OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC. - Quarter Report: 2020 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020

or

For the transition period from ________ to ________ .

Commission File Number: 0-19582

OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(336) 889-5000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files).    Yes  ☒     No  ☐

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

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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

As of November 4, 2020 there were 117,331,447 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock ($0.10 par value) outstanding.

INDEX

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.

CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

Note: The Condensed Balance Sheet at December 31, 2019 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements.

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OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.

CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

(CONTINUED)

Note: The Condensed Balance Sheet at December 31, 2019 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements.

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OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(UNAUDITED)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements.

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OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(UNAUDITED)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements.

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OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(UNAUDITED)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements.

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NOTES TO THE CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

Note 1. Significant Accounting Policies

Business

We are a leading, less-than-truckload (“LTL”), union-free motor carrier providing regional, inter-regional and national LTL services through a single integrated organization. Our service offerings, which include expedited transportation, are provided through an expansive network of service centers located throughout the continental United States. Through strategic alliances, we also provide LTL services throughout North America. In addition to our core LTL services, we offer a range of value-added services including container drayage, truckload brokerage and supply chain consulting. We have one operating segment and the composition of our revenue is summarized below:

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited, interim condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and, in management’s opinion, contain all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring items) necessary for a fair presentation, in all material respects, of the financial position and results of operations for the periods presented. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements.

The preparation of condensed financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions. Such estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Our operating results are subject to seasonal trends; therefore, the results of operations for the interim period ended September 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the subsequent quarterly periods or the year ending December 31, 2020.

The condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes, which appear in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. There have been no significant changes in the accounting principles and policies, long-term contracts or estimates inherent in the preparation of the condensed financial statements of Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. as previously described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, other than those disclosed in this Form 10-Q.

Certain amounts in prior years have been reclassified to conform prior years’ financial statements to the current presentation.

Unless the context requires otherwise, references in these Notes to “Old Dominion,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.

Common Stock Split

On February 21, 2020, we announced that our Board of Directors approved a three-for-two split of our common stock for shareholders of record as of the close of business on the record date of March 10, 2020. On March 24, 2020, those shareholders received one additional share of common stock for every two shares owned. In lieu of fractional shares, shareholders received a cash payment based on the average of the high and low sales prices of our common stock on the record date.

All references in this report to shares outstanding, weighted average shares outstanding, earnings per share, and dividends per share amounts have been restated retroactively to reflect this stock split. Split-adjusted quarterly per-share metrics may not recalculate precisely due to rounding.

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Short-term Investments

The Company’s investments in certificates of deposit, U.S. government securities, and commercial paper with an original maturity of greater than three months have been classified and accounted for as trading securities, and are reported in “Short-term investments” on our Condensed Balance Sheet. These investments are measured at fair value each reporting period, with gains or losses recorded in “Non-operating expense (income)” on our Condensed Statement of Operations.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The levels of inputs used to measure fair value are:

•Level 1 — Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets;

•Level 2 — Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable in active markets; and

•Level 3 — Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable, generally utilizing pricing models or other valuation techniques that reflect management’s judgment and estimates.

Our short-term investments and our long-term debt, including current maturities, are measured at fair value on a recurring basis, and are further described in Note 6. Our other financial securities in current assets and current liabilities approximate their fair value due to the short maturities of these instruments.

Stock Repurchase Program

 On May 1, 2020, we announced that our Board of Directors had approved a new two-year stock repurchase program authorizing us to repurchase up to an aggregate of $700.0 million of our outstanding common stock (the “2020 Repurchase Program”). The 2020 Repurchase Program became effective upon the termination of our $350.0 million repurchase program on May 29, 2020, as of which date $21.5 million remained authorized under the prior program. Under the 2020 Repurchase Program, we may repurchase shares from time to time in open market purchases or through privately negotiated transactions. Shares of our common stock repurchased under our repurchase programs are canceled at the time of repurchase and are classified as authorized but unissued shares of our common stock.

On May 29, 2020, we entered into an accelerated share repurchase agreement (the “ASR Agreement”) with a third-party financial institution as part of our 2020 Repurchase Program. Under the ASR Agreement, we paid the third-party financial institution $125.0 million and received an initial delivery of 511,427 shares of our common stock for $87.5 million, representing approximately 70% of the total value of shares to be received under the ASR Agreement. The remaining expected shares are scheduled to settle during the fourth quarter of 2020. At final settlement, we may receive additional shares of our common stock, or, under certain circumstances, we may be required to provide the third-party financial institution additional shares or may elect to make a cash payment to the third-party financial institution. The total shares repurchased will be based on the daily volume-weighted average share price of our common stock during the term of the ASR Agreement, less a negotiated discount.

