Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
For a discussion identifying risk factors and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, see the discussions under Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2021, under Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the quarterly period ended March 26, 2022, and in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Except as set forth below and under Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the quarterly period ended March 26, 2022, there have been no material changes to the Risk Factors described in Part I “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2021, as filed with the SEC.
Increased severity or frequency of accidents and other claims or a material unfavorable development of existing claims.
As noted above in Item 1, “Business — Factors Significant to the Company’s Operations — Self-Insured Claims,” potential liability associated with accidents in the trucking industry is severe and occurrences are unpredictable. For periods prior to May 1, 2019, Landstar retains liability
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for commercial trucking claims up to $5 million per occurrence and maintains various third party insurance arrangements for liabilities in excess of its $5 million self-insured retention. Effective May 1, 2019, the Company entered into a new three year commercial auto liability insurance arrangement for losses incurred between $5 million and $10 million (the “Initial Excess Policy”) with a third party insurance company. The Company subsequently extended the Initial Excess Policy for one additional policy year, from May 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023. For commercial trucking claims incurred on or after May 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023, the extended Initial Excess Policy provides for a limit for a single loss of $5 million, with a remaining aggregate limit of $10 million for the policy period ending April 30, 2023, and an option to increase such aggregate limit for a pre-established
amount of additional premium. If aggregate losses under the Initial Excess Policy exceed the aggregate limit for the period ending April 30, 2023, and the Company did not elect to increase such aggregate limit for a pre-established
amount of additional premium, The Company would retain liability of up to $10 million per occurrence, inclusive of its $5 million self-insured retention for commercial trucking claims during the remainder of the policy period ending April 30, 2023.
The Company also maintains third party insurance arrangements providing excess coverage for commercial trucking liabilities in excess of $10 million. These third party arrangements provide coverage on a per occurrence or aggregated basis. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the occurrence of trials in courts throughout the United States involving catastrophic injury and fatality claims against commercial motor carriers that have resulted in verdicts in excess of $10 million. Within the transportation logistics industry, these verdicts are often referred to as “Nuclear Verdicts.” The increase in Nuclear Verdicts has had a significant impact on the cost of commercial auto liability claims throughout the United States. Due to the increasing cost of commercial auto liability claims, the availability of excess coverage has significantly decreased, and the pricing associated with such excess coverage, to the extent available, has significantly increased. With respect to the annual policy year ended April 30, 2021, as compared to the annual policy year ended April 30, 2020, the Company experienced an increase of approximately $14 million, or over 170%, in the premiums charged by third party insurance companies to the Company for excess coverage for commercial trucking liabilities in excess of $10 million. Effective May 1, 2021, with respect to the annual policy year ending April 30, 2022, as compared to the annual policy year ended April 30, 2021, the Company experienced an increase of approximately $3 million, or 19%, in the premiums charged by third party insurance companies to the Company for excess coverage for commercial trucking liabilities in excess of $10 million. Effective May 1, 2022, with respect to the annual policy year ending April 30, 2023, as compared to the annual policy year ended April 30, 2022, the Company experienced an increase of approximately $2.3 million, or 10%, in the premiums charged by third party insurance companies to the Company for excess coverage for commercial trucking liabilities in excess of $10 million.
Moreover, in recent years the Company has increased the level of its financial exposure to commercial trucking claims in excess of $10 million, including through the use of additional self-insurance, deductibles, aggregate loss limits, quota shares and other arrangements with third party insurance companies, based on the availability of coverage within certain excess insurance coverage layers and estimated cost differentials between proposed premiums from third party insurance companies and historical and actuarially projected losses experienced by the Company at various levels of excess insurance coverage. For example, with respect to a hypothetical claim in the amount of $35 million incurred during the annual policy year ending April 30, 2023, the Company would have an aggregate financial exposure of approximately $10 million. Furthermore, the Company’s third party insurance arrangements provide excess coverage up to an uppermost coverage layer, in excess of which the Company retains additional financial exposure. No assurances can be given that the availability of excess coverage for commercial trucking claims will not continue to deteriorate, that the pricing associated with such excess coverage, to the extent available, will not continue to increase, nor that insurance coverage from third party insurers for excess coverage of commercial trucking claims will even be available on commercially reasonable terms at certain levels. Moreover, the occurrence of a Nuclear Verdict, or the settlement of a catastrophic injury and/or fatality claim that could have otherwise resulted in a Nuclear Verdict, could have a material adverse effect on Landstar’s cost of insurance and claims and its results of operations.
Further, the Company retains liability of up to $1,000,000 for each general liability claim, up to $250,000 for each workers’ compensation claim and up to $250,000 for each cargo claim. In addition, under reinsurance arrangements by Signature of certain risks of the Company’s BCO Independent Contractors, the Company retains liability of up to $500,000, $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 with respect to certain occupational accident claims and up to $750,000 with respect to certain workers’ compensation claims. The Company’s exposure to liability associated with accidents incurred by Truck Brokerage Carriers, railroads and air and ocean cargo carriers who transport freight on behalf of the Company is reduced by various factors including the extent to which such carriers maintain their own insurance coverage. A material increase in the frequency or severity of accidents, cargo claims or workers’ compensation claims or the material unfavorable development of existing claims could have a material adverse effect on Landstar’s cost of insurance and claims and its results of operations.
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.