ITEM 7.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Certain acronyms and terms used throughout this Annual Report are specific to our company, commonly used in our industry, or are otherwise frequently used throughout our document. Definitions for these acronyms and terms are provided in the "Glossary of Terms," available in the front of this document.
Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read together with "Business" in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report, as well as the consolidated financial statements and accompanying footnotes in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under Part I, Item 1A. "Risk Factors" and Part I "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements" of this Annual Report, and elsewhere in this report. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed.
Executive Summary
Company Overview
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. is one of North America's largest and most diversified freight transportation companies, providing multiple full truckload, LTL, intermodal, and other complementary services. Our objective is to operate our business with industry-leading margins, continued organic growth, and growth through acquisitions while providing safe, high-quality, and cost-effective solutions for our customers. Knight-Swift uses a nationwide network of business units and terminals in the US and Mexico to serve customers throughout North America. In addition to operating one of the country's largest truckload fleets, Knight-Swift also contracts with third-party carriers to provide a broad range of transportation services to our customers while creating quality driving jobs for our driving associates and successful business opportunities for independent contractors. Our four reportable segments are Truckload, LTL, Logistics, and Intermodal. Additionally, we have various other operating segments, included within our All Other Segments.
Key Financial Highlights
During 2025, consolidated total revenue was $7.5 billion, which is a 0.8% increase over 2024. Consolidated operating income was $216.1 million in 2025, reflecting a decrease of 11.2% from 2024. Consolidated net income attributable to Knight-Swift decreased by 43.9% from 2024 to $65.9 million.
• Truckload — 97.0% operating ratio during 2025, with a 2.8% decrease in revenue, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions, compared to 2024.
• LTL — 97.4% operating ratio during 2025 with a 20.6% increase in revenue, excluding fuel surcharge.
• Logistics — 96.0% operating ratio during 2025. Revenue per load increased by 4.7%, leading to a 0.1% increase in revenue, excluding intersegment transactions.
• Intermodal — 102.1% operating ratio during 2025. Load count decreased 6.7%, partially offset by a 1.0% improvement in revenue per load resulting in a 19.2% decrease in operating loss.
• All Other Segments — Operating income was $14.4 million during 2025 as compared an operating loss of $26.2 million in 2024, which was largely as a result of winding down our third-party insurance program, ultimately ceasing operations at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
• Liquidity and Capital — During 2025, we generated $1.3 billion in operating cash flows. Our Free Cash Flow 1 was $763.2 million. Note that operating cash flows for 2025 were increased by $478.2 million in sales proceeds funded under the new accounts receivable securitization program upon its closing on December 31, 2025, as further discussed below. From a financing perspective, during 2025 we paid down $380 million of outstanding term loan balances, $147.5 million in finance lease liabilities, and $161.6 million on operating lease liabilities. Additionally, we had $65.2 million of net borrowings on our 2025 Revolver and prior accounts receivable securitization after giving effect for the $478.2 million payoff and termination of the prior accounts receivable securitization agreement on December 31, 2025, as discussed below.
1 Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
Table of Contents Glossary of Terms
KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
On December 31, 2025, the Company entered into a new $575 million accounts receivable securitization facility via the Receivables Purchase Agreement (the "2025 RPA"), replacing the Company's previous $575 million securitization facility first entered into in 2013, as amended and restated through October 2025 (the "2025 RSA"). Replacing the 2025 RSA, which was treated as a financing secured by receivables, with the 2025 RPA, which is treated as a sale of receivables, has the effect of removing the subject receivables and the former secured borrowing from the Company's balance sheet beginning December 31, 2025 and is expected to reduce expenses on a go-forward basis. Note that the payoff and termination of the prior debt facility with the sales proceeds under the new sales arrangement on December 31, 2025 had the effect of increasing operating cash flow for 2025 by the amount of the $478.2 million proceeds at closing, while the payoff of the prior debt facility is a cash outflow for financing activities and reduces the net borrowings from working capital facilities for 2025 by the same amount. Going forward, we would expect less pronounced impacts to the cash flow statement from this program as ongoing changes in the size of the pool of receivables in the ordinary course of business are expected to be less than the initial proceeds funded at closing for the outstanding pool of receivables.
