SAIA INC - Annual Report: 2018 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

OR

Commission file number: 0-49983

Saia, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(770) 232-5067 

(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.    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 Exchange Act.    Yes  ☐    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.    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 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 the 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.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 June 30, 2018, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $2,077,244,002 based on the last reported sales price of the common stock as reported on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System National Market System. The number of shares of Common Stock outstanding as of February 22, 2019 was 25,845,102.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed within 120 days of December 31, 2018, pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held April 30, 2019, have been incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

SAIA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX

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PART I.

Overview

Saia, Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is a transportation company headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia (Saia, Inc. together with its subsidiaries, the Company or Saia). We provide regional and interregional less-than-truckload (LTL) services through a single integrated organization. While more than 97% of our revenue has been derived from transporting LTL shipments, we also offer customers a wide range of other value-added services, including non-asset truckload, expedited and logistics services across North America.

Founded in 1924, Saia Motor Freight Line, LLC (Saia LTL Freight) is a leading LTL carrier that serves 41 states with plans to complete service coverage in the Northeastern states. Saia LTL Freight specializes in offering its customers a range of regional and interregional LTL services including time-definite and expedited options. Saia LTL Freight primarily provides its customers with solutions for shipments between 100 and 10,000 pounds.

As of December 31, 2018, Saia LTL Freight operated a network comprised of 166 owned and leased facilities, including three general offices and owned approximately 4,834 tractors and 15,483 trailers, including equipment acquired with capital leases.

In May 2017, Saia implemented its strategy to begin serving new markets in the Northeast.  Since that time the Company has opened 10 new terminals in that region.  Over the past five years, Saia has invested more than $800 million in capital expenditures, primarily for real estate, revenue equipment and technology.  These investments have reduced the age of Saia’s fleet and support Saia’s plans for additional volume growth. Saia has also invested substantially in technology, training and business processes to enhance the Company’s ability to monitor and manage customer service, safety, operations and profitability.

In 2018, Saia generated revenue of $1.65 billion and operating income of $141.2 million. In 2017, Saia generated revenue of $1.40 billion and operating income of $94.7 million.  In 2018, the average Saia LTL Freight shipment weighed approximately 1,352 pounds and traveled an average distance of approximately 837 miles.

None of our approximately 10,300 employees is represented by a union.

Industry

The trucking industry consists of three segments: private fleets and two “for-hire” carrier groups. The private carrier segment consists of fleets owned and operated by shippers who move their own goods. The two “for-hire” carrier groups, truckload and LTL, are based on the typical shipment sizes handled by transportation service companies. Truckload refers to providers generally transporting shipments greater than 10,000 pounds and LTL refers to providers generally transporting shipments less than 10,000 pounds. Saia is primarily an LTL carrier.

LTL carriers typically pickup numerous shipments, generally ranging from 100 to 10,000 pounds, and consolidate them at carrier-operated service facilities within a certain radius and then transport the shipments from the origin facility to the carrier-operated destination facility and then deliver the shipments to the ultimate destination. As a result, LTL carriers require expansive networks of pickup and delivery operations around local service facilities and shipments are moved between origin and destination often through an intermediate distribution or “breakbulk” facility. Depending on the distance shipped, the LTL segment historically was classified into three subgroups:

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Throughout the years, there has been a blurring of the three subgroups as individual companies are increasingly serving multiple markets. Today, Saia LTL Freight, as well the vast majority of the LTL capacity, services all three markets.

The truckload segment is the largest portion of the “for-hire” truck transportation market. Truckload carriers primarily transport large shipments from origin to destination with no intermediate handling.

Because truckload carriers do not require an expansive network to provide point-to-point service, the overall cost structure of truckload carriers is typically lower and more variable relative to LTL carriers. However, the lack of a network subjects their drivers to extended periods away from home thus resulting in higher driver turnover and periodic driver shortages. The truckload segment is comprised of several major carriers and numerous small entrepreneurial players. At the most basic level, a truckload company can be started with capital for rolling stock (a tractor and a trailer), insurance, a driver and little else. As size becomes a factor, capital is needed for technology, infrastructure and some limited facilities. Saia LTL Freight may participate in the truckload market as a means to fill empty miles in lanes that are not at capacity. Saia also offers its customers the truckload and expedited offerings of its non-asset operations.

Capital requirements are significantly higher in the traditional LTL segment versus the truckload segment. In the LTL sector, substantial amounts of capital are required for a network of service facilities, shipment handling equipment and revenue equipment (both for city pick-up, delivery and linehaul). In addition, investment in technology has become increasingly important in the LTL segment largely due to the number of transactions and number of customers served on a daily basis. Saia LTL Freight picks up approximately 28,000 shipments per day, each of which has a shipper and consignee, and sometimes a third party payor, all of whom need access to information in a timely manner. More importantly, technology plays a key role in improving customer service, operations efficiency and compliance, safety and yield management. As a result of the significant infrastructure required to operate an LTL carrier, the LTL segment is more concentrated than the truckload segment with the largest LTL players in the national and regional markets. Driver turnover in the LTL sector is significantly lower relative to the truckload sector, although LTL carriers also face periodic driver shortages.

Business Strategy

Saia has grown historically through a combination of organic growth and geographic integration or “tuck-in” acquisitions of smaller trucking and logistics companies. More recently Saia has grown largely through organic growth.

Key elements of our business strategy include:

Continue to focus on operating safely.

Our most valuable resource is our employees. It is a corporate priority to continually emphasize the importance of safe operations and to reduce both the frequency and severity of injuries and accidents. This emphasis on safe operations is not only appropriate to protect our employees and our communities but with the continued escalation of commercial insurance and healthcare costs, it is important to maintain and improve stockholder returns. Management expects governmental safety regulations and related enforcement initiatives to increase in the future.

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Manage yields and business mix.

This element of our business strategy involves managing both the pricing process and the mix of customers’ freight in ways that allow our network to operate more profitably. Improvements in the economy coupled with the tightening of available capacity in the industry over the last several years allowed the Company to implement numerous pricing initiatives to increase yield significantly.

Increase density in existing geographies.

We gain operating leverage by growing volume and density within existing geography. Depending on pricing and the specific lanes, we estimate that the potential incremental profitability on growth in current markets can be 20 percent or even higher. This improves margins, asset turnover and return on capital. We actively monitor opportunities to add service facilities where there is sufficient market potential. Future volume growth at Saia could result from improvements in the general economy, industry consolidation, geographic expansion and strategic acquisitions, as well as specific sales and marketing initiatives.

Continue to focus on delivering best-in-class service.

The foundation of Saia’s growth strategy is consistent delivery of high-quality service. Commitment to service quality is valued by customers and allows us to gain fair compensation for our services and positions us to improve market share.

Continue to focus on improving operating efficiencies.

Saia has operating initiatives focused on continuing to improve efficiency. These initiatives help offset a variety of structural cost increases like wages, healthcare benefits, workers’ compensation claims, parts and maintenance expense as well as casualty insurance. We believe Saia continues to be well positioned to manage costs and utilize assets. We believe we will continue to see new opportunities for cost savings.

Prepare the organization for future growth.

Our primary focus within organizational development is maintaining strong relationships with our employees. We invest in our employees through internal communication, training programs, recognition programs and providing competitive wages and benefits. We also invest in succession planning initiatives.

We believe it is also important to invest in technology capabilities and strategic real estate which are designed to position our Company for future growth to meet the increasing demands of the marketplace. We also believe it is important to invest in our tractor and trailer fleet to gain access to new technologies, lower maintenance expenses, achieve improved fuel economy, improve brand image and gain other operating efficiencies.

Expand portfolio of services in the non-asset market

While our immediate priority is to improve profitability in our existing portfolio of services, we may pursue additional services to complement our existing non-asset market because it promotes profitability growth and provides additional services for our core LTL customers.

Expand geographic footprint.

While our immediate priority is to improve profitability in our existing geography, we plan to further pursue geographic expansion into portions of the Northeastern United States to promote profitable growth and improve our customer value proposition over time. Not only do we plan to invest in new terminals and equipment, but we intend to invest in certain areas of our existing network so that we will be able to handle the increased freight flows we anticipate to and from the new market.  In addition to direct expansion through opening of new facilities, management may consider acquisitions from time to time to help expand geographic reach and density while gaining the business base of the acquired entity.

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Seasonality

Our revenues are subject to seasonal variations. Customers tend to reduce shipments after the winter holiday season and operating expenses tend to be higher as a percent of revenue in the winter months primarily due to lower capacity utilization and weather effects. Generally, the first quarter is the weakest quarter while the second and third quarters are the strongest quarters in terms of revenue and profit. Quarterly profitability is also impacted by the timing of salary and wage increases and general rate increases which have varied over the years.

Labor

Most LTL companies, including Saia, and virtually all truckload companies are not subject to collective bargaining agreements.

In recent years, due to competition for quality employees, the compensation divide between union and non-union carriers has closed dramatically. However, there are still significant differences in benefit costs and work rule flexibility. Benefit costs for union carriers remain significantly above those paid by non-union carriers and union carriers may be subject to certain contingent unfunded multi-employer pension liabilities. In addition, non-union carriers have more work rule flexibility with respect to work schedules, routes and other similar items. Work rule flexibility is a major consideration in the regional LTL sector as flexibility is important to meet the service levels required by customers.

Our employees are not represented by a collective bargaining unit. We believe this provides for better communications and employee relations, stronger future growth prospects, improved efficiencies and customer service capabilities.

Competition

Although there has been some tightening of capacity and some industry consolidation, shippers continue to have a wide range of choices. We believe that service quality, price, variety of services offered, geographic coverage, responsiveness and flexibility are the important competitive differentiators.

