Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
General
We are a transportation and logistics company engaged primarily in transporting truckload shipments of general commodities in both interstate and intrastate commerce. We also provide logistics services through our Werner Logistics segment. We believe we are one of the largest truckload carriers in the United States (based on total operating revenues), and our headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska, near the geographic center of our truckload service area. We were founded in 1956 by Clarence L. Werner, who started the business with one truck at the age of 19 and serves as our Chairman. We were incorporated in the State of Nebraska in September 1982 and completed our initial public offering in June 1986 with a fleet of 632 trucks as of February 1986. At the end of 2020, our Truckload Transportation Services (“TTS”) segment had a fleet of 7,830 trucks, of which 7,390 were company-operated and 440 were owned and operated by independent contractors. Our Werner Logistics division operated an additional 31 intermodal drayage trucks at the end of 2020.
We have two reportable segments – TTS and Werner Logistics. Our TTS segment is comprised of Dedicated and One-Way Truckload. Dedicated had 4,945 trucks as of December 31, 2020 and provides truckload services dedicated to a specific customer, generally for a retail distribution center or manufacturing facility, utilizing either dry van or specialized trailers. One-Way Truckload had 2,885 trucks as of December 31, 2020 and includes the following operating fleets: (i) the medium-to-long-haul van (“Van”) fleet transports a variety of consumer nondurable products and other commodities in truckload quantities over irregular routes using dry van trailers, including Mexico cross-border routes; (ii) the expedited (“Expedited”) fleet provides time-sensitive truckload services utilizing driver teams; (iii) the regional short-haul (“Regional”) fleet provides comparable truckload van service within geographic regions across the United States; and (iv) the Temperature Controlled fleet provides truckload services for temperature sensitive products over irregular routes utilizing temperature-controlled trailers. Our TTS fleets operate throughout the 48 contiguous U.S. states pursuant to operating authority, both common and contract, granted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) and pursuant to intrastate authority granted by various U.S. states. We also have authority to operate in several provinces of Canada and to provide through-trailer service into and out of Mexico. The principal types of freight we transport include retail store merchandise, consumer products, food and beverage products and manufactured products. We focus on transporting consumer nondurable products that generally ship more consistently throughout the year and whose volumes are generally more stable during a slowdown in the economy.
Our Werner Logistics segment is a non-asset-based transportation and logistics provider and generates the majority of our non-trucking revenues through four operating units. These four Werner Logistics operating units are as follows: (i) Truckload Logistics, which uses contracted carriers to complete shipments for brokerage customers and freight management customers for which we offer a full range of single-source logistics management services and solutions; (ii) the intermodal (“Intermodal”) unit offers rail transportation through alliances with rail and drayage providers as an alternative to truck transportation; (iii) Werner Global Logistics international (“WGL”) provides complete management of global shipments from origin to destination using a combination of air, ocean, truck and rail transportation modes; and (iv) Werner Final Mile (“Final Mile”) offers home and business deliveries of large or heavy items using third-party agents with two associates operating a liftgate straight truck. Werner Logistics had transportation services contracts with 28,622 carriers as of December 31, 2020.
Marketing and Operations
Our business philosophy is to provide superior on-time customer service at a significant value for our customers. To accomplish this, we operate premium modern tractors and trailers. This equipment has fewer mechanical and maintenance issues and helps attract and retain experienced drivers. We continually develop our business processes and technology to improve customer service and driver retention. We focus on customers who value the broad geographic coverage, diversified truck and logistics services, equipment capacity, technology, customized services and flexibility available from a large, financially-stable transportation and logistics provider.