The ASR Agreement was accounted for as a settled treasury stock purchase and a forward stock purchase contract. The par value of the initial share delivery was recorded as a reduction to common stock, with the excess purchase price recorded as a reduction to retained earnings. The forward stock purchase contract is accounted for as a contract indexed to our own stock and is classified within capital in excess of par value on our Condensed Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity.

During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we did not repurchase any shares of our common stock. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we repurchased 2,237,320 shares of our common stock for $306.8 million under our repurchase programs, including shares repurchased under the ASR Agreement. As of September 30, 2020, we had $612.5 million remaining authorized under the 2020 Repurchase Program.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses – Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Statements” (Topic 326). This ASU modified the loss methodology for establishing a provision against financial assets, including customer receivables, to include an expected

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future performance component. We adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020. The adoption did not have a material impact to our financial position, results of operations, or cash flow.

We maintain an allowance for uncollectible accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. We estimate this allowance by analyzing the aging of our customer receivables, our historical loss experience and other trends and factors affecting the credit risk of our customers, including anticipated changes to future performance. Write-offs occur when we determine an account to be uncollectible and could differ from our allowance estimate as a result of factors such as changes in the overall economic environment or risks surrounding our customers. Additional allowances may be required if the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments. We periodically review the underlying assumptions in our estimate of the allowance for uncollectible accounts to ensure that the allowance reflects the most recent trends and factors.

Our allowance for uncollectible accounts was $4.9 million at September 30, 2020. There were no material write-offs to our allowance for uncollectible accounts during the third quarter of 2020.

Note 2. Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the daily weighted average number of shares of our common stock outstanding for the period, excluding unvested restricted stock. Unvested restricted stock is included in common shares outstanding on our Condensed Balance Sheets.

Diluted earnings per share is computed using the treasury stock method. The denominator used in calculating diluted earnings per share includes the impact of unvested restricted stock and other dilutive, non-participating securities under our equity award agreements. The denominator excludes contingently-issuable shares under performance-based award agreements when the performance target has not yet been deemed achieved.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the number of shares of common stock used in computing basic and diluted earnings per share:

Note 3. Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt, net of unamortized debt issuance costs, consisted of the following:

Senior Note Agreements

We had an unsecured senior note agreement with a principal amount outstanding of $45.0 million at each of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (the “Senior Note”). The agreement for the Senior Note calls for a scheduled principal payment of $45.0 million, with an interest rate of 4.79%, on January 3, 2021.

On May 4, 2020, we entered into a Note Purchase and Private Shelf Agreement with PGIM, Inc. (“Prudential”) and certain affiliates and managed accounts of Prudential (the “Note Agreement”). The Note Agreement, which is uncommitted and subject to Prudential’s sole discretion, provides for the issuance of senior promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of up to $350.0 million through May 4, 2023. Pursuant to the Note Agreement, we issued $100.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior promissory notes (the “Series B Notes”), the proceeds of which are available for capital expenditures, share repurchases, dividends,

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acquisitions, or general corporate purposes. Borrowing availability under the Note Agreement is reduced by the outstanding amount of the existing Senior Note, the Series B Notes, and all other senior promissory notes issued pursuant to the Note Agreement.

The Series B Notes bear interest at 3.10% per annum and mature on May 4, 2027, unless prepaid. Principal payments are required annually beginning on May 4, 2023 in equal installments of $20.0 million through May 4, 2027. The Series B Notes are senior unsecured obligations and rank pari passu with our other senior unsecured indebtedness.

Credit Agreement

On November 21, 2019, we entered into a second amended and restated credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association serving as administrative agent for the lenders (the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement provides for a five-year, $250.0 million senior unsecured revolving line of credit and a $150.0 million accordion feature, which if fully exercised and approved, would expand the total borrowing capacity up to an aggregate of $400.0 million. Of the $250.0 million line of credit commitments under the Credit Agreement, up to $100.0 million may be used for letters of credit.

At our option, borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest at either: (i) LIBOR (including applicable successor provisions) plus an applicable margin (based on our ratio of net debt-to-total capitalization) that ranges from 1.000% to 1.375%; or (ii) a Base Rate plus an applicable margin (based on our ratio of net debt-to-total capitalization) that ranges from 0.000% to 0.375%. Letter of credit fees equal to the applicable margin for LIBOR loans are charged quarterly in arrears on the daily average aggregate stated amount of all letters of credit outstanding during the quarter. Commitment fees ranging from 0.100% to 0.175% (based upon the ratio of net debt-to-total capitalization) are charged quarterly in arrears on the aggregate unutilized portion of the Credit Agreement.