Saia focuses on providing LTL services in a highly competitive environment against a wide range of transportation service providers. These competitors include a small number of large, national transportation service providers in the long haul and two-day markets and a larger number of shorter-haul or regional transportation companies in the two-day and overnight markets. Saia also competes in and against several modes of transportation, including LTL, truckload and private fleets. The larger the service area, the greater the barriers to entry into the LTL trucking segment due to the need for additional equipment and operational facilities associated with this coverage. The level of technology investment required and density needed to provide adequate labor and asset utilization make larger-scale entry into the LTL market difficult. Saia also competes with small package carriers, final mile delivery services, railroads and air freight carriers.

Regulation

Over the past 39 years, the trucking industry has been substantially deregulated and rates and services are largely free of regulatory controls. Nevertheless, the trucking industry remains subject to regulation by many federal and state governmental agencies, and these authorities have broad powers over matters ranging from the authority to engage in motor carrier operations, motor carrier registration, driver hours of service, safety and fitness of transportation equipment and drivers, insurance requirements, fuel efficiency and emissions standards, and the transportation and handling of hazardous materials.

Key areas of regulatory activity include:

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Department of Homeland Security.

The trucking industry is working closely with government agencies to define and implement improved security processes. Federal, state and municipal authorities have implemented and continue to implement anti-terrorism measures, including checkpoints and travel restrictions on large trucks. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to focus on trailer security, driver identification, security clearance and border-crossing procedures. These and other safety and security measures, such as rules for transportation of hazardous materials and cargo-security regulations, could increase the cost of operations, reduce the number of qualified drivers and disrupt or impede the timing of our deliveries to customers.

Department of Transportation.

Motor carrier and freight brokerage operations are subject to safety, insurance and bonding requirements prescribed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and various state agencies.

Within the DOT, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued rules including hours of service regulations that limit the maximum number of hours a driver may be on duty between mandatory off-duty hours.  Our operations have been adjusted to comply with these rules, and while our base operations have not been materially affected, we did experience deterioration in the cost, availability and reliability of purchased transportation. Revisions to these rules could further impact our operations, further tighten the market for qualified drivers and put additional pressure on driver wages and purchased transportation costs. 

The FMCSA’s Compliance Safety Accountability Program (CSA) could adversely affect our results and ability to maintain or grow our fleet. CSA is an enforcement and compliance model that assesses a motor carrier’s on-road performance and investigation results for a 24-month period using roadside stops and inspections, resulting in safety and performance ratings in the following categories: unsafe driving; hours-of-service compliance; driver fitness; controlled substances/alcohol; vehicle maintenance; hazardous material compliance; and crash indicators. The evaluations are used to rank carriers and individual drivers and to select carriers for audit and other interventions.

The FMCSA has issued a final rule requiring electronic driver logs be monitored by Electronic Log Devices (ELDs) for many in-state-only drivers and most interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers by no later than December 18, 2017. Drivers who voluntarily used a compliant automatic on-board recording device by the December 18, 2017 deadline were “grandfathered” for two years to give providers time to update their systems to be compliant with the ELD standards. While such regulations could increase the cost of technology, capital equipment and maintenance expenses across our industry, we implemented ELDs company-wide in 2014 prior to the effective date of the ELD standard.

The FMCSA has established the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which is a database that will disclose drug and alcohol violations of commercial motor vehicle drivers. The clearinghouse was established by the FMCSA in an effort to help better identify drivers who are prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles based on drug and alcohol violations and ensure drivers cannot conceal drug and alcohol violations by changing jobs or locations. The clearinghouse is scheduled to launch in early 2020 and will require us to check for current and prospective employee’s drug and alcohol violations and annually query for violations of each driver we currently employ.

In 2016, the FMCSA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed regulations that would require vehicles of a certain size to be equipped with a speed limiting device set to a specified speed. A final rule has not yet been implemented and there can be no guarantee as to when, if ever, a final rule requiring speed limiting devices will be implemented, and if implemented, no assurance as to the nature of any such rule and its impact on our fleet and operations. While such regulations could increase the cost of technology, capital equipment and maintenance expenses across our industry, we expect that all our tractors will have the necessary on-board technology systems in place to capture this data by the time the regulations take effect.

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Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA has issued regulations reducing sulfur content of diesel fuel and reducing engine emissions. These regulations increased the cost of replacing and maintaining trucks. Future environmental laws in this area could further increase our costs and impact our operations.

Our operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations dealing with the handling of hazardous materials, underground fuel storage tanks and discharge and retention of storm water. We operate in industrial areas where truck terminals and other industrial activities are located and where groundwater or other forms of environmental contamination may have occurred. Our operations involve the risks of fuel spillage or seepage, environmental damage and hazardous waste disposal, and costs associated with the leakage or discharge of hazardous materials we transport for our customers, among others. Although we have programs in place designed to monitor and control environmental risks and to promote compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, violations of applicable environmental laws or regulations or spills or other accidents involving hazardous substances can still occur and may subject us to cleanup costs, liabilities not covered by insurance, substantial fines or penalties and to civil and criminal liability, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Food and Drug Administration.

As a transportation provider of foodstuffs, we are subject to rules and regulations issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide for the security of food and foodstuffs throughout the supply chain. The FDA has issued a final rule to establish certain requirements under the Sanitary Food and Transportation Act (SFTA) for vehicles and transportation equipment, transportation operations, training, recordkeeping and waivers. The rule is designed to promote the continuance of best practices in the industry concerning cleaning, inspection, maintenance, loading and unloading of, and operation of vehicles. Under the SFTA requirements, carriers are required to develop and implement written procedures subject to recordkeeping that specify its practices for cleaning, sanitizing, and inspecting vehicles and transportation equipment. Continued compliance with current and future SFTA requirements may cause us to incur additional expenses and affect our operations.

Trademarks and Patents

We have registered several service marks and trademarks in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including Saia Guaranteed Select^®, Saia Customer Service Indicators^® and Saia Xtreme Guarantee^®. We believe these service marks and trademarks are important components of our marketing strategy.

Additional Information

Saia has a website that is located at www.saia.com. Saia makes available, free of charge through its website, all filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as soon as reasonably practicable after making such filings with the SEC.

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Executive Officers of the Registrant

Information regarding executive officers of Saia is as follows (included herein pursuant to Instruction 3 to Item 401(b) of Regulation S-K and General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K):

Officers are elected by the Board of Directors of Saia, Inc. (the Board) and serve at the discretion of the Board. With the exception of Mr. O’Dell, none of the officers of the Company are subject to an employment agreement with the Company. There are no family relationships between any executive officer and any other executive officer or director of Saia or its subsidiaries.

Saia stockholders should be aware of certain risks, including those described below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, which could adversely affect the value of their holdings and could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward looking statements.

We are subject to general economic conditions that are largely out of our control, any of which could adversely affect our business.

Our business is subject to a number of general economic conditions that may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, the results of operations, liquidity and cash flows, many of which are largely out of our control. These include recessionary economic cycles and downturns in customer business cycles, global uncertainty and instability, changes in U.S. social, political, and regulatory conditions, tariff and trade discussions and/or a disruption of financial markets. Economic conditions may adversely affect the business levels of our customers, the amount of transportation services they need and their ability to pay for our services and could reduce the prices we are able to charge for our services.  

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We operate in a highly competitive industry and our business will be adversely impacted if we are unable to adequately address potential downward pricing pressures and other factors.

Numerous competitive factors could impair our ability to maintain our current profitability. These factors include the following:

The transportation industry is affected by business risks that are largely out of our control.

Businesses operating in the transportation industry are affected by risks that are largely out of their control, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. These risks include health of the economy, weather and other seasonal factors, excess capacity in the transportation industry, supply chain disruptions, acts of terrorism, interest rates, fuel costs, fuel taxes, license and registration fees, healthcare costs and insurance premiums. In particular, harsh weather or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and floods and acts of terrorism can affect our operations by increasing operational costs, reducing demand, introducing infrastructure instability and disrupting advance route and load planning.

We are dependent on cost and availability of qualified drivers and purchased transportation.

There is significant competition for qualified drivers within the trucking industry and attracting and retaining qualified drivers has become more challenging as the available pool of qualified drivers has been decreasing in recent years. Age demographics and regulatory requirements, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) data-driven safety and compliance enforcement initiative, Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA), have contributed to the reduction in the number of eligible drivers and may continue to do so in the future. We continue to expand the pool of potential drivers through our recruiting efforts specifically targeting women, veterans and other demographics.  We have long developed and invested in a dock to driver training program to enhance our employees to meet these demands.  We may periodically experience shortages of qualified drivers that could result in us not meeting customer demands, upward pressure on driver wages and benefits, underutilization of our truck fleet and/or use of higher cost purchased transportation which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. There is also significant competition for quality purchased transportation within the trucking industry. We periodically experience shortages of quality purchased transportation that could result in higher costs for these services or prevent us from

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meeting customer demands which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

We are dependent on cost and availability of fuel.

Fuel is a significant operating expense and its availability is vital to daily operations. We do not hedge against the risk of fuel price increases. Global political events, acts of terrorism, federal, state and local laws and regulations, natural or man-made disasters, adverse weather conditions and other external factors could adversely affect the cost and availability of fuel. In the past, we have been able to obtain fuel from various sources and in the desired quantities, but there can be no assurance that this will continue to be the case in the future and any shortage or interruption in the supply or distribution of fuel could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. To the extent not offset by fuel surcharges or other customer price changes, volatility in fuel prices or significant increases in fuel taxes resulting from these economic or regulatory changes could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Historically, we have been able to offset significant fuel price volatility through fuel surcharges and other pricing adjustments but we cannot be certain that we will be able to do so in the future. In recent years, given the significance of fuel surcharges, the negotiation of customer price increases has become commingled with fuel surcharges. We have experienced increases in other operating costs as a result of volatility in fuel prices; however, the total impact of volatility in fuel prices on other non-fuel related expenses is difficult to determine. Fluctuations in our fuel surcharge recovery may result in fluctuations in our revenue. Rapid and significant fluctuations in diesel fuel prices would reduce our profitability unless we are able to make the appropriate adjustments to our pricing strategy.

