fuel prices, but also to fuel shortages and disruptions in the fuel supply chain. Because our operations are dependent upon diesel fuel, significant diesel fuel cost increases, shortages, or supply disruptions could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Fuel is also subject to regional pricing differences and often costs more on the West Coast and in the Northeast, where we have significant operations. Increases in fuel costs, to the extent not offset by rate per mile increases or fuel surcharges, have an adverse effect on our operations and profitability. We obtain some protection against fuel cost increases by maintaining a fuel-efficient fleet and a compensatory fuel surcharge program. We have fuel surcharge programs in place with the vast majority of our customers, which have helped us offset the majority of the negative impact of rising fuel prices associated with loaded or billed miles. However, we also incur fuel costs that cannot be recovered even with respect to customers with which we maintain fuel surcharge programs, such as those associated with deadhead miles, or the time when our engines are idling. 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, leading to fluctuations in our levels of reimbursement; and our levels of reimbursement have fluctuated in the past. Further, during periods of low freight volumes, shippers can use their negotiating leverage to impose less robust fuel surcharge policies. There can be no assurance that such fuel surcharges can be maintained indefinitely or will be sufficiently effective.

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We have not used derivatives to mitigate volatility in our fuel costs, but periodically evaluate their possible use. We have contracted with some of our fuel suppliers to buy fuel at a fixed price or within banded pricing for a specific period, usually not exceeding twelve months, to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs. However, these purchase commitments only cover a small portion of our fuel consumption and, accordingly, our results of operations could be negatively impacted by fuel price fluctuations.

Increased prices for new revenue equipment, design changes of new engines, volatility in the used equipment sales market, and the failure of manufacturers to meet their sale or trade-back obligations to us could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and profitability.

We have experienced higher prices for new tractors over the past few years. The resale value of the tractors and the residual values under arrangements we have with manufacturers have not increased to the same extent. In addition, the engines used in tractors manufactured in 2010 and after are subject to more stringent emissions control regulations issued by the EPA. Compliance with such regulations has increased the cost of the tractors, and resale prices or residual values may not increase to the same extent. Accordingly, our equipment costs, including depreciation expense per tractor, are expected to increase in future periods.

Many engine manufacturers are using selective catalytic reduction, or SCR, equipment to comply with the EPA’s 2010 diesel engine emissions standards. SCR equipment requires a separate urea-based liquid known as diesel exhaust fluid, which is stored in a separate tank on the truck. If the new tractors we purchase are equipped with SCR technology and require us to use diesel exhaust fluid, we will be exposed to additional costs associated with the price and availability of diesel exhaust fluid, the weight of the diesel exhaust fluid tank and SCR system, and additional maintenance costs associated with the SCR system. Additionally, we may need to train our drivers to use the new SCR equipment. Problems relating to the new 2010 engines or increased costs associated with the new 2010 engines resulting from regulatory requirements or otherwise could adversely impact our business.

A depressed market for used equipment could require us to trade our revenue equipment at depressed values or to record losses on disposal or impairments of the carrying values of our revenue equipment that is not protected by residual value arrangements. Used equipment prices are subject to substantial fluctuations based on freight demand, supply of used trucks, and availability of financing, the presence of buyers for export to countries such as Russia and Brazil, and commodity prices for scrap metal. We took impairment charges related to the value of certain tractors and trailers in 2010. If there is another deterioration of resale prices, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. Trades at depressed values and decreases in proceeds under equipment disposals and impairments of the carrying values of our revenue equipment could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We lease or finance certain revenue equipment under leases that are structured with balloon payments at the end of the lease or finance term equal to the value we have contracted to receive from the respective equipment manufacturers upon sale or trade back to the manufacturers. To the extent we do not purchase new equipment that triggers the trade back obligation, or the manufacturers of the equipment do not pay the contracted value at the end of the lease term, we could be exposed to losses for the amount by which the balloon payments owed to the respective lease or finance companies exceed the proceeds we are able to generate in open market sales of the equipment. In addition, if we purchase equipment subject to a buy-back agreement and the manufacturer refuses to honor the agreement or we are unable to replace equipment at a reasonable price, we may be forced to sell such equipment at a loss.

We operate in a highly regulated industry, and changes in existing regulations or violations of existing or future regulations could have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability.

We operate in the United States throughout the 48 contiguous states pursuant to operating authority granted by the DOT, in Mexico pursuant to operating authority granted by Secretarìa de Communiciones y Transportes, and in various Canadian provinces pursuant to operating authority granted by the Ministries of Transportation and Communications in such provinces. Our company drivers and owner-operators also must comply with the safety and fitness regulations of DOT, including those relating to drug and alcohol testing and hours-of-service. Such matters as weight, aerodynamics and equipment dimensions also are subject to government regulations. We also may become subject to new or more restrictive regulations relating to fuel emissions, drivers’ hours-of-service, ergonomics, on-board reporting of operations, collective bargaining, security at ports, and other matters affecting safety or operating methods. The Regulation subsection in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Form 10-K describes several proposed and pending regulations that may have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability.

Compliance Safety Accountability (“CSA”) rulemaking could adversely affect our profitability and operations, our ability to maintain or grow our fleet, and our customer relationships.

