Home
Jump to Risk Factors
Jump to Industries
Jump to Exposures
Jump to Event Codes
Jump to Wiki Summary

Industries
Paper Products
Independent Power Producers and Energy Traders
Asset Management and Custody Banks
Oil and Gas Storage and Transportation
Oil and Gas Refining and Marketing and Transportation
Transportation
Exposures
Express intent
Military
Provide
Cooperate
Event Codes
Promise
Solicit support
Human death
Warn
Force
Sports contest
Vote
Reward
Riot
Yield to order
Natural disaster
Accident
Agree
Empathize
Wiki Wiki Summary
Truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Malaysia and Singapore) is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, which is commonly defined as a large goods vehicle (LGV) or heavy goods vehicle (HGV) (usually a semi truck, box truck or dump truck).\n\n\n== Duties and functions ==\nTruck drivers provide an essential service to industrialized societies by transporting finished goods and raw materials over land, typically to and from manufacturing plants, retail and distribution centers.
Customer relationship management Customer relationship management (CRM) is a process in which a business or other organization administers its interactions with customers, typically using data analysis to study large amounts of information.CRM systems compile data from a range of different communication channels, including a company's website, telephone, email, live chat, marketing materials and more recently, social media. They allow businesses to learn more about their target audiences and how to best cater for their needs, thus retaining customers and driving sales growth.
Road transport Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people.
Glossary of the American trucking industry A specialized set of jargon describe the tools, equipment, and employment sectors used in the trucking industry in the United States. Some terms may be used within other English-speaking countries, or within the freight industry in general (air, rail, ship, and manufacturing).
Women In Trucking Association, Inc Women In Trucking Association, Inc. (WIT) is an American non-profit organization which focuses on the employment of women in the trucking industry and addresses obstacles that might keep women from entering or succeeding in the trucking industry.
Arithmetic Arithmetic (from Ancient Greek ἀριθμός (arithmós) 'number', and τική [τέχνη] (tikḗ [tékhnē]) 'art, craft') is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers—addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th century, Italian mathematician Giuseppe Peano formalized arithmetic with his Peano axioms, which are highly important to the field of mathematical logic today.
Operation Mincemeat Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. Two members of British intelligence obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a tramp who died from eating rat poison, dressed him as an officer of the Royal Marines and placed personal items on him identifying him as the fictitious Captain (Acting Major) William Martin.
Bitwise operation In computer programming, a bitwise operation operates on a bit string, a bit array or a binary numeral (considered as a bit string) at the level of its individual bits. It is a fast and simple action, basic to the higher-level arithmetic operations and directly supported by the processor.
Special Activities Center The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert operations and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015.
Operations management Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in meeting customer requirements.
Emergency operations center An emergency operations center (EOC) is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level during an emergency, and ensuring the continuity of operation of a company, political subdivision or other organization.\nAn EOC is responsible for strategic direction and operational decisions and does not normally directly control field assets, instead leaving tactical decisions to lower commands.
Operations research Operations research (British English: operational research), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a discipline that deals with the development and application of advanced analytical methods to improve decision-making. It is sometimes considered to be a subfield of mathematical sciences.
Customer Profitability Analysis Customer Profitability Analysis (in short CPA) is a management accounting and a credit underwriting method, allowing businesses and lenders to determine the profitability of each customer or segments of customers, by attributing profits and costs to each customer separately. CPA can be applied at the individual customer level (more time consuming, but providing a better understanding of business situation) or at the level of customer aggregates / groups (e.g.
Profitable growth Profitable Growth is the combination of profitability and growth, more precisely the combination of Economic Profitability and Growth of Free cash flows. Profitable growth is aimed at seducing the financial community; it emerged in the early 80s when shareholder value creation became firms’ main objective.
Customer profitability Customer Profitability Analysis (in short CPA) is a management accounting and a credit underwriting method, allowing businesses and lenders to determine the profitability of each customer or segments of customers, by attributing profits and costs to each customer separately. CPA can be applied at the individual customer level (more time consuming, but providing a better understanding of business situation) or at the level of customer aggregates / groups (e.g.
Small Is Profitable Small Is Profitable: The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical Resources the Right Size is a 2002 book by energy analyst Amory Lovins and others. The book describes 207 ways in which the size of "electrical resources"—devices that make, save, or store electricity—affects their economic value.
SAP ERP SAP ERP is an enterprise resource planning software developed by the German company SAP SE. SAP ERP incorporates the key business functions of an organization. The latest version of SAP ERP (V.6.0) was made available in 2006.
