Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) summarizes the financial statements from management’s perspective with respect to our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and other factors that may affect actual results. The MD&A is organized in the following sections:
• Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
• Business Acquisitions
• Overview
• Results of Operations
• Liquidity and Capital Resources
• Critical Accounting Estimates
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains historical information and forward-looking statements based on information currently available to our management. The forward-looking statements in this report, including those made in this Item 7 (Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations), are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These safe harbor provisions encourage reporting companies to provide prospective information to investors. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of certain words, such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” and other similar terms and language. We believe the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on currently available information. However, forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, whether known or unknown, that could cause our actual results, business, financial condition and cash flows to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. A discussion of important factors relating to forward-looking statements is included in Item 1A (Risk Factors) of Part I of this Form 10-K. Readers should not unduly rely on the forward-looking statements included in this Form 10-K because such statements speak only to the date they were made. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, we undertake no obligation or duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect subsequent events or circumstances or the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Business Acquisitions:
We recently acquired the following entities:
• 100% of ReedTMS on November 5, 2022. Freight brokerage and truckload revenues generated by ReedTMS are reported in our Werner Logistics segment and in Dedicated within our TTS segment, respectively.
• 100% of Baylor on October 1, 2022. Revenues generated by Baylor are reported in One-Way Truckload within our TTS segment.
• 100% of NEHDS on November 22, 2021. Revenues generated by NEHDS are reported in Final Mile within our Werner Logistics segment.
• 80% of ECM on July 1, 2021. Revenues generated by ECM are reported in One-Way Truckload within our TTS segment.
Additional information regarding these acquisitions is included in Note 2 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of Part II of this Form 10-K.
Overview:
We have two reportable segments, TTS and Werner Logistics, and we operate in the truckload and logistics sectors of the transportation industry. In the truckload sector, we focus on transporting consumer nondurable products that generally ship more consistently throughout the year. In the logistics sector, besides managing transportation requirements for individual customers, we provide additional sources of truck capacity, alternative modes of transportation, a North American delivery network and systems analysis to optimize transportation needs. Our success depends on our ability to efficiently and effectively manage our resources in the delivery of truckload transportation and logistics services to our customers. Resource requirements vary with customer demand, which may be subject to seasonal or general economic conditions. Our ability to adapt to changes in customer transportation requirements is essential to efficiently deploy resources and make capital investments in tractors and trailers (with respect to our TTS segment) or obtain qualified third-party capacity at a reasonable price (with respect to our Werner Logistics segment). We may also be affected by our customers’ financial failures or loss of customer business.
Revenues for our TTS segment operating units (Dedicated and One-Way Truckload) are typically generated on a per-mile basis and also include revenues such as stop charges, loading and unloading charges, equipment detention charges and equipment
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repositioning charges. To mitigate our risk to fuel price increases, we recover additional fuel surcharge revenues from our customers that generally recoup a majority of the increased fuel costs; however, we cannot assure that current recovery levels will continue in future periods. Because fuel surcharge revenues fluctuate in response to changes in fuel costs, we identify them separately and exclude them from the statistical calculations to provide a more meaningful comparison between periods. The key statistics used to evaluate trucking revenues, net of fuel surcharge, are (i) average revenues per tractor per week, (ii) average percentage of empty miles (miles without trailer cargo), (iii) average trip length (in loaded miles) and (iv) average number of tractors in service. General economic conditions, seasonal trucking industry freight patterns and industry capacity are important factors that impact these statistics. Our TTS segment also generates a small amount of revenues categorized as non-trucking revenues, which consist primarily of the intra-Mexico portion of cross-border shipments delivered to or from Mexico where the TTS segment utilizes a third-party capacity provider. We exclude such revenues from the statistical calculations.
Our most significant resource requirements are company drivers, independent contractors, tractors and trailers. Independent contractors supply their own tractors and drivers and are responsible for their operating expenses. Our financial results are affected by company driver and independent contractor availability and the markets for new and used revenue equipment. We are self-insured for a significant portion of bodily injury, property damage and cargo claims; workers’ compensation claims; and associate health claims (supplemented by premium-based insurance coverage above certain dollar levels). For that reason, our financial results may also be affected by driver safety, medical costs, weather, legal and regulatory environments and insurance coverage costs to protect against catastrophic losses.