For periods covered under the Credit Agreement, the applicable margin on LIBOR loans and letter of credit fees were 1.000% and commitment fees were 0.100%.    

The Credit Agreement replaced our previous five-year, $300.0 million senior unsecured revolving credit agreement dated as of December 15, 2015, as amended on September 9, 2016 (the “Prior Credit Agreement”). For periods in 2019 covered under the Prior Credit Agreement, the applicable margin on LIBOR loans and letter of credit fees were 1.000% and commitment fees were 0.125%.

There were $42.1 million and $48.9 million of outstanding letters of credit at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

General Debt Provisions

The Senior Note, Credit Agreement, and Note Agreement contain customary covenants, including financial covenants that require us to observe a maximum ratio of debt to total capital and a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio. The Credit Agreement and Note Agreement also include a provision limiting our ability to make restricted payments, including dividends and payments for share repurchases, unless, among other conditions, no defaults or events of default are ongoing (or would be caused by such restricted payment).

Note 4. Commitments and Contingencies

We are involved in or addressing various legal proceedings and claims, governmental inquiries, notices and investigations that have arisen in the ordinary course of our business and have not been fully adjudicated, some of which may be covered in whole or in part by insurance.  Certain of these matters include collective and/or class-action allegations. We do not believe that the resolution of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect upon our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Note 5. Leases

Our right-of-use assets totaled $100.2 million and $65.3 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and are presented within “Other assets,” which is classified as long-term, on our Condensed Balance Sheets. Our corresponding lease liabilities consist of a current and a non-current portion. The current lease liability was $12.3 million and $10.4 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and is presented within “Other accrued liabilities” on our Condensed Balance Sheets. The non-current lease liability was $89.5 million and $56.1 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and is presented within “Other non-current liabilities” on our Condensed Balance Sheets. During the three-months ended September 30, 2020, we added $41.0 million in new right-of-use assets in exchange for corresponding lease liabilities, which includes leases that were executed prior to December 31, 2019 and commenced in the quarter ended September 30, 2020.

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Note 6. Fair Value Measurements

Short-term investments

A summary of the fair value of our short-term investments as of September 30, 2020 is shown in the table below.

Our certificates of deposit are measured at carrying value including accrued interest, which approximates fair value due to their short-term nature. Our commercial paper is valued using broker quotes that utilize observable market inputs.

Long-term debt

The carrying value of our total long-term debt, including current maturities, was $144.9 million and $45.0 million at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The estimated fair value of our total long-term debt, including current maturities, was $151.1 million and $46.1 million at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The fair value measurement of our senior notes was determined using a discounted cash flow analysis that factors in current market yields for comparable borrowing arrangements under our credit profile. Since this methodology is based upon market yields for comparable arrangements, the measurement is categorized as Level 2 under the three-level fair value hierarchy as established by the FASB.

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ITEM 2.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

We are a leading, less-than-truckload (“LTL”), union-free motor carrier providing regional, inter-regional and national LTL services through a single integrated organization. Our service offerings, which include expedited transportation, are provided through an expansive network of service centers located throughout the continental United States. Through strategic alliances, we also provide LTL services throughout North America. In addition to our core LTL services, we offer a range of value-added services including container drayage, truckload brokerage and supply chain consulting. More than 97% of our revenue has historically been derived from transporting LTL shipments for our customers, whose demand for our services is generally tied to industrial production and the overall health of the U.S. domestic economy.

In analyzing the components of our revenue, we monitor changes and trends in our LTL volumes and LTL revenue per hundredweight.  While LTL revenue per hundredweight is a yield measurement, it is also a commonly-used indicator for general pricing trends in the LTL industry.  This yield metric is not a true measure of price, however, as it can be influenced by many other factors, such as changes in fuel surcharges, weight per shipment and length of haul.  As a result, changes in revenue per hundredweight do not necessarily indicate actual changes in underlying base rates.  LTL revenue per hundredweight and the key factors that can impact this metric are described in more detail below:

Our primary revenue focus is to increase density, which is shipment and tonnage growth within our existing infrastructure. Increases in density allow us to maximize our asset utilization and labor productivity, which we measure over many different functional areas of our operations including linehaul load factor, pickup and delivery (“P&D”) stops per hour, P&D shipments per hour, platform pounds handled per hour and platform shipments per hour. In addition to our focus on density and operating efficiencies, it is critical for us to obtain an appropriate yield, which is measured as revenue per hundredweight, on the shipments we handle to offset our cost inflation and support our ongoing investments in capacity and technology. We regularly monitor the components of our pricing, including base freight rates, accessorial charges and fuel surcharges. The fuel surcharge is generally designed to offset fluctuations in the cost of our petroleum-based products and is indexed to diesel fuel prices published by the U.S. Department of Energy, which reset each week. We believe our yield management process focused on individual account profitability, and ongoing improvements in operating efficiencies, are both key components of our ability to produce profitable growth.