Porter's five forces analysis Porter's Five Forces Framework is a method of analysing the operating environment of a competition of a business. It draws from industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and, therefore, the attractiveness (or lack thereof) of an industry in terms of its profitability.
Net income In business and accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest, and taxes for an accounting period.It is computed as the residual of all revenues and gains less all expenses and losses for the period, and has also been defined as the net increase in shareholders' equity that results from a company's operations. It is different from gross income, which only deducts the cost of goods sold from revenue.
Significant figures Significant figures (also known as the significant digits, precision or resolution) of a number in positional notation are digits in the number that are reliable and necessary to indicate the quantity of something.\nIf a number expressing the result of a measurement (e.g., length, pressure, volume, or mass) has more digits than the number of digits allowed by the measurement resolution, then only as many digits as allowed by the measurement resolution are reliable, and so only these can be significant figures.
Significant other The term significant other (SO) has different uses in psychology and in colloquial language. Colloquially "significant other" is used as a gender-neutral term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about marital status, relationship status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Bit numbering In computing, bit numbering is the convention used to identify the bit positions in a binary number.\n\n\n== Bit significance and indexing ==\n\nIn computing, the least significant bit (LSB) is the bit position in a binary integer representing the binary 1s place of the integer.
Significant form Significant form refers to an aesthetic theory developed by English art critic Clive Bell which specified a set of criteria for what qualified as a work of art.
The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
Internet In finance and economics, interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distinct from a fee which the borrower may pay the lender or some third party.
Regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context.
Regulation A In the United States under the Securities Act of 1933, any offer to sell securities must either be registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or meet certain qualifications to exempt it from such registration. Regulation A (or Reg A) contains rules providing exemptions from the registration requirements, allowing some companies to use equity crowdfunding to offer and sell their securities without having to register the securities with the SEC. Regulation A offerings are intended to make access to capital possible for small and medium-sized companies that could not otherwise bear the costs of a normal SEC registration and to allow nonaccredited investors to participate in the offering.
Formula One regulations The numerous Formula One regulations, made and enforced by the FIA and later the FISA, have changed dramatically since the first Formula One World Championship in 1950. This article covers the current state of F1 technical and sporting regulations, as well as the history of the technical regulations since 1950.
Regulation (European Union) A regulation is a legal act of the European Union that becomes immediately enforceable as law in all member states simultaneously. Regulations can be distinguished from directives which, at least in principle, need to be transposed into national law.
Regulations.gov Regulations.gov is a U.S. Federal government web site that acts as an "Internet portal and document repository" that allows members of the public to participate in the rulemaking processes of some Federal government agencies. \nThe site allows users to make public comments in response to notices of proposed rulemaking issued by participating agencies; such comments become part of the public record and may be displayed on the site.
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations The New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR) contains New York state rules and regulations. The NYCRR is officially compiled by the New York State Department of State's Division of Administrative Rules.
Radio regulation Radio regulation refers to the regulation and licensing of radio in international law, by individual governments, and by municipalities.\n\n\n== International regulation ==\nThe International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies.
Conditional probability In probability theory, conditional probability is a measure of the probability of an event occurring, given that another event (by assumption, presumption, assertion or evidence) has already occurred. This particular method relies on event B occurring with some sort of relationship with another event A. In this event, the event B can be analyzed by a conditionally probability with respect to A. If the event of interest is A and the event B is known or assumed to have occurred, "the conditional probability of A given B", or "the probability of A under the condition B", is usually written as P(A|B) or occasionally PB(A).
Conditional comment Conditional comments are conditional statements interpreted by Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5 through 9 in HTML source code. They can be used to provide and hide code to and from these versions of Internet Explorer.
Conditional probability distribution In probability theory and statistics, given two jointly distributed random variables \n \n \n \n X\n \n \n {\displaystyle X}\n and \n \n \n \n Y\n \n \n {\displaystyle Y}\n , the conditional probability distribution of \n \n \n \n Y\n \n \n {\displaystyle Y}\n given \n \n \n \n X\n \n \n {\displaystyle X}\n is the probability distribution of \n \n \n \n Y\n \n \n {\displaystyle Y}\n when \n \n \n \n X\n \n \n {\displaystyle X}\n is known to be a particular value; in some cases the conditional probabilities may be expressed as functions containing the unspecified value \n \n \n \n x\n \n \n {\displaystyle x}\n of \n \n \n \n X\n \n \n {\displaystyle X}\n as a parameter. When both \n \n \n \n X\n \n \n {\displaystyle X}\n and \n \n \n \n Y\n \n \n {\displaystyle Y}\n are categorical variables, a conditional probability table is typically used to represent the conditional probability.