We may face risks related to our expansion into the Northeastern United States.

We are expanding our service geography into the Northeastern United States. In 2017 and 2018, we opened terminals in major markets in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey.  We plan to open additional new markets in 2019 targeting the Northeastern states. There is no assurance that we will be successful at adding new markets as planned or that such markets will be profitable. This expansion has required and will continue to require significant investments in purchased or leased terminals, equipment (including the purchase of new tractors and trailers), technology, employees and other related start-up costs to facilitate our growth plans. Additionally, we plan to invest in certain areas of our existing network so that we will be able to handle the increased freight flows we anticipate to and from the new markets. The Northeastern market is extremely competitive and there is no assurance that we will generate revenues sufficient to cover our costs of expanding there. Expansion into the Northeast could cause disruptions in our existing geography or require management to devote excessive time and effort to manage the expansion, which could adversely affect our business operations and profitability. Operation in the Northeast may increase the possibility of one or more union organizing efforts. In addition, harsh winter weather in the Northeast may increase our risk of weather-related expenses and disruptions. A delay between the outlay of expenditures to expand our geographic footprint and generation of new revenue or higher than anticipated costs or lower than expected revenues from the expansion could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. We may experience decreased profitability until we are able to fully realize the benefits of the investment, if ever.

Ongoing insurance and claims expenses could significantly reduce and cause volatility to our earnings.

Our auto liability insurance policy contains a provision under which we have the option, on a retroactive basis, to assume responsibility for the entire cost of covered claims during the policy period in exchange for a refund of a portion of the premiums we paid for the policy.  This is referred to as "commuting" the policy.  We may commute policies for certain years in the future. In exchange, we would assume the risk for all claims during the years for which the policy is commuted.  In addition, the auto liability insurance policy includes a provision that would require the Company to pay an additional premium of up to $11 million if paid losses are over $15.6 million over the three-year policy period.  To the extent we are required to pay the additional premium or to the extent we elect to commute the policy, and one or more claims result in large payouts, we will not have insurance at this layer of coverage, and our financial condition, results of operation, and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected.

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We are regularly subject to claims resulting from cargo loss, personal injury, property damage, group healthcare and workers’ compensation claims and we maintain insurance deductibles for these claims in amounts ranging from $250,000 to $2 million per claim. We also maintain insurance with licensed insurance companies above these self-insured retention limits. If the number or severity of future claims increases, claim expenses might exceed historical levels or could exceed the amounts of our insurance coverage or the amount of our reserves for self-insured claims, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Deterioration in safety experience could cause customers to switch business to competitors.

In recent years, several insurance companies have stopped offering coverage to trucking companies as a result of increases in the severity of automobile liability claims and higher costs of settlements and verdicts. This trend could adversely affect our ability to obtain suitable insurance coverage or could significantly increase our cost for obtaining such coverage, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Furthermore, insurance companies, as well as certain states, require collateral in the form of letters of credit or surety bonds for the estimated exposure of claims within our self-insured retentions. Their estimates of our future exposure as well as external market conditions could influence the amount and costs of additional letters of credit required under our insurance programs and thereby reduce capital available for future growth or adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. In addition, insurance companies are increasingly encouraging or requiring trucking companies to increase the level of technology and safety measures used in their fleet, which could increase the costs of our fleet in order to obtain acceptable coverage or avoid rate hikes.

We face litigation risks that could have a material adverse effect on the operation of our business.

We face litigation risks regarding a variety of issues, including without limitation, accidents involving our trucks and employees, alleged violations of federal and state labor and employment laws, securities laws, environmental liability and other matters. These proceedings may be time-consuming, expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. The defense of such lawsuits could result in significant expense and the diversion of our management’s time and attention from the operation of our business. In recent years, several insurance companies have stopped offering coverage to trucking companies as a result of increases in the severity of automobile liability claims and higher costs of settlements and verdicts. This trend could adversely affect our ability to obtain suitable insurance coverage or could significantly increase our cost for obtaining such coverage, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Costs we incur to defend or to satisfy a judgment or settlement of these claims may not be covered by insurance or could exceed the amount of that coverage or increase our insurance costs and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Employees of Saia are non-union. The ability of Saia to compete could be impaired if operations were to become unionized.

None of our employees are currently subject to a collective bargaining agreement. We have in the past been the subject of unionization efforts which have been defeated. However, the U.S. Congress could pass labor legislation, such as the formerly proposed Employee Free Choice Act, or the National Labor Relations Board or other federal agencies could issue regulations or administrative changes, which could make it significantly easier for unionization efforts to be successful. If this bill or a variation of it is enacted in the future or if federal regulations regarding labor relations are changed, it could have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Our expansion into portions of the Northeast could increase our overall risk of unionization. While Saia believes its current relationship with its employees is good, there can be no assurance that further unionization efforts will not occur in the future and that such efforts will be defeated. The non-union status of Saia is an important factor in our ability to compete in our markets, and if all or a portion of our workforce becomes unionized it could increase our costs and subject us to workplace rules, which would have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

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We must test our goodwill for impairment at least annually, which could result in a material, non-cash write-down of goodwill and could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Goodwill is subject to impairment assessments at least annually (or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that an impairment may have occurred) by applying a fair-value based test. Our principal intangible asset is goodwill. A loss of significant customers or a decrease in our market capitalization or profitability increases the risk of goodwill impairment. An impairment charge could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Demand for new and used revenue equipment and limited supply of suitable real estate may adversely affect our business.

Investment in new revenue equipment is a significant part of our annual capital expenditures. We may have difficulty in purchasing new trucks due to decreased supply, increased demand and restrictions on the availability of capital. The price of such equipment may increase as a result of regulations on newly manufactured tractors, such as regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and regulations issued by various state agencies, particularly the California Air Resources Board (CARB), requiring progressive reductions in exhaust emissions. These regulations have increased prices for tractors and increased maintenance costs. In addition, as we purchase new revenue equipment as part of our normal replacement cycle each year, we rely on the used equipment market to dispose of our older equipment. Oversupply in the transportation industry, higher maintenance or operating costs associated with older equipment, as well as adverse economic conditions can negatively impact the demand for used equipment and, therefore, reduce the value we can obtain for our used equipment. If we are unable to sell our older equipment at or above our salvage value, the resulting losses could have a significant impact on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Our business model is also dependent on cost and availability of terminal facilities in key metropolitan areas. Shortages in the availability of suitable real estate or delays in construction due to difficulties in obtaining permits or approvals may result in significant additional investment in leasing, purchasing or building facilities, increase our operating expenses and/or prevent us from efficiently serving certain markets. In addition, we may not realize sufficient revenues or profits from our infrastructure investments.

The engines in our newer tractors are subject to emissions-control regulations which could substantially increase operating expenses and future regulations concerning emissions or fuel-efficiency may have an adverse impact on our business.

Tractor engines that comply with the EPA emission-control design requirements have generally been less fuel-efficient and have increased maintenance costs compared to engines in tractors manufactured before these requirements became effective. If we are unable to offset resulting increases in fuel expenses or maintenance costs with higher freight rates or improved fuel economy, our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Future strengthening of EPA, CARB or other federal and state regulatory requirements regarding fuel-efficiency or engine emissions of tractors could also result in increases in the cost of capital equipment and maintenance. The Company remains committed to long-term reduction in engine emissions while generating savings on fuel costs resulting from the use of more fuel-efficient equipment could mitigate these additional expenses in part, the impact of future regulations cannot be projected at this time.

Our Company-specific performance improvement initiatives, including management of the cost structure to match shifts in customer volume levels, may not be effective.

Operating performance improvement at Saia is dependent on the implementation and/or the continuation of various performance improvement initiatives. There can be no assurance that Saia will be successful in implementing these performance improvement initiatives or that Saia’s historical performance trend will be representative of future performance. In addition, we are capital intensive with a relatively high fixed-cost structure that is difficult to adjust to match shifting volume levels. Failure to achieve performance improvement initiatives could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

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We operate in a highly regulated and highly taxed industry. Costs of compliance with or liability for violation of existing or future regulations may adversely affect our business.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and various state agencies exercise broad powers over our business, generally governing such activities as authorization to engage in motor carrier operations, safety and financial reporting. We may also become subject to new or more restrictive regulations imposed by the DOT, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other authorities relating to engine exhaust emissions, safety performance and measurements, driver hours of service, drug and alcohol testing, security, ergonomics, as well as other unforeseen matters. Compliance with such regulations could substantially impair equipment productivity and increase our costs.

Taxes are a significant part of our annual expenses and we are subject to various federal and state income, payroll, property, sales and other taxes. In addition, various federal and state authorities impose significant operating taxes on the transportation industry, including fuel taxes, tolls, excise and other taxes. There can be no assurance that such taxes will not substantially increase or that new or revised forms of operating taxes or tax laws or regulations, such as those included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, will not be imposed on the industry. Higher tax rates, claims, audits, investigations or legal proceedings involving taxing authorities could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.  