Our primary cost elements are direct wages and benefits associated with the movement of freight, operating supplies and expenses, which include diesel fuel, and depreciation of our equipment fleet and service center facilities. We gauge our overall success

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in managing costs by monitoring our operating ratio, a measure of profitability calculated by dividing total operating expenses by revenue, which also allows for industry-wide comparisons with our competition.

We regularly upgrade our technological capabilities to improve our customer service and lower our operating costs. Our technology provides our customers with visibility of their shipments throughout our network, increases the productivity of our workforce, and provides key metrics that we use to monitor and enhance our processes.

Our financial results for the first nine months of 2020 include the adverse impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. We initially saw a significant decline in revenue at the beginning of April 2020, resulting from stay-at-home and other similar orders. We responded to the pandemic by implementing measures to help ensure the health and safety of our OD Family of employees, and this continues to be our top priority. We also adjusted our operations and workforce to address the decrease in shipment volumes while creating a plan to limit our discretionary spending. Since that initial decrease in April 2020, our shipment volumes improved sequentially each month through the end of the third quarter, with LTL shipments per day in September actually exceeding our pre-pandemic shipment volumes.  We will continue to monitor the effects of the pandemic on the domestic economy as well as our business and operations. While we may make further adjustments to our operations in response to short-term changes in demand, we will continue to focus on executing our long-term strategic plan and investing in the necessary resources to win long-term market share.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, expenses and other items as a percentage of revenue from operations:

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Results of Operations

Key financial and operating metrics for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 are presented below:

All references in this report to shares outstanding, weighted average shares outstanding, earnings per share, and dividends per share amounts have been restated retroactively to reflect the three-for-two stock split effected in March 2020.

Our financial results for the third quarter of 2020 reflect Company records in operating ratio and earnings per diluted share. Our revenue increased $9.7 million, or 0.9%, in the third quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period of 2019. This slight increase in revenue reflects improving demand trends following an initial decline in volumes at the beginning of the second quarter associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The sequential acceleration of tonnage in the third quarter of 2020 resulting from a rebound in the domestic economy, combined with our ability to control our costs, led to a 24.8% increase in earnings per diluted share and a 480 basis-point improvement in our operating ratio as compared to the same period of last year.

Revenue

Revenue increased $9.7 million, or 0.9%, in the third quarter of 2020 as compared to the same period of 2019, due to an increase in LTL tons that was partially offset by a decrease in LTL revenue per hundredweight. The increase in LTL tons was driven by an increase in weight per shipment that was partially offset by a decrease in LTL shipments.  Revenue decreased $158.2 million, or 5.1%, in the first nine months of 2020 as compared to the same period of 2019, due to a decrease in volumes and LTL revenue per hundredweight. The decrease in LTL shipments for the first nine months of 2020 as compared to the same period of 2019 includes the impact from the slowdown in the domestic economy associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily during the second quarter of 2020.

Our LTL revenue per hundredweight decreased 0.6% in both the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, as compared to the same periods of 2019, and reflects lower fuel surcharges resulting from significant declines in the average price of diesel fuel for the comparable periods.  The decreases in LTL revenue per hundredweight also include the adverse impact of increases in our LTL weight per shipment on this metric for the periods compared. Excluding fuel surcharges, our LTL revenue per hundredweight increased 2.6% and 1.9% in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2019. Our LTL revenue per shipment increased 4.0% and 3.1% in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2019. The increases in these yield metrics reflect our ongoing commitment to maintaining our yield management strategy which is supported by our best-in-class service to customers.

October 2020 Update

Revenue per day increased 2.6% in October 2020 compared to the same month last year. LTL tons per day increased 2.2%, due primarily to a 2.4% increase in LTL weight per shipment that was partially offset by a 0.2% decrease in LTL shipments per day. LTL revenue per hundredweight increased 0.3% as compared to the same month last year. LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 3.5% as compared to the same month last year.