Under CSA, drivers and fleets are evaluated and ranked based on certain safety-related standards. The current methodology for determining a carrier’s DOT safety rating has been expanded, and as a result, certain current and potential drivers may no longer be eligible to drive for us, and our safety rating could be adversely impacted. We recruit and retain a substantial number of first-time drivers, and these drivers may have a higher likelihood of creating adverse safety events under CSA. A reduction in eligible drivers or a poor fleet ranking may result in difficulty attracting and retaining qualified drivers, and could cause our customers to direct their business away from us and to carriers with higher fleet rankings, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

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Increases in driver compensation or other difficulties attracting and retaining qualified drivers could adversely affect our profitability and ability to maintain or grow our fleet.

Like many truckload carriers, from time to time we have experienced difficulty in attracting and retaining sufficient numbers of qualified drivers, including owner-operators and such shortages may recur in the future. Recent driver shortages have resulted in increased hiring expenses, including recruiting and advertising. Because of the intense competition for drivers, we may face difficulty maintaining or increasing our number of drivers. The compensation we offer our drivers and contracted rates paid to our owner-operators are subject to market conditions and we have recently increased and may in future periods increase driver compensation and owner-operator contracted rates, which will be more likely to the extent that economic conditions improve. In addition, like most in our industry, we suffer from a high turnover rate of drivers, especially in the first 90 days of employment. Our high turnover rate requires us to continually recruit a substantial number of drivers in order to operate existing revenue equipment. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain a sufficient number of drivers, we could be required to adjust our compensation packages, or operate with fewer trucks and face difficulty meeting shipper demands, all of which could adversely affect our profitability and ability to maintain our size or grow.

Changes in rules or legislation by the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) or Congress and/or organizing efforts by labor unions could result in litigation, divert management attention and have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Although our only collective bargaining agreement exists at our Mexican subsidiary, Trans-Mex, we always face the risk that our employees could attempt to organize a union. To the extent our owner-operators were ever re-classified as employees, the magnitude of this risk would increase. The NLRB, Congress or one or more states could impose rules or legislation significantly affecting our businesses and our relationship with our employees. Any attempt to organize by our employees could result in increased legal and other associated costs. In addition, if we entered into a collective bargaining agreement, the terms could negatively affect our costs, efficiency, and ability to generate acceptable returns on the affected operations.

We self-insure a significant portion of our claims exposure, which could significantly increase the volatility of, and decrease the amount of, our earnings.

We self-insure a significant portion of our claims exposure and related expenses related to cargo loss, employee medical expense, bodily injury, workers’ compensation, and property damage and maintain insurance with licensed insurance companies above our limits of self-insurance. Our substantial self-insured retention of $10.0 million for bodily injury and property damage per occurrence and up to $5.0 million per occurrence for workers’ compensation claims can make our insurance and claims expense higher or more volatile. Additionally, with respect to our third-party insurance, we face the risks of increasing premiums and collateral requirements and the risk of carriers or underwriters leaving the trucking sector, which may materially affect our insurance costs or make insurance in excess of our self-insured retention more difficult to find, as well as increase our collateral requirements.

We accrue the costs of the uninsured portion of pending claims based on estimates derived from our evaluation of the nature and severity of individual claims and an estimate of future claims development based upon historical claims development trends. Actual settlement of the self-insured claim liabilities could differ from our estimates due to a number of uncertainties, including evaluation of severity, legal costs, and claims that have been incurred but not reported. Due to our high self-insured amounts, we have significant exposure to fluctuations in the number and severity of claims and the risk of being required to accrue or pay additional amounts if our estimates are revised or the claims ultimately prove to be more severe than originally assessed. Although we endeavor to limit our exposure arising with respect to such claims, we also may have exposure if carrier subcontractors under our brokerage operations are inadequately insured for any accident.

Since November 1, 2010, our liability coverage has had a maximum aggregate limit of $200.0 million, while the limit was $150.0 million prior to this date. If any claim were to exceed our aggregate coverage limit, we would bear the excess expense, in addition to our other self-insured amounts. Although we believe our aggregate insurance limits are sufficient to cover reasonably expected claims, it is possible that one or more claims could exceed those limits. Our insurance and claims expense could increase, or we could find it necessary to raise our self-insured retention or decrease our aggregate coverage limits when our policies are renewed or replaced. Our operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected if these expenses increase, we experience a claim in excess of our coverage limits, we experience a claim for which we do not have coverage, or we have to increase our reserves.

Insuring risk through our captive insurance companies could adversely impact our operations.

We insure a significant portion of our risk through our captive insurance companies, Mohave and Red Rock. In addition to insuring portions of our own risk, Mohave insures certain owner-operators in exchange for an insurance premium paid by the owner-operator to Mohave. As a risk retention group, Red Rock must insure at least two operating companies; accordingly, Red Rock insures us and Central Refrigerated Service, Inc. (“Central Refrigerated”), a company of which Jerry Moyes and certain of his affiliates are the ultimate owners, for a portion of its auto liability claims. 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. Additionally, an increase in the number or severity of claims for which we insure could adversely impact our results of operations.

To comply with certain state insurance regulatory requirements, cash and cash equivalents must be paid to Red Rock and Mohave as capital investments and insurance premiums to be restricted as collateral for anticipated losses. Such restricted cash is used for payment of insured claims. In the future, we may continue to insure our automobile liability risk through our captive insurance subsidiaries, which will cause the required amount of our restricted cash, as recorded on our balance sheet, or other collateral, such as letters of credit, to rise. Significant future increases in the amount of collateral required by third-party insurance carriers and regulators would reduce our liquidity and could adversely affect our results of operations and capital resources.