We operate in the truckload and logistics sectors of the transportation industry. Our TTS segment provides specialized services to customers based on (i) each customer’s trailer needs (such as van and temperature-controlled trailers), (ii) geographic area (regional and medium-to-long-haul van, including transport throughout Mexico and Canada), (iii) time-sensitive shipments (expedited) or (iv) conversion of their private fleet to us (dedicated). In 2020, TTS segment revenues accounted f or 78% of total operating revenues, Werner Logistics revenues accounted for 20% of total operating revenues, and the remaining 2% was
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recorded in non-reportable segments. Our Werner Logistics segment manages the transportation and logistics requirements for customers, providing customers with additional sources of truck capacity, alternative modes of transportation, a global delivery network and systems analysis to optimize transportation needs. Werner Logistics services include (i) truck brokerage, (ii) freight management, (iii) intermodal transport, (iv) international and (v) final mile. The Werner Logistics international services were provided through our domestic and global subsidiary companies and include (i) ocean, air and ground transportation services, (ii) door-to-door freight forwarding and (iii) customs brokerage. Most Werner Logistics international services were provided throughout North America and Asia with additional coverage throughout Australia, Europe, South America and Africa. We recently announced the sale of the WGL freight forwarding services for international ocean and air shipments to Scan Global Logistics, which is expected to close on February 26, 2021. Werner Logistics will continue to provide North American truck brokerage, freight management, intermodal and final mile services. Werner Logistics is highly dependent on qualified associates, information systems and the services of qualified third-party capacity providers. You can find the revenues generated by services that accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenues, consisting of TTS and Werner Logistics, for the last three years in Note 2 and Note 11 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of Part II of this Form 10-K.
We have a diversified freight base but are dependent on a relatively small number of customers for a significant portion of our revenues. During 2020, our largest 5, 10, 25 and 50 customers comprised 36%, 49%, 67% and 79% of our revenues, respectively. Our largest customer, Dollar General, accounted for 12% of our total revenues in 2020. Revenues generated by Dollar General are reported in both of our reportable operating segments. The industry groups of our top 50 customers are 53% retail and consumer products, 20% manufacturing/industrial, 18% food and beverage and 9% logistics and other. Many of our One-Way Truckload customer contracts may be terminated upon 30 days’ notice, which is common in the truckload industry. We are moving toward longer-term Dedicated customer contracts, most of which are two to five years in length (including some contracts with annual evergreen clauses) and generally may be terminated by either party typically upon 90 days or more notice following the expiration of the contract’s first year. We typically renegotiate rates with our customers for these Dedicated contracts on an annual basis.
All of our company and independent contractor tractors are equipped with communication devices. These devices enable us and our drivers to conduct two-way communication using standardized and freeform messages. This technology also allows us to plan and monitor shipment progress. We automatically monitor truck movement and obtain specific data on the location of all trucks in the fleet every five minutes. Using the real-time global positioning data obtained from the devices, we have advanced application systems to improve customer and driver service. Examples of such application systems include: (i) an electronic logging system which records and monitors drivers’ hours of service and integrates with our information systems to pre-plan driver shipment assignments based on real-time available driving hours; (ii) software that pre-plans shipments drivers can trade enroute to meet driver home-time needs without compromising on-time delivery schedules; and (iii) automated “possible late load” tracking that informs the operations department of trucks possibly operating behind schedule, allowing us to take preventive measures to avoid late deliveries. In 1998, we began a successful pilot program and subsequently became the first trucking company in the United States to receive an exemption from DOT to use a global positioning-based paperless log system as an alternative to the paper logbooks traditionally used by truck drivers to track their daily work activities. We have used electronic logging devices (“ELDs”) to monitor and enforce drivers’ hours of service since 1996. During 2020, we replaced our previous communications technology with a new untethered, tablet-based telematics solution that provides an enhanced and more efficient driver experience.
Seasonality
In the trucking industry, revenues generally follow a seasonal pattern. Peak freight demand has historically occurred in the months of September, October and November. After the December holiday season and during the remaining winter months, our freight volumes are typically lower because some customers reduce shipment levels. Our operating expenses have historically been higher in the winter months due primarily to decreased fuel efficiency, increased cold weather-related maintenance costs of revenue equipment and increased insurance and claims costs attributed to adverse winter weather conditions. We attempt to minimize the impact of seasonality through our marketing program by seeking additional freight from certain customers during traditionally slower shipping periods and focusing on transporting consumer nondurable products. Revenue can also be affected by adverse weather conditions, holidays and the number of business days that occur during a given period because revenue is directly related to the available working days of shippers.
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Human Capital Resources
Employee Count: As of December 31, 2020, we employed 9,342 drivers; 556 mechanics and maintenance associates for the trucking operation; 1,349 office associates for the trucking operation; and 1,045 associates for Werner Logistics, international, driving schools and other non-trucking operations. Most of our associates are based in the U.S., with about 1% based in Mexico, Canada, and China. None of our U.S., Canadian or Chinese associates are represented by a collective bargaining unit, and we consider relations with our associates to be good.