The FMCSA rules on motor carrier driver hours of service limit the maximum number of hours a driver may be on duty between mandatory off-duty hours. Our operations were adjusted to comply with these rules, and while our base operations were not materially affected, we did experience deterioration in the cost, availability and reliability of purchased transportation. Revisions to these rules could further impact our operations, further tighten the market for qualified drivers and put additional pressure on driver wages and purchased transportation costs. 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to focus on trailer security, driver identification and security clearance and border crossing procedures. These and other safety and security measures, such as rules for transportation of hazardous materials could increase the cost of operations, reduce the number of qualified drivers and disrupt or impede the timing of our deliveries for our customers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues rules and regulations for carriers of foodstuffs like us to provide for the security of food and foodstuffs throughout the supply chain. The FDA has issued a final rule to establish certain requirements under the Sanitary Food and Transportation Act (SFTA) for vehicles and transportation equipment, transportation operations, training, recordkeeping and waivers. The rule is designed to promote the continuance of best practices in the industry concerning cleaning, inspection, maintenance, loading and unloading of, and operation of vehicles. Under the SFTA requirements, carriers are required to develop and implement written procedures subject to recordkeeping that specify its practices for cleaning, sanitizing, and inspecting vehicles and transportation equipment. Continued compliance with current and future SFTA requirements may cause us to incur additional expenses and affect our operations.

Historically, the EPA has issued regulations that require progressive reductions in exhaust emissions from diesel engines. These regulations increased the cost of replacing and maintaining trucks and increased fuel costs by reducing miles per gallon. These regulations have the potential to reduce availability of fuel and reduce productivity which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

In 2015, the FMCSA issued a final rule related to mandatory use of Electronic Log Devices (ELD). The rule requires many in-state-only drivers and most interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers to be compliant by no later than December 18, 2017. Drivers who voluntarily used a compliant automatic on-board recording device by the December 18, 2017, deadline were “grandfathered” for two years to give providers time to update their systems to be compliant with the ELD standards. While such regulations could increase the cost of technology, capital equipment and maintenance expenses across our industry, we implemented ELDs company-wide in 2014 prior to the effective date of the ELD standard. Despite our current company-wide use of ELDs, there can be no guarantee that our understanding of the new regulations will be the same as that of the government in all aspects.

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The FMCSA has established the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which is a database that will disclose drug and alcohol violations of commercial motor vehicle drivers. The clearinghouse was established by the FMCSA in an effort to help better identify drivers who are prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles based on drug and alcohol violations and ensure drivers cannot conceal drug and alcohol violations by changing jobs or locations. The clearinghouse is scheduled to launch in early 2020 and will require us to check for current and prospective employee’s drug and alcohol violations and annually query for violations of each driver we currently employ. Implementation and future compliance with the clearinghouse may result in a reduction of the pool of qualified commercial motor vehicle drivers.

In 2016, the NHTSA and FMSCA proposed regulations that would require vehicles of a certain size to be equipped with a speed limiting device set to a specified speed. A final rule has not yet been implemented and there can be no guarantee as to when, if ever, a final rule requiring speed limiting devices will be implemented, and if so the nature of any such rule and its impact on our fleet and operations.

Changes in foreign and domestic trade policies, including the North American Free Trade Agreement, could adversely affect our financial performance.

Recent changes in foreign and domestic trade policies and laws have caused uncertainty about the future of trade partnerships and treaties, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has been renegotiated by the United States, Mexico and Canada. We partner with carriers in Canada and Mexico to arrange for the movement of freight into and out of those jurisdictions, and we may experience a decline in the demand for our services in these jurisdictions as a result. It is unknown at this time whether and to what extent the renegotiated treaty will be ratified or the effect that any such action would have, either positively or negatively, on our industry, or on us. Such regulatory changes affecting international trade may require us to adapt or modify our business operations, which may be time-consuming and expensive for us. In addition, the renegotiated treaty may lead to additional tariffs on imported goods which may reduce demand for our services. Any change to international rules governing the passage of freight between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations. Costs of compliance with or liabilities for violations of existing or future regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business. We are also subject to increasing customer sensitivity to sustainability issues.

Our operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations dealing with the handling of hazardous materials, underground fuel storage tanks and discharge and retention of storm water. We operate in industrial areas where truck terminals and other industrial activities are located and where groundwater or other forms of environmental contamination may have occurred. Our operations involve the risks of fuel spillage or seepage, environmental damage and hazardous waste disposal, and costs associated with the leakage or discharge of hazardous materials we transport for our customers, among others. Although we have programs in place designed to monitor and control environmental risks and to promote compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, violations of applicable environmental laws or regulations or spills or other accidents involving hazardous substances can still occur and may subject us to cleanup costs, liabilities not covered by insurance, substantial fines or penalties and to civil and criminal liability, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

In addition, as climate change concerns become more prevalent, federal, state and local governments and our customers are increasingly sensitive to these issues. This increased focus on sustainability may result in new legislation, regulations and customer requirements, such as limits on vehicle weight and size, which could negatively affect us. This could cause us to incur additional direct costs or to make changes to our operations in order to comply with any new regulations and customer requirements. We could also lose revenue if our customers divert business from us because we have not complied with their sustainability requirements. These costs, changes and loss of revenue could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

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CSA could adversely affect our results of operations and ability to maintain or grow our business.

CSA is an enforcement and compliance model required by the FMCSA that assesses a motor carrier’s on-road performance and investigation results for a 24-month period using roadside stops and inspections, resulting in safety and performance ratings in the following categories: unsafe driving; hours-of-service compliance; driver fitness; controlled substances/alcohol; vehicle maintenance; hazardous material compliance; and crash indicators.

In addition, the safety standards prescribed in CSA could change and our ability to maintain an acceptable score could be adversely impacted.

The CSA evaluations are used to rank carriers and individual drivers and to select carriers for audit and other interventions. Public disclosure of certain CSA scores was restricted through the enactment of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (the FAST Act) in 2015; however, the FAST Act does not restrict public disclosure of all data collected by the FMSCA. If we receive unacceptable CSA scores, and this data is made available to the public, our relationships with our customers could be damaged, which could result in decreased demand for our services. The requirements of CSA could also shrink the industry’s pool of drivers as those with unfavorable scores could leave the industry. While the ultimate impact of CSA is not fully known, it is possible that future CSA rulemaking could adversely impact our ability to attract and retain drivers which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

We may face risks arising from our international business operations and relationships.

We are subject to the requirements of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) for our transportation and logistics services to and from various international locations. Failure to comply with the FCPA may result in legal claims against us. In addition, we face other risks associated with international operations and relationships, which may include restrictive trade policies, the renegotiation of international trade agreements, imposition of duties, taxes or government royalties imposed by foreign governments.  

Our results of operations may be affected by seasonal factors, harsh weather conditions and disasters.

Our operations are subject to seasonal trends and fluctuations common in the transportation industry, which can impact our revenues and operating results. In addition to the impact of weather on seasonal business trends, severe weather events and natural disasters, such as harsh winter weather, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes could adversely impact our performance by reducing demand, disrupting our operations or the operations of our customers or destroying our assets, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

We may face risks related to the geographic concentration of our customers.

We have operations throughout the South, Southwest, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, West and portions of the Northeast. As a result, changes in the economic climate, consumer trends, market fluctuations or supply shortages in these regions could decrease demand for our services in these regions and may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. For example, the energy sector is important to local economies in several of these regions. If oil and gas market conditions change materially, the demand for our services in these regions could be impacted significantly, which could also adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Anti-terrorism measures and terrorist events may disrupt our business.

Federal, state and municipal authorities have implemented and are continuing to implement various anti-terrorism measures, including checkpoints and travel restrictions on large trucks. If additional security measures disrupt or impede the timing of our deliveries, we may fail to meet requirements of our customers or incur increased expenses to do so. There can be no assurance that new anti-terrorism measures will not be implemented and that such measures will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Terrorism events that disrupt our operations or the operations of our customers could also materially impact our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

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We have significant ongoing cash requirements that could limit our growth and affect profitability if we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations or obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms.

Our business is highly capital intensive. Our net capital expenditures for 2018 were approximately $252 million inclusive of equipment acquired with capital leases. Additionally, we anticipate net capital expenditures in 2019 of approximately $275 million to $300 million. We depend on cash flows from operations, borrowings under our credit facilities and operating and capital leases. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations and obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms in the future, we may have to limit our growth, enter into less favorable financing arrangements or operate our trucks and trailers for longer periods prior to replacement. The amount and timing of capital investments depend on various factors, including anticipated volume levels and the price and availability of appropriate-use property for service facilities and newly manufactured tractors. If anticipated service facilities and/or fleet requirements differ materially from actual usage, we may have too much or too little capacity. Any of these could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Under our current credit facilities, we are subject to certain debt covenants, which limit our ability to pay dividends and repurchase our capital stock, require us to maintain a minimum debt service coverage ratio and provides for a maximum leverage ratio, among other restrictions, that could limit availability of capital to meet our future growth.

Our ability to repay or refinance our indebtedness will depend upon our future operating performance which will be affected by general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors beyond our control.

Our credit and debt agreements contain financial and other restrictive covenants and we may be unable to comply with these covenants. A default could cause a material adverse effect on our business.

We must maintain certain financial and other restrictive covenants under our credit agreement, including among others, covenants requiring us to maintain a minimum debt service coverage ratio and providing for a maximum leverage ratio. If we fail to comply with any of the covenants under our credit agreement, we will be in default under the agreement which could cause cross-defaults under other financial arrangements. In the event of any such default, if we fail to obtain replacement financing, amendments to or waivers under the financing arrangement, our financing sources could cease making further advances, cease issuing letters of credit required under our insurance programs or declare our debt to be immediately due and payable. If acceleration occurs, we may have difficulty in borrowing sufficient additional funds to refinance the accelerated debt or obtain required letters of credit, or we may have to issue securities which would dilute stock ownership. Even if new financing is made available to us, it may not be available on acceptable terms. A default under our credit agreement could cause a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

If we are unable to retain our key employees, our business could be adversely impacted.