The operating ratio is a common industry measure used to evaluate our profitability and that of our TTS segment operating fleets. The operating ratio consists of operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenues. The most significant variable expenses that impact the TTS segment are driver salaries and benefits, fuel, fuel taxes (included in taxes and licenses expense), payments to independent contractors (included in rent and purchased transportation expense), supplies and maintenance and insurance and claims. As discussed further in the comparison of operating results for 2022 to 2021, several industry-wide issues have caused, and could continue to cause, costs to increase in future periods. These issues include shortages of drivers or independent contractors, changing fuel prices, changing used truck and trailer pricing, compliance with new or proposed regulations and tightening of the commercial truck liability insurance market. Our main fixed costs include depreciation expense for tractors and trailers and equipment licensing fees (included in taxes and licenses expense). The TTS segment requires substantial cash expenditures for tractor and trailer purchases. We fund these purchases with net cash from operations and financing available under our existing credit facilities, as management deems necessary.
We provide non-trucking services primarily through the three operating units within our Werner Logistics segment (Truckload Logistics, Intermodal, and Final Mile). In first quarter 2021, we completed the sale of the Werner Global Logistics (“WGL”) freight forwarding services for international ocean and air shipments to Scan Global Logistics Group. WGL had annual revenues of $53 million in 2020, and we realized a $1.0 million gain from the sale in first quarter 2021, which assumed achievement of the full earnout. At the end of the twelve month period following the completed sale of WGL, the full earnout was achieved. Unlike our TTS segment, the Werner Logistics segment is less asset-intensive and is instead dependent upon qualified associates, information systems and qualified third-party capacity providers. The largest expense item related to the Werner Logistics segment is the cost of purchased transportation we pay to third-party capacity providers. This expense item is recorded as rent and purchased transportation expense. Other operating expenses consist primarily of salaries, wages and benefits, as well as depreciation and amortization, supplies and maintenance, and other general expenses. We evaluate the Werner Logistics segment’s financial performance by reviewing operating expenses and operating income expressed as a percentage of revenues. Purchased transportation expenses as a percentage of revenues can be impacted by the rates charged to customers and the costs of securing third-party capacity. We have a mix of contracted long-term rates and variable rates for the cost of third-party capacity, and we cannot assure that our operating results will not be adversely impacted in the future if our ability to obtain qualified third-party capacity providers changes or the rates of such providers increase.
At the end of 2022, we believe we are well positioned with a strong balance sheet and sufficient liquidity. Our debt is at $694 million, or a net debt ratio (debt less cash) o f 1.0 tim es earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization for the year ended December 31, 2022. We had available liquidity of $523 million, considering cash on hand and available borrowing capacity of $416 million. As of December 31, 2022, we were in compliance with our debt covenants and expect to continue to be in compliance in 2023. We currently plan to continue paying our quarterly dividend, which we have paid quarterly since 1987. This cash outlay currently results in slightly more than $8 million per quarter. Net capital expenditures (primarily revenue equipment) in 2023 currently are expected to b e in the rang e of $350 million to $400 million.
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Results of Operations:
The following table sets forth the consolidated statements of income in dollars and as a percentage of total operating revenues and the percentage increase or decrease in the dollar amounts of those items compared to the prior year.
2022 2021 Percentage Change in Dollar Amounts
(in thousands) $ % $ % %
Operating revenues $ 3,289,978 100.0 $ 2,734,372 100.0 20.3
Operating expenses:
Salaries, wages and benefits 1,020,609 31.0 895,012 32.7 14.0
Fuel 437,299 13.3 245,866 9.0 77.9
Supplies and maintenance 253,096 7.7 206,701 7.6 22.4
Taxes and licenses 97,929 3.0 96,095 3.5 1.9
Insurance and claims 147,365 4.5 98,658 3.6 49.4
Depreciation and amortization 279,923 8.5 267,700 9.8 4.6
Rent and purchased transportation 777,464 23.6 641,159 23.4 21.3
Communications and utilities 15,856 0.5 13,460 0.5 17.8
Other (62,639) (1.9) (39,425) (1.4) 58.9
Total operating expenses 2,966,902 90.2 2,425,226 88.7 22.3
Operating income 323,076 9.8 309,146 11.3 4.5
Total other income, net (1,710) (0.1) (36,869) (1.4) (95.4)
Income before income taxes 324,786 9.9 346,015 12.7 (6.1)
Income tax expense 79,206 2.4 84,537 3.1 (6.3)
Net income 245,580 7.5 261,478 9.6 (6.1)
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (4,324) (0.2) (2,426) (0.1) 78.2
Net income attributable to Werner $ 241,256 7.3 $ 259,052 9.5 (6.9)
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The following tables set forth the operating revenues, operating expenses and operating income for the TTS segment and certain statistical data regarding our TTS segment operations, as well as statistical data for the One-Way Truckload and Dedicated operating units within TTS.
