U.S. Xpress Enterprises Reports Second Quarter 2021 Results

Rhea-AI Summary

U.S. Xpress Enterprises (NYSE: USX) reported Q2 2021 financial highlights, showcasing operating revenue of $475 million, up from $422.5 million in Q2 2020. However, operating income decreased to $8.9 million from $16.3 million, and adjusted net income fell to $4.2 million, compared to $9.5 million previously. The company achieved significant growth in its Brokerage segment, with a 110% year-over-year increase in revenue. CEO Eric Fuller emphasized the successful execution of their digital transformation and strategic fleet expansion plans, aiming for 1,500 tractors by year-end.

Positive

• Operating revenue increased 12.4% year-over-year to $475 million.
• Brokerage segment revenue doubled to $96.5 million, with 74.7% processed digitally.
• Net income attributable to controlling interest rose to $19.1 million from $9.5 million.
• Average revenue per tractor in OTR Truckload operations increased by 8%.
• Variant fleet grew to 1,160 tractors, representing 15.5% of Truckload revenues.

Negative

• Operating income declined to $8.9 million from $16.3 million, primarily due to lower tractor count.
• Operating ratio worsened to 98.1% from 96.1% year-over-year.
• Adjusted net income dropped from $9.5 million to $4.2 million.
• Continued inflationary pressures and high fixed costs impact margins.

U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: USX) (the “Company”) today announced results for the second quarter of 2021.

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights compared to Second Quarter 2020

• Operating revenue of $475.0 million compared to $422.5 million
• Operating income of $8.9 million compared to $16.3 million
• Net income attributable to controlling interest of $19.1 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, compared to $9.5 million, or $0.18 per diluted share
• Adjusted net income attributable to controlling interest¹, a non-GAAP measure, of $4.2 million, or $0.08 per diluted share compared to $9.5 million, or $0.18 per diluted share
• Variant exited the quarter with 1,160 tractors and generated 15.5% of Truckload revenues in the quarter as compared to 4.7%
• Xpress Technologies, the Company’s Brokerage segment, generated revenue of $96.5 million compared to $46.0 million, with 74.7% of transactions processed digitally in the second quarter of 2021 compared to 21.6%

Second-Quarter Financial Performance

	Quarter Ended June 30,							Six Months Ended June 30,
	2021			2020				2021			2020
Operating revenue	$	475,021		$	422,477			$	925,781		$	855,045
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge	$	437,533		$	393,964			$	855,174		$	786,784
Operating income	$	8,906		$	16,277			$	16,904		$	12,609
Net income attributable to controlling interest	$	19,096		$	9,498			$	21,634		$	282
Earnings per diluted share	$	0.37		$	0.18			$	0.42		$	(0.00	)
Adjusted net income attributable to controlling interest1	$	4,185		$	9,498			$	6,723		$	2,282
Adjusted earnings per diluted share1	$	0.08		$	0.18			$	0.13		$	0.04
Operating Ratio
Truckload operating ratio		97.7	%		94.6	%			97.9	%		97.1	%
Brokerage operating ratio		99.8	%		109.0	%			99.2	%		109.3	%
Operating ratio		98.1	%		96.1	%			98.2	%		98.5	%
Adjusted operating ratio1		98.0	%		95.9	%			98.0	%		98.4	%

Eric Fuller, President and CEO, commented, “From a strategic perspective, we continued to effectively execute our digital transformation plan, which underpins our goal to double revenue and significantly expand margins over the next four years. The key foundation points of our plan are to grow our Variant fleet, expand our digital brokerage, and continually optimize our freight selection algorithms. Over time, we expect these goals to lead to higher revenue and lower cost per transaction. For the second quarter, we were successful in each of these areas. Variant’s fleet grew to 1,160 tractors and remains on track to meet our goal of 1,500 tractors by the end of this year, Brokerage segment revenue more than doubled, and revenue per tractor in our OTR Truckload operations increased approximately 8% compared with the second quarter of 2020 on a healthy mix of 23% higher revenue per mile and 12% fewer miles per tractor.”