We depend on the efforts and abilities of our senior management. The future success of our business will continue to depend in part on our ability to retain our current management team and to attract, hire, develop and retain highly qualified personnel in the future. Competition for senior management is intense, and, with the exception of Mr. O’Dell, members of our senior management do not have employment agreements. Certain members of senior management are subject to non-compete and non-solicitation agreements; however, there is no assurance that such agreements will be enforced as written or that they will be effective to prevent members of senior management from working for a competitor or soliciting our customers. The loss of the services of any of our senior management could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows. Inadequate succession planning or the unexpected departure of a member of senior management would require our remaining executive officers to divert immediate and substantial attention to fulfilling the duties of the departing executive and to seeking a replacement. The inability to adequately fill vacancies in our senior management positions on a timely basis could negatively affect our ability to implement our business strategy and thus impact our results of operations.

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Changes to our compensation and benefits could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain qualified employees.

The compensation we offer our employees is subject to market conditions that may require increases in employee compensation, which becomes more likely as economic conditions improve. If we are unable to attract and retain a sufficient number of qualified employees, we could be required to increase our compensation and benefits packages, or reduce our operations and face difficulty meeting customer demands, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

An increase in the cost of healthcare benefits administration could have a negative impact on our business.

We maintain and sponsor very competitive health insurance and other benefits for our employees and their dependents and offer a competitive healthcare program to attract and retain our employees. We cannot predict the impact that federal or state healthcare legislation or regulation could have on our operations, but it is possible that healthcare benefits and administration costs could become increasingly cost prohibitive, either forcing us to reduce our benefits program (making it more difficult to attract and retain qualified employees) or require us to pay the higher costs.  Either outcome could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

The legislation on healthcare and related regulations could affect the healthcare benefits required to be provided by the Company and cause our compensation costs to increase.

Under the comprehensive U.S. healthcare reform law enacted in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and changes that became effective in 2014, and especially the employer mandate and employer penalties that became effective in 2015, our labor costs could significantly increase in future years. In any event, implementing the requirements of the ACA has imposed additional administrative costs on us, and those costs may increase over time. The costs and other effects of these healthcare requirements cannot be determined with certainty, particularly in light of the potential amendment or repeal of all or parts of the ACA, but they may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Our business may adversely be impacted by potential future changes in accounting practices.

Future changes in accounting standards or practices, and related legal and regulatory interpretations of those changes, may adversely impact public companies in general, the transportation industry or our operations specifically. New accounting standards or requirements could change the way we record revenues, expenses, assets and/or liabilities or could be costly to implement. These types of regulations could have a negative impact on our financial position, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Weakness or a loss of confidence in financial markets could adversely impact demand for our services.

Weakness or a loss of confidence in the financial markets could cause broader economic downturns and impact the ability of our customers to access the capital or credit markets which may lead to lower demand for our services, increased incidence of customers’ inability to pay their accounts, or insolvency of our customers, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Disruptions in the credit markets, including in the availability and cost of short-term funds for liquidity and letter of credit requirements may adversely affect our business and our ability to meet long-term commitments.

If internal funds are not available from our operations, we may be required to rely on the capital and credit markets to meet our financial commitments and short-term liquidity needs. Disruptions in the capital and credit markets could adversely affect our ability to draw on our bank revolving credit facility and obtain letters of credit required for our insurance programs. Our access to funds and letters of credit under that credit facility is dependent on the ability of the banks that are parties to the facility to meet their funding commitments. Those banks may not be able to meet their funding commitments to us if they experience shortages of capital and liquidity or if they experience excessive volumes of borrowing requests from other borrowers within a short period of time.

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Longer term disruptions in the capital and credit markets as a result of uncertainty, changing or increased regulation, reduced alternatives or failures of significant financial institutions could adversely affect our access to liquidity needed for our business. Any disruption could require us to take measures to conserve cash until the markets stabilize or until alternative credit arrangements or other funding for our business needs can be arranged.

We rely heavily on technology to operate our business and cyber-security threats or other disruptions to our technology infrastructure could harm our business.

Our ability to attract and retain customers and compete effectively depends in part upon reliability of our technology network including our ability to provide services that are important to our customers. Any disruption, failure or breach to our technology infrastructure (including services provided to us for use in our business by outside providers), including those impacting our computer systems and website, could adversely impact our customer service and revenues and result in increased risk of litigation or costs. Our cyber-security and technology infrastructure (including services provided to us for use in our business by outside providers) may experience errors, interruptions, delays or damage from a number of causes, including power outages, hardware, software and network failures, computer viruses, malware or other destructive software, internal design, manual or usage errors, cyber-attacks, terrorism, workplace violence or wrongdoing, catastrophic events, natural disasters and severe weather conditions.  While we have invested and continue to invest in technology security initiatives and disaster recovery plans, these measures cannot fully protect us from technology disruptions that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Our dependence on electronic data storage, automated systems and technology gives rise to cyber-security risks. Although we and our third-party providers have preventive systems and processes in place designed to protect against the risk of system failure and cyber-attacks, the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to disable or degrade systems change frequently, have become increasingly more complex and sophisticated, may be difficult to detect for a period of time and we may not be able to anticipate these acts or respond adequately or timely. A security breach of our systems or those of our third-party providers may cause a disruption of our business, impact our ability to attract and retain customers, damage our reputation and brand, expose us to a loss of information or result in litigation, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, and regulatory scrutiny, investigations, actions, fines or penalties, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

Our business depends in part on our strong reputation.

We believe that Saia’s corporate reputation is a valuable asset. As use of social media becomes more prevalent, our susceptibility to risks related to adverse publicity, whether or not justified, increases. While we have implemented a social media policy to provide our employees with guidance for sharing information in a way that is beneficial to us, the immediacy of certain social media outlets precludes us from having real-time control over postings related to Saia, whether matters of fact or opinion. Information distributed via social media could result in immediate unfavorable publicity for which we, like our competitors, do not have the ability to reverse. This unfavorable publicity could result in damage to our reputation and therefore negatively impact our operations and profitability.

Certain provisions of our governing documents and Delaware law could have anti-takeover effects.

As a Delaware corporation, we are subject to certain Delaware anti-takeover provisions. Under Delaware law, a corporation may not engage in a business combination with any holder of 15% or more of its capital stock unless the holder has held the stock for three years or, among other things, the Board of Directors has approved the transaction. Our Board of Directors could rely on Delaware law to prevent or delay an acquisition of us.

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Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws contain certain provisions which may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of the Company. Such provisions include, for example, provisions classifying our Board of Directors, a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, authorization of the Board of Directors to issue preferred stock in series with the terms of each series to be fixed by the Board of Directors and an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals and nominations to the Board of Directors. These provisions may inhibit fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that could result from takeover attempts.

We may not make future acquisitions or, if we do, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of future acquisitions and integration of these acquisitions may disrupt our business and management.

We may acquire additional businesses and operations in the future. However, there is no assurance that we will be successful in identifying, negotiating, consummating or integrating any future acquisitions. Additionally, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of any future acquisitions. Each acquisition has numerous risks including:

In the event that we do not realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition or if the acquired business is not successfully integrated, there could be a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

If we raise additional capital in the future, stockholders’ ownership in us could be diluted.

Any issuance of equity we may undertake in the future to raise additional capital could cause the price of our common stock to decline, or require us to issue shares at a price that is lower than that paid by holders of our common stock in the past, which would result in those newly issued shares being dilutive. If we obtain funds through a credit facility or through the issuance of debt or preferred securities, these obligations and securities would likely have rights senior to those of common stockholders, which could impair the value of our common stock.

We face risks related to the creditworthiness of our customers or other business partners and their ability to pay for services.

If one or more of our customers experiences financial difficulties, including filing for bankruptcy, it may negatively affect our business due to the decreased demand for our services from these customers, or the potential inability of these companies to make full payment on amounts owed to us. Customer bankruptcies also entail the risk of potential recovery by the bankruptcy estate of amounts previously paid to us that are deemed a preference under bankruptcy laws. We do not carry insurance against the risk of customer default on their payment obligations to us or against bankruptcy preference claims. The risks associated with these matters will likely increase in the event of an economic downturn. The loss of revenue from these customers or payment of preference claims could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows.

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The market value of our common stock may fluctuate and could be substantially affected by various factors.

The price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market constantly changes. We expect that the market price of our common stock will continue to fluctuate and the fluctuations may be unrelated to our financial performance. Our share price may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Factors that could cause fluctuation of our stock price include, but are not limited to, the following:

Our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows could be adversely affected by an unfavorable outcome resulting from these risks and uncertainties.

None.

Saia is headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia and has general offices in Houma, Louisiana, Boise, Idaho and Dallas, Texas. At December 31, 2018, Saia owned 72 service facilities, including the Houma, Louisiana general office and leased 94 service facilities, including the Johns Creek, Georgia corporate office and the Boise, Idaho general office. Although Saia owns only 43 percent of its service facility locations, these locations account for 58 percent of its door capacity. This follows Saia’s strategy of seeking to own strategically-located facilities that are integral to its operations and leasing service facilities in smaller markets to allow for more flexibility. As of December 31, 2018, Saia owned approximately 4,834 tractors and 15,483 trailers, inclusive of equipment acquired with capital leases.

The Company has pledged certain land and structures, tractors and trailers, accounts receivable and other assets to secure the Company’s obligations under its revolving credit agreement. All service facilities listed in the table below denoted as owned by the Company are subject to liens pursuant to the revolving credit agreement. See “Financial Condition” under Item 7: Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for more information about the revolving credit agreement.