2022 2021
TTS segment (in thousands) $ % $ % % Chg
Trucking revenues, net of fuel surcharge $ 1,982,639 $ 1,789,148 10.8 %
Trucking fuel surcharge revenues 419,240 234,164 79.0 %
Non-trucking and other operating revenues 26,807 21,761 23.2 %
Operating revenues 2,428,686 100.0 2,045,073 100.0 18.8 %
Operating expenses 2,134,131 87.9 1,763,250 86.2 21.0 %
Operating income $ 294,555 12.1 $ 281,823 13.8 4.5 %
TTS segment 2022 2021 % Chg
Average tractors in service 8,437 7,982 5.7 %
Average revenues per tractor per week (1)
$ 4,519 $ 4,311 4.8 %
Total tractors (at year end)
Company 8,305 8,050 3.2 %
Independent contractor 295 290 1.7 %
Total tractors
8,600 8,340 3.1 %
Total trailers (at year end) 27,650 25,760 7.3 %
One-Way Truckload
Trucking revenues, net of fuel surcharge (in 000’s) $ 766,013 $ 710,673 7.8 %
Average tractors in service 3,153 2,942 7.2 %
Total tractors (at year end) 3,150 3,105 1.4 %
Average percentage of empty miles 12.70 % 11.25 % 12.9 %
Average revenues per tractor per week (1)
$ 4,672 $ 4,645 0.6 %
Average % change in revenues per total mile (1)
8.6 % 17.3 %
Average % change in total miles per tractor per week (7.4) % (8.2) %
Average completed trip length in miles (loaded) 675 786 (14.1) %
Dedicated
Trucking revenues, net of fuel surcharge (in 000’s) $ 1,216,626 $ 1,078,475 12.8 %
Average tractors in service 5,284 5,040 4.8 %
Total tractors (at year end) 5,450 5,235 4.1 %
Average revenues per tractor per week (1)
$ 4,428 $ 4,116 7.6 %
(1) Net of fuel surcharge revenues
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The following tables set forth the Werner Logistics segment’s revenues, purchased transportation expense, other operating expenses (primarily salaries, wages and benefits expense), total operating expenses, and operating income, as well as certain statistical data regarding the Werner Logistics segment.
2022 2021
Werner Logistics segment (in thousands) $ % $ % % Chg
Operating revenues $ 793,492 100.0 $ 622,461 100.0 27.5 %
Operating expenses:
Purchased transportation expense 653,185 82.3 535,379 86.0 22.0 %
Other operating expenses 104,123 13.1 59,209 9.5 75.9 %
Total operating expenses 757,308 95.4 594,588 95.5 27.4 %
Operating income $ 36,184 4.6 $ 27,873 4.5 29.8 %
Werner Logistics segment 2022 2021 % Chg
Average tractors in service 52 41 26.8 %
Total tractors (at year end) 39 55 (29.1) %
Total trailers (at year end) 2,315 1,465 58.0 %
2022 Compared to 2021
Operating Revenues
Operating revenues increased 20.3% in 2022 compared to 2021. When comparing 2022 to 2021, TTS segment revenues increased $383.6 million, or 18.8%. Revenues for the Werner Logistics segment increased $171.0 million or 27.5%.
Dedicated continues to experience strong demand from the majority of our long-term customers, and our Dedicated pipeline of new opportunities remains strong. In the current freight market, there are fewer project and surge freight opportunities in One-Way Truckload and Logistics compared to record high levels a year ago. We expect that the 2023 freight market will be challenging in the first half of the year, and then gradually begin to show improvement in the second half of the year, as capacity exits the market and retail inventory resets to normalized levels.
Trucking revenues, net of fuel surcharge, increased 10.8% in 2022 compared to 2021 due to a 5.7% increase in the average number of tractors in service and a 4.8% increase in average revenues per tractor per week, net of fuel surcharge. The increase in average revenues per tractor per week, net of fuel surcharge was due primarily to improved pricing in both Dedicated and One-Way Truckload, partially offset by a decline in miles per tractor. The decline in miles per tractor resulted from several factors, including a lower length of haul due to freight mix, growth in Dedicated, the impact of our acquisitions which have a more regional footprint, and more tractor down time early in the year due to equipment parts shortages and COVID issues. We expect total miles per tractor per week for the One-Way Truckload fleet in 2023 to be comparable to 2022, and we expect a gradually improving pricing environment during the second half of 2023. Considering the freight market outlook, we expect average revenues per total mile, net of fuel surcharge, for the One-Way Truckload fleet to decline in a range of 3% to 6% in the first half of 2023 when compared to the first half of 2022, and we expect Dedicated average revenues per tractor per week, net of fuel surcharge, to increase in a range of 0% to 3% in 2023 compared to 2022.