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Our captive insurance companies are subject to substantial government regulation.

State authorities regulate our insurance subsidiaries in the states in which they do business. These regulations generally provide protection to policy holders rather than stockholders. The nature and extent of these regulations typically involve items such as: approval of premium rates for insurance, standards of solvency and minimum amounts of statutory capital surplus that must be maintained, limitations on types and amounts of investments, regulation of dividend payments and other transactions between affiliates, regulation of reinsurance, regulation of underwriting and marketing practices, approval of policy forms, methods of accounting, and filing of annual and other reports with respect to financial condition and other matters. 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.

We are subject to certain risks arising from doing business in Mexico.

We have a growing operation in Mexico, through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Trans-Mex. As a result, we are subject to risks of doing business internationally, including fluctuations in foreign currencies, changes in the economic strength of Mexico, difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations and intellectual property rights, burdens of complying with a wide variety of international and U.S. export and import laws, and social, political, and economic instability. In addition, if we are unable to maintain our C-TPAT status, we may have significant border delays, which could cause our Mexican operations to be less efficient than those of competitor truckload carriers also operating in Mexico that obtain or continue to maintain C-TPAT status. We also face additional risks associated with our foreign operations, including restrictive trade policies and imposition of duties, taxes, or government royalties imposed by the Mexican government, to the extent not preempted by the terms of North American Free Trade Agreement. Factors that substantially affect the operations of our business in Mexico may have a material adverse effect on our overall operating results.

Our use of owner-operators to provide a portion of our trucking capacity exposes us to different risks than we face with our tractors driven by company drivers.

We, through IEL, provide financing to certain of our owner-operators purchasing tractors from us. If we are unable to provide such financing in the future, due to liquidity constraints or other restrictions, we may experience a decrease in the number of owner-operators available to us. Further, if owner-operators operating the tractors we finance default under or otherwise terminate the financing arrangement and we are unable to find a replacement owner-operator, we may incur losses on amounts owed to us with respect to the tractor in addition to any losses we may incur as a result of idling the tractor.

During times of increased economic activity, we face heightened competition for owner-operators from other carriers. If we cannot continue to attract sufficient owner-operators, or it becomes economically difficult for owner-operators to survive, we may not achieve our goal of increasing the percentage of our capacity contracted out to owner-operators.

Pursuant to the owner-operator fuel reimbursement program, we absorb all increases in fuel costs above a certain level to help our owner-operators offset additional increases in fuel prices. A significant increase or rapid fluctuation in fuel prices could significantly increase our purchased transportation costs due to reimbursement rates under our fuel reimbursement program becoming higher than the benefits to us under our fuel surcharge programs with our customers.

Our lease contracts with owner-operators are governed by the federal leasing regulations, which impose specific requirements on us and the owner-operators. In the past, we have been the subject of lawsuits, alleging the violation of leasing obligations or failure to follow the contractual terms. It is possible that we could be subjected to similar lawsuits in the future, which could result in liability.

If owner-operators are deemed by regulators or judicial process to be employees, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Tax and other regulatory authorities have in the past sought to assert that owner-operators in the trucking industry are employees rather than independent contractors. Proposed federal legislation would make it easier for tax and other authorities to reclassify independent contractors as employees. Proposed legislation introduced in April 2010 would, among other things, increase the recordkeeping requirements for companies that engage independent contractors and heighten the penalties of employers who misclassify individuals and are found to have violated overtime and/or wage requirements. Additionally, proposed legislation introduced in 2009 would abolish the current safe harbor allowing taxpayers meeting certain criteria to treat individuals as independent contractors if they are following a long-standing, recognized industry practice. This legislation also is currently being considered by committees in both the House and the Senate. Some states have put initiatives in place to increase their revenues from items such as unemployment, workers’ compensation, and income taxes, and a reclassification of owner-operators as employees would help states with this initiative. Further, class actions and other lawsuits have been filed against us and others in our industry seeking to reclassify owner-operators as employees for a variety of purposes, including workers’ compensation and health care coverage. Taxing and other regulatory authorities and courts apply a variety of standards in their determination of independent contractor status. If our owner-operators are determined to be our employees, we would incur additional exposure under federal and state tax, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, labor, employment, and tort laws, including possibly for prior periods, as well as potential liability for employee benefits and tax withholdings.

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We are dependent on certain personnel that are of key importance to the management of our business and operations.

Our success depends on the continuing services of our founder, and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Moyes. We currently do not have an employment agreement with Mr. Moyes. We believe that Mr. Moyes possesses valuable knowledge about the trucking industry and that his knowledge and relationships with our key customers and vendors would be very difficult to replicate.

In addition, many of our other executive officers are of key importance to the management of our business and operations, including our President, Richard Stocking, and our Chief Financial Officer, Virginia Henkels. We currently do not have employment agreements with any of our management. Our future success depends on our ability to retain our executive officers and other capable managers. Any unplanned turnover or our failure to develop an adequate succession plan for our leadership positions could deplete our institutional knowledge base and erode our competitive advantage. Although we believe we could replace key personnel given adequate prior notice, the unexpected departure of key executive officers could cause substantial disruption to our business and operations. In addition, even if we are able to continue to retain and recruit talented personnel, we may not be able to do so without incurring substantial costs.