We ended 2025 with $1.1 billion in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and available liquidity and $7.1 billion of stockholders' equity. The face value of our debt, net of unrestricted cash ("Net Debt") was $2.1 billion at the end of 2025. We do not foresee material liquidity constraints or any issues with our ongoing ability to meet our debt covenants. See discussion under "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for additional information.
Key Financial Data and Operating Metrics
GAAP financial data:
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
Total revenue
Revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
Net income attributable to Knight-Swift
Earnings per diluted share
Operating ratio
Non-GAAP financial data:
Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift 1
Adjusted EPS 1
Adjusted Operating Ratio 1
Revenue equipment statistics by segment:
Truckload
Average tractors 2
Average trailers 3
LTL
Average tractors 4
Average trailers 5
Intermodal
Average tractors
Average containers
1 Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, and Adjusted Operating Ratio are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered alternatives, or superior to, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. However, management believes that presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provides useful information to investors regarding the Company's results of operations. Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, and Adjusted Operating Ratio are reconciled to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures," below.
2 Our tractor fleet within the Truckload segment had a weighted average age of 2.7 years and 2.6 years as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
3 Note that average trailers includes 9,671 and 8,769 trailers within our All Other Segment as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Our trailer fleet within the Truckload segment had a weighted average age of 9.7 years and 9.4 years as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Starting with the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company is excluding its chassis trailers from its average trailer calculation. Prior period information has been recast for comparability.
4 Our LTL tractor fleet had a weighted average age of 3.8 years and 4.2 years as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, and includes 663 and 619 tractors from ACT's dedicated and other businesses for 2025 and 2024, respectively.
5 Our LTL trailer fleet had a weighted average age of 8.2 years and 8.4 years as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, and includes 1,129 and 876 trailers from ACT's dedicated and other businesses for 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Results of Operations — Summary
Notes regarding presentation: A discussion of changes in our results of operations from 2023 to 2024 has been omitted from this Annual Report, but may be found in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our 2024 Annual Report filed with the SEC on February 20, 2025.
In accordance with accounting treatment applicable to each of our recent acquisitions, Knight-Swift's reported results do not include the operating results of the acquired entities prior to the respective acquisition dates. Accordingly, comparisons between the Company's 2025 results and prior periods may not be meaningful. Refer to Note 1 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for a list of our recent acquisitions.
Operating Results: 2025 Compared to 2024 — The $51.7 million decrease in net income attributable to Knight-Swift to $65.9 million in 2025 from $117.6 million in 2024, includes the following:
• Contributor — $21.1 million decrease in operating income within our Truckload segment, primarily due to $52.9 million in non-cash impairments of goodwill and intangible assets associated with Abilene as a result of the decision to cease its separate operations and combine it into our Swift business and certain revenue equipment as well as owned and lease real property. This was partially offset by a 3.3% increase in our average revenue per tractor.
• Contributor — $48.4 million decrease in operating income from our LTL segment is primarily due to a $28.8 million non-cash impairments of tradenames associated with the decision to rebrand the MME and DHE brands of our LTL businesses under the AAA Cooper brand, increased costs related to expanding our LTL service area, and a 1.2% decrease in weight per shipment.
• Contributor — $30.1 million decrease in "Other income (expenses), net," primarily driven by a mark-to-market adjustment in 2024 related to certain purchase price obligations associated with the acquisition of U.S. Xpress.
• Contributor — $0.3 million decrease in operating income within our Logistics segment driven by a 4.6% decrease in load count, partially offset by a 4.7% increase in revenue per load.
• Offset — $40.6 million increase in operating income within our All Other Segments, largely as a result of exiting the third-party insurance business at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
• Offset — $3.7 million decrease in net interest expense primarily due to a decrease in interest rates, partially offset by higher average borrowings.
• Offset — $3.2 million decrease in consolidated income tax expense, primarily due to a decrease in income before income taxes. This resulted in a 2025 effective tax rate of 31.2% and a 2024 effective tax rate of 22.1%.
• Offset — $1.8 million decrease in operating loss within our Intermodal segment driven by a 1.0% increase in revenue per load.