The average number of tractors in service in the TTS segment increased 5.7% to 8,437 in 2022 compared to 7,982 in 2021. We ended 2022 with 8,600 tractors in the TTS segment, a year-over-year increase of 260 tractors. The increase in end of period tractors was due primarily to tractors acquired in the fourth quarter 2022 Baylor and ReedTMS acquisitions, which also contributed to the increase in the average number of tractors in service along with the full year impact in 2022 of the July 1, 2021 ECM acquisition. Our Dedicated unit ended 2022 with 5,450 tractors (or 63% of our total TTS segment fleet) compared to 5,235 tractors at the end of 2021. We currently expect our fleet size at the end of 2023 to be in a range of 1% to 4% higher when compared to the fleet size at the end of 2022, with the majority of the growth planned for our Dedicated unit in the second half of the year. We cannot predict whether future driver shortages, if any, will adversely affect our ability to maintain our fleet size. If such a driver market shortage were to occur, it could result in a fleet size reduction, and our results of operations could be adversely affected.
Trucking fuel surcharge revenues increased 79.0% to $419.2 million in 2022 from $234.2 million in 2021 due primarily to higher average diesel fuel prices, driven by impacts of the war in Ukraine early in the year. These revenues represent collections from customers for the increase in fuel and fuel-related expenses, including the fuel component of our independent contractor cost (recorded as rent and purchased transportation expense) and fuel taxes (recorded in taxes and licenses expense), when diesel fuel prices rise. Conversely, when fuel prices decrease, fuel surcharge revenues decrease. To lessen the effect of
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fluctuating fuel prices on our margins, we collect fuel surcharge revenues from our customers for the cost of diesel fuel and taxes in excess of specified base fuel price levels according to terms in our customer contracts. Fuel surcharge rates generally adjust weekly based on an independent U.S. Department of Energy fuel price survey which is released every Monday. Our fuel surcharge programs are designed to (i) recoup higher fuel costs from customers when fuel prices rise and (ii) provide customers with the benefit of lower fuel costs when fuel prices decline. These programs generally enable us to recover a majority, but not all, of the fuel price increases. The remaining portion is generally not recoverable because it results from empty and out-of-route miles (which are not billable to customers) and tractor idle time. Fuel prices that change rapidly in short time periods also impact our recovery because the surcharge rate in most programs only changes once per week.
Werner Logistics revenues are generated by its three operating units, following the sale of its WGL freight forwarding services for international ocean and air shipments in first quarter 2021. Werner Logistics revenues exclude revenues for full truckload shipments transferred to the TTS segment, which are recorded as trucking revenues by the TTS segment. Werner Logistics also recorded revenue and brokered freight expense of $5.2 million in 2022 and $0.9 million in 2021 for movements performed by the TTS segment (also recorded as trucking revenue by the TTS segment), and these transactions between reporting segments are eliminated in consolidation. Werner Logistics revenues increased 27.5% to $793.5 million in 2022 from $622.5 million in 2021 due primarily to volume growth in Truckload Logistics, which includes eight weeks of the acquired ReedTMS business, a $74.8 million increase in Final Mile revenues primarily due to the impact of NEHDS acquired in November 2021, and higher pricing in Intermodal. Truckload Logistics revenues (67% of total Logistics revenues), including ReedTMS, increased 24% due to a 20% increase in volume and a 4% increase in revenues per shipment. Intermodal revenues (22% of total Logistics revenues) increased 6% due to a 23% increase in revenues per shipment, partially offset by a 17% decline in shipment volume. Werner Logistics operating income increased to $36.2 million in 2022 compared to $27.9 million in 2021 and operating margin percentage increased to 4.6% in 2022 from 4.5% in 2021. During 2022 we experienced fewer premium pop-up freight opportunities, Intermodal customer and market challenges, softening demand and start up costs in Final Mile. Werner Logistics revenues were 24% of total operating revenues in 2022. Including our recent acquisition of ReedTMS, we expect Werner Logistics revenues in 2023 will grow to over 30% of total operating revenues.