We engage in transactions with other businesses controlled by Mr. Moyes, our Chief Executive Officer, and the interests of Mr. Moyes could conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.

We engage in multiple transactions with related parties. These transactions include providing and receiving freight services and facility leases with entities owned by Mr. Moyes and certain members of his family and the provision of air transportation services from an entity owned by Mr. Moyes and certain members of his family. Because certain entities controlled by Mr. Moyes and certain members of his family operate in the transportation industry, Mr. Moyes’ ownership may create conflicts of interest or require judgments that are disadvantageous to our stockholders in the event we compete for the same freight or other business opportunities. As a result, Mr. Moyes may have interests that conflict with our stockholders. We have adopted a policy relating to prior approval of related party transactions and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that specifically relate to prior approval for transactions with Mr. Moyes, the Moyes Affiliates, and any Moyes affiliated entities. However, we cannot assure you that the policy or these provisions will be successful in eliminating conflicts of interests.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that in the event that any of our officers or directors is also an officer or director or employee of an entity owned by or affiliated with Mr. Moyes or any of the Moyes Affiliates and acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or other corporate opportunity not involving the truck transportation industry or involving refrigerated transportation or less-than-truckload transportation, then, subject to certain exceptions, we shall not be entitled to such transaction or corporate opportunity and you should have no expectancy that such transaction or corporate opportunity will be available to us.

Mr. Moyes has borrowed against and pledged a portion of his Class B common stock, which may cause his interests to conflict with the interests of our other stockholders and may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A Common Stock.

Pursuant to our securities trading policy, our board of directors have limited the right of employees or directors, including Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates, to pledge more than 20% of their family holdings to secure loans. In July 2011 and December 2011, Cactus Holding Company II, LLC, an entity controlled by Mr. Moyes, pledged 12,023,343 shares of Class B common stock as collateral for personal loan arrangements entered into by Cactus Holding Company II, LLC and relating to Mr. Moyes. In connection with the December 2011 loan and pledge of Class B shares as collateral, Cactus Holding Company II, LLC converted 6,553,253 of the 12,023,343 pledged shares of Class B common stock into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. Throughout 2012, the Moyes Affiliates converted an additional 1,068,224 shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock and sold 4,831,878 of these pledged Class A shares to a counter-party pursuant to a Sale and Repurchase Agreement with a full recourse obligation to repurchase the securities at the same price on the fourth anniversary of sale. These pledges could cause Mr. Moyes’ interest to conflict with the interests of our other stockholders and could result in the future sale of such shares. Such sales could adversely affect the trading price or otherwise disrupt the market for our Class A common stock.

In addition to the shares that are allowed to be pledged above pursuant to our securities trading policy, Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates completed a private placement by a newly formed, unaffiliated trust, or the Trust, of $250.0 million of its mandatory common exchange securities (or $262.3 million of its mandatory common exchange securities following the exercise by the initial purchasers of their option to purchase additional securities in January 2011), herein referred to as the “Stockholder Offering” concurrently with our IPO in December 2010. Subject to certain exceptions, the Trust’s securities will be exchangeable into shares of our Class A common stock or alternatively settled in cash equal to the value of those shares of Class A common stock three years following December 15, 2010, the closing date of the Stockholder Offering. We did not receive any proceeds from the Stockholder Offering.

In connection with the Stockholder Offering, Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates pledged to the Trust 23.8 million shares of Class B common stock deliverable upon exchange of the Trust’s securities (or a number of shares of Class B common stock representing $262.3 million in value of shares of Class A common stock) three years following December 15, 2010, the closing of the Stockholder Offering, subject to Mr. Moyes’ and the Moyes Affiliates’ option to settle their obligations to the Trust in cash. Although Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates may settle their obligations to the Trust in cash three years following the closing date of the Stockholder Offering, any or all of the pledged shares could be converted into Class A common stock and delivered on such date in exchange for the Trust’s securities. Such pledges or sales of our common stock, or the perception that they may occur, may have an adverse effect on the trading price of our Class A common stock and may create conflicts of interests for Mr. Moyes. Although our board of directors has limited the right of employees or directors to pledge more than 20% of their family holdings to secure margin loans pursuant to our securities trading policy, there can be no assurance that such policy will not be changed under circumstances deemed by the board to be appropriate.

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Mr. Moyes, our Chief Executive Officer, has substantial ownership interests in and guarantees related to several other businesses and real estate investments, which may expose Mr. Moyes to significant lawsuits or liabilities.

In addition to being our Chief Executive Officer and principal stockholder, Mr. Moyes is the principal stakeholder of, and serves as chairman of the board of directors of Central Refrigerated, a temperature controlled truckload carrier, SME Industries, Inc., a steel erection and fabrication company, Southwest Premier Properties, L.L.C. a real estate management company, and is involved in other business endeavors in a variety of industries and has made substantial real estate investments. Although Mr. Moyes devotes the substantial majority of his time to his role as Chief Executive Officer of Swift, the breadth of Mr. Moyes’ other interests may place competing demands on his time and attention.

In addition, in one instance of litigation arising from another business owned by Mr. Moyes, Swift was named as a defendant even though Swift was not a party to the transactions that were the subject of the litigation. It is possible that litigation relating to other businesses owned by Mr. Moyes in the future may result in Swift being named as a defendant and, even if such claims are without merit, that we will be required to incur the expense of defending such matters. In many instances, Mr. Moyes has given personal guarantees to lenders to the various businesses and real estate investments in which he has an ownership interest and in certain cases, the underlying loans are in default and are in the process of being restructured and/or settled. If Mr. Moyes is otherwise unable to settle or raise the necessary amount of proceeds to satisfy his obligations to such lenders, he may be subject to significant lawsuits.