See additional discussion of our operating results within "Results of Operations — Consolidated Operating and Other Expenses" below.
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
Results of Operations — Segment Review
The Company has four reportable segments: Truckload, LTL, Logistics, and Intermodal, as well as certain other operating segments included within our All Other Segments. Refer to Note 23 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for descriptions of our segments. Refer to Part I, Item 1, "Business – Our Mission and Company Strategy" of this Annual Report for discussion related to our segment operating strategies.
Consolidating Tables for Total Revenue and Operating Income
Revenue:
(Dollars in thousands)
Truckload
LTL
Logistics
Intermodal
Subtotal
All Other Segments
Intersegment eliminations
Total revenue
Operating income (loss):
(Dollars in thousands)
Truckload
LTL
Logistics
Intermodal
Subtotal
All Other Segments
Operating income
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
Revenue
• Our truckload services include irregular route and dedicated, refrigerated, expedited, flatbed, and cross-border transportation of various products, goods, and materials for our diverse customer base with approximately 15,500 irregular route and 6,000 dedicated tractors.
• Our LTL business, which was initially established in 2021 through the ACT Acquisition and later the MME and DHE acquisitions, provides our customers with LTL transportation service through our growing network of approximately 180 facilities and a door count of approximately 6,690. Our LTL segment operates approximately 4,200 tractors and approximately 11,100 trailers, including equipment used for ACT's dedicated and other businesses. The LTL segment also provides national coverage to our customers by utilizing partner carriers for areas outside of our direct network.
• Our Logistics and Intermodal segments provide a multitude of shipping solutions, including additional sources of truckload capacity and alternative transportation modes, by utilizing our vast network of third-party capacity providers and rail providers, as well as certain logistics and freight management services. We continue to offer power-only services through our Logistics segment by leveraging our fleet of approximately 85,000 trailers as of December 31, 2025.
• All Other Segments include support services provided to our customers and third-party carriers including equipment maintenance, equipment leasing, warehousing, trailer parts manufacturing, warranty services, and insurance for independent contractors, as well as insurance for affiliated carriers through the first quarter of 2024. All Other Segments also include certain corporate expenses (such as legal settlements and accruals, certain impairments, and amortization of intangibles related to the 2017 Merger and various acquisitions).
• In addition to the revenues earned from our customers for the trucking and non-trucking services discussed above, we also earn fuel surcharge revenue from our customers through our fuel surcharge programs, which serve to recover a majority of our fuel costs. This generally applies only to loaded miles for our Truckload and LTL segments and typically does not offset non-paid empty miles, idle time, nor out-of-route miles driven. Fuel surcharge programs involve a computation based on the change in national or regional fuel prices. These programs may update as often as weekly, but typically require a specified minimum change in fuel cost to prompt a change in fuel surcharge revenue. Therefore, many of these programs have a time lag between when fuel costs change and when the change is reflected in fuel surcharge revenue for our Truckload and LTL segments.
Expenses
Our most significant expenses typically vary with miles traveled and include fuel, driving associate-related expenses (such as wages and benefits), and services purchased from third-party service providers (including other trucking companies, railroad and drayage providers, and independent contractors). Maintenance and tire expenses, as well as the cost of insurance and claims generally vary with the miles we travel but also have a controllable component based on safety performance, fleet age, operating efficiency, and other factors. Our primary fixed costs are depreciation and lease expense for revenue equipment and terminals, non-driver employee compensation, amortization of intangible assets, and interest expenses.
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
Operating Statistics
We measure our consolidated and segment results through the operating statistics listed in the table below. Our chief operating decision makers monitor the GAAP results of our reportable segments, supplemented by certain non-GAAP information. Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for more details. Additionally, we use a number of primary indicators to monitor our revenue and expense performance and efficiency.
Operating Statistic
Relevant Segment(s)
Description
Average Revenue per Tractor
Truckload
Measures productivity and represents revenue (excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions) divided by average tractor count
Total Miles per Tractor
Truckload
Total miles (including loaded and empty miles) divided by average tractor count
Average Length of Haul
Truckload, LTL
For our Truckload segment this is calculated as average miles traveled with loaded trailer cargo per order.