Health & Safety: Werner maintains a safety culture that is based on the premise of eliminating workplace incidents, risks and hazards. In 2020, we achieved our lowest work injury rate in 15 years. The Werner Safety Department is responsible for all compliance and training issues as it relates to drivers under DOT regulation and Werner policy. Responsibilities of the department include developing and delivering all driver training on items such as safety issues, driver certification, driver testing, and hazmat.
Our strong safety culture is demonstrated by ongoing investments in advanced equipment technologies, which lead to improved safety for our professional drivers. Nearly all of our company-owned trucks have collision-mitigation safety systems, automated manual transmissions, and forward-facing cameras.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the transportation industry has been designated by the U.S. government as an essential industry for keeping the U.S. supply chain moving. Our drivers and mechanics have been on the front lines to ensure the delivery of essential products, and we take this responsibility seriously. Our primary focus will always be protecting the health and personal safety of our associates, their families and communities, and our customers. Our leadership team meets frequently to address issues related to customers, freight, drivers, safety, staffing, human resources, and costs and provides regular updates to all our associates. Throughout our offices and terminal network, we are closely following the safety guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and World Health Organization (“WHO”), including hygiene and social distancing. We made and intend to continue making significant investments in personal protective products to keep our associates safe, and over half of our office associates continue working from home. We introduced Werner-specific associate relief plans to provide rapid and needed assistance to those Werner associates affected by the virus.
Diversity & Inclusion: At Werner, we support and encourage the diverse voices and perspectives of our associates, our customers and our suppliers. Diversity contributes to innovation and connects us to the many communities we serve. We commit to embrace these values as we move toward an increasingly inclusive culture where every associate feels empowered to bring their whole self to Werner. In 2020, we were recognized among the Top Companies for Women to Work for in Transportation by the Women in Trucking Association for the third consecutive year. Werner was recognized for our support of gender diversity, flexible hours and work requirements, competitive compensation and benefits, and professional development opportunities and career advancement opportunities. At Werner, our female driver workforce is approximately double the national average, and more than half of our driver associates are ethically diverse. Additionally, over half of our non-driver associates are female or ethnically diverse. Werner was also named a top 30 Best for Vets Employer in 2020 by Military Times for the sixth consecutive year, placing above all other trucking companies. We are widely recognized as a transportation leader in military hiring, with veterans and veteran spouses comprising approximately 20 percent of our workforce.
Professional Driver Recruitment: We recognize that our professional driver workforce is one of our most valuable assets. Most of our professional drivers are compensated on a per-mile basis. For most company-employed drivers, the rate per mile generally increases with the drivers’ length of service. Professional drivers may earn additional compensation through incentive performance pay programs and for performing additional work associated with their job (such as loading and unloading freight and making extra stops and shorter mileage trips).
At times, there are driver shortages in the trucking industry. Availability of experienced drivers can be affected by (i) changes in the demographic composition of the workforce; (ii) alternative employment opportunities other than truck driving that become available in the economy; and (iii) individual drivers’ desire to be home more frequently. We believe that a declining number of, and increased competition for, driver training school graduates, aging truck driver demographics and increased truck safety regulations are tightening driver supply.
At Werner, we continue to take actions to strengthen our driver recruiting and retention to make Werner a preferred choice for the best drivers. Our efforts include raising driver pay, maintaining a new truck and trailer fleet, purchasing best-in-class safety features for all new trucks, investing in our driver training school network and collaborating with customers to improve or eliminate unproductive freight. We are focused on providing strong mileage utilization and a large percentage of driving jobs in shorter-haul operations (such as Dedicated and Regional) that allow drivers to return home more often. We continue to improve our terminal network to enhance the driver experience. Our new untethered, tablet-based telematics solution implemented in 2020 provides Werner drivers with a more efficient experience through smart workflow, best-in-class navigation, improved safety features and reduced manual data entry. While the trucking industry suffers from high driver turnover rates, we are proud that our efforts in recent years have continued to have positive results on our driver retention.
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Talent Development: We utilize recent driver training school graduates as a significant source of new drivers. These drivers have completed a training program at a driver training school and hold a commercial driver’s license (“CDL”). They continue to gain industry experience through our career track program by partnering with a Werner-certified leader prior to that driver becoming a solo driver with their own truck. As mentioned above, the recruiting environment for recent driver training school graduates became even more challenging in 2020 as social distancing requirements, state licensing cut backs and temporary closures limited the number of placement drivers entering our career track program. The availability of these drivers has also been negatively impacted by the decreased availability of student loan financing for driver training schools. At the end of 2020, we owned two driver training schools that operate a total of 14 driver training locations to assist with the training and development of drivers for our company and the industry, and we plan to open four new driver training locations during 2021.