Operating Expenses
Our operating ratio (operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenues) was 90.2% in 2022 compared to 88.7% in 2021. Expense items that impacted the overall operating ratio are described on the following pages. The tables on pages 18 through 20 show the consolidated statements of income in dollars and as a percentage of total operating revenues and the percentage increase or decrease in the dollar amounts of those items compared to the prior year, as well as the operating ratios, operating margins and certain statistical information for our two reportable segments, TTS and Werner Logistics.
Salaries, wages and benefits increased $125.6 million or 14.0% in 2022 compared to 2021 and decreased 1.7% as a percentage of operating revenues. The higher dollar amount of salaries, wages and benefits expense in 2022 was due primarily to increased driver pay, including driver pay rate increases and the impact of 18.0 million more company tractor miles in 2022. In August 2021, we implemented driver pay increases of approximately $11 million annually in our One-Way Truckload fleet. Within Dedicated, we continue to implement driver pay increases as needed. The increase in salaries, wages and benefits was also due to a larger number of non-driver employees, higher salaries, and higher benefits. Non-driver salaries, wages and benefits in our non-trucking Werner Logistics segment increased 58.4% as a result of more employees to support the 27.5% growth of Logistics revenues.
We renewed our workers’ compensation insurance coverage on April 1, 2022. Our coverage levels are the same as the prior policy year. We continue to maintain a self-insurance retention of $2.0 million per claim. Our workers’ compensation insurance premiums for the policy year beginning April 2022 are $0.4 million higher than the premiums for the previous policy year.
While inflationary cost pressures continue to be challenging, particularly for labor, equipment maintenance and insurance, we have begun to see some easing in the competitive driver recruiting and retention markets. A competitive driver market presents labor challenges for customers and carriers alike. Several ongoing market factors persisted including a declining number of, and increased competition for, driver training school graduates, aging truck driver demographics and increased truck safety regulations. We continue to take significant actions to strengthen our driver recruiting and retention as we strive to be the truckload employer of choice, including raising driver pay, providing a modern tractor and trailer fleet with the latest safety equipment and technology, investing and expanding our driver training school network and offering a wide variety of driving positions including daily and weekly home time opportunities. We are unable to predict whether we will experience future driver shortages or maintain our current driver retention rates. If such a driver shortage were to occur and additional driver pay rate increases became necessary to attract and retain drivers, our results of operations would be negatively impacted to the extent that we could not obtain corresponding freight rate increases.
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Fuel increased $191.4 million or 77.9% in 2022 compared to 2021 and increased 4.3% as a percentage of operating revenues due to higher average diesel fuel prices and 18.0 million more company tractor miles in 2022. Average diesel fuel prices, excluding fuel taxes, for the full year 2022 were $1.55 higher than the full year 2021, a 71% increase.
We continue to employ measures to improve our fuel mpg such as (i) limiting tractor engine idle time, (ii) optimizing the speed, weight and specifications of our equipment and (iii) implementing mpg-enhancing equipment changes to our fleet including new tractors, more aerodynamic tractor features, idle reduction systems, trailer tire inflation systems, trailer skirts and automated manual transmissions to reduce our fuel gallons purchased. However, fuel savings from mpg improvement is partially offset by higher depreciation expense and the additional cost of diesel exhaust fluid. Although our fuel management programs require significant capital investment and research and development, we intend to continue these and other environmentally conscious initiatives, including our active participation as an EPA SmartWay Transport Partner. The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a national voluntary program developed by the EPA and freight industry representatives to reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution and promote cleaner, more efficient ground freight transportation.
Through February 17, the average diesel fuel price per gallon in 2023 was approximately 47 cents higher than the average diesel fuel price per gallon in the same period of 2022 and approximately 7 cents higher than the average for first quarter 2022.
Shortages of fuel, increases in fuel prices and petroleum product rationing can have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability. We are unable to predict whether fuel price levels will increase or decrease in the future or the extent to which fuel surcharges will be collected from customers. As of December 31, 2022, we had no derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to fuel price fluctuations.