“Operationally, second-quarter results in our Brokerage and Dedicated divisions were positive. Brokerage revenue increased 110% year-over-year while gross margin expanded, and the percentage of digital transactions increased to 74.7%, and the segment swung to profitability versus a loss in the second quarter last year. Meanwhile, average revenue per tractor in Dedicated improved 5% to a new second-quarter record of $4,336 per week.”

Mr. Fuller continued, “While the freight market has been robust, our financial results are being impacted by a lower overall tractor count, tight driver market, and the duplicative cost structure required to build and develop Variant while reducing underperforming portions of our legacy OTR fleet. Exiting the second quarter, we believe we have hit the inflection point where Variant’s fleet has achieved the scale to grow at a pace faster than the expected remaining contraction of our legacy OTR fleet, and we believe we can grow overall tractor count sequentially. A larger fleet comprised of a higher percentage of more profitable Variant tractors is consistent with our long-term vision of revenue and margin expansion.”

Enterprise Update

Operating revenue was $475.0 million, an increase of $52.5 million compared to the second quarter of 2020. The increase in operating revenue was primarily attributable to revenue growth in the Company’s Brokerage segment and increased fuel surcharge revenue compared to the second quarter of 2020 offset by lower Truckload segment revenues. Excluding the impact of fuel surcharges, second-quarter revenue increased $43.6 million to $437.5 million, an increase of 11.1% compared to the second quarter of 2020.

Operating income for the second quarter of 2021 was $8.9 million compared to $16.3 million in the second quarter of 2020. The decline in operating income was primarily driven by lower fixed cost coverage resulting from lower tractor count and increases in technology and personnel expenses as well as higher net fuel costs. These factors more than offset improved Brokerage margin and continued improvement in claims experience. Operating ratio for the second quarter of 2021 was 98.1% compared to 96.1% in the second quarter of 2020.

Net income attributable to controlling interest for the second quarter of 2021 was $19.1 million compared to $9.5 million in the second quarter of 2020. Excluding the $14.9 million net of tax, unrealized gain on the Company’s investment in TuSimple, adjusted net income attributable to controlling interest¹ for the second quarter of 2021 was $4.2 million, compared to $9.5 million in the second quarter of 2020. Earnings per diluted share were $0.37 compared to $0.18 in the second quarter of 2020, and adjusted earnings per diluted share¹ were $0.08 for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $0.18 in the second quarter of 2020.

Truckload Segment

	Quarter Ended June 30,					Six Months Ended June 30,
	2021		2020			2021		2020
Over the road
Average revenue per tractor per week*	$	3,837	$	3,558		$	3,778	$	3,511
Average revenue per mile*	$	2.278	$	1.855		$	2.223	$	1.863
Average revenue miles per tractor per week		1,684		1,918			1,699		1,884
Average tractors		3,318		3,825			3,369		3,830
Dedicated
Average revenue per tractor per week*	$	4,336	$	4,122		$	4,243	$	4,095
Average revenue per mile*	$	2.448	$	2.351		$	2.420	$	2.363
Average revenue miles per tractor per week		1,772		1,753			1,753		1,733
Average tractors		2,531		2,739			2,603		2,721
Consolidated
Average revenue per tractor per week*	$	4,053	$	3,793		$	3,981	$	3,753
Average revenue per mile*	$	2.354	$	2.051		$	2.311	$	2.061
Average revenue miles per tractor per week		1,722		1,849			1,723		1,821
Average tractors		5,849		6,564			5,972		6,551
* Excluding fuel surcharge revenues

The Truckload segment achieved an operating ratio of 97.7% and an adjusted operating ratio¹ of 97.4% for the second quarter of 2021, a 310 and 330 basis point deterioration, respectively, compared to the operating ratio of 94.6% and the adjusted operating ratio¹ of 94.1% achieved in the second quarter of 2020. Truckload revenue declined modestly, primarily due to a lower average tractor count, which more than offset higher average revenue per tractor per week. The increase in revenue per tractor per week, a key measure of asset utilization, was primarily the result of a more favorable freight market, along with the implementation of Variant’s Optimizer 2.0, which optimizes for revenue per total mile in addition to total miles per tractor.

In the OTR division, average revenue per tractor per week increased $279 or 7.8% compared to the second quarter of 2020. This improvement primarily reflected a 22.8% increase in average revenue per mile, partially offset by a 12.2% reduction in average miles per tractor.

The Dedicated division’s average revenue per tractor per week increased $214 or 5.2% compared to the second quarter of 2020 on 4.1% higher average revenue per mile and 1.1% higher revenue miles per tractor.

Mr. Fuller commented, “During the second quarter, we continued to execute on our plan as we successfully eliminated approximately 300 tractors in our underperforming legacy OTR fleet while growing Variant by approximately 200 tractors. In our Dedicated division, our team continues to successfully address pricing in certain Dedicated accounts as a result of driver and capacity cost inflation. I am pleased with our progress to date; however, we have more work to do in the second half of the year. I am optimistic that our Dedicated division is on track to deliver sequential margin improvement in the second half of the year.”

Variant Update

The Company continues to execute on its plan to have 1,500 tractors in the Variant fleet by the end of the year. The average number of tractors in this division increased approximately 25% to 1,015 tractors sequentially from the first quarter of 2021. This growth in tractor count combined with improved revenue per tractor compared to the Company’s legacy OTR division allowed Variant’s revenue to grow to 15.5% of Truckload revenues compared to 4.7% in the second quarter of 2020 and up sequentially from 11.8% in the first quarter of 2021. The Variant fleet continues to outperform the legacy OTR fleet in average revenue per tractor per week, turnover, average revenue miles per tractor per week, and preventable accidents per million miles.

Mr. Fuller noted, “At its current scale, Variant is generating an annualized revenue run rate of more than $200 million. Looking forward, we remain on track to grow Variant to 1,500 tractors by the end of the year, which would represent an annualized revenue run rate of $300 million, and approximately 25% of Truckload revenues.”

Brokerage Segment

	Quarter Ended June 30,							Six Months Ended June 30,
	2021			2020				2021			2020
Brokerage revenue	$	96,488		$	46,029			$	178,328		$	96,505
Gross margin %		12.0	%		8.1	%			12.9	%		5.8	%
Load Count		44,676			40,933				86,861			84,426
Percentage of loads processed on digital platform		74.7	%		21.6	%			70.6	%		18.2	%

Brokerage segment revenue increased to $96.5 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to $46.0 million in the second quarter of 2020, primarily as a result of the better rate environment, higher fuel costs, and the conversion of the Company’s portfolio from 77.3% contract and 22.7% spot in the second quarter of 2020 to 52.6% and 47.4%, respectively in the second quarter of 2021. Brokerage operating income was $0.2 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to an operating loss of $4.2 million in the second quarter of 2020.

Mr. Fuller said, “I’m pleased with the progress in our Brokerage segment as we grew both the top line and the percentage of transactions processed digitally. Growing our Brokerage segment is a key component of our goal to double total revenues over the next four years because it offers our customers additional transportation solutions as we scale our capabilities. Looking ahead, we remain focused on growing load count and building out our network density, which we expect will lead to operating margin improvement at scale.”

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At the end of the second quarter 2021, the Company had $181.0 million of liquidity (defined as cash plus availability under the Company’s revolving credit facility), $328.0 million of net debt (defined as long-term debt, including current maturities, less cash balances), and $284.2 million of total stockholders' equity.

The Company continues to expect net capital expenditures between $130.0 million and $150.0 million for the full year 2021. The Company will continue to monitor market conditions and may change its planned capital expenditures as prudent. Through June 30, 2021, net capital expenditures were $15.2 million.

Outlook

The Company continues to expect strong freight demand for the balance of 2021 given the broader economic recovery and tailwinds from the Federal Government’s stimulus package, which had a notable impact on the Company’s operations in the first half of 2021. On the supply side, the market for professional drivers remains challenging, which is helping to keep supply tight. These conditions are expected to continue to support a strong spot market and contract renewal environment through the remainder of 2021.

From a cost perspective, inflationary pressure and higher fixed costs will continue to pressure margins until Variant growth exceeds legacy OTR decline. The Company believes the overall fleet reached its low point towards the end of second quarter of 2021 and expects total fleet size to begin growing in the third quarter, with Variant becoming an increasing percentage of the fleet.

Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call to discuss its second-quarter results at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on July 22, 2021. The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 1-877-423-9813 or, for international callers, 1-201-689-8573 and requesting to be joined to the U.S. Xpress Second Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call. A replay will be available starting at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on July 22, 2021, and can be accessed by dialing 1-844-512-2921 or, for international callers, 1-412-317-6671. The passcode for the replay is 13720615. The replay will be available until 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on July 29, 2021.

Interested investors and other parties may also listen to a simultaneous webcast of the conference call by logging onto the investor relations section of the Company’s website at investor.usxpress.com. The online replay will remain available for a limited time, beginning immediately following the call. Supplementary information for the conference call will also be available on this website.

(1) Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to our net income determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (‘‘GAAP’’), we evaluate operating performance using certain non-GAAP measures, including Adjusted Operating Ratio, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Controlling Interest, and Adjusted EPS (on a consolidated and, as applicable, segment basis). Management believes the use of non-GAAP measures assists investors and securities analysts in understanding the ongoing operating performance of our business by allowing more effective comparison between periods. Further, management uses non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Ratio, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Controlling Interest, and Adjusted EPS measures on a supplemental basis to remove items that may not be an indicator of performance from period-to-period. The non-GAAP information provided is used by our management and may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other companies. The non-GAAP measures used herein have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered measures of income generated by our business or discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. You should not consider the non-GAAP measures used herein in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures on a supplemental basis.

Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation G and Regulation S-K, we have provided reconciliations of Adjusted Operating Ratio, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Controlling Interest, and Adjusted EPS to the most comparable GAAP financial measures at the end of this press release.

About U.S. Xpress Enterprises

Through its subsidiaries, U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. offers customers over-the-road, dedicated, and brokerage services. Founded in 1985, the Company utilizes a combination of smart technology, a modern fleet of tractors and a network of highly trained, professional drivers to efficiently move freight for a wide variety of customers. U.S. Xpress implements a range of digital initiatives and technology to drive innovation in the industry, streamline the value chain for customers and improve the overall driver experience.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are subject to the safe harbor created by those sections and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such statements may be identified by their use of terms or phrases such as “expects,” “estimates,” “projects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “intends,” “outlook,” “strategy,” “optimistic,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “may,” “focus,” “seek,” “potential,” “continue,” “goal,” “target,” “objective,” derivations thereof, and similar terms and phrases. In this press release, such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements in the "Outlook" section, statements regarding future unit, revenue and profit growth of our Variant fleet and Brokerage segment, our ability to scale our digital businesses, statements regarding the profitability of our Dedicated division, and any other statements concerning: any projections of earnings, revenues, cash flows, capital expenditures, operating ratio, operating margin, compliance with financial covenants, or other financial items; any statement of plans, strategies, or objectives for future operations; any statements regarding future economic or industry conditions or performance; and any statements of belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: general economic conditions, including inflation and consumer spending; political conditions and regulations, including future changes thereto; changes in tax laws or in their interpretations and changes in tax rates; future insurance and claims experience, including adverse changes in claims experience and loss development factors, or additional changes in management's estimates of liability based upon such experience and development factors that cause our expectations of insurance and claims expense to be inaccurate or otherwise impacts our results; impact of pending or future legal proceedings; future market for used revenue equipment and real estate; future revenue equipment prices; future capital expenditures, including equipment purchasing and leasing plans and equipment turnover (including expected trade-ins); fleet age; future depreciation and amortization; changes in management’s estimates of the need for new tractors and trailers; future ability to generate sufficient cash from operations and obtain financing on favorable terms to meet our significant ongoing capital requirements; our ability to maintain compliance with the provisions of our credit agreement; freight environment, including freight demand, rates, capacity, and volumes; future asset utilization; loss of one or more of our major customers; our ability to renew dedicated service offering contracts on the terms and schedule we expect; surplus inventories, recessionary economic cycles, and downturns in customers' business cycles; strikes, work slowdowns, or work stoppages at the Company, customers, ports, or other shipping related facilities; increases or rapid fluctuations in fuel prices, as well as fluctuations in surcharge collection, including, but not limited to, changes in customer fuel surcharge policies and increases in fuel surcharge bases by customers; interest rates, fuel taxes, tolls, and license and registration fees; increases in compensation for and difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified professional drivers and independent contractors; classification of independent contractors; seasonal factors such as harsh weather conditions that increase operating costs; competition from trucking, rail, intermodal, and brokerage (including digital brokerage) competitors; regulatory requirements that increase costs, decrease efficiency, or reduce the availability of drivers, including revised hours-of-service requirements for drivers and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program that implemented new driver standards and modified the methodology for determining a carrier’s Department of Transportation safety rating; future safety performance; our ability to reduce, or control increases in, operating costs; future third-party service provider relationships and availability; execution of the Company’s current business strategy or changes in the Company’s business strategy, including whether implementation of such strategies will improve profitability; the ability of the Company’s infrastructure to support future organic or inorganic growth; our ability to identify acceptable acquisition candidates, consummate acquisitions, and integrate acquired operations; our ability to adapt to changing market conditions and technologies, including the future use of autonomous tractors; disruptions to our information technology; the cost of and our ability to effectively and efficiently implement technology initiatives; costs, diversion of management’s attention, and potential payments made in connection with the multiple class action lawsuits a stockholder derivative lawsuit arising out of our IPO; credit, reputational and relationship risks of certain of our current and former equity investments; our ability to maintain effective internal controls without material weaknesses; our voting control is concentrated with certain members of the Fuller and Quinn families, which limits the ability of other stockholders to influence corporate matters; and the impact of the recent coronavirus outbreak or other similar outbreaks. Readers should review and consider these factors along with the various disclosures by the Company in its press releases, stockholder reports, and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting the forward-looking information.

USX Financial

Source: U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Income Statements (unaudited)
		Quarter Ended June 30,								Six Months Ended June 30,
(in thousands, except per share data)		2021				2020				2021				2020
Operating Revenue:
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge		$	437,533			$	393,964			$	855,174			$	786,784
Fuel surcharge			37,488				28,513				70,607				68,261
Total operating revenue			475,021				422,477				925,781				855,045
Operating Expenses:
Salaries, wages and benefits			144,500				139,970				286,503				275,348
Fuel and fuel taxes			43,783				29,850				84,187				70,057
Vehicle rents			21,547				21,335				43,010				43,212
Depreciation and amortization, net of (gain) loss			23,205				26,283				45,587				52,086
Purchased transportation			157,489				117,366				299,150				247,120
Operating expense and supplies			34,443				31,592				66,958				67,322
Insurance premiums and claims			18,933				21,283				40,710				47,306
Operating taxes and licenses			3,247				3,720				6,516				7,397
Communications and utilities			2,964				2,256				5,352				4,708
General and other operating			16,004				12,545				30,904				27,880
Total operating expenses			466,115				406,200				908,877				842,436
Operating Income			8,906				16,277				16,904				12,609
Other Expenses (Income):
Interest expense, net			3,557				4,862				7,244				10,283
Other, net			(20,191	)			-				(20,191	)			2,000
			(16,634	)			4,862				(12,947	)			12,283
Income Before Income Taxes			25,540				11,415				29,851				326
Income Tax Provision			6,443				2,387				8,093				530
Net Income (Loss)			19,097				9,028				21,758				(204	)
Net Income (Loss) attributable to non-controlling interest			1				(470	)			124				(486	)
Net Income attributable to controlling interest		$	19,096			$	9,498			$	21,634			$	282
Income Per Share
Basic earnings per share		$	0.38			$	0.19			$	0.43			$	0.01
Basic weighted average shares outstanding			50,334				49,499				50,156				49,358
Diluted earnings per share		$	0.37			$	0.18			$	0.42			$	(0.00	)
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding			51,848				50,215				51,705				49,518

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)
	June 30,				December 31,
(in thousands)	2021				2020
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	5,275			$	5,505
Customer receivables, net of allowance of $150 and $157, respectively		220,264				189,869
Other receivables		17,198				19,203
Prepaid insurance and licenses		9,685				14,265
Operating supplies		9,729				8,953
Assets held for sale		18,188				12,382
Other current assets		27,379				16,263
Total current assets		307,718				266,440
Property and equipment, at cost		863,459				896,264
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(391,669	)			(394,603	)
Net property and equipment		471,790				501,661
Other assets:
Operating lease right-of-use assets		263,099				287,251
Goodwill		59,221				59,221
Intangible assets, net		24,723				25,513
Other		50,576				39,504
Total other assets		397,619				411,489
Total assets	$	1,177,127			$	1,179,590
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	100,864			$	83,621
Book overdraft		5,873				-
Accrued wages and benefits		40,866				40,095
Claims and insurance accruals		45,674				47,667
Other accrued liabilities		5,639				5,986
Current portion of operating leases		76,512				78,193
Current maturities of long-term debt and finance leases		76,616				103,690
Total current liabilities		352,044				359,252
Long-term debt and finance leases, net of current maturities		257,088				255,287
Less debt issuance costs		(381	)			(314	)
Net long-term debt and finance leases		256,707				254,973
Deferred income taxes		32,786				25,162
Other long-term liabilities		14,809				14,615
Claims and insurance accruals, long-term		47,472				55,420
Noncurrent operating lease liability		187,576				209,311
Commitments and contingencies		-				-
Stockholders' Equity:
Common stock		503				497
Additional paid-in capital		264,450				261,338
Retained earnings (deficit)		19,204				(2,430	)
Stockholders' equity		284,157				259,405
Noncontrolling interest		1,576				1,452
Total stockholders' equity		285,733				260,857
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	1,177,127			$	1,179,590

Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statements (unaudited)
	Six Months Ended June 30,
(in thousands)	2021				2020
Operating activities
Net income (loss)	$	21,758			$	(204	)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Deferred income tax provision		7,624				301
Depreciation and amortization		41,036				45,683
Losses on sale of property and equipment		4,551				6,403
Share based compensation		3,791				2,000
Other		381				2,967
Unrealized gain on investment		(20,191	)			-
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Receivables		(27,163	)			(3,027	)
Prepaid insurance and licenses		4,580				1,933
Operating supplies		(724	)			95
Other assets		(1,967	)			1,085
Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities		5,954				11,822
Accrued wages and benefits		771				2,738
Net cash provided by operating activities		40,401				71,796
Investing activities
Payments for purchases of property and equipment		(62,851	)			(87,270	)
Proceeds from sales of property and equipment		47,660				24,101
Other		-				(1,880	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(15,191	)			(65,049	)
Financing activities
Borrowings under lines of credit		138,812				180,254
Payments under lines of credit		(123,812	)			(180,254	)
Borrowings under long-term debt		38,116				183,662
Payments of long-term debt and finance leases		(83,961	)			(196,742	)
Payments of financing costs		(100	)			(1,276	)
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock under ESPP		538				420
Tax withholding related to net share settlement of restricted stock awards		(1,211	)			(93	)
Payments of long-term consideration for business acquisition		-				(1,000	)
Proceeds from long-term consideration for sale of subsidiary		305				290
Book overdraft		5,873				3,631
Net cash used in financing activities		(25,440	)			(11,108	)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents		(230	)			(4,361	)
Cash and cash equivalents
Beginning of year		5,505				5,687
End of period	$	5,275			$	1,326

Key Operating Factors & Truckload Statistics (unaudited)
	Quarter Ended June 30,							%			Six Months Ended June 30,							%
	2021			2020				Change			2021			2020				Change
Operating Revenue:
Truckload1	$	341,045		$	347,935			-2.0	%		$	676,846		$	690,279			-1.9	%
Fuel Surcharge		37,488			28,513			31.5	%			70,607			68,261			3.4	%
Brokerage		96,488			46,029			109.6	%			178,328			96,505			84.8	%
Total Operating Revenue	$	475,021		$	422,477			12.4	%		$	925,781		$	855,045			8.3	%
Operating Income (Loss):
Truckload	$	8,745		$	20,428			-57.2	%		$	15,472		$	21,628			-28.5	%
Brokerage	$	161		$	(4,151	)		-103.9	%		$	1,432		$	(9,019	)		-115.9	%
	$	8,906		$	16,277			-45.3	%		$	16,904		$	12,609			34.1	%
Operating Ratio:
Operating Ratio		98.1	%		96.1	%		2.1	%			98.2	%		98.5	%		-0.3	%
Adjusted Operating Ratio2		98.0	%		95.9	%		2.2	%			98.0	%		98.4	%		-0.4	%
Truckload Operating Ratio		97.7	%		94.6	%		3.3	%			97.9	%		97.1	%		0.8	%
Adjusted Truckload Operating Ratio2		97.4	%		94.1	%		3.5	%			97.7	%		96.9	%		0.9	%
Brokerage Operating Ratio		99.8	%		109.0	%		-8.4	%			99.2	%		109.3	%		-9.2	%
Truckload Statistics:
Revenue Per Mile1	$	2.354		$	2.051			14.8	%		$	2.311		$	2.061			12.1	%
Average Tractors -
Company Owned		4,517			4,777			-5.4	%			4,556			4,762			-4.3	%
Owner Operators		1,332			1,787			-25.5	%			1,417			1,789			-20.8	%
Total Average Tractors		5,849			6,564			-10.9	%			5,973			6,551			-8.8	%
Average Revenue Miles Per Tractor Per Week		1,722			1,849			-6.9	%			1,723			1,821			-5.4	%
Average Revenue Per Tractor Per Week1	$	4,053		$	3,793			6.9	%		$	3,981		$	3,753			6.1	%
Total Miles		145,405			175,833			-17.3	%			294,968			345,020			-14.5	%
Total Company Miles		111,558			125,743			-11.3	%			223,263			243,869			-8.4	%
Total Independent Contractor Miles		33,847			50,090			-32.4	%			71,705			101,151			-29.1	%
Independent Contractor fuel surcharge		8,422			7,311			15.2	%			16,082			18,522			-13.2	%
1 Excluding fuel surcharge revenues
2 See GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation in the schedules following this release