Independent Contractors: We also recognize that independent contractors complement our company-employed drivers. As of December 31, 2020, we had 440 independent contractors. Independent contractors supply their own tractors and drivers and are responsible for their operating expenses. Independent contractors also provide us with another source of drivers to support our fleet. We intend to maintain our emphasis on independent contractor recruiting, in addition to company driver recruitment. We, along with others in the trucking industry, however, continue to experience independent contractor recruitment and retention difficulties that have persisted over the past several years. Challenging operating conditions, including inflationary cost increases that are the responsibility of independent contractors and a shortage of financing available to independent contractors for equipment purchases, continue to make it difficult to recruit and retain independent contractors.
Revenue Equipment
As of December 31, 2020, we operated 7,390 company tractors and 440 tractors owned by independent contractors in our TTS segment. Our Werner Logistics segment operated an additional 31 company tractors at the end of 2020. The company tractors were primarily manufactured by Freightliner (a Daimler company), Peterbilt and Kenworth (both divisions of PACCAR) and International (a Navistar company). We adhere to a comprehensive maintenance program for both company tractors and trailers. We inspect independent contractor tractors prior to acceptance for compliance with Werner and DOT operational and safety requirements. We periodically inspect these tractors, in a manner similar to company tractor inspections, to monitor continued compliance. We also regulate the vehicle speed of company trucks to improve safety and fuel efficiency.
The average age of our company truck fleet was 2.0 years at December 31, 2020, compared to 1.9 years at December 31, 2019. The average age of our trailer fleet was 4.0 years at both December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. All of our trucks are equipped with satellite tracking devices, and nearly all of our company-owned trucks have collision mitigation safety systems and automated manual transmissions.
We operated 24,400 company-owned trailers at December 31, 2020, comprised of dry vans, flatbeds, temperature-controlled, and other specialized trailers. Most of our trailers were manufactured by Wabash National Corporation. Nearly all of our dry van trailer fleet consisted of 53-foot composite (DuraPlate ® ) trailers, and we also provide other trailer lengths to meet the specialized needs of certain customers. All of our trailers have satellite tracking devices.
Our wholly-owned subsidiary, Werner Fleet Sales, sells our used trucks and trailers. Werner Fleet Sales has been in business since 1992 and operates in 8 locations. We may also trade used trucks to original equipment manufacturers when purchasing new trucks.
Fuel
In 2020, we purchased nearly all of our fuel from a predetermined network of fuel truck stops throughout the United States, of which approximately 94% was purchased from three large fuel truck stop chains. We negotiate discounted pricing based on historical purchase volumes with these fuel truck stop chains and other factors.
Shortages of fuel, increases in fuel prices and rationing of petroleum products can have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability. Our customer fuel surcharge reimbursement programs generally enable us to recover from our customers a majority, but not all, of higher fuel prices compared to normalized average fuel prices. These fuel surcharges, which automatically adjust depending on the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) weekly retail on-highway diesel fuel prices, enable us to recoup much of the higher cost of fuel when prices increase and provide customers with the benefit of lower fuel costs when fuel prices decline. We do not generally recoup higher fuel costs for empty and out-of-route miles (which are not billable to customers) and truck idle time. We cannot predict whether fuel prices will increase or decrease in the future or the extent to which fuel surcharges will be collected from customers. As of December 31, 2020, we had no derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to fuel price fluctuations.
We maintain aboveground and underground fuel storage tanks at some of our terminals. Leakage or damage to these facilities could expose us to environmental clean-up costs. The tanks are routinely inspected to help prevent and detect such problems.
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Regulations
As a for-hire motor carrier, we are regulated by the DOT, and certain areas of our business are subject to applicable federal, state and international laws and regulations. DOT and an agency within DOT, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”), generally govern matters such as safety requirements and compliance, registration to engage in motor carrier operations, drivers’ hours of service (“HOS”), and certain mergers, consolidations, and acquisitions. Werner maintains a satisfactory safety rating, which is the highest available rating of the three safety ratings given by FMCSA. A conditional or unsatisfactory safety rating could adversely impact Werner’s business, as some of our customer contracts require a satisfactory rating. Werner must also comply with federal, state, and international regulations which govern equipment weight and dimensions.
FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (“CSA”) safety initiative monitors the safety performance of motor carriers. CSA uses the Safety Measurement System (“SMS”) to analyze data from roadside inspections, crash reports, and investigation results. The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (“FAST”) Act of 2015 directed FMCSA to remove from public view certain information regarding carrier’s compliance and safety performance. The FAST Act also instructed FMCSA to study the accuracy of CSA and SMS data and issue a corrective action plan. Werner continues to monitor FMCSA’s actions and CSA related developments.
Interstate motor carriers are subject to the FMCSA HOS regulations, which govern our drivers’ operating hours. The HOS of Drivers Final Rule which became effective September 29, 2020, includes provisions for short haul, adverse driving conditions, a revision to the 30-minute rest break requirement, and split-sleeper berth which allows drivers to split their 10-hour off duty period in different ways. In August 2020, FMCSA proposed a pilot program allowing commercial drivers to pause their 14-hour driving window, which Werner continues to monitor.
Werner is the industry leader for ELDs to record driver hours and pioneered the Werner Paperless Logging System in 1996 that was subsequently approved for our use by FMCSA in 1998. FMCSA’s ELD Final Rule went into effect in December 2017, requiring all motor carriers to have certified ELDs that meet specific standards for documenting HOS.
The FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse (the “Clearinghouse”) Final Rule was published in December 2016 with the effective date of January 6, 2020. The Clearinghouse requires motor carriers, designated service agents, medical review officers, and substance abuse professionals to submit records related to drug and alcohol tests, including test refusals and positive drug test results, to the nationwide database. Motor carriers are also required to query the database prior to hiring an applicant and on an annual basis.
Continuing in 2021, motor carriers are required to perform annual random drug tests for 50 percent of existing drivers. The rate was increased from 25% on January 1, 2020 in response to the 2018 FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey, which reported an increase to 1.0 percent of the random testing positive rate for controlled substances. The minimum annual percentage rate for random alcohol testing remains at 10 percent.
FMCSA issued its final rule for Entry-Level Driver Training (“ELDT”) in December 2016. The original compliance date was February 7, 2020. However, FMCSA announced a two-year delay of the rule, and the new effective date is February 7, 2022. We will continue to monitor the status of this rulemaking as it will directly impact our training schools and the hiring of professional drivers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and DOT announced in August 2016 Phase 2 of the Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks. The final rule requires a reduction of carbon emissions and fuel savings from engines, vehicles, and new trailers to be phased in over the next decade. In January 2020, EPA announced an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would establish new standards for highway heavy-duty engines to lower nitrogen oxide emissions.
California’s ongoing emissions reduction goals have significantly impacted the industry. The California Air Resources Board regulations not only apply to California intrastate carriers, but also to carriers outside of California who own or dispatch equipment in the state. Werner continues to structure our fleet plans to operate compliant equipment in California.
Our operations are subject to applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, many of which are implemented by the EPA and similar state regulatory agencies. These laws and regulations govern the management of hazardous wastes, discharge of pollutants into the air and surface and underground waters and disposal of certain substances. We do not believe that compliance with these regulations has a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position.
Werner is dedicated to participating in the development of meaningful public policy by continuing to evaluate local, state, and federal legislative and regulatory actions that impact our operations.
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Competition
The freight transportation industry is highly competitive and includes thousands of trucking and non-asset-based logistics companies. We have a small share of the markets we target. Our TTS segment competes primarily with other truckload carriers. Logistics companies, digital brokers, intermodal companies, railroads, less-than-truckload carriers and private carriers provide competition for both our TTS and Werner Logistics segments. Our Werner Logistics segment also competes for the services of third-party capacity providers.
Competition for the freight we transport or manage is based primarily on service, efficiency, available capacity and, to some degree, on freight rates alone. We believe that few other truckload carriers have greater financial resources, own more equipment or carry a larger volume of freight than us. We believe we are one of the largest carriers in the truckload transportation industry based on total operating revenues.
Internet Website
We maintain an Internet website where you can find additional information regarding our business and operations. The website address is www.werner.com. On the website, we make certain investor information available free of charge, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, stock ownership reports filed under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and any amendments to such reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. This information is included on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such materials to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We also provide our corporate governance materials, such as Board committee charters and our Code of Corporate Conduct, on our website free of charge, and we may occasionally update these materials when necessary to comply with SEC and NASDAQ rules or to promote the effective and efficient governance of our company. Information provided on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.