Supplies and maintenance increased $46.4 million or 22.4% in 2022 compared to 2021 and increased 0.1% as a percentage of operating revenues. Supplies and maintenance expense increased due to higher costs for tractor and trailer parts, tires, and over-the-road repairs resulting from inflationary cost increases, as well as higher costs for tolls and travel post-COVID. The average age of our tractors and trailers increased by 0.1 years and 0.5 years at December 31, 2022 compared to December 31, 2021, respectively, primarily due to limited new equipment availability. While it remains difficult to obtain new tractors and trailers, we anticipate that new tractor and trailer production will show modest improvement in 2023. Operating older equipment has a direct impact on our supplies and maintenance costs.
Insurance and claims increased $48.7 million or 49.4% in 2022 compared to 2021 and increased 0.9% as a percentage of operating revenues, due primarily to a higher amount of unfavorable reserve development, higher expense for new claims, and higher liability insurance premiums. The majority of the higher unfavorable reserve development related to unexpected and unfortunate legal developments for prior year motor vehicle accidents that have been settled, including a settlement of a lawsuit in Texas arising from a May 24, 2020 accident for which we recognized $9.5 million of insurance and claims expense in 2022. We also incurred insurance and claims expense of $5.4 million and $5.1 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively, for accrued interest related to a previously-disclosed adverse jury verdict rendered on May 17, 2018, which we are appealing (see Note 12 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part II of this Form 10-K). Interest is accrued at $0.5 million per month, until such time as the outcome of our appeal is finalized. The majority of our insurance and claims expense results from our claim experience and claim development under our self-insurance program; the remainder results from insurance premiums for claims in excess of our self-insured limits. In 2022, we achieved our lowest DOT preventable accident rate per million miles in the last 10 years. Over the longer term, we expect our accident per million miles performance will improve our insurance and claims experience. While we cannot ignore the increasing trend of high dollar verdicts and settlements, we expect our 2023 insurance and claims expense to moderate from 2022.
We renewed our liability insurance policies on August 1, 2022 and are responsible for the first $10.0 million per claim on all claims with an annual $10.0 million aggregate for claims between $10.0 million and $20.0 million. For the policy year that began August 1, 2021, we were responsible for the first $10.0 million per claim on all claims with an annual $10.0 million aggregate for claims between $10.0 million and $15.0 million. We maintain liability insurance coverage with insurance carriers in excess of the $10.0 million per claim. Our liability insurance premiums for the policy year that began August 1, 2022 are $1.9 million higher than premiums for the previous policy year.
Depreciation and amortization expense increased $12.2 million or 4.6% in 2022 compared to 2021 and decreased 1.3% as a percentage of operating revenues due primarily to higher tractor depreciation on a larger company tractor fleet and depreciation and amortization on tangible and intangible assets recorded in our business acquisitions, partially offset by the impact of a change in accounting estimate effective January 1, 2022, due to the ongoing stronger used trailer market and the increasing cost of new trailers, which decreased trailer depreciation expense by $12.7 million in 2022.
The average age of our tractor fleet remains low by industry standards and was 2.3 years as of December 31, 2022, and the average age of our trailers was 5.0 years. We continued to invest in new tractors and trailers and our terminals in 2022 to
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improve our driver experience, increase operational efficiency and more effectively manage our maintenance, safety and fuel costs. In 2023, we expect to slightly lower the average age of our tractor fleet and maintain the average age of our trailer fleet.
Rent and purchased transportation expense increased $136.3 million or 21.3% in 2022 compared to 2021 and increased 0.2% as a percentage of operating revenues. Rent and purchased transportation expense consists mostly of payments to third-party capacity providers in the Werner Logistics segment and other non-trucking operations and payments to independent contractors in the TTS segment. The payments to third-party capacity providers generally vary depending on changes in the volume of services generated by the Werner Logistics segment. Werner Logistics purchased transportation expense increased $117.8 million as a result of higher logistics revenues, which includes 8 weeks of the acquired ReedTMS logistics business, and decreased to 82.3% as a percentage of Werner Logistics revenues in 2022 from 86.0% in 2021 due to improved pricing and the effect of the NEHDS acquisition, as NEHDS utilizes both employees and contracted drive teams.
Rent and purchased transportation expense for the TTS segment increased $17.5 million in 2022 compared to 2021 due primarily to higher reimbursements to independent contractors because of significantly higher average diesel fuel prices. The higher expense was partially offset by fewer independent contractor miles in 2022. Independent contractor miles decreased 10.0 million miles in 2022 and as a percentage of total miles were 4.5% in 2022 compared to 5.8% in 2021. Because independent contractors supply their own tractors and drivers and are responsible for their operating expenses, the decrease in independent contractor miles as a percentage of total miles shifted costs from the rent and purchased transportation category to other expense categories, including (i) salaries, wages and benefits, (ii) fuel, (iii) depreciation, (iv) supplies and maintenance and (v) taxes and licenses.