We depend on third parties, particularly in our intermodal and brokerage businesses, and service instability from these 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 business utilizes railroads and some third-party drayage carriers to transport freight for our customers. In most markets, rail service is limited to a few railroads or even a single railroad. Any reduction in service by the railroads with which we have or in the future may have relationships could reduce or eliminate our ability to provide intermodal services in certain traffic lanes and is likely to increase the cost of the rail-based services we provide and reduce the reliability, timeliness, and overall attractiveness of our rail-based services. Furthermore, railroads increase shipping rates as market conditions permit. Price increases could result in higher costs to our customers and reduce or eliminate the demand for our intermodal services. In addition, we may not be able to negotiate additional contracts with railroads to expand our capacity, add additional routes, or obtain multiple providers, which could limit our ability to provide this service.

Our brokerage business is dependent upon the services of third-party capacity providers, including other truckload carriers. These third-party providers seek other freight opportunities and may require increased compensation in times of improved freight demand or tight trucking capacity. Our inability to secure the services of these third parties, or increases in the prices we must pay to secure such services, could have an adverse effect on our operations and profitability.

We are dependent on computer and communications systems; and a systems failure or data breach could cause a significant disruption to our business.

Our business depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications hardware systems and infrastructure. We currently maintain our computer system at our Phoenix, Arizona headquarters, along with computer equipment at each of our terminals. Our operations and those of our technology and communications service providers are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake, natural disasters, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attacks, Internet failures, computer viruses, data breaches (including cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions over the Internet, malware and the like) and other events generally beyond our control. Although we attempt to reduce the risk of disruption to our business operations should a disaster occur through redundant computer systems and networks and backup systems from an alternative location in Phoenix, this alternative location is subject to some of the same interruptions as may affect our Phoenix headquarters. In the event of a significant system failure, our business could experience significant disruption, which could impact our results of operations.

We may not be able to execute or integrate future acquisitions successfully, which could cause our business and future prospects to suffer.

Historically, a key component of our growth strategy has been to pursue acquisitions of complementary businesses. Although we currently do not have any acquisition plans, we expect to consider acquisitions from time to time in the future. If we succeed in consummating future acquisitions, our business, financial condition, and results of operations, may be negatively affected because:

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Seasonality and the impact of weather and other catastrophic events affect our operations and profitability.

Our tractor productivity decreases during the winter season because inclement weather impedes operations and some shippers reduce their shipments after the winter holiday season. At the same time, operating expenses increase and fuel efficiency declines because of engine idling and harsh weather creating higher accident frequency, increased claims, and higher equipment repair expenditures. We also may suffer from weather-related or other events such as tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, and explosions. These events may disrupt fuel supplies, increase fuel costs, disrupt freight shipments or routes, affect regional economies, damage or destroy our assets, or adversely affect the business or financial condition of our customers, any of which could harm our results or make our results more volatile.

Our total assets include goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangibles. If we determine that these items have become impaired in the future, net income could be materially and adversely affected.

As of December 31, 2012, we had recorded goodwill of $253.3 million and certain indefinite-lived intangible assets of $181.0 million primarily as a result of the 2007 Transactions. Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair market value of net assets acquired in business combinations. In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification, ASC Topic 350, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other,” or ASC Topic 350, we test goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for potential impairment annually and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. Any excess in carrying value over the estimated fair value is charged to our results of operations. Our evaluations in 2012, 2011 and 2010 produced no indication of impairment of our goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible assets. We may never realize the full value of our intangible assets. Any future determination requiring the write-off of a significant portion of intangible assets would have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our stock price could decline due to the large number of outstanding shares of our common stock eligible for future sale.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline. These sales also could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

As of December 31, 2012, we have approximately 87 million outstanding shares of Class A common stock, assuming no exercise of options outstanding as of the date of this report and approximately 53 million outstanding shares of Class B common stock, which are convertible into an equal number of shares of Class A common stock. All of the Class A shares are freely tradable, except that any shares owned by “affiliates” (as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act), only may be sold in compliance with the limitations described in Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

All of our outstanding Class B common stock is currently held by Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates on an aggregate basis. If such holders cause a large number of securities to be sold in the public market, the sales could reduce the trading price of our Class A common stock or impede our ability to raise future capital. Mr. Moyes has borrowed against and pledged a portion of his Class B common stock, which may also cause his interest to conflict with the interests of our other stockholders and may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A Common Stock.

In connection with the Stockholder Offering, Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates pledged to the Trust 23.8 million shares of Class B common stock deliverable upon exchange of the Trust’s securities (or a number of shares of Class B common stock representing $262.3 million in value of shares of Class A common stock) three years following December 15, 2010, the closing of the Stockholder Offering, subject to Mr. Moyes’ and the Moyes Affiliates’ option to settle their obligations to the Trust in cash. Although Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates have the option to settle their obligations to the Trust in cash three years following the closing date of the Stockholder Offering, any or all of the pledged shares could be converted into shares of Class A common stock and delivered upon exchange of the Trust’s securities. Any such shares delivered upon exchange will be freely tradable under the Securities Act. The sale of a large number of securities in the public market could reduce the trading price of our Class A common stock.