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Operating Costs and Other Expenses

Salaries, wages and benefits for the third quarter of 2020 decreased $8.8 million, or 1.6%, as compared to the same period of 2019 due to a $5.7 million decrease in benefit costs and a $3.1 million decrease in the costs attributable to salaries and wages. Salaries, wages and benefits for the first nine months of 2020 decreased $78.3 million, or 4.9%, as compared to the same period of 2019 due to a $45.5 million decrease in the costs attributable to salaries and wages and a $32.8 million decrease in benefit costs.  The decreases in salaries and wages for both the third quarter and first nine months of 2020 were due to decreases in the average number of active full-time employees and improvements in productivity. Our average number of active full-time employees decreased 1,655, or 8.1%, and 1,858, or 9.0%, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2019, as we aligned our headcount with shipment volume trends. We believe our active full-time employee count will increase as we continue to hire employees to balance our workforce with growing demand and shipment trends.  

Our productive labor costs, which include wages for drivers, platform employees, and fleet technicians, declined as a percentage of revenue to 26.8% for the third quarter of 2020 from 27.5% for the same period of 2019. For the first nine months of 2020, our productive labor costs increased slightly to 27.8% from 27.6% for the same period of 2019. While our productive labor costs as a percentage of revenue were negatively impacted by the deleveraging effect of lower fuel surcharges, we improved productivity in our P&D and platform operations during the third quarter and first nine months of 2020 as compared to the same periods of 2019. Our other salaries and wages as a percentage of revenue remained consistent at 9.8% for both the third quarter of 2020 and the same period of 2019. For the first nine months of 2020, our other salaries and wages increased as a percentage of revenue to 10.6% from 10.3% for the same period of 2019.

Employee benefit costs decreased $5.7 million, or 4.0%, in the third quarter of 2020, and $32.8 million, or 7.9%, in the first nine months of 2020, as compared to the same periods of 2019. These decreases were primarily driven by a reduction in expense related to our phantom stock plans, which were amended in the fourth quarter of 2019 to allow the awards to be settled in stock and limit our ongoing benefits expense in future periods. For the first nine months of 2020, the decrease in our employee benefit costs also includes the impact of lower health care costs resulting from a decline in claims per employee during the second quarter of 2020, in addition to a decrease in payroll taxes related to the reduction in salaries and wages. Our employee benefit costs, as a percent of salaries and wages, decreased to 35.5% and 33.8% for the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, from 36.6% and 35.3% for the same periods of 2019.

Operating supplies and expenses decreased $27.1 million and $87.7 million in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2019, due primarily to a decrease in our costs for diesel fuel used in our vehicles. Our diesel fuel costs, excluding fuel taxes, represents the largest component of operating supplies and expenses, and can vary based on both the average price per gallon and consumption. Our average cost per gallon of diesel fuel decreased 34.3% and 32.0% in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2019.  In addition, our gallons consumed decreased 1.5% and 6.4% in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2019 due to a decrease in miles driven. We do not use diesel fuel hedging instruments; therefore, our costs are subject to market price fluctuations. Other operating supplies and expenses improved as a percent of revenue between the periods compared as we efficiently maintained our fleet and managed our other operating supplies and expenses.

General supplies and expenses decreased $6.2 million, or 18.6%, in the third quarter of 2020, and $10.7 million, or 11.0%, in the first nine months of 2020, as compared to the same periods of 2019. These decreases were primarily driven by lower advertising and marketing costs as we controlled our discretionary spending, as well as lower travel-related expenses, which was primarily driven by impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Depreciation and amortization increased slightly by $1.5 million and $7.0 million in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020, respectively, as compared to the same periods of 2019. While our 2020 capital expenditure plan is lower than 2019, particularly with respect to revenue equipment and real estate, we believe depreciation expense will continue to increase as we expand capacity to support our continued long-term growth and strategic initiatives.

Our effective tax rate for the third quarter and first nine months of 2020 was 24.8% and 25.5%, as compared to 24.9% and 25.7% for the third quarter and first nine months of 2019, respectively. Our effective tax rate generally exceeds the federal statutory rate due to the impact of state taxes and, to a lesser extent, certain other non-deductible items.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

A summary of our cash flows is presented below:

The change in our cash flows provided by operating activities during the first nine months of 2020 as compared to the first nine months of 2019 was primarily due to decreases in deferred income tax liabilities and changes in working capital accounts.