Challenging operating conditions continue to make independent contractor recruitment and retention difficult. Such conditions include inflationary cost increases that are the responsibility of independent contractors and a shortage of financing available to independent contractors for equipment purchases. Historically, we have been able to add company tractors and recruit additional company drivers to offset any decrease in the number of independent contractors. If a shortage of independent contractors and company drivers occurs, further increases in per-mile settlement rates (for independent contractors) and driver pay rates (for company drivers) may become necessary to attract and retain these drivers. This could negatively affect our results of operations to the extent that we would not be able to obtain corresponding freight rate increases.
Other operating expenses decreased $23.2 million in 2022 compared to 2021 and decreased 0.5% as a percentage of operating revenues due primarily to higher gains on sales of property and equipment (primarily used tractors and trailers) and a $2.5 million reversal of the contingent consideration recorded in the NEHDS acquisition because the financial performance goals in 2022 were not achieved, partially offset by the impact of a $1.0 million gain from the sale of WGL in first quarter 2021. Gains on sales of property and equipment are reflected as a reduction of other operating expenses and are reported net of sales-related expenses (which include costs to prepare the equipment for sale). Gains on sales of property and equipment were $88.6 million in 2022, compared to $61.5 million in 2021. In 2022, we sold fewer tractors and trailers than in 2021. We realized substantially higher average gains per tractor and trailer sold in 2022 due to significantly improved pricing in the market for our used equipment, which we believe is a result of increased demand for previously used equipment because of production delays limiting availability of new equipment in the industry. In 2023, we anticipate the used truck and trailer market will weaken, as we expect a greater number of small carriers to exit the trucking industry due to lower spot rates and much higher operating costs. As a result, we expect our gains on sales of property and equipment in 2023 to decrease to between $30 million and $50 million.
Other Income, Net
Other income, net of expense, decreased $35.2 million in 2022 compared to 2021 due primarily to a $28.1 million decrease in the amount of unrealized net gains recognized on our investments in equity securities (see Note 7 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in Part II of this Form 10-K) and a $7.4 million increase in interest expense. Interest expense increased primarily due to higher average debt outstanding and higher interest rates. In 2023, we expect interest expense will be higher than in 2022, primarily due to higher interest rates, as well as maintaining a higher debt level.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense decreased $5.3 million in 2022 compared to 2021, due to lower pre-tax income. The effective income tax rate (income taxes expressed as a percentage of income before income taxes) was 24.4% in 2022 and 2021. We currently estimate our full year 2023 effective income tax rate to be approximately 24.0% to 25.0%.
2021 Compared to 2020
For a comparison of the Company’s results of operations for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, see Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations , in
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the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2022.
Liquidity and Capital Resources:
We closely manage our liquidity and capital resources. Our liquidity requirements depend on key variables, including the level of investment needed to support business strategies, the performance of the business, capital expenditures, borrowing arrangements, and working capital management. Capital expenditures, business acquisitions, stock repurchases, and dividend payments are components of our cash flow and capital management strategy, which to a large extent, can be adjusted in response to economic and other changes in the business environment. Management’s approach to capital allocation focuses on investing in key priorities that support our business and growth strategies and providing shareholder returns, while funding ongoing operations.
Management believes our financial position at December 31, 2022 is strong. As of December 31, 2022, we had $107.2 million of cash and cash equivalents and over $1.4 billion of stockholders’ equity. Cash is invested primarily in government portfolio money market funds. In addition, we have a $1.075 billion credit facility, for which our total available borrowing capacity was $416.2 million as of December 31, 2022. We believe our liquid assets, cash generated from operating activities, and borrowing capacity under our existing credit facility will provide sufficient funds to meet our cash requirements and our planned shareholder returns for the foreseeable future.
Our material cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations.
• Debt Obligations and Interest Payments – As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding debt with an aggregate principal amount of $693.8 million, with $6.3 million payable within 12 months. Future interest payments associated with our debt obligations are estimated to be $136.0 million through 2027, with $31.3 million payable within 12 months. See Note 8 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of Part II of this Form 10-K for further detail of our debt and the timing of expected future principal payments.
• Operating Leases – We have entered into operating leases primarily for real estate. As of December 31, 2022, we had fixed lease payment obligations of $46.6 million, with $10.6 million payable within 12 months. See Note 5 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of Part II of this Form 10-K for further detail of our lease obligations and the timing of expected future payments.