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Top 20 Saia Operating Service Facilities by Number of Doors at December 31, 2018

The Company purchased a facility in Harrisburg, PA in 2018 with 129 doors and the facility became operational in January 2019.

The Company is subject to legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of its business. The Company believes that adequate provisions for resolution of all contingencies, claims and pending litigation have been made for probable and estimable losses and that the ultimate outcome of these actions will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition but could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations in a given quarter or annual period.

Not applicable.

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PART II.

Stock Information

Saia’s common stock is listed under the symbol “SAIA” on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

Stockholders

As of January 31, 2019, there were 1,050 holders of record of our common stock.

Equity Compensation Plan Information as of December 31, 2018

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

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The following table shows summary consolidated historical financial data of Saia and its operating subsidiaries and has been derived from, and should be read together with, the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. The summary financial information may not be indicative of the future performance of Saia.

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Forward-Looking Statements

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) encourages companies to disclose forward-looking information so that investors can better understand the future prospects of a company and make informed investment decisions. This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains these types of statements, which are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “believe,” “should” and similar words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements reflect the present expectation of future events of our management as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and are subject to a number of important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statements. These factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, the following:

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These factors and risks are more completely described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

As a result of these and other factors, no assurance can be given as to our future results and achievements. Accordingly, a forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances and those future events or circumstances may not occur. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We are under no obligation, and we expressly disclaim any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Executive Overview

The Company’s business is highly correlated to non-service sectors of the general economy. The Company’s strategy is to improve profitability by increasing yield while also increasing volumes to build density in existing geography and to expand our service geography into the Northeastern United States. The Company’s business is labor intensive, capital intensive and service sensitive. The Company looks for opportunities to improve safety, cost effectiveness and asset utilization (primarily tractors and trailers). Pricing initiatives have had a positive impact on yield and profitability. The Company continues to execute targeted sales and marketing programs along with initiatives to align costs with volumes and improve customer satisfaction. Technology continues to be an important investment that is improving customer experience, operational efficiencies and Company image.

The Company’s operating revenue increased by 17.7 percent in 2018 compared to 2017. The increase resulted primarily from increased shipments, tonnage, fuel surcharges, pricing actions, including a 5.9 percent general rate increase taken May 21, 2018, and one more workday in 2018.  Continued expansion into the Northeastern United States and the new Canadian marketing arrangement which began during the second quarter of 2017 were contributing factors in the increased shipments and tonnage in 2018.

Consolidated operating income was $141.2 million for 2018 compared to $94.7 million in 2017. The increase in 2018 operating income resulted primarily from increases in shipments, tonnage and fuel surcharges and pricing actions, partially offset by salary and wage increases, higher fuel and purchase transportation costs, increased depreciation expense and costs associated with expansion into the Northeastern United States.

The Company generated $256.4 million in net cash provided by operating activities in 2018 versus $157.8 million in 2017. The Company used $222.6 million of net cash in investing activities during 2018 compared to $181.5 million during 2017.

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The Company’s Fifth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement provides a $250 million revolving credit facility and expires in March 2020. The facility also has an accordion feature that allows for an additional $75 million in availability, subject to lender approval. The facility provides for a LIBOR rate margin range from 112.5 basis points to 225 basis points, base rate margins from minus 12.5 basis points to plus 50 basis points, an unused portion fee from 20 basis points to 30 basis points and letter of credit fees from 112.5 basis points to 225 basis points, in each case based on the Company’s leverage ratio. On February 5, 2019, the Company entered into the Sixth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with its banking group as described in the Financial Condition section below.

The Company had $36.4 million of net cash used in financing activities during 2018 compared to $26.9 million of net cash provided by financing activities during 2017. The Company had a $66.0 million decrease in net borrowings (net of repayments) under its revolving credit facility during 2018 and made scheduled principal payments for capital lease obligations of $16.1 million during 2018. Outstanding letters of credit were $29.5 million and the cash and cash equivalents balance was $2.2 million as of December 31, 2018. The Company had $202.3 million in remaining availability under its revolving credit facility and $102.9 million in obligations under capital leases at December 31, 2018. The Company was in compliance with the debt covenants under its debt agreements at December 31, 2018. See “Financial Condition” for a more complete discussion of these agreements.

General

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis describes the principal factors affecting the results of operations, liquidity and capital resources, as well as the critical accounting policies of Saia, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (together, the Company or Saia). This discussion should be read in conjunction with the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements which include additional information about our significant accounting policies, practices and the transactions that underlie our financial results.

Saia is a transportation company headquartered in Johns Creek, Georgia that provides less-than-truckload (LTL) services through a single integrated organization. While more than 97% of its revenue historically has been derived from transporting LTL shipments across 41 states, the Company also offers customers a wide range of other value-added services, including non-asset truckload, expedited and logistics services across the United States.  The Chief Operating Decision Maker is the Chief Executive Officer who manages the business, regularly reviews financial information and allocates resources. The Company has one operating segment.

Our business is highly correlated to non-service sectors of the general economy. Our business also is impacted by a number of other factors as discussed under “Forward Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors.” The key factors that affect our operating results are the volumes of shipments transported through our network, as measured by our average daily shipments and tonnage; the prices we obtain for our services, as measured by revenue per hundredweight (a measure of yield) and revenue per shipment; our ability to manage our cost structure for capital expenditures and operating expenses such as salaries, wages and benefits; purchased transportation; claims and insurance expense; fuel and maintenance; and our ability to match operating costs to shifting volume levels.

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Results of Operations

Saia, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Selected Results of Operations and Operating Statistics

For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

(in thousands, except ratios and revenue per hundredweight)

Year ended December 31, 2018 as compared to year ended December 31, 2017

Revenue and volume

Consolidated revenue increased 17.7 percent to $1.65 billion as a result of increased shipments, tonnage,  fuel surcharges and pricing actions, including a 5.9 percent general rate increase taken May 21, 2018 and one more workday in 2018.  Expansion into the Northeastern United States and the new Canadian marketing arrangement which began during the second quarter of 2017 continued to be contributing factors in the increased shipments and tonnage in 2018. The economic environment over the last couple of years permitted the Company to implement measured pricing actions to improve yield. Saia’s LTL revenue per hundredweight (a measure of yield) increased 10.2 percent to $16.80 per hundredweight for 2018 primarily as a result of increased rates along with increased length of haul. Saia’s LTL tonnage increased 6.6 percent per workday and LTL shipments increased 4.4 percent per workday for 2018. For 2018 and 2017, approximately 75 to 80 percent of Saia’s operating revenue was subject to specific customer price adjustment negotiations that occur throughout the year. The remaining 20 to 25 percent of operating revenue was subject to a general rate increase which is based on market conditions. For customers subject to general rate increases, Saia implemented 5.9 percent and 4.9 percent general rate increases on May 21, 2018 and July 17, 2017, respectively. Competitive factors, customer turnover and mix changes, among other things, impact the extent to which customer rate increases are retained over time.

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Operating revenue includes fuel surcharge revenue from the Company’s fuel surcharge program. That program is designed to reduce the Company’s exposure to fluctuations in fuel prices by adjusting total freight charges to account for changes in the price of fuel. The Company’s fuel surcharge is generally based on the average national price for diesel fuel and is reset weekly. Fuel surcharges have remained in effect for several years, are widely accepted in the industry and are a significant component of revenue and pricing. Fuel surcharges are an integral part of customer contract negotiations but represent only one portion of overall customer price negotiations as customers may negotiate increases in base rates instead of increases in fuel surcharges or vice versa. Fuel surcharge revenue increased to 13.6 percent of operating revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to 11.3 percent for the year ended December 31, 2017 primarily as a result of increases in the cost of fuel.

Operating expenses and margin

Consolidated operating income was $141.2 million in 2018 compared to $94.7 million in 2017. In summary, the operations were favorably impacted in 2018 by higher tonnage, shipments, fuel surcharges and yield, which were offset by salary and wage increases, higher fuel and purchase transportation costs, increased depreciation expense and costs associated with the Company’s geographic expansion. The 2018 operating ratio (operating expenses divided by operating revenue) was 91.5 percent as compared to 93.3 percent for 2017.

Salaries, wages and benefit expense increased $105.9 million in 2018 compared to 2017 largely due to higher wages associated with increased headcount in 2018, wage increases in July 2017 and 2018 and higher healthcare benefit costs. Fuel, operating expenses and supplies increased $56.9 million during 2018 compared to 2017 largely due to higher fuel costs and increased costs of other operating expenses and supplies, including increased expenses related to the geographic expansion, partially offset by improved fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs from a newer fleet.  Claims and insurance expense in 2018 was $1.3 million higher than 2017 largely due to increased premiums in 2018 and increased cargo claims. The Company can experience volatility in accident expense as a result of its self-insurance structure and $2.0 million retention limits per occurrence. Depreciation expense increased $15.1 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily due to revenue equipment, real estate and technology investments in late 2017 and 2018. Purchased transportation expense increased $16.2 million in 2018 compared to 2017 primarily due to increases in purchased transportation cost per mile and utilization of purchased transportation carriers to maintain service requirements while supporting increased shipments, tonnage and length of haul throughout 2018.

Other

Substantially all non-operating expenses represent interest expense. Interest expense in 2018 was $0.4 million greater than 2017 due to increased average borrowings resulting from the $41.1 million increase in investing activities in 2018. The effective income tax rate was 22.7 percent and -1.5 percent for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The 2018 effective income tax rate includes the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Tax Act) legislation enacted on December 22, 2017, the excess tax benefits from stock activity recognized as a result of the Company’s adoption of ASU 2016-09 effective January 1, 2017 and $1 million in fuel tax credits for 2017 enacted in the first quarter of 2018. The 2017 effective income tax rates included the estimated impact of the Tax Act, and excess tax benefits from the adoption of ASU 2016-09. See Note 9 to the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for an analysis of the income tax provision, impacts of the Tax Act and the effective tax rate.

Working capital/capital expenditures

Working capital at December 31, 2018 was $4.1 million which decreased from working capital at December 31, 2017 of $36.3 million. This decrease is primarily due to an increase in accounts payable and accrued wages, vacation and employees’ benefits, partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable. Cash flows from operating activities were $256.4 million for 2018 versus $157.8 million for 2017 driven by increased profitability and working capital changes. For 2018, net cash used in investing activities was $222.6 million versus $181.5 million in 2017 primarily due to higher capital expenditures for real estate, technology and revenue equipment during 2018. Net cash used in financing activities was $36.4 million in 2018 versus $26.9 million in net cash provided by financing activities for 2017 primarily driven by a decrease in the net borrowings (net of repayments) under our revolving credit facility of $66.0 million from 2018 compared to 2017.

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Year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to year ended December 31, 2016

Revenue and volume

Consolidated revenue increased 12.3 percent to $1.40 billion as a result of increased tonnage, shipments, fuel surcharges, and pricing actions, including a 4.9 percent general rate increase taken July 17, 2017, partially offset by the impacts of named hurricanes Harvey and Irma and one less workday in 2017.  Expansion into the Northeastern United States and the new Canadian marketing arrangement entered into during the second quarter of 2017 were contributing factors in the increased shipments and tonnage in 2017. The economic environment permitted the Company to implement measured pricing actions to improve yield. Saia’s LTL revenue per hundredweight (a measure of yield) increased 7.3 percent to $15.24 per hundredweight for 2017 primarily as a result of increased rates. Saia’s LTL tonnage increased 5.6 percent to 4.5 million tons and LTL shipments increased 5.3 percent to 6.8 million shipments. For 2016 and 2017, approximately 75 to 80 percent of Saia’s operating revenue was subject to specific customer price adjustment negotiations that occur throughout the year. The remaining 20 to 25 percent of operating revenue was subject to a general rate increase which is based on market conditions. For customers subject to general rate increases, Saia implemented 4.9 percent general rate increases on October 3, 2016 and July 17, 2017. Competitive factors, customer turnover and mix changes, among other things, impact the extent to which customer rate increases are retained over time.

Operating revenue includes fuel surcharge revenue from the Company’s fuel surcharge program. That program is designed to reduce the Company’s exposure to fluctuations in fuel prices by adjusting total freight charges to account for changes in the price of fuel. The Company’s fuel surcharge is generally based on the average national price for diesel fuel and is reset weekly. Fuel surcharges have remained in effect for several years, are widely accepted in the industry and are a significant component of revenue and pricing. Fuel surcharges are an integral part of customer contract negotiations, but represent only one portion of overall customer price negotiations as customers may negotiate increases in base rates instead of increases in fuel surcharges or vice versa. Saia revised its fuel surcharge program effective January 18, 2016 to better align with its competitors. Fuel surcharge revenue increased to 11.3 percent of operating revenue for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to 9.5 percent for the year ended December 31, 2016 primarily as a result of increases in the cost of fuel.

Operating expenses and margin

Consolidated operating income was $94.7 million in 2017 compared to $79.1 million in 2016. In summary, the operations were favorably impacted in 2017 by higher tonnage, shipments, fuel surcharges and yield, which were partially offset by salary and wage increases, higher fuel and purchase transportation costs, increased depreciation expense and costs associated with the Company’s geographic expansion. The 2017 operating ratio (operating expenses divided by operating revenue) was 93.3 percent as compared to 93.7 percent for 2016.

Salaries, wages and benefit expense increased $70.7 million from 2016 to 2017 largely due to higher wages associated with increased headcount in 2017, wage increases in July 2016 and 2017, and higher healthcare benefit costs.  Fuel, operating expenses and supplies increased $37.7 million during 2017 compared to 2016 largely due to higher fuel costs and increased costs of other operating expenses and supplies, including increased expenses related to the geographic expansion, partially offset by improved fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs from a newer fleet.  Claims and insurance expense in 2017 was $2.5 million lower than 2016 largely due to decreased accident severity in 2017 and decreased development on older claims. The Company can experience volatility in accident expense as a result of its self-insurance structure and $2.0 million retention limits per occurrence. Depreciation expense increased $10.9 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily due to revenue equipment and technology investments in late 2016 and 2017. Purchased transportation expense increased $19.5 million in 2017 compared to 2016 primarily due to increases in purchased transportation cost per mile and utilization of purchased transportation carriers to maintain service requirements while supporting increased shipments, tonnage and length of haul throughout 2017.

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Other

Substantially all non-operating expenses represent interest expense. Interest expense in 2017 was $0.7 million greater than 2016 due to increased average borrowings resulting from the $63.8 million increase in investing activities in 2017. The effective income tax rate was -1.5 and 35.9 percent for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The 2017 effective income tax rates included the estimated impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Tax Act) legislation enacted on December 22, 2017, and excess tax benefits from the adoption of ASU 2016-09.  The 2016 effective income tax rate included approximately $1.0 million in alternative fuel tax credits. See Note 9 to the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for an analysis of the income tax provision, impacts of the Tax Act and the effective tax rate.

Working capital/capital expenditures

Working capital at December 31, 2017 was $36.3 million which increased from working capital at December 31, 2016 of $21.5 million. This increase is primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable, partially offset by increases in accounts payable and accrued wages, vacation and employees’ benefits. Cash flows from operating activities were $157.8 million for 2017 versus $146.4 million for 2016 driven by increased profitability and working capital changes. For 2017, net cash used in investing activities was $181.5 million versus $117.7 million in 2016 primarily due to higher capital expenditures for real estate, technology, and revenue equipment during 2017. Net cash provided by financing activities was $26.9 million in 2017 versus $27.3 million for 2016 primarily driven by a decrease in net borrowings (net repayments) under our revolving credit facility of $57.5 million from 2017 compared to 2016.

Outlook

Our business remains highly correlated to non-service sectors of the general economy and competitive pricing pressures, as well as the success of Company-specific improvement initiatives. There remains uncertainty as to the strength of economic conditions. We are continuing initiatives to increase yield, reduce costs and improve productivity. We focus on providing top quality service and improving safety performance. Planned revenue initiatives include, but are not limited to, building density in our current geography, targeted marketing initiatives to grow revenue in more profitable segments, further expanding our service geography into the Northeastern United States, as well as pricing and yield management. On May 21, 2018, Saia implemented a 5.9 percent general rate increase for customers comprising approximately 20 to 25 percent of Saia’s operating revenue. The extent of success of these revenue initiatives is impacted by what proves to be the underlying economic trends, competitor initiatives and other factors discussed under “Forward-Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors.”

With the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 22, 2017, the federal corporate income tax rate was reduced from 35 percent to 21 percent effective January 1, 2018.  The Company currently expects the effective tax rate for 2019 to be in the range of 23 percent to 24 percent.  The effective tax rate may vary from quarter to quarter due to unusual or infrequently occurring discrete items, the resolution of income tax audits, changes in tax laws or the tax impact from employee share-based payments.  For further discussion of the changes in the effective tax rate, see Note 9 to the audited consolidated financial statements.  

Effective July 1, 2018, the Company implemented a salary and wage increase for all of its employees. The cost of the compensation increase is expected to be approximately $16 million annually, and the Company anticipates the impact will be partially offset by productivity and efficiency gains. The Company also anticipates market competitive wage increases in 2019.

If the Company builds market share, including through its geographic expansion, it expects there to be numerous operating leverage cost benefits. Conversely, should the economy soften from present levels, the Company plans to match resources and capacity to shifting volume levels to lessen unfavorable operating leverage. The success of cost improvement initiatives is also impacted by the cost and availability of drivers and purchased transportation, fuel, insurance claims, regulatory changes, successful expansion of our service geography into the Northeastern United States and other factors discussed under “Forward-Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors.”

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See “Forward-Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors,” for a more complete discussion of potential risks and uncertainties that could materially affect our future performance.

Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in 2018

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services. The ASU replaced most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles when it became effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. In-depth reviews of customer arrangements were completed and changes to processes and internal controls to meet the standard’s reporting and disclosure requirements were implemented.  The Company adopted the standard using the full retrospective transition method.

As a result of the adoption of this standard, the Company changed the presentation of its non-asset truckload business from net revenue to gross revenue and changed the method of recognizing that revenue from upon commencement of the services to over the transit time of the freight as it moves from origin to destination.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In February 2016, the FASB established Topic 842, Leases, by issuing ASU No. 2016-02, which requires lessees to recognize leases on the balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. Topic 842 was subsequently amended by ASU No. 2018-01, Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition to Topic 842; ASU No. 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases; and ASU No. 2018-11, Targeted Improvements. The new standard establishes a right-of-use model (ROU) that requires a lessee to recognize a ROU asset and lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with a term longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the income statement.

The new standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company will adopt the new standard on its effective date. A modified retrospective transition approach is required, applying the new standard to all leases existing at the date of initial application. An entity may choose to use either (1) its effective date or (2) the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements as its date of initial application. If an entity chooses the second option, the transition requirements for existing leases also apply to leases entered into between the date of initial application and the effective date. The entity must also recast its comparative period financial statements and provide the disclosures required by the new standard for the comparative periods. The Company will adopt the new standard on January 1, 2019 and use the effective date as its date of initial application. Consequently, financial information will not be updated and the disclosures required under the new standard will not be provided for dates and periods before January 1, 2019.

The new standard provides a number of optional practical expedients in transition. The Company intends to elect the ‘package of practical expedients’, which permits it not to reassess under the new standard its prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs. The Company does not expect to elect the use-of-hindsight or the practical expedient pertaining to land easements; the latter not being applicable to it.

The Company expects that this standard will have a material effect on its financial statements. While the Company continues to assess all of the effects of adoption, it currently believes the most significant effects relate to (1) the recognition of new ROU assets and lease liabilities on its balance sheet for its real estate operating leases and (2) providing significant new disclosures about its leasing activities. The Company does not expect a significant change in its leasing activities between now and the first financial statements issued with adoption.

On adoption, the Company currently expects to recognize additional operating liabilities of approximately $75 to $85 million, with corresponding ROU assets of the same amount based on the present value of the remaining minimum rental payments under existing operating leases.

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The new standard also provides practical expedients for an entity’s ongoing accounting. The Company currently intends to elect the short-term lease recognition exemption for all leases that qualify. This means, for those leases that qualify, the Company will not recognize ROU assets or lease liabilities, and this includes not recognizing ROU assets or lease liabilities for existing short-term leases of those assets in transition. The Company also currently intends to elect the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for all of its leases other than leases of real estate.

Financial Condition

The Company's liquidity needs arise primarily from capital investment in new equipment, land and structures, information technology and letters of credit required under insurance programs, as well as funding working capital requirements.

The Company is party to a revolving credit agreement (the Existing Credit Agreement) with a group of banks to fund capital investments, letters of credit and working capital needs. The Company has pledged certain land and structures, accounts receivable and other assets to secure indebtedness under this agreement.

Credit Agreement

The Existing Credit Agreement is a revolving credit facility for up to $250 million expiring in March 2020. The Existing Credit Agreement also has an accordion feature that allows for an additional $75 million in availability, subject to bank approval. The Existing Credit Agreement provides for a LIBOR rate margin range from 112.5 basis points to 225 basis points, base rate margins from minus 12.5 basis points to plus 50 basis points, an unused portion fee from 20 basis points to 30 basis points and letter of credit fees from 112.5 basis points to 225 basis points, in each case based on the Company's leverage ratio.

Under the Existing Credit Agreement, the Company must maintain certain financial covenants including a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio and a maximum leverage ratio. The Existing Credit Agreement provides for a pledge by the Company of certain land and structures, accounts receivable and other assets to secure indebtedness under this agreement.

At December 31, 2018, the Company had borrowings of $20.0 million and outstanding letters of credit of $27.7 million under the Existing Credit Agreement. At December 31, 2017, the Company had $43.0 million of outstanding borrowings and outstanding letters of credit of $33.9 million under the Existing Credit Agreement. The available portion of the Existing Credit Agreement may be used for general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures, working capital and letter of credit requirements as needed.

On February 5, 2019, the Company entered into the Sixth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with its banking group (as amended, the Amended Credit Agreement). The amendment increased the amount of the revolver from $250 million to $300 million and extended the term until February 2024. The Amended Credit Agreement also has an accordion feature that allows for an additional $100 million availability, subject to bank approval. The amendment reduced the interest rate pricing grid. The Amended Credit Agreement provides for a LIBOR rate margin range from 100 basis points to 200 basis points, base rate margins from minus 50 basis points to plus 50 basis points, an unused portion fee from 17.5 basis points to 30 basis points and letter of credit fees from 100 basis points to 200 basis points, in each case based on the Company's leverage ratio. Under the Amended Credit Agreement, the Company must maintain a minimum debt service coverage ratio set at 1.25 to 1.00 and a maximum leverage ratio set at 3.25 to 1.00. The Amended Credit Agreement provides for a pledge by the Company of certain land and structures, accounts receivable and other assets to secure indebtedness under this agreement.  The Amended Credit Agreement contains certain customary representations and warranties, affirmative and negative covenants and provisions relating to events of default. Under the Amended Credit Agreement, if an event of default occurs, the banks will be entitled to take various actions, including the acceleration of amounts due.  

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Capital Leases

The Company is obligated under capital leases with seven year terms covering revenue equipment totaling $102.9 million and $89.9 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Amortization of assets held under the capital leases is included in depreciation expense. The weighted average interest rates for the capital leases at December 31, 2018 and 2017 is 3.41% and 3.07%, respectively.

Other

The Company has historically generated cash flows from operations to fund a large portion of its capital expenditure requirements. The timing of capital expenditures can largely be managed around the seasonal working capital requirements of the Company. The Company believes it has adequate sources of capital to meet short-term liquidity needs through its operating cash flows and availability under its revolving credit agreement, which was $202.3 million at December 31, 2018, subject to the Company’s satisfaction of existing debt covenants. Future operating cash flows are primarily dependent upon the Company’s profitability and its ability to manage its working capital requirements, primarily accounts receivable, accounts payable and wage and benefit accruals. The Company was in compliance with its debt covenants at December 31, 2018.

Net capital expenditures pertain primarily to investments in tractors and trailers and other revenue equipment, information technology, land and structures. Projected net capital expenditures for 2019 are approximately $275 million to $300 million, inclusive of equipment acquired using capital leases. This compares to 2018 net capital expenditures of $252 million for property and equipment, inclusive of equipment acquired using capital leases. Projected 2019 capital expenditures include a normal replacement cycle of revenue equipment and technology investment for our operations. In addition, the Company plans to add revenue equipment and real estate investments to support our growth initiatives.

See “Forward-Looking Statements” and Item 1A., “Risk Factors,” for a more complete discussion of potential risks and uncertainties that could materially affect our future performance.

Actual net capital expenditures, inclusive of equipment acquired using capital leases, are summarized in the following table (in millions):

In addition to the amounts disclosed in the table above, the Company had an additional $22.0 million in capital expenditures for revenue equipment that was received but not paid for prior to December 31, 2018. Included in the 2018, 2017, and 2016 revenue equipment expenditures are capital leases totaling $29.1 million, $35.5 million and $34.7 million, respectively.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

In accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, our operating leases are not recorded in our consolidated balance sheet; however, the future minimum lease payments are included in the “Contractual Obligations” table below. See the notes to the accompanying audited consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K for additional information. In addition to the principal amounts disclosed in the tables below, the Company has interest obligations of approximately $5.1 million for 2019 and decreasing for each year thereafter, based on borrowings and commitments outstanding at December 31, 2018.

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Contractual Obligations

The following tables set forth a summary of our contractual obligations and other commercial commitments as of December 31, 2018 (in millions):

The Company has accrued approximately $0.9 million for uncertain tax positions and accrued interest and penalties of $0.1 million related to the uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2018. The Company cannot reasonably estimate the timing of cash settlement with respective taxing authorities beyond one year and accordingly has not included the amounts within the above contractual cash obligations and other commercial commitment tables.  

At December 31, 2018, the Company has $77.9 million in claims, insurance and other liabilities.  The Company cannot reasonably estimate the timing of cash settlement with respective adverse parties beyond one year and accordingly has not included the amounts within the above contractual cash obligations and other commercial commitment tables.  

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The Company makes estimates and assumptions in preparing the consolidated financial statements that affect reported amounts and disclosures therein. In the opinion of management, the accounting policies that generally have the most significant impact on the financial position and results of operations of the Company include:

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Revenue is recognized in a systematic process whereby estimates of shipments in transit are based upon actual shipments picked up, scheduled day of delivery and current trend in average rates charged to customers. Since the cycle for pickup and delivery of shipments is generally 1-3 days, typically less than 5 percent of a total month’s revenue is in transit at the end of any month. Estimates for credit losses and billing adjustments are based upon historical experience of credit losses, adjustments processed and trends of collections. Billing adjustments are primarily made for discounts and billing corrections. These estimates are continuously evaluated and updated; however, changes in economic conditions, pricing arrangements and other factors can significantly impact these estimates.

These accounting policies and others are described in further detail in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K.

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to adopt accounting policies and make significant judgments and estimates to develop amounts reflected and disclosed in the consolidated financial statements. In many cases, there are alternative policies or estimation techniques that could be used. We maintain a thorough process to review the application of our accounting policies and to evaluate the appropriateness of the many estimates that are required to prepare the consolidated financial statements. However, even under optimal circumstances, estimates routinely require adjustment based on changing circumstances and the receipt of new or better information.

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The Company is exposed to a variety of market risks including the effects of interest rates and fuel prices. The detail of the Company’s debt structure is more fully described in the notes to the consolidated financial statements set forth in this Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. To help mitigate our exposure to rising fuel prices, the Company has implemented a fuel surcharge program. This program is well established within the industry and customer acceptance of fuel surcharges remains high. Since the amount of fuel surcharge is based on average national fuel prices and is reset weekly, exposure of the Company to fuel price volatility is significantly reduced. However, the fuel surcharge may not fully offset fuel price fluctuations during periods of rapid increases or decreases in the price of fuel and is also subject to overall competitive pricing negotiations.

The following table provides information about the Company’s third-party financial instruments as of December 31, 2018 with comparative information as of December 31, 2017. The table presents cash flows for principal payments (in millions) and related weighted average interest rates by contractual maturity dates. The fair value of the variable and fixed rate debt (in millions) was estimated based upon levels one and two in the fair value hierarchy, respectively. The fair value of the capital leases is based on current market interest rates for similar types of financial instruments.

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Saia, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Saia, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2018 and the related notes (collectively, the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2018, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in  Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013)  issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 25, 2019 expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2002.

Atlanta, Georgia

February 25, 2019

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Saia, Inc.:

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited Saia, Inc. and subsidiaries’ (the “Company”) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013)  issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2018, and the related notes (collectively, the “consolidated financial statements”), and our report dated February 25, 2019 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting as set forth in Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ KPMG LLP

Atlanta, Georgia

February 25, 2019

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Saia, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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Saia, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations

For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

(in thousands, except per share data)