The change in our cash flows used in investing activities during the first nine months of 2020 as compared to the first nine months of 2019 was primarily due to purchases of short-term investments in the third quarter of 2020, offset by a reduction in planned capital expenditures for equipment as compared to 2019.  Changes in our capital expenditures are more fully described below in “Capital Expenditures.”

The change in our cash flows used in financing activities during the first nine months of 2020 as compared to the first nine months of 2019 was primarily due to increased share repurchases as well as an increase in dividends paid, offset by the receipt of proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt. Our return of capital to shareholders is more fully described below under “Stock Repurchase Program” and “Dividends to Shareholders”. Our financing arrangements are more fully described below under “Financing Arrangements.”

We have five primary sources of available liquidity: cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, short-term investments, available borrowings under our second amended and restated credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), and our Note Purchase and Private Shelf Agreement (the “Note Agreement”). Our Credit Agreement and the Note Agreement are described in more detail below under “Financing Arrangements.” We believe we also have sufficient access to debt and equity markets to provide other sources of liquidity, if needed. While the COVID-19 pandemic creates some uncertainty for the domestic economy, we believe our current sources of liquidity will be sufficient to satisfy our expected capital expenditures.

Capital Expenditures

The table below sets forth our net capital expenditures for property and equipment for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2020 and the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017:

Our capital expenditures vary based upon the projected increase in the number and size of our service center facilities necessary to support our plan for long-term growth, our planned tractor and trailer replacement cycle, and forecasted tonnage and shipment growth. Expenditures for land and structures can be dependent upon the availability of land in the geographic areas where we are looking to expand. We expect to continue to maintain a high level of capital expenditures in order to support our long-term plan for market share growth.

We estimate capital expenditures will be approximately $240 million for the year ending December 31, 2020. Approximately $195 million is allocated for the purchase of service center facilities, construction of new service center facilities or expansion of

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existing service center facilities, subject to the availability of suitable real estate and the timing of construction projects; approximately $25 million is allocated for investments in technology and other assets; and approximately $20 million is allocated for the purchase of tractors and trailers. We expect to fund these capital expenditures primarily through cash flows from operations, our existing cash and cash equivalents, and, if needed, borrowings available under our Credit Agreement. We believe our current sources of liquidity will be sufficient to satisfy our expected capital expenditures.

Stock Repurchase Program

On May 1, 2020, we announced that our Board of Directors had approved a new two-year stock repurchase program authorizing us to repurchase up to an aggregate of $700.0 million of our outstanding common stock (the “2020 Repurchase Program”). The 2020 Repurchase Program became effective upon the termination of our $350.0 million repurchase program on May 29, 2020, as of which date $21.5 million remained authorized under the prior program. Under the 2020 Repurchase Program, we may repurchase shares from time to time in open market purchases or through privately negotiated transactions. Shares of our common stock repurchased under our repurchase program are canceled at the time of repurchase and are classified as authorized but unissued shares of our common stock.

During the nine-month period ended September 30, 2020, we repurchased 2,237,320 shares of our common stock for $306.8 million under our repurchase programs, including shares repurchased under our accelerated share repurchase agreement. As of September 30, 2020, we had $612.5 million remaining authorized under the 2020 Repurchase Program.

Dividends to Shareholders

On February 21, 2020, we announced that our Board of Directors approved a three-for-two split of our common stock for shareholders of record as of the close of business on the record date of March 10, 2020. On March 24, 2020, those shareholders received one additional share of common stock for every two shares owned. In lieu of fractional shares, shareholders received a cash payment based on the average of the high and low sales prices of our common stock on the record date.

All references in this report to dividend amounts have been restated retroactively to reflect this stock split. Split-adjusted quarterly per-share metrics may not recalculate precisely due to rounding.

Our Board of Directors also declared a cash dividend of $0.15 per share for each quarter of 2020, and declared a cash dividend of $0.11 per share for each quarter of 2019.

Although we intend to pay a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock for the foreseeable future, the declaration and amount of any future dividend is subject to approval by our Board of Directors, and is restricted by applicable state law limitations on distributions to shareholders as well as certain covenants under our Credit Agreement and Note Agreement. We anticipate that any future quarterly cash dividends will be funded through cash flows from operations, our existing cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, and, if needed, borrowings available under our Credit Agreement.

Financing Arrangements

Senior Note Agreements

We had an unsecured senior note agreement with a principal amount outstanding of $45.0 million at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (the “Senior Note”). The agreement for the Senior Note calls for a scheduled principal payment of $45.0 million, with an interest rate of 4.79%, on January 3, 2021.