In addition, we have an aggregate of nearly 12 million shares and 2 million shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuances under our 2007 Omnibus Incentive Plan and our 2012 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, respectively. Issuances of Class A common stock to our directors, executive officers, and employees pursuant to the exercise of stock options under our employee benefits arrangements or purchases by our executive officers and employees through our employee stock purchase plan will dilute your interest in us.

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We currently do not intend to pay dividends on our Class A common stock or Class B common stock.

We currently do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our Class A common stock or Class B common stock. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings, if any, for use in the development and expansion of our business and for general corporate purposes. Any determination to pay dividends and other distributions in cash, stock, or property by Swift in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will be dependent on then-existing conditions, including our financial condition and results of operations, contractual restrictions, including restrictive covenants contained in our senior secured credit facility and the indenture governing our senior second priority secured notes, capital requirements, and other factors.

Risks Related to Our Capital Structure

We have significant ongoing capital requirements that could harm our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows if we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations, or obtain financing on favorable terms.

The truckload industry is capital intensive. Historically, we have depended on cash from operations, borrowings from banks and finance companies, issuance of notes, and leases to expand the size of our terminal network and revenue equipment fleet and to upgrade our revenue equipment.

During the recent recession there was instability in the credit markets. If the credit markets weaken, our business, financial results, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, especially if consumer confidence declines and domestic spending decreases. If the credit markets erode, we may not be able to access our current sources of credit and our lenders may not have the capital to fund those sources. We may need to incur additional indebtedness or issue debt or equity securities in the future to refinance existing debt, fund working capital requirements, make investments, or for general corporate purposes. Contractions in the credit market, as well as other economic trends in the credit market, may impair our ability to secure financing for future activities on satisfactory terms, or at all.

In addition, the indentures for our senior second priority secured notes provide that we may only incur additional indebtedness if, after giving effect to the new incurrence, we meet a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 2.00:1.00 or the indebtedness qualifies under certain specifically enumerated carve-outs and debt incurrence baskets, including a provision that permits us to incur capital lease obligations of up to $350 million at any one time outstanding. As of December 31, 2012, we had a fixed charge coverage ratio in excess of 4.00:1.00. However, there can be no assurance that we can maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio over 2.00:1.00, in which case our ability to incur additional indebtedness under our existing credit arrangements to satisfy our ongoing capital requirements would be limited as noted above, although we believe the combination of our expected cash flows, financing available through allowed additional indebtedness and operating leases which are not subject to debt incurrence baskets, the capital lease basket, and the funds available to us through our accounts receivable sale facility and our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to fund our expected capital expenditures.

If we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations, obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms in the future, or maintain compliance with financial and other covenants in our financing agreements in the future, we may face liquidity constraints or be forced to enter into less favorable financing arrangements or operate our revenue equipment for longer periods of time, any of which could reduce our profitability. Additionally, such events could impact our ability to provide services to our customers and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial results, current operations, results of operations, and potential investments.

Our substantial leverage could adversely affect 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 obligations under our senior secured credit facility and our senior secured second-lien notes.

As of December 31, 2012, our total indebtedness outstanding was $1.6 billion. Our high degree of leverage could have important consequences, including:

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Our Chief Executive Officer and the Moyes Affiliates control a large portion of our stock and have substantial control over us, which could limit other stockholders’ ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including changes of control.

Our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Moyes, and the Moyes Affiliates beneficially own approximately 40% of our outstanding common stock. Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates beneficially own 100% of our Class B common stock and approximately 4% of our Class A common stock. On all matters with respect to which our stockholders have a right to vote, including the election of directors, the holders of our Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share, and the holders of our Class B common stock are entitled to two votes per share. All outstanding shares of Class B common stock are owned by Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates and are convertible to Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis at the election of the holders thereof or automatically upon transfer to someone other than Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates. This voting structure gives Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates approximately 56% of the voting power of all of our outstanding stock. Furthermore, due to our dual class structure, Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates are able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval even though they own less than 50% of the total outstanding shares of our common stock. This significant concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price for our Class A common stock because investors may perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies with controlling stockholders. Also, these stockholders can exert significant influence over our management and affairs and matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions, such as mergers, consolidations, or the sale of substantially all of our assets. Consequently, this concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control, including a merger, consolidation, or other business combination involving us, or discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control, even if that change of control would benefit our other stockholders.

Because Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates control a majority of the voting power of our common stock, we qualify as a “controlled company” as defined by the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, and, as such, we may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements of such stock exchange. We do not currently intend to utilize these exemptions, but may choose to do so in the future.

Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.

The indentures governing our senior secured credit facility and the indenture governing our senior second priority secured notes contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions, which limit our and our subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things:

In addition, our senior secured credit facility requires compliance with certain financial tests and ratios, including leverage and interest coverage ratios, and maximum capital expenditures.