For our LTL segment this is calculated as average miles traveled from the origin service center to the destination service center.
Non-paid Empty Miles Percentage
Truckload
Percentage of miles without trailer cargo
Shipments per Day
LTL
Average number of shipments completed each business day
Weight per Shipment
LTL
Total weight (in pounds) divided by total shipments
Revenue per shipment
LTL
Total revenue divided by total shipments
Revenue xFSC per shipment
LTL
Total revenue, excluding fuel surcharge, divided by total shipments
Revenue per hundredweight
LTL
Measures yield and is calculated as total revenue divided by total weight (in pounds) times 100
Revenue xFSC per hundredweight
LTL
Total revenue, excluding fuel surcharge, divided by total weight (in pounds) times 100
Average Tractors
Truckload, LTL, Intermodal
Average tractors in operation during the period, including company tractors and tractors provided by independent contractors
Average Trailers
Truckload, LTL
Average trailers in operation during the period
Average Revenue per Load
Logistics, Intermodal
Total revenue (excluding intersegment transactions) divided by load count
Gross Margin Percentage
Logistics
Logistics gross margin (revenue, excluding intersegment transactions, less purchased transportation expense, excluding intersegment transactions) as a percentage of logistics revenue, excluding intersegment transactions
Average Containers
Intermodal
Average containers in operation during the period
GAAP Operating Ratio
Truckload, LTL, Logistics, Intermodal
Measures operating efficiency and is widely used in our industry as an assessment of management's effectiveness in controlling all categories of operating expenses. Calculated as operating expenses as a percentage of total revenue, or the inverse of operating margin
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio
Truckload, LTL, Logistics, Intermodal
Measures operating efficiency and is widely used in our industry as an assessment of management's effectiveness in controlling all categories of operating expenses. Consolidated and segment Adjusted Operating Ratios are reconciled to their corresponding GAAP operating ratios under "Non-GAAP Financial Measures," below
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
Segment Review
Truckload Segment
We generate revenue in the Truckload segment primarily through irregular route, dedicated, refrigerated, flatbed, expedited, and cross-border service offerings, with approximately 15,500 irregular route tractors and approximately 6,000 dedicated route tractors in use during 2025. Generally, we are paid a predetermined rate per mile or per load for our truckload services. Additional revenues are generated by charging for tractor and trailer detention, loading and unloading activities, dedicated services, other specialized services, and through the collection of fuel surcharge revenue to mitigate the impact of increases in the cost of fuel. The main factors that affect the revenue generated by our Truckload segment are rate per mile from our customers, the percentage of miles for which we are compensated, and the number of loaded miles we generate with our equipment.
The most significant expenses in the Truckload segment are primarily variable and include fuel and fuel taxes, driving associate-related expenses (such as wages, benefits, training, and recruitment), and costs associated with independent contractors primarily included in "Purchased transportation" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Maintenance expense (which includes costs for replacement tires for our revenue equipment) and insurance and claims expenses have both fixed and variable components. These expenses generally vary with the miles we travel, but also have a controllable component based on safety, fleet age, efficiency, and other factors. The main fixed costs in the Truckload segment are depreciation and rent expenses from tractors, trailers, and terminals, as well as compensating our non-driver employees.
(Dollars in thousands, except per tractor data)
Increase (decrease)
Total revenue
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions
GAAP: Operating income
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Income 1
Average revenue per tractor 2
GAAP: Operating ratio 2
bps
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 2
bps)
Non-paid empty miles percentage 2
bps)
Average length of haul (miles) 2
Total miles per tractor 2
Average tractors 2 3
Average trailers 2 4
1 Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
2 Defined within "Operating Statistics" above.
3 Includes 19,395 and 20,644 company-owned tractors for 2025 and 2024, respectively.
4 Average trailers includes 9,671 and 8,769 trailers from our All Other Segments for 2025 and 2024, respectively. Starting with the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company is excluding its chassis trailers from its average trailer calculation. Prior period information has been recast for comparability.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Our Truckload segment revenue, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions, decreased 2.8% year-over-year, driven by a 3.4% decrease in loaded miles. Revenue per loaded mile, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions, improved 0.7% year-over-year. The 2025 Adjusted Operating Ratio improved 80 basis points year-over-year to 94.8%. We are encouraged with the progress at U.S. Xpress, as this business continues to close the gap on margin performance with our legacy brands. We believe U.S. Xpress is positioned to make further progress in an improving market.