Non-GAAP Reconciliation - Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio (unaudited)
		Quarter Ended June 30,								Six Months Ended June 30,
(in thousands)		2021				2020				2021				2020
GAAP Presentation:
Total revenue		$	475,021			$	422,477			$	925,781			$	855,045
Total operating expenses			(466,115	)			(406,200	)			(908,877	)			(842,436	)
Operating income		$	8,906			$	16,277			$	16,904			$	12,609
Operating ratio			98.1	%			96.1	%			98.2	%			98.5	%
Non-GAAP Presentation
Total revenue		$	475,021			$	422,477			$	925,781			$	855,045
Fuel surcharge			(37,488	)			(28,513	)			(70,607	)			(68,261	)
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge			437,533				393,964				855,174				786,784
Total operating expenses			466,115				406,200				908,877				842,436
Adjusted for:
Fuel surcharge			(37,488	)			(28,513	)			(70,607	)			(68,261	)
Adjusted operating expenses			428,627				377,687				838,270				774,175
Adjusted Operating Income		$	8,906			$	16,277			$	16,904			$	12,609
Adjusted operating ratio			98.0	%			95.9	%			98.0	%			98.4	%
Non-GAAP Reconciliation - Truckload Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Ratio (unaudited)
		Quarter Ended June 30,								Six Months Ended June 30,
(in thousands)		2021				2020				2021				2020
Truckload GAAP Presentation:
Total Truckload revenue		$	378,533			$	376,448			$	747,453			$	758,540
Total Truckload operating expenses			(369,788	)			(356,020	)			(731,981	)			(736,912	)
Truckload operating income		$	8,745			$	20,428			$	15,472			$	21,628
Truckload operating ratio			97.7	%			94.6	%			97.9	%			97.1	%
Truckload Non-GAAP Presentation
Total Truckload revenue		$	378,533			$	376,448			$	747,453			$	758,540
Fuel surcharge			(37,488	)			(28,513	)			(70,607	)			(68,261	)
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge			341,045				347,935				676,846				690,279
Total Truckload operating expenses			369,788				356,020				731,981				736,912
Adjusted for:
Fuel surcharge			(37,488	)			(28,513	)			(70,607	)			(68,261	)
Truckload Adjusted operating expenses			332,300				327,507				661,374				668,651
Truckload Adjusted operating income		$	8,745			$	20,428			$	15,472			$	21,628
Truckload Adjusted operating ratio			97.4	%			94.1	%			97.7	%			96.9	%

Non-GAAP Reconciliation - Adjusted Net Income and EPS (unaudited)
		Quarter Ended June 30,							Six Months Ended June 30,
(in thousands, except per share data)		2021				2020			2021				2020
GAAP: Net income attributable to controlling interest		$	19,096			$	9,498		$	21,634			$	282
Adjusted for:
Income tax provision			6,443				2,387			8,093				530
Income before income taxes attributable to controlling interest		$	25,539			$	11,885		$	29,727			$	812
Unrealized gain on equity investment1			(20,191	)			-			(20,191	)			-
Loss on sale of equity method investment2			-				-							2,000
Adjusted income before income taxes			5,348				11,885			9,536				2,812
Adjusted income tax provision			1,163				2,387			2,813				530
Non-GAAP: Adjusted net income attributable to controlling interest		$	4,185			$	9,498		$	6,723			$	2,282
GAAP: Earnings per diluted share		$	0.37			$	0.18		$	0.42			$	(0.00	)
Adjusted for:
Income tax expense attributable to controlling interest			0.12				0.05			0.15				0.01
Income before income taxes attributable to controlling interest		$	0.49			$	0.23		$	0.57			$	0.01
Unrealized gain on equity investment1			(0.39	)			-			(0.39	)			-
Loss on sale of equity method investment2			-				-			-				0.04
Adjusted income before income taxes			0.10				0.23			0.18				0.05
Adjusted income tax provision			0.02				0.05			0.05				0.01
Non-GAAP: Adjusted earnings per diluted share attributable to controlling interest		$	0.08			$	0.18		$	0.13			$	0.04
1During the second quarter of 2021, we recognized an unrealized gain on our TuSimple equity investment
2During the first quarter of 2020, we incurred loss on sale related to an equity method investment in a former wholly owned subsidiary

 

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FAQ

What were the financial highlights for U.S. Xpress (USX) in Q2 2021?

U.S. Xpress reported Q2 2021 operating revenue of $475 million, a net income of $19.1 million, and an operating income of $8.9 million.

How did U.S. Xpress's Brokerage segment perform in Q2 2021?

The Brokerage segment revenue for Q2 2021 was $96.5 million, representing a 110% increase year-over-year.

What is the outlook for U.S. Xpress (USX) regarding tractor count?

U.S. Xpress aims to grow its Variant fleet to 1,500 tractors by the end of 2021.

How did U.S. Xpress (USX) adjust its earnings per share in Q2 2021?

U.S. Xpress adjusted earnings per diluted share were $0.08 in Q2 2021, down from $0.18 in Q2 2020.

What challenges does U.S. Xpress face according to the Q2 2021 report?

The company faces challenges from a lower tractor count, tight driver market, and inflationary pressures affecting margins.