• Purchase Obligations – As of December 31, 2022, we have committed to property and equipment purchases of approximately $278.6 million within the next 12 months.
In addition to our cash requirements, the Board of Directors has authorized us to deliver value to shareholders through stock repurchases and quarterly cash dividends. The stock repurchase program does not obligate the Company to acquire any specific number of shares. We plan to continue paying a quarterly dividend, which currently results in a cash outlay of slightly more than $8 million per quarter.
Cash Flows
We generated cash flow from operations of $448.7 million during 2022 compared to $332.8 million during 2021. The increase in net cash provided by operating activities was due primarily to working capital changes resulting from growth in accounts receivable during 2021. We were able to make net capital expenditures, make additional strategic investments, pay dividends, and repurchase Company stock with the net cash provided by operating activities and existing cash balances, supplemented by net borrowings under our credit facilities.
Net cash used in investing activities was $514.3 million during 2022 compared to $397.3 million during 2021. Net cash invested in our business acquisitions was $184.1 million during 2022 compared to $201.8 million during 2021. Net property and equipment additions (primarily revenue equipment) were $317.6 million during 2022 compared to $193.0 million during 2021. We currently estimate net capital expenditures (primarily revenue equipment) in 2023 to be in the range of $350 million to $400 million. We intend to fund these net capital expenditures through cash flows from operations and financing available under our existing credit facilities, if necessary.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $118.0 million during 2022 compared to $89.7 million during 2021. We had net borrowings of $266.3 million during 2022, increasing our outstanding debt to $693.8 million at December 31, 2022. A portion of the proceeds were used to finance our Baylor and ReedTMS acquisitions. We had net borrowings of $227.5 million during 2021, which were primarily used to finance our ECM and NEHDS acquisitions. We paid dividends of $32.2 million during 2022 and $29.1 million during 2021. We increased our quarterly dividend rate by $0.01 per share, or 8%, beginning with the quarterly dividend paid in July 2022.
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Financing activities for 2022 also included common stock repurchases of 2,710,304 shares at a cost of $110.4 million. We repurchased 2,297,911 shares during 2021 at a cost of $104.4 million. The Company has repurchased, and may continue to repurchase, shares of the Company’s common stock. The timing and amount of such purchases depend upon economic and stock market conditions and other factors. On November 9, 2021, our Board of Directors approved a new stock repurchase program under which the Company is authorized to repurchase up to 6,000,000 shares of its common stock. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had purchased 3,688,190 shares pursuant to this authorization and had 2,311,810 shares remaining available for repurchase.
Critical Accounting Estimates:
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the (i) reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and (ii) reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis as events and circumstances change, utilizing historical experience, consultation with experts and other methods considered reasonable in the particular circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates and may significantly impact our results of operations from period to period. It is also possible that materially different amounts would be reported if we used different estimates or assumptions.
Estimates of accrued liabilities for insurance and claims for bodily injury, property damage and workers’ compensation is a critical accounting estimate that requires us to make significant judgments and estimates and affects our financial statements. The accruals for bodily injury, property damage and workers’ compensation (current and non-current) are recorded at the estimated ultimate payment amounts and are based upon individual case estimates and actuarial estimates of loss development for reported losses and incurred-but-not-reported losses using loss development factors based upon past experience. In order to determine the loss development factors, we make judgments relating to the comparability of historical claims to current claims. These judgments consider the nature, frequency, severity, and age of claims, and industry, regulatory, and company-specific trends impacting the development of claims. An independent actuary reviews our calculation of the undiscounted self-insurance reserves for bodily injury and property damage claims and workers’ compensation claims at year-end. The actual cost to settle our self-insured claim liabilities can differ from our reserve estimates because of a number of uncertainties, including the inherent difficulty in estimating the severity of a claim and the potential amount to defend and settle a claim. We have not made any material changes in the accounting methodology or assumptions used to calculate our accrued liabilities for insurance and claims for bodily injury, property damage, and workers’ compensation during the past three years. At December 31, 2022 and 2021, we had an accrual of $323.6 million and $309.8 million, respectively, for estimated insurance and claims for (i) cargo loss and damage, (ii) bodily injury and property damage, (iii) group health, and (iv) workers’ compensation claims not covered by insurance. A 10% change in actuarial estimates at December 31, 2022, would have changed our insurance and claims accrual by approximately $30.3 million.
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