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A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under one or more of these agreements, including as a result of cross default provisions. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under our senior secured credit facility (including with respect to our maintenance of financial ratios thereunder), the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be immediately due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. Such actions by those lenders would cause cross defaults under our other indebtedness. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under our senior secured credit facility could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. If the lenders under our senior secured credit facility were to accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we might not have sufficient assets to repay all amounts borrowed thereunder as well as our senior second priority secured notes. In addition, our 2011 receivables sale agreement (“RSA”) includes certain restrictive covenants and cross default provisions with respect to our senior secured credit facility and the indentures governing our senior second priority secured notes. 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.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2. Properties

Our headquarters is owned by the Company and situated on approximately 118 acres in the southwestern part of Phoenix, Arizona. Our headquarters consists of a three story administration building with 126,000 square feet of office space; repair and maintenance buildings with 106,000 square feet; a 20,000 square-foot drivers’ center and restaurant; an 8,000 square-foot recruiting and training center; a 6,000 square foot warehouse; a 140,000 square-foot, three-level parking facility; a two-bay truck wash; and an eight-lane fueling facility.

We have terminals throughout the continental United States and Mexico. A terminal may include customer service, marketing, fuel, and repair facilities. We also operate driver training schools in Phoenix, Arizona and several other cities. We believe that substantially all of our property and equipment is in good condition, subject to normal wear and tear, and that our facilities have sufficient capacity to meet our current needs. From time to time, we may invest in additional facilities to meet the needs of our business as we pursue additional growth. The following table provides information regarding our 35 major terminals in the United States and Mexico, as well as our driving academies and certain other locations:

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In addition to the facilities listed above, we own parcels of vacant land as well as several non-operating facilities in various locations around the United States, and we maintain various drop yards throughout the United States and Mexico. As of December 31, 2012, our aggregate monthly rent for all leased properties was approximately $363 thousand with varying terms expiring through February 2017. Substantially all of our owned properties are, encumbered by mortgages or deeds of trust securing our senior secured credit facility and our senior second priority secured notes.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

We are party to certain lawsuits in the ordinary course of business. We do not believe that these proceedings, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Information about our legal proceedings is included in Note 15 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements, included in Part II, Item 8, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Our Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange or “NYSE” under the symbol “SWFT”. The following table sets forth the high and low sale prices per share of our Class A common stock as reported on the NYSE for the periods indicated.

On December 31, 2012, there were six holders of record of our Class A common stock and 12 holders of record of our Class B common stock.

There is currently no established trading market for our Class B common stock. As of February 26, 2013, all of our Class B common stock was owned by Mr. Moyes and the Moyes Affiliates, of which 23.8 million shares were pledged to an unaffiliated trust. As described under the heading “Risk Factors”, Mr. Moyes may pledge or borrow against a portion of his Class B common stock, which may also cause his interest to conflict with the interests of our other stockholders and may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A Common Stock.

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Dividend Policy

We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings, if any, for use in the development and expansion of our business and for general corporate purposes. Any determination to pay dividends and other distributions in cash, stock, or property by Swift in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will be dependent on then-existing conditions, including our financial condition and results of operations, contractual restrictions, including restrictive covenants contained in our senior secured credit facility and the indenture governing our senior second priority secured notes, capital requirements, and other factors. For further discussion about restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, see Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources-Material Debt Agreements” in this Form 10-K.

In 2010, we made distributions of $1.3 million in the form of tax payments, on behalf of the stockholders, to certain state tax jurisdictions as required with our filing of the S corporation income tax returns for our final subchapter S corporation period.

Stockholders Return Performance Graph

Our Class A common stock began trading on the NYSE on December 16, 2010. The following graph compares the cumulative quarterly total return of stockholders from the closing date of our IPO on December 16, 2010 to December 31, 2012 of our Class A common stock relative to the cumulative total returns of the S&P 500 index and an index of other companies within the trucking industry (Dow Jones U.S. Trucking Total Stock Market Index) over the same period. The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our Class A common stock and in each of the indexes (including reinvestment of dividends) was $100 on December 16, 2010, and tracks it through December 31, 2012. The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

We did not repurchase any of our equity securities during the reporting period, and there are currently no share repurchase programs authorized by our board of directors.

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Item 6. Selected Financial Data

The table below sets forth our selected financial and other data for the periods indicated. The following selected financial and other data are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this report and include, in the opinion of management, all adjustments that management considers necessary for the presentation of the information outlined in these financial statements. In addition, for comparative purposes, we have included a pro forma (provision) benefit for income taxes assuming we had been taxed as a subchapter C corporation in 2008 and 2009, which were periods when our subchapter S corporation election was in effect. You should read the selected financial and other data together with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto incorporated into Item 8, and with Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

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We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus (i) depreciation and amortization, (ii) interest and derivative interest expense, including other fees and charges associated with indebtedness, net of interest income, (iii) income taxes, (iv) non-cash impairments, (v) non-cash equity compensation expense, (vi) other special non-cash items, and (vii) excludable transaction costs.

While we were private, our board of directors and executive management team focused on Adjusted EBITDA as a key measure of our performance, for business planning, and for incentive compensation purposes. Adjusted EBITDA assists us in comparing our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that, in our opinion, do not reflect our core operating performance. Our method of computing Adjusted EBITDA is consistent with that used in our debt covenants and also is routinely reviewed by management for that purpose. For a reconciliation of our Adjusted EBITDA to our net income (loss), the most directly related GAAP measure, please see the table below.

Our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, collectively our chief operating decision-makers, and our compensation committee, used Adjusted EBITDA thresholds in setting performance goals for our employees, including senior management.

As a result, the annual bonuses for certain members of our management typically were based at least in part on Adjusted EBITDA. At the same time, some or all of these executives have responsibility for monitoring our financial results generally, including the items included as adjustments in calculating Adjusted EBITDA (subject ultimately to review by our board of directors in the context of the board’s review of our quarterly financial statements). While many of the adjustments (for example, transaction costs and our previous senior secured credit facility fees) involve mathematical application of items reflected in our financial statements, others (such as determining whether a non-cash item is special) involve a degree of judgment and discretion. While we believe that all of these adjustments are appropriate, and although the quarterly calculations are subject to review by our board of directors in the context of the board’s review of our quarterly financial statements, this discretion may be viewed as an additional limitation on the use of Adjusted EBITDA as an analytical tool.

We believe our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA 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 EBITDA is not a substitute for net income (loss), income (loss) from continuing operations, cash flows from operating activities, operating margin, or any other measure prescribed by GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA. Although we believe that Adjusted EBITDA can make an evaluation of our operating performance more consistent because it removes items that, in our opinion, do not reflect our core operations, other companies in our industry may define Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do. As a result, it may be difficult to use Adjusted EBITDA or similarly named non-GAAP measures that other companies may use to compare the performance of those companies to our performance.

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Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a measure of the income generated by our business or discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. Our management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA on a supplemental basis.

A reconciliation of GAAP net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for each of the periods indicated is as follows:

We define Adjusted Operating Ratio as (a) total operating expenses, less (i) fuel surcharges, (ii) amortization of intangibles from our 2007 going-private transaction, (iii) non-cash impairment charges, (iv) other special non-cash items, and (v) excludable transaction costs, as a percentage of (b) total revenue excluding fuel surcharge revenue (revenue xFSR).

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Our board of directors and chief operating decision-makers also focus on Adjusted Operating Ratio as a key indicator of our performance from period to period. We believe fuel surcharge can be volatile and eliminating the impact of this source of revenue (by netting fuel surcharge revenue against fuel expense) affords a more consistent basis for comparing our results of operations. We also believe excluding impairments, non-comparable intangibles from our going-private transactions and other special items enhances the comparability of our performance from period to period. For a reconciliation of our Adjusted Operating Ratio to our Operating Ratio, please see the table below.

We believe our presentation of Adjusted Operating Ratio 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 Operating Ratio is not a substitute for operating margin or any other measure derived solely from GAAP measures. There are limitations to using non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted Operating Ratio. Although we believe that Adjusted Operating Ratio can make an evaluation of our operating performance more consistent because it removes items that, in our opinion, do not reflect our core operations, other companies in our industry may define Adjusted Operating Ratio differently than we do. As a result, it may be difficult to use Adjusted Operating Ratio or similarly named non-GAAP measures that other companies may use to compare the performance of those companies to our performance. A reconciliation of our Adjusted Operating Ratio for each of the periods indicated is as follows:

We define Adjusted EPS as (1) income (loss) before income taxes plus (i) amortization of the intangibles from our 2007 going-private transaction, (ii) non-cash impairments, (iii) other special non-cash items, (iv) excludable transaction costs, (v) the mark-to-market adjustment on our interest rate swaps that is recognized in the statement of operations in a given period, and (vi) the amortization of previous losses recorded in accumulated OCI related to interest rate swaps we terminated upon our IPO and refinancing transactions in December 2010; (2) reduced by income taxes at 39%, our normalized effective tax rate; (3) divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding. In calculating diluted shares outstanding for the purposes of Adjusted EPS, the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options has only been included for the period following our IPO when a market price was available to assess the dilutive effect of such options.

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Our board of directors and chief operating decision-makers focuses on Adjusted EPS as a key measure of our performance, for business planning, and for incentive compensation purposes. Adjusted EPS assists us in comparing our performance over various reporting periods on a consistent basis because it removes from our operating results the impact of items that, in our opinion, do not reflect our core operating performance. For a reconciliation of our Adjusted EPS to our net income (loss), the most directly related GAAP measure, please see the table below.

Our chief operating decision-makers, and our compensation committee, now use Adjusted EPS thresholds in setting performance goals for our employees, including senior management.

As a result, the annual bonuses for certain members of our management will be based at least in part on Adjusted EPS. At the same time, some or all of these executives have responsibility for monitoring our financial results generally, including the items included as adjustments in calculating Adjusted EPS (subject ultimately to review by our board of directors in the context of the board’s review of our quarterly financial statements). While many of the adjustments (for example, transaction costs and our previous senior secured credit facility fees) involve mathematical application of items reflected in our financial statements, others (such as determining whether a non-cash item is special) involve a degree of judgment and discretion. While we believe that all of these adjustments are appropriate, and although the quarterly calculations are subject to review by our board of directors in the context of the board’s review of our quarterly financial statements, this discretion may be viewed as an additional limitation on the use of Adjusted EPS as an analytical tool.

We believe our presentation of Adjusted EPS 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 EPS is not a substitute for income (loss) per share or any other measure prescribed by GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EPS. Although we believe that Adjusted EPS can make an evaluation of our operating performance more consistent because it removes items that, in our opinion, do not reflect our core operations, other companies in our industry may define Adjusted EPS differently than we do. As a result, it may be difficult to use Adjusted EPS or similarly named non-GAAP measures that other companies may use to compare the performance of those companies to our performance.

Because of these limitations, Adjusted EPS should not be considered a measure of the income generated by our business. Our management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EPS on a supplemental basis.

A reconciliation of GAAP diluted earnings (loss) per share to Adjusted EPS for each of the periods indicated is as follows: