US XPRESS ENTERPRISES INC - Quarter Report: 2018 June (Form 10-Q)

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U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

June 30, 2018

 

1.	Organization and Operations

U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, “our”, and similar expressions) provide transportation services throughout the United States and Mexico, with a focus in the densely populated and economically diverse eastern half of the United States. The Company offers its customers a broad portfolio of services using its own asset-based truckload fleet and third-party carriers through our non-asset-based truck brokerage network. The Company has two reportable segments, Truckload and Brokerage. Our Truckload segment offers asset-based truckload services, including over-the-road (“OTR”) trucking and dedicated contract services. Our Brokerage segment is principally engaged in non-asset-based freight brokerage services, where loads are contracted to third-party carriers.

 

U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. completed its initial public offering in June 2018 (the “IPO” or the “offering”). Prior to the offering U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. was wholly owned by New Mountain Lake Holdings, LLC (“New Mountain Lake”). New Mountain Lake was formed on October 12, 2007 solely for the purpose of taking U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. private and holding 100% ownership of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. Immediately prior to the effectiveness of the offering, we completed a series of transactions (collectively, the “Reorganization”) pursuant to which New Mountain Lake merged with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation.

In connection with the Reorganization, we adopted the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, and converted into and exchanged the issued and outstanding membership units of New Mountain Lake immediately prior to the Reorganization for the Company’s common stock. We provided for the issuance of 4.6666667 shares of Class A common stock for each Class B non-voting membership unit in New Mountain Lake and 4.6666667 shares of Class B common stock for each Class A voting membership unit in New Mountain Lake. The holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share and the holders of Class B common stock are entitled to five votes per share. In the offering, the Company sold 16,668,000 shares of Class A common stock at a price of $16 per share to the public and received net proceeds of $245.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses.

Under our Articles of Incorporation, our authorized capital stock consists of 140,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, 35,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 9,333,333 shares of preferred stock, the rights and preferences of which may be designated by the Board of Directors.

2.	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries.  All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with Article 10 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates, and such differences could be material.  In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements include all adjustments that are necessary for a fair statement of the results of the interim periods presented, such adjustments being of a normal recurring nature.

 

Certain information and footnote disclosures have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The December 31, 2017 balance sheet was derived from our audited balance sheet as of that date. The Company’s operating results are subject to seasonal trends when measured on a quarterly basis; therefore operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2018. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2017.

 

The Company generates revenues primarily from shipments executed by the Company’s Truckload and Brokerage operations. Those shipments are the Company’s performance obligations, arising under contracts we have entered into with customers. Under such contracts, revenue is recognized when obligations are satisfied, which occurs over time with the transit of shipments from origin to destination. This is appropriate as the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits as the Company performs its obligation. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for providing services. The most significant judgment used in recognition of revenue is the determination of miles driven as the basis for determining the amount of revenue to be recognized for partially fulfilled obligations. Accessorial charges for fuel surcharge, loading and unloading, stop charges, and other immaterial charges are part of the consideration we receive for the single performance obligation of delivering shipments. Contracts entered into with our customers do not contain material financing components.

Certain incremental revenue-related costs associated with obtaining a contract are capitalized. The majority of revenue contracts with our customers have a duration of one year or less and do not require any significant start-up costs, and as such, costs incurred to obtain contracts associated with these contracts are expensed as incurred. For contracts with durations exceeding one year, incremental start-up costs are capitalized and amortized on a straight line basis over the contract period which materially represents the period of revenue generation. Incremental capitalized start-up costs totaled $3.6 million with accumulated amortization of $1.4 million at June 30, 2018 and are included in other currents assets in our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Through the Company’s Brokerage operations, the Company outsources the transportation of the loads to third-party carriers. The Company is a principal in these arrangements, and therefore records revenue associated with these contracts on a gross basis. The Company has the primary responsibility to meet the customer’s requirements.  The Company invoices and collects from its customers and also maintains discretion over pricing. Additionally, the Company is responsible for selection of third-party transportation providers to the extent used to satisfy customer freight requirements.

The timing of revenue recognition, billings, cash collections, and allowance for doubtful accounts results in billed and unbilled receivables on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company receives the unconditional right to bill when shipments are delivered to their destination. We generally receive payment within 40 days of completion of performance obligations. Unbilled receivables recorded on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet were $4.0 million and $3.9 million at June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively and are included in customer receivables in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The amount of revenue to be recognized related to the Company’s remaining performance obligations was $3.7 million at June 30, 2018.

The following table presents the effect of the adoption of Accounting Standard Codification 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (ASC 606) on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 (in thousands, except per share amounts):

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Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In February 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2018-02, “Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income,” which permits stranded tax effects resulting from the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”) to be reclassified to retained earnings. The provisions of this update are effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company has evaluated the provisions of the pronouncement and does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-02 will have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment testing process. Step 2 measures a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount. Under the new standard, a goodwill impairment loss is measured as the excess of the carrying value of a reporting unit over its fair value. The provisions of this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company has evaluated the provisions of the pronouncement and does not expect the adoption of ASU 2018-02 will have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” to increase transparency and comparability by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. The provisions of this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. While the Company is currently evaluating the provisions of the pronouncement and assessing the impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements, the Company expects the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease obligations will have a material impact to the consolidated balance sheet.

 

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In March 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2018-05, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118.” The standard adds SEC paragraphs pursuant to the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, which expresses the view of the SEC Staff regarding application of Topic 740, Income Taxes, in the reporting period that includes December 22, 2017 - the date on which the Act was signed into law. The application of this guidance did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments,” which addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice. Entities must apply the guidance retrospectively to all periods presented but may apply it prospectively if retrospective application would be impracticable. The provisions of this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company adopted ASU 2016-15 effective January 1, 2018. The application of this guidance did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date,” which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09. The new standard introduces a five-step model to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The premise of the new model is that an entity recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The new standard is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017. Entities are allowed to transition to the new standard by either recasting prior periods or recognizing the cumulative effect. The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 effective January 1, 2018 by using the modified retrospective transition approach and recognizing the cumulative effect of the change in retained earnings. The primary impact of adopting ASC 606 is the earlier recognition of revenue for loads that are in route as of the balance sheet date. Prior to adopting ASC 606, the Company recognized revenue and direct costs when shipments were delivered. Under ASC 606, the Company is required to recognize revenue and related direct costs over time as the shipment is being delivered. ASC 606 also requires substantial new disclosures regarding the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of recognized revenue, which are provided under the heading “Recognition of Revenue” above. The adoption of ASC 606 resulted in a cumulative positive adjustment to opening equity at December 31, 2017 of approximately $1.5 million.

3.	Income Taxes

The Company’s provision for income taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 is based on the estimated annual effective tax rate, plus discrete items. The following table presents the provision for income taxes and the effective tax rates for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

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The Company recorded discrete tax items for the six months ended June 30, 2018 related to tax-deductible IPO costs and restricted stock unit costs in excess of book deductible costs totaling $(0.4) million and $(0.7) million, respectively. At June 30, 2018, our analysis is still incomplete for provisional amounts recorded for the Act at December 31, 2017 and as such, no adjustments have been recorded in this period. The provisional amounts recorded at December 31, 2017 that continue to be evaluated include the estimation of the transition tax, state tax conformity issues of federal law changes, and changes in estimates from revaluing deferred tax liabilities that can result from filing the 2017 U.S. income tax return.

Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income:

The Act subjects a US shareholder to tax on GILTI earned by certain foreign subsidiaries. The FASB Staff Q&A, Topic 740, No. 5, Accounting for Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income, states that an entity can make an accounting policy election to either recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse as GILTI in future years or provide for the tax expense related to GILTI in the year the tax is incurred as a period expense only. Given the complexity of the GILTI provisions, we are still evaluating the effects of the GILTI provisions and have not yet determined our accounting policy. At June 30, 2018, because we are still evaluating the GILTI provisions and our analysis of future taxable income that is subject to GILTI, we have included GILTI related to current-year operations only in our estimated annual effective tax rate and have not provided additional GILTI on deferred items.

New Credit Facility

In June 2018, we entered into a new credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) that contains a $150.0 million revolving component (the “Revolving Facility”) and a $200.0 million term loan component (the “Term Facility”). The Credit Facility contains an accordion feature that, so long as no event of default exists, allows us to request an increase in the borrowing amounts under the Revolving Facility or the Term Facility by a combined maximum amount of $75.0 million. Borrowings under the Credit Facility are classified as either “base rate loans” or “Eurodollar rate loans.” Base rate loans accrue interest at a base rate equal to the agent’s prime rate plus an applicable margin that is set at 1.25% through September 30, 2018 and adjusted quarterly thereafter between 0.75% and 1.50% based on our consolidated net leverage ratio. Eurodollar rate loans will accrue interest at London Interbank Offered Rate, or a comparable or successor rate approved by the administrative agent, plus an applicable margin that is set at 2.25% through September 30, 2018 and adjusted quarterly thereafter between 1.75% and 2.50% based on our consolidated net leverage ratio. The Credit Facility requires payment of a commitment fee on the unused portion of the Revolving Facility commitment of between 0.25% and 0.35% based on our consolidated net leverage ratio. In addition, the Revolving Facility includes, within its $150.0 million revolving credit facility, a letter of credit sub facility in an aggregate amount of $75.0 million and a swingline sub facility in an aggregate amount of $15.0 million. The Term Facility has scheduled quarterly principal payments between 1.25% and 2.50% of the original face amount of the Term Facility plus any additional amount borrowed pursuant to the accordion feature of the Term Facility, with the first such payment to occur on the last day of our fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2018.  The Credit Facility will mature on June 18, 2023.

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Borrowings under the Credit Facility are prepayable at any time without premium and are subject to mandatory prepayment from the net proceeds of certain asset sales and other borrowings. The Credit Facility is secured by a pledge of substantially all of our assets, excluding, among other things, certain real estate and revenue equipment financed outside the Credit Facility.

The Credit Facility contains restrictive covenants including, among other things, restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness or issue guarantees, to create liens on our assets, to make distributions on or redeem equity interests, to make investments, to transfer or sell properties or other assets and to engage in mergers, consolidations, or acquisitions. In addition, the Credit Facility requires us to meet specified financial ratios and tests, including a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio.

At June 30, 2018, the Revolving Facility had issued collateralized letters of credit in the face amount of $37.6 million, with $0 borrowings outstanding and $112.4 million available to borrow.

The Credit Facility includes usual and customary events of default for a facility of this nature and provides that, upon the occurrence and continuation of an event of default, payment of all amounts payable under the Credit Facility may be accelerated, and the Lenders’ commitments may be terminated. At June 30, 2018, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants prescribed by the Credit Facility.

Old Term Loan Agreement

In June 2018, as a result of the offering, the Company repaid its then existing term loan and incurred a loss on early extinguishment of debt. The loss resulted from the write-off of unamortized discount and debt issuance costs of $0.6 million and $5.3 million, respectively, payment of fees to lenders of $1.4 million and third party fees of $0.1 million. The effective interest rate for the term loan at December 31, 2017 was 12.2%, including the effect of original issue discount as discussed below

Original issue discount was recorded as an offset to long-term debt and was amortized over the term of the respective obligation using the effective interest method.  Unamortized original issue discount was $0.8 million as of December 31, 2017.

Old Line of Credit

In June 2018, as a result of the offering, the Company repaid and terminated its then existing revolving credit facility and incurred a loss on early extinguishment of debt. The loss resulted from the write-off of debt issuance costs of $0.2 million and payment of fees to lenders of $0.1 million.

5.

Leases

The Company leases certain revenue and service equipment and office and terminal facilities under long-term noncancelable operating lease agreements expiring at various dates through October 2027. Rental expense under noncancelable operating leases was approximately $20.1 million and $14.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $39.9 million and $40.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Revenue equipment lease terms for new equipment are generally three to five years for tractors and five to eight years for trailers.  The lease terms generally represent the estimated usage period of the equipment, which is generally substantially less than the economic lives. The Company leases certain of its revenue equipment under capital lease agreements.  The terms of the capital leases expire at various dates through April 2024. Certain revenue equipment leases provide for guarantees by the Company of a portion of the specified residual value at the end of the lease term. The maximum potential amount of future payments (undiscounted) under these guarantees is approximately $28.3 million at June 30, 2018.  The residual value of a portion of the related leased revenue equipment is covered by repurchase or trade agreements between the Company and the equipment manufacturer.

6.	Related-Party Transactions

The Company had a $25.5 million note payable to a limited liability company controlled by certain officers of the Company as of December 31, 2017. The Company repaid the note in the amount of $26.6 million which included paid in kind interest of $8.6 million as of the payoff date.

The Company leased a terminal facility from entities owned by the two principal stockholders of New Mountain Lake and their respective family trusts. The lease agreement was set to expire in 2020.  Rent expense of approximately $0.5 million and $0.5 million was recognized in connection with this lease during the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company purchased the terminal facility with proceeds from the offering for $7.5 million.

7.	Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is party to certain legal proceedings incidental to its business. The ultimate disposition of these matters, in the opinion of management, based in part on the advice of legal counsel, is not expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

For the cases described below, management is unable to provide a meaningful estimate of the possible loss or range of loss because, among other reasons, (1) the proceedings are in various stages; (2) damages have not been sought; (3) damages are unsupported and/or exaggerated; (4) there is uncertainty as to the outcome of pending appeals; and/or (5) there are significant factual issues to be resolved.  For these cases, however, management does not believe, based on currently available information, that the outcomes of these proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, though the outcomes could be material to our operating results for any particular period, depending, in part, upon the operating results for such period.

California Wage and Hour Class Action Litigation

In December 2015, a class action lawsuit was filed against us in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino.  The case was transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.  The putative class includes current and former truck drivers employed by us who worked or work in California after the completion of their training while residing in California since December 23, 2011 to present.  The case alleges that class members were not paid for off-the-clock work, were not provided duty free meal or break times, and were not paid premium pay in their absence, were not paid minimum wage for all hours worked, were not provided accurate and complete time and pay records and were not paid all accrued wages at the end of their employment, all in violation of California law.  The class seeks a judgment for compensatory damages and penalties, injunctive relief, attorney fees and costs and pre- and post-judgment interest. The matter is currently in discovery, and a jury trial is set for December 4, 2018.  We are currently unable to determine the possible loss or range of loss.  We intend to vigorously defend the merits of these claims.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act Claim

In December 2017, a class action was filed against us in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, for two separate proposed classes. The putative classes include all persons within the United States to whom the Company either initiated a telephone call to a cellular telephone number using an automatic telephone dialing system or initiated a call to a residential telephone number using an artificial or pre-recorded voice at any time from December 11, 2013 to present.  The lawsuit seeks statutory damages for each violation, injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees and costs.  The Company has moved to dismiss certain claims, including but not limited to claims for all purported class members residing outside the State of Virginia for lack of personal jurisdiction. The matter is currently in discovery.  We intend to vigorously defend the merits of these claims.

The Company had letters of credit of $37.6 million and $34.5 million outstanding as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. The letters of credit are maintained primarily to support the Company’s insurance program.

The Company had cancelable commitments outstanding at June 30, 2018 to acquire revenue and other equipment for approximately $193.8 million during the remainder of 2018 and $6.1 million during 2019. These purchase commitments are expected to be financed by long-term debt, operating leases, proceeds from sales of existing equipment, and cash flows from operations.

8.	Share-based Compensation

Stock Appreciation Rights

 

In conjunction with the offering, the Company vested all remaining stock appreciation rights (“SARS”) and settled the resulting liabilities related thereto. As a result, the Company recorded additional compensation expense in the amount of $3.2 million in the second quarter of 2018.

The total intrinsic value of SARS outstanding was $0.5 million as of December 31, 2017.

 

Restricted Stock Units

 

As part of the Reorganization, all of the redeemable restricted units of New Mountain Lake were converted into restricted stock units of the Company, with the same vesting schedules. Therefore, we refer to redeemable restricted units issued prior to the Reorganization as restricted stock units. At the time of conversion, the restricted stock unit amounts were reclassified to additional paid in capital. The following is a summary of the Company’s restricted stock unit activity for the six months ended June 30, 2018:

These restricted stock unit grants vest over periods ranging from three to seven years. The Company recognized compensation expense of $0.6 million and $0.3 million during the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. At June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had $2.5 million and $3.2 million in unrecognized compensation expense related to restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a period of approximately 5.2 and 5.4 years, respectively.

Incentive Plan

In June 2018, the Board approved the 2018 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”) to become effective in connection with the offering. The Company has reserved an aggregate of 3,200,000 shares of its Class A common stock for issuance of awards under the Incentive Plan. Participants in the Incentive Plan will be selected by the Compensation Committee from the executive officers, directors, employees and consultants of the Company. Awards under the Incentive Plan may be made in the form of stock options, stock appreciation rights, stock awards, restricted stock units, performance awards, performance units, and any other form established by the Compensation Committee pursuant to the Incentive Plan.

In June 2018, the Company granted the following equity awards under the Incentive Plan:

		Number of Shares Granted				Vesting Period in Years				Grant Date Fair Value
Restricted shares			73,158				4			$	16.00
Restricted stock units			140,757				4			$	16.00
Stock options			192,203				4			$	6.09

At June 30, 2018, the Company had $4.6 million in unrecognized compensation expense related to the above awards which is expected to be recognized over a period of approximately 4.0 years.

9.	Fair Value Measurements

Accounting standards, among other things, define fair value, establish a framework for measuring fair value and expand disclosure about such fair value measurements. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are based on one or more of three valuation techniques provided for in the standards.

The standards clarify that fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset, based on the highest and best use of the asset, or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants.  As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.  As a basis for evaluating such assumptions, the standards establish a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1

Inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.  An active market is defined as a market in which transactions for the assets or liabilities occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

Level 2

Inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active (markets with few transactions), inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (i.e., interest rates, yield curves, etc.), and inputs that derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data correlation or other means (market corroborated inputs).

Level 3

Unobservable inputs, only used to the extent that observable inputs are not available, reflect the Company’s assumptions about the pricing of an asset or liability.

The following table summarizes liabilities measured at fair value at June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 (in thousands):

 

		2018
		Fair Value				Input Level
Liabilities
Forward Contract		$	2,156				3

The Company has a commitment to purchase the remaining 5% of Xpress Internacional no later than 2020, based on an earnings calculation. The obligation is considered a physically settled forward contract and the commitment liability is included in other long-term liabilities on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. This liability is classified as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy and is accreted through interest to equal the settlement amount at each reporting date.

10.	Earnings (Loss) per Share

Basic earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents. Prior to the offering, there were no common stock equivalents which could have had a dilutive effect on earnings (loss) per share. The Company excluded 406,118 equity awards for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 as inclusion would be anti-dilutive.

 

The basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share calculations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, are presented below (in thousands, except per share amounts):

11.	Segment Information

The Company’s business is organized into two reportable segments, Truckload and Brokerage.

 

The Truckload segment offers asset-based truckload services, including OTR trucking and dedicated contract services. These services are aggregated because they have similar economic characteristics and meet the aggregation criteria described in the accounting guidance for segment reporting. The Company’s OTR service offering provides solo and expedited team services through one-way movements of freight over routes throughout the United States and cross-border into and out of Mexico. The Company’s dedicated contract service offering devotes the use of equipment to specific customers and provides services through long-term contracts. The Company’s dedicated contract service offering provides similar freight transportation services, but does so pursuant to agreements where it makes equipment, drivers and on-site personnel available to a specific customer to address needs for committed capacity and service levels.

The Company’s Brokerage segment is principally engaged in non-asset-based freight brokerage services, where it outsources the transportation of loads to third-party carriers. For this segment, the Company relies on brokerage employees to procure third-party carriers, as well as information systems to match loads and carriers.

The following table summarizes our segment information (in thousands):

A measure of assets is not applicable, as segment assets are not regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker for evaluating performance or allocating resources.

Operating revenues for foreign countries include revenues for (i) shipments with an origin or destination in that country and (ii) other services provided in that country. If both the origin and destination are in a foreign country, the revenues are attributed to the country of origin. Information about the geographic areas in which the Company conducts business is summarized below as of and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

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ITEM 2.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc., a Nevada corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries. References in this report to “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” and similar expressions refer to U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.

 

All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 10-Q. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in the events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Overview

 

For much of our history, we focused primarily on scaling our fleet and expanding our service offerings to support sustainable, multi-faceted relationships with customers. More recently, we have focused on our core service offerings and refined our network to focus on shorter, more profitable lanes with more density, which we believe are more attractive to drivers. Over the last three years, we have recruited and developed new executive and operational management teams with significant industry experience and instilled a new culture of professional management. These changes, which are ongoing, helped us to maintain relatively stable profitability during the weak truckload market of 2016 and early 2017, and drive significant improvements to profitability during the strong truckload market beginning in the second half of 2017. This momentum was reflected in our second quarter of 2018, which produced a 380 basis point improvement in our operating ratio, compared to our second quarter of 2017, and a 510 basis point improvement in our Adjusted Operating Ratio for the same period. For the definition of Adjusted Operating Ratio and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information.”

Total revenue for the second quarter of 2018 increased by $79.4 million to $449.8 million as compared to the second quarter of 2017. The increase was primarily a result of an 11.4% increase in our average revenue per loaded mile (excluding fuel surcharge revenue), a 56.2% increase in brokerage revenue to $58.4 million, and a $15.1 million increase in fuel surcharge revenue. Excluding the impact of fuel surcharge revenue, second quarter revenue increased $64.3 million to $402.8 million, an increase of 19.0% as compared to the prior year quarter.

Operating income for the second quarter of 2018 was $20.0 million which compares favorably to the $2.7 million achieved in the second quarter of 2017. Excluding one-time costs related to the IPO completed in June 2018, second quarter Adjusted Operating Income was $26.5 million.  For the definition of Adjusted Operating Income and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information.” Our operating ratio for the second quarter of 2018 was 95.3% and our Adjusted Operating Ratio was 93.4%, which represents our lowest Adjusted Operating Ratio in 20 years, and we expect to see year-over-year quarterly Adjusted Operating Ratio improvement for the next six quarters, absent changes in macroeconomic conditions.

We continue to see an erosion of professional driver availability. As a result, we are continuing to focus on our driver centric initiatives to both retain the professional drivers who have chosen to partner with us and attract new professional drivers to our team. We believe this focus allowed us to offset the difficult conditions which have created a significant professional driver supply challenge for the broader industry. We slightly increased our tractor count during the second quarter of 2018 and had an 11% reduction in our driver turnover percentage, which we expect will continue to improve. We will continue to focus on implementing and executing our initiatives that we expect will continue to drive sustainable improved performance over time.

Reportable Segments

Our business is organized into two reportable segments, Truckload and Brokerage. Our Truckload segment offers truckload services, including over-the-road (“OTR”) trucking and dedicated contract services. Our OTR service offering transports a full trailer of freight for a single customer from origin to destination, typically without intermediate stops or handling pursuant to short‑term contracts and spot moves that include irregular route moves without volume and capacity commitments. Tractors are operated with a solo driver or, when handling more time‑sensitive, higher‑margin freight, a team of two drivers. Our dedicated contract service offering provides similar freight transportation services, but with contractually assigned equipment, drivers and on‑site personnel to address customers’ needs for committed capacity and service levels pursuant to multi‑year contracts with guaranteed volumes and pricing. Our Brokerage segment is principally engaged in non‑asset‑based freight brokerage services, where loads are contracted third‑party carriers.

Truckload Segment

In our Truckload segment, we generate revenue by transporting freight for our customers in our OTR and dedicated contract service offerings. Our OTR service offering provides solo and expedited team services through one way movements of freight over routes throughout the United States and cross border into and out of Mexico. Our dedicated contract service offering devotes the use of equipment to specific customers and provides services through long term contracts. Our Truckload segment provides services that are geographically diversified but have similar economic and other relevant characteristics, as they all provide truckload carrier services of general commodities and durable goods to similar classes of customers.

We are typically paid a predetermined rate per load or per mile for our Truckload services. We enhance our revenue by charging for tractor and trailer detention, loading and unloading activities and other specialized services. Consistent with industry practice, our typical customer contracts (other than those contracts in which we have agreed to dedicate certain tractor and trailer capacity for use by specific customers) do not guarantee load levels or tractor availability. This gives us and our customers a certain degree of flexibility to negotiate rates up or down in response to changes in freight demand and trucking capacity. In our dedicated contract service offering, which comprised approximately 36.2% of our Truckload operating revenue, and approximately 36.8% of our Truckload revenue, before fuel surcharge, for 2017, we provide service under contracts with fixed terms, volumes and rates. Dedicated contracts are often used by our customers with high service and high priority freight, sometimes to replace private fleets previously operated by them.

Generally, in our Truckload segment, we receive fuel surcharges on the miles for which we are compensated by customers. Fuel surcharge revenue mitigates the effect of price increases over a negotiated base rate per gallon of fuel; however, these revenues may not fully protect us from all fuel price increases. Our fuel surcharges to customers may not fully recover all fuel increases due to engine idle time, out of route miles and non revenue generating miles that are not generally billable to the customer, as well as to the extent the surcharge paid by the customer is insufficient. The main factors that affect fuel surcharge revenue are the price of diesel fuel and the number of revenue miles we generate. Although our surcharge programs vary by customer, we generally attempt to negotiate an additional penny per mile charge for every five cent increase in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (the “DOE”) national average diesel fuel index over an agreed baseline price. Our fuel surcharges are billed on a lagging basis, meaning we typically bill customers in the current week based on a previous week’s applicable index. Therefore, in times of increasing fuel prices, we do not recover as much as we are currently paying for fuel. In periods of declining prices, the opposite is true. Based on the current status of our empty miles percentage and the fuel efficiency of our tractors, we believe that our fuel surcharge recovery is effective.

The main factors that affect our operating revenue in our Truckload segment are the average revenue per mile we receive from our customers, the percentage of miles for which we are compensated and the number of shipments and miles we generate. Our primary measures of revenue generation for our Truckload segment are average revenue per loaded mile and average revenue per tractor per period, in each case excluding fuel surcharge revenue and revenue and miles from services in Mexico.

In our Truckload segment, our most significant operating expenses vary with miles traveled and include (i) fuel, (ii) driver related expenses, such as wages, benefits, training and recruitment and (iii) costs associated with independent contractors (which are primarily included in the “Purchased transportation” line item). Expenses that have both fixed and variable components include maintenance and tire expense and our total cost of insurance and claims. These expenses generally vary with the miles we travel, but also have a controllable component based on safety, fleet age, efficiency and other factors. Our main fixed costs include vehicle rent and depreciation of long term assets, such as revenue equipment and service center facilities, the compensation of non driver personnel and other general and administrative expenses.

Our Truckload segment requires substantial capital expenditures for purchase of new revenue equipment. We use a combination of operating leases and secured financing to acquire tractors and trailers, which we refer to as revenue equipment. When we finance revenue equipment acquisitions with operating leases, we do not record an asset or liability on our consolidated balance sheet, and the lease payments in respect of such equipment are reflected in our consolidated statement of comprehensive income (loss) in the line item “Vehicle rents.” When we finance revenue equipment acquisitions with secured financing, the asset and liability are recorded on our consolidated balance sheet, and we record expense under “Depreciation and amortization” and “Interest expense.” Typically, the aggregate monthly payments are similar under operating lease financing and secured financing. We use a mix of capital leases and operating leases with individual decisions being based on competitive bids, tax projections and contractual restrictions. We expect our vehicle rents, depreciation and amortization, interest expense and amount of on balance sheet versus off balance sheet financing will be impacted by changes in the percentage of our revenue equipment acquired through operating leases versus equipment owned or acquired through capital leases. Because of the inverse relationship between vehicle rents and depreciation and amortization, we review both line items together.

Approximately 22.1% of our total tractor fleet was operated by independent contractors at June 30, 2018. Independent contractors provide a tractor and a driver and are responsible for all of the costs of operating their equipment and drivers, including interest and depreciation, vehicle rents, driver compensation, fuel and other expenses, in exchange for a fixed payment per mile or percentage of revenue per invoice plus a fuel surcharge pass through. Payments to independent contractors are recorded in the “Purchased transportation” line item. When independent contractors increase as a percentage of our total tractor fleet, our “Purchased transportation” line item typically will increase, with offsetting reductions in employee driver wages and related expenses, net of fuel (assuming all other factors remain equal). The reverse is true when the percentage of our total fleet operated by company drivers increases.

Brokerage Segment

In our Brokerage segment, we retain the customer relationship, including billing and collection, and we outsource the transportation of the loads to third‑party carriers. For this segment, we rely on brokerage employees to procure third‑party carriers, as well as information systems to match loads and carriers.

Our Brokerage segment revenue is mainly affected by the rates we obtain from customers, the freight volumes we ship through our third‑party carriers and our ability to secure third‑party carriers to transport customer freight. We generally do not have contracted long‑term rates for the cost of third‑party carriers, and we cannot assure that our results of operations will not be adversely impacted in the future if our ability to obtain third‑party carriers changes or the rates of such providers increase.

The most significant expense of our Brokerage segment, which is primarily variable, is the cost of purchased transportation that we pay to third‑party carriers, and is included in the “Purchased transportation” line item. This expense generally varies depending upon truckload capacity, availability of third‑party carriers, rates charged to customers and current freight demand and customer shipping needs. Other operating expenses are generally fixed and primarily include the compensation and benefits of non‑driver personnel (which are recorded in the “Salaries, wages and benefits” line item) and depreciation and amortization expense.

The key performance indicator in our Brokerage segment is gross margin percentage (which is calculated as brokerage revenue less purchased transportation expense expressed as a percentage of total operating revenue). Gross margin percentage can be impacted by the rates charged to customers and the costs of securing third‑party carriers.

Our Brokerage segment does not require significant capital expenditures and is not asset intensive like our Truckload segment.

Use of Non‑GAAP Financial Information

In addition to our net income and operating ratio determined in accordance with GAAP, we evaluate operating performance using certain non-GAAP measures, including Adjusted Operating Ratio and Adjusted Operating Income. We define Adjusted Operating Ratio as operating expenses, net of fuel surcharge revenue, IPO related costs and gain or loss on fuel purchase arrangements, expressed as a percentage of revenue before fuel surcharge revenue. We define Adjusted Operating Income as operating income, net of fuel surcharge revenue, IPO related costs and gain or loss on fuel purchase arrangements. We believe the use of Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio allows us to more effectively compare periods, while excluding the potentially volatile effect of changes in fuel prices (including with respect to our fuel purchase arrangements in prior years). We focus on our Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio as indicators of our performance from period to period. We believe our presentation of Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio are useful because they provide investors and securities analysts the same information that we use internally to assess our core operating performance.

The non-GAAP information provided is used by our management and may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other companies, because of differing methods used by other companies in calculating Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio. The non-GAAP measures used herein have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures on a supplemental basis.

The table below compares our GAAP operating income to our non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Income and our GAAP operating ratio to our non‑GAAP Adjusted Operating Ratio.

Revenue

We generate revenue from two primary sources: transporting freight for our customers (including related fuel surcharge revenue) and arranging for the transportation of customer freight by third‑party carriers. We have two reportable segments: our Truckload segment and our Brokerage segment. Truckload revenue, before fuel surcharge and truckload fuel surcharge are primarily generated through trucking services provided by our two Truckload service offerings (OTR and dedicated contract). Brokerage revenue is primarily generated through brokering freight to third‑party carriers.

Our total operating revenue is affected by certain factors that relate to, among other things, the general level of economic activity in the United States, customer inventory levels, specific customer demand, the level of capacity in the truckload and brokerage industry, the success of our marketing and sales efforts and the availability of drivers, independent contractors and third‑party carriers.

A summary of our revenue generated by type for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 is as follows:

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2018, our total operating revenue increased by $141.4 million, or 19.3%, compared to the same period in 2017, and our revenue, before fuel surcharge, increased by $115.4 million, or 17.2%. The primary factors driving the increases in total operating revenue and revenue, before fuel surcharge, were improved pricing in each of our segments and increased volumes in our Brokerage segment combined with increased fuel surcharge revenues. We expect contract rates to continue to increase sequentially during the remainder of 2018 and to outpace cost inflation, absent changes in the macroeconomic environment.

A summary of our revenue generated by segment for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 is as follows:

The following is a summary of our key Truckload segment performance indicators, before fuel surcharge and excluding miles from services in Mexico, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018. Average tractors, average company‑owned tractors and average independent contractor tractors exclude tractors in Mexico.