During the fourth quarter, we made the decision to combine the Abilene trucking operations into our Swift business to improve efficiency and enhance productivity. We continue to make tangible progress improving our cost structure and implementing technology-driven initiatives to offset inflationary pressures and which we believe will position our business to generate meaningful returns as market conditions recover.
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
LTL Segment
Our LTL segment provides regional direct service and serves our customers' national transportation needs by utilizing key partner carriers for coverage areas outside of our network. We primarily generate revenue by transporting freight for our customers through our core LTL services.
Our revenues are impacted by shipment volume and tonnage levels that flow through our network. Additional revenues are generated through fuel surcharges and accessorial services provided during transit from shipment origin to destination. We focus on the following multiple revenue generation factors when reviewing revenue yield: revenue per hundredweight, revenue per shipment, weight per shipment, and length of haul. Fluctuations within each of these metrics are analyzed when determining the revenue quality of our customers' shipment density.
Our most significant expenses are related to direct costs associated with the transportation of our freight moves including direct salary, wage and benefit costs, fuel expense, and depreciation expense associated with revenue equipment costs. Other expenses associated with revenue generation that can fluctuate and impact operating results are insurance and claims expense, as well as maintenance costs of our revenue equipment. These expenses can be influenced by multiple factors including our safety performance, equipment age, and other factors. A key component to lowering our operating costs is labor efficiency within our network. We continue to focus on technological advances to improve the customer experience and reduce our operating costs.
During 2025, we decided to adopt the strong and historically significant AAA Cooper brand across our entire LTL business, effective as of January 1, 2026. The consolidated branding recognizes that we are already one business, operating seamlessly on one system through one network to present a cohesive solution to our customers, while simplifying administration and communication.
(Dollars in thousands, except per shipment and per hundredweight data)
Increase (decrease)
Total revenue
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge
GAAP: Operating income
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Income 1
GAAP: Operating ratio 2
bps
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 2
bps
LTL shipments per day 2
LTL weight per shipment 2
LTL average length of haul (miles) 2
LTL revenue per shipment 2
LTL revenue xFSC per shipment 2
LTL revenue per hundredweight 2
LTL revenue xFSC per hundredweight 2
LTL average tractors 2 3
LTL average trailers 2 4
1 Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
2 Defined under "Operating Statistics," above.
3 Includes 663 and 619 tractors from ACT's dedicated and other businesses for 2025 and 2024, respectively.
4 Includes 1,129 and 876 trailers from ACT's dedicated and other businesses for 2025 and 2024, respectively.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Our LTL segment grew revenue, excluding fuel surcharge, 20.6% as shipments per day increased 15.3% year-over-year, which includes the acquisition of DHE on July 30, 2024. Revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharge, increased 7.4%, revenue per shipment, excluding fuel surcharge, increased by 6.2%, and weight per shipment decreased 1.2%. This segment produced a 93.2% Adjusted Operating Ratio in 2025, and Adjusted Operating Income decreased 17.0% year-over-year primarily due to start-up costs and early-stage operations at our recently opened facilities and costs related to the system integration of DHE.
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
During 2025, we opened 16 new service centers, four of which replaced larger sites, bringing our year-over-year growth in door count to 10.0% for 2025. As previously noted, we expect our pace of facility expansion will be slower in the near term and believe ongoing bid events with new and existing customers will provide further opportunities to grow shipment volume and improve efficiencies. Our near-term focus is to drive both revenue and margin expansion in the business through strong service, disciplined pricing, and cost efficiency. We continue to look for both organic and inorganic opportunities to geographically expand our footprint within the LTL market.