Conditional independence In probability theory, conditional independence describes situations wherein an observation is irrelevant or redundant when evaluating the certainty of a hypothesis. Conditional independence is usually formulated in terms of conditional probability, as a special case where the probability of the hypothesis given the uninformative observation is equal to the probability without.
Conditional sentence Conditional sentences are natural language sentences that express that one thing is contingent on something else, e.g. "If it rains, the picnic will be cancelled." They are so called because the impact of the main clause of the sentence is conditional on the dependent clause.
Risk Factors
SWIFT TRANSPORTATION CO INC Item 1A Risk Factors Our future operating results and financial condition are dependent on our ability to successfully provide truckload carrier services to meet dynamic customer demand patterns
Inherent in this process are a number of factors that we must successfully manage in order to achieve favorable future operating results and financial condition
Potential risks and uncertainties that could affect future operating results and financial condition include, without limitation, the factors discussed below
Our operating results fluctuate and may be materially adversely affected by economic conditions and business factors unique to the trucking industry
Our business is dependent upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control
These factors include excess capacity in the trucking industry, difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified drivers, interest rates, significant increases or fluctuations in fuel prices, fuel taxes, tolls, license and registration fees and insurance and claims costs, to the extent not offset by increases in freight rates
Our results of operations also are affected by recessionary economic cycles and downturns in customers’ business cycles, particularly in market segments and industries (such as retail, manufacturing and paper products) in which there is a concentration of customers
Economic and other conditions may adversely affect our customers and their ability to pay for our services
Any customers so affected represent a potential for loss
We also could be affected by terrorist activities, natural disasters, or enhanced security measures, which could impact the economy or otherwise increase operating expenses and reduce productivity
In addition, our results of operations are affected by seasonal factors
Customers tend to reduce shipments after the winter holiday season and operating expenses tend to be higher in the winter months primarily due to colder weather that causes higher fuel consumption from increased idle time
We may experience substantial difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified drivers, including independent contractors
In the past, there have been shortages of drivers in the trucking industry and such shortages may occur in the future
Periodically, the trucking industry experiences substantial difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified drivers, including independent contractors
If we are unable to continue to retain and attract drivers or contract with independent contractors and fleets, we could be required to adjust our driver compensation package, let trucks sit idle or otherwise operate at a reduced level, which could adversely affect our operations and profitability
Our operations are particularly sensitive to volatility in fuel prices
Significant increases or rapid fluctuations in fuel prices are major issues for the transportation industry
Increases in fuel costs, to the extent not offset by rate per mile increases or fuel surcharges, have an adverse effect on our operations and profitability
We believe that the most effective protection against fuel cost increases is to maintain a fuel-efficient fleet and to implement fuel surcharges when such an option is necessary and available
We have fuel surcharge revenue programs in place with a majority of our customers which has helped to offset the majority of the negative impact of rising fuel prices associated with loaded or billed miles
However, we also incur fuel costs that cannot be recovered associated with empty miles, out of route miles or the time when our engines are idling
In addition, there can be timing differences between a change in our fuel costs and the timing of recovery of fuel surcharge billed to customers
There can be no assurance that such fuel surcharges can be maintained indefinitely or will be sufficiently effective
As of December 31, 2005, we have not used derivative-type hedging instruments, but periodically evaluate their possible use
The trucking industry is extremely competitive and fragmented
The trucking industry is extremely competitive and fragmented
No single truckload carrier has a significant market share
We compete with many other truckload carriers of varying sizes, customers’ private fleets, and, to a lesser extent, with railroads which may limit our growth opportunities and reduce profitability
9 _________________________________________________________________ [63]Table of Contents Historically, competition has created downward pressure on the truckload industry’s pricing structure
Some trucking companies with which we compete have greater financial resources
The trucking industry is very capital intensive
The trucking industry is very capital intensive
We depend on cash from operations, operating leases and debt financing for funds to expand the size of our fleet and maintain modern revenue equipment
If we were unable in the future to enter into acceptable financing arrangements, it would limit our operations and profitability
We are dependent on certain personnel that are key to the management of our business and operations
Many of our executive officers are key to the management of our business and operations
Our future success depends on our ability to retain our executive officers and other capable managers
Although we believe we could replace key personnel given adequate prior notice, the unexpected departure of key executive officers could cause substantial disruption to our business and operations
In addition, even if we are able to continue to retain and recruit talented personnel we may not be able to do so without incurring substantial costs
We operate in a highly regulated industry and changes in existing regulations or violations of existing or future regulations could have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability
We are regulated by the US DOT and the FMCSA We may also become subject to new or more comprehensive or restrictive regulations relating to fuel emissions, ergonomics or other issues regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) or other state or federal agencies
In addition, our operations are subject to various environmental laws and regulations dealing with the transportation, storage, presence, use, disposal and handling of hazardous materials, discharge of storm water and underground fuel storage tanks
If we should be involved in a spill or other accident involving hazardous substances or if we were found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to fines and penalties that could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results
EPA regulations continue to require significantly reduced engine emissions
A new set of standards is expected to become effective in 2007, which may increase the cost and reduce the fuel efficiency of new engines
The increased cost of complying with such regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results
In October 2005, the FMCSA, a department within the US DOT, completed a review of our operations and safety management controls
Upon completion of the review process, the FMCSA assigned to us a safety fitness rating of “satisfactory,” the highest rating given by the FMCSA The “satisfactory” safety fitness rating resolves our litigation with the FMCSA over the agency’s proposed “conditional” rating in 2003
There are three possible ratings assigned by FMSCA: satisfactory, conditional and unsatisfactory
If FMSCA determines our safety rating to be “conditional” in a future review, it could result in certain material adverse consequences to our business and operations
Although a conditional rating will not result in the loss of our authority to transport materials, certain industry standard provisions in our contracts with our customers could allow the customer to reduce or terminate its relationship with us
If a significant customer or large number of smaller customers, or combination thereof, reduce or terminate their relationship with us, it would have a material adverse affect on our business
In addition, there is a possibility that a drop to conditional status could affect our ability to self-insure for personal injury and property damage relating to the transportation of freight, which could cause our insurance costs to increase
The FMCSA revised their Hours-of-Service (“HOS”) regulations effective January 2004 to increase the maximum daily drive time from 10 to 11 hours, but no longer allowed for breaks in the on-duty period
We believe that these changes may have caused productivity losses as there is wait time while the tractors are loaded, unloaded or otherwise detained which cannot be recovered with additional drive time
This also has an impact on our driver wages since they are paid primarily on the number of trip miles
In such situations, we have worked with our shippers to try to minimize the loss of productivity
When necessary, we have billed our 10 _________________________________________________________________ [64]Table of Contents shippers for accessorial charges and in turn compensated our drivers and owner-operators accordingly so as to maintain our existing pay structure
Throughout 2004 and 2005, we have been generally successful in recovering these additional amounts from our customers through accessorial charges and have not experienced a negative financial impact from these changes to date
The FMCSA then issued new HOS regulations effective October 2005
In general, the regulations did not reduce the amount of available driving hours, but restricted the sleeper berth provision
The new sleeper berth provision allows the drivers’ required rest period of 10 hours to be split into two parts, but requires one period to be at least 8 consecutive hours
These changes could impact the flexibility of solo and team drivers to effectively manage their available work hours
If we are unsuccessful in working with customers on the timing of pick-ups and deliveries or in working with drivers to optimize their available driving hours, the changes could result in a loss of productivity
Volatility in the used equipment sales market could adversely affect our operations
We rely on the sale of used equipment to offset the cost of purchasing new equipment
From 1999 to 2003, used tractor values deteriorated significantly
In 2004, used tractor prices began rising and remained stable in 2005
Should this trend reverse and prices deteriorate, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results
We currently self-insure for certain liabilities which subjects us to various risks, some of which are beyond our control
At the present time, we self-insure for liability resulting from cargo loss, personal injury, workers’ compensation, and property damage, and maintain insurance with licensed insurance companies above our limits on self-insurance
(See “Safety and Insurance” in the Business section above
) To the extent we were to experience an increase in the number of claims for which we are self-insured, our operating results would be materially adversely affected
In addition, significant increases in insurance costs, to the extent not offset by freight rate increases, or difficulties in obtaining insurance would reduce our profitability
Although we endeavor to limit this, we may also have some exposure to the extent any of our shipping subcontractors are inadequately insured for any accident
We depend on key customers, the loss of which may have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability
A significant portion of our revenue is generated from several key customers
During 2005, our top 25, 10 and 5 customers accounted for 56prca, 40prca and 31prca of revenues, respectively
Our largest customer, Wal-Mart accounted for 15prca of our revenues in 2005
We do not have long-term contractual relationships with many of our key customers, and there can be no assurance that our relationships with our key customers will continue as presently in effect
A reduction in or termination of our services by a key customer could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results
We depend on third parties, particularly in our expanding intermodal business
Our intermodal business utilizes railroads and some third-party dray carriers to transport freight for our customers
Changes in the service level, availability or cost of such services could have material adverse effect on our operations and profitability
In addition, we are significantly expanding our intermodal business and, as a result, may experience slower initial demand and operational difficulties as we develop that business