On May 4, 2020, we entered into the Note Agreement with PGIM, Inc. (“Prudential”) and certain affiliates and managed accounts of Prudential. The Note Agreement, which is uncommitted and subject to Prudential’s sole discretion, provides for the issuance of senior promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of up to $350.0 million through May 4, 2023. Pursuant to the Note Agreement, we issued $100.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior promissory notes (the “Series B Notes”), the proceeds of which are available for capital expenditures, share repurchases, dividends, acquisitions, or general corporate purposes. Borrowing availability under the Note Agreement is reduced by the outstanding amount of the existing Senior Note, the Series B Notes, and all other senior promissory notes issued pursuant to the Note Agreement.

The Series B Notes bear interest at 3.10% per annum and mature on May 4, 2027, unless prepaid. Principal payments are required annually beginning on May 4, 2023 in equal installments of $20.0 million through May 4, 2027. The Series B Notes are senior unsecured obligations and rank pari passu with our other senior unsecured indebtedness.

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Credit Agreement

On November 21, 2019, we entered into our Credit Agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association serving as administrative agent for the lenders. The Credit Agreement provides for a five-year, $250.0 million senior unsecured revolving line of credit and a $150.0 million accordion feature, which if fully exercised and approved, would expand the total borrowing capacity up to an aggregate of $400.0 million. Of the $250.0 million line of credit commitments under the Credit Agreement, up to $100.0 million may be used for letters of credit.

At our option, borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest at either: (i) LIBOR (including applicable successor provisions) plus an applicable margin (based on our ratio of net debt-to-total capitalization) that ranges from 1.000% to 1.375%; or (ii) a Base Rate plus an applicable margin (based on our ratio of net debt-to-total capitalization) that ranges from 0.000% to 0.375%. Letter of credit fees equal to the applicable margin for LIBOR loans are charged quarterly in arrears on the daily average aggregate stated amount of all letters of credit outstanding during the quarter. Commitment fees ranging from 0.100% to 0.175% (based upon the ratio of net debt-to-total capitalization) are charged quarterly in arrears on the aggregate unutilized portion of the Credit Agreement.

For periods covered under the Credit Agreement, the applicable margin on LIBOR loans and letter of credit fees were 1.000% and commitment fees were 0.100%.

The Credit Agreement replaced our previous five-year, $300.0 million senior unsecured revolving credit agreement dated as of December 15, 2015, as amended on September 9, 2016 (the “Prior Credit Agreement”). For periods in 2019 covered under the Prior Credit Agreement, the applicable margin on LIBOR loans and letter of credit fees were 1.000% and commitment fees were 0.125%.

The amounts outstanding and available borrowing capacity under the Credit Agreement are presented below:

General Debt Provisions

The Senior Note, Credit Agreement, and Note Agreement contain customary covenants, including financial covenants that require us to observe a maximum ratio of debt to total capital and a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio. The Credit Agreement and Note Agreement also include a provision limiting our ability to make restricted payments, including dividends and payments for share repurchases, unless, among other conditions, no defaults or events of default are ongoing (or would be caused by such restricted payment). We were in compliance with all covenants in our outstanding debt instruments for the period ended September 30, 2020.

The interest rate is fixed on the Senior Note and Note Agreement. Therefore, short-term exposure to fluctuations in interest rates is limited to our line of credit facility. We do not currently use interest rate derivative instruments to manage exposure to interest rate changes.

We do not anticipate financial performance that would cause us to violate any such covenants in the future, and we believe the combination of our existing Credit Agreement and Note Agreement along with our additional borrowing capacity will be sufficient to meet foreseeable seasonal and long-term capital needs.

Critical Accounting Policies

In preparing our condensed financial statements, we applied the same critical accounting policies as described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 that affect judgments and estimates of amounts recorded for certain assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses.

Seasonality

Our tonnage levels and revenue mix are subject to seasonal trends common in our industry, although other factors, such as macroeconomic changes, could cause variation in these trends. Our revenue and operating margins in the first and fourth quarters are typically lower than those during the second and third quarters due to reduced shipments during the winter months; however, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the domestic economy has impacted, and may continue to impact, our normal seasonal trends.

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Harsh winter weather, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods can also adversely impact our performance by reducing demand and increasing operating expenses. We believe seasonal trends will continue to impact our business.