Logistics Segment
The Logistics segment is less asset-intensive than the Truckload and LTL segments and is dependent upon capable non-driver employees, modern and effective information technology, and third-party capacity providers. Logistics revenue is primarily generated by its brokerage operations. We generate additional revenue by offering specialized logistics solutions (including, but not limited to, trailing equipment, origin management, surge volume, disaster relief, special projects, and other logistics needs). Logistics revenue is mainly affected by the rates we obtain from customers, the freight volumes we ship through third-party capacity providers, and our ability to secure third-party capacity providers to transport customer freight.
The most significant expense in the Logistics segment is purchased transportation that we pay to third-party capacity providers, which is primarily a variable cost, and is included in "Purchased transportation" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Variability in this expense depends on truckload capacity, availability of third-party capacity providers, rates charged to customers, current freight demand, and customer shipping needs. Fixed Logistics operating expenses primarily include non-driver employee compensation and benefits recorded in "Salaries, wages, and benefits," as well as depreciation and amortization expense recorded in "Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
(Dollars in thousands, except per load data)
Increase (decrease)
Revenue
GAAP: Operating income
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Income 1 2
Revenue per load – Brokerage only 2
Gross margin percentage – Brokerage only 2
bps
GAAP: Operating ratio 2
bps
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 2
bps
1 Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
2 Defined under "Operating Statistics" above.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Logistics Adjusted Operating Ratio was 95.1%, with gross margin remaining flat at 17.5% in 2025, compared to 2024. Revenue increased 0.1% year-over-year, driven by a 4.7% increase in revenue per load and partially offset by a 4.6% decrease in load count.
We remain disciplined on price and diligent in carrier qualification to provide value to customers while maintaining profitability. We continue to leverage our power-only capabilities to complement our asset business, build a broader and more diversified freight portfolio, and to enhance the returns on our capital assets.
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MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
Intermodal Segment
The Intermodal segment complements our regional operating model, while also allowing us to better serve customers in longer haul lanes, and reduces our investment in fixed assets. Through the Intermodal segment, we generate revenue by moving freight over the rail in our containers and other trailing equipment, combined with revenue for drayage to transport loads between railheads and customer locations. The most significant expense in the Intermodal segment is the cost of purchased transportation that we pay to third-party capacity providers (including rail providers), which is primarily variable and included in "Purchased transportation" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. While rail pricing is primarily determined on an annual basis, purchased transportation varies as it relates to rail capacity, freight demand, and customer shipping needs. The main fixed costs in the Intermodal segment are depreciation of our company tractors related to drayage, containers, and chassis, as well as non-driver employee compensation and benefits.
(Dollars in thousands, except per load data)
Increase (decrease)
Revenue
GAAP: Operating loss
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Loss 1 2
Average revenue per load 1
GAAP: Operating ratio 1
bps)
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Operating Ratio 1 2
bps)
Load count
Average tractors 1 2
Average containers 1
1 Defined within "Operating Statistics" above.
2 Includes 548 and 561 c ompany-owned tractors for 2025 and 2024, respectively.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Intermodal operated with a 101.4% Adjusted Operating Ratio, while total revenue decreased 5.8% to $364.9 million. The drop in revenue was driven by the 6.7% decrease in load count partially offset by a 1.0% increase in revenue per load.
We remain focused on delivering excellent service and driving appropriate returns through cost control, network balance, equipment utilization, and growing our load count with disciplined pricing.
All Other Segments
Our All Other Segments include support services provided to our customers and third-party carriers including equipment maintenance, equipment leasing, warehousing, trailer parts manufacturing, warranty services, and insurance for independent contractors, as well as insurance for affiliated carriers through the first quarter of 2024. Our All Other Segments also include certain corporate expenses (such as legal settlements and accruals, certain impairments, and $46.6 million in annual amortization of intangibles related to the 2017 Merger and various acquisitions).
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Total revenue
Operating income (loss)
2025 Compared to 2024 — Revenue increased 7.9% and operating income increased $40.6 million primarily driven by our warehousing business and leasing businesses and reflects improvement from the prior year, which had included a $18.0 million operating loss for the third-party insurance business.
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KNIGHT-SWIFT TRANSPORTATION HOLDINGS INC.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — CONTINUED
Results of Operations — Consolidated Operating