Environmental Regulation

We are subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations that focus on, among other things: the disposal, emission and discharge of hazardous waste, hazardous materials, or other materials into the environment or their presence at our properties or in our vehicles; fuel storage tanks; transportation of certain materials; and the discharge or retention of storm water. Under specific environmental laws, we could also be held responsible for any costs relating to contamination at our past or present facilities and at third-party waste disposal sites, as well as costs associated with clean-up of accidents involving our vehicles. We do not believe that the cost of future compliance with current environmental laws or regulations will have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, competitive position or capital expenditures for the remainder of 2020 or fiscal year 2021. However, future changes to laws or regulations may adversely affect our operations and could result in unforeseen costs to our business.

Forward-Looking Information

Forward-looking statements appear in this report, including, but not limited to, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in other written and oral statements made by or on behalf of us. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our goals, strategies, expectations, competitive environment, regulation, availability of resources, future events and future financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements typically can be identified by such words as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “intend,” “expect,” “believe,” “should,” “could,” “may” or other similar words or expressions. We caution readers that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in other reports and statements that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied herein, including, but not limited to, the following, many of which will continue to be amplified by the current COVID-19 pandemic:

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Our forward-looking statements are based upon our beliefs and assumptions using information available at the time the statements are made. We caution the reader not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements as (i) these statements are neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances and (ii) the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and projections about future events may differ materially from actual results. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect developments occurring after the statement is made, except as otherwise required by law.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Except as noted below, there have been no material changes to our market risk exposures as described in Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

We maintain an investment portfolio principally composed of certificates of deposit, U.S. government securities, and commercial paper. At September 30, 2020, these investments totaled $205.3 million. These fixed rate securities are subject to interest rate risk, as sharp increases in market interest rates could have an adverse impact on their fair value. Although the fair values of these instruments can fluctuate, we believe that the short-term, highly liquid nature of these debt securities, and our ability to hold these instruments to maturity, reduces our risk for potential material losses. A hypothetical 100 basis point change in market interest rates at September 30, 2020 would have had an immaterial impact on the fair value of these investments.

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Item 4. Controls and Procedures

As of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report, our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures in accordance with Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report, our CEO and CFO concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (a) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and (b) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. As a part of this assessment, we considered the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our internal control over financial reporting. We will continue to monitor and assess the COVID-19 pandemic to determine any potential impact on the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

We are involved in or addressing various legal proceedings and claims, governmental inquiries, notices and investigations that have arisen in the ordinary course of our business and have not been fully adjudicated, some of which may be covered in whole or in part by insurance.  Certain of these matters include collective and/or class-action allegations. We do not believe that the resolution of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect upon our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Item 103 of SEC Regulation S-K requires disclosure of environmental legal proceedings with a governmental authority if management reasonably believes that the proceedings may involve potential monetary sanctions of $100,000 or more. The following matter is disclosed in accordance with that requirement. We do not believe that any possible loss that may be incurred in connection with the matter will be material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

On May 12, 2017, we received a letter from the Orange County California District Attorney’s Office concerning suspected violations of California laws with respect to waste handling practices.  As part of the civil investigation conducted in coordination with other California counties, we have shared information about our waste handling practices at our facilities throughout the state. We are in discussions concerning resolution of this matter.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In addition to the other information set forth in this report and in our other reports and statements that we file with the SEC, including our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, careful consideration should be given to the factors discussed in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and future results. The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Other than the risk identified below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors identified in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

We face various risks related to health epidemics, pandemics and similar outbreaks that have had, and may continue to have, adverse effects on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the related changes in the economic and political conditions in markets in which we operate have had adverse impacts on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and on those of our customers and suppliers, and these adverse impacts may continue.  These impacts and potential impacts include, among other things, significant reductions or volatility in demand for our services, inability of our customers to pay for our services, and failure of our suppliers or third-party service providers to meet their obligations to us. We may also experience capacity constraints in one or more geographic areas if a significant number of our employees in any such region are affected by COVID-19. Furthermore, COVID-19 has impacted and may further impact the global economy, including negatively impacting the proper functioning of financial and capital markets and interest rates, which has impacted the cost of capital and has limited access to capital.  As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, it has heightened, and will likely continue to heighten, other risks to which we are subject, including those related to economic downturns, customer/supplier/vendor operations, changes in political and regulatory conditions, liquidity, and industry pricing environment stability, as described in more detail in Item 1A., “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Despite our efforts to manage our exposure to these risks, the ultimate impact of COVID-19 and similar outbreaks depends on factors beyond our knowledge or control, including the duration and severity of any outbreak and governmental/social actions taken to contain its spread and mitigate its public health impact.

Item 6. Exhibits

The exhibits listed in the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as a part of this report.

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EXHIBIT INDEX

TO QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

Our SEC file number reference for documents filed with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is 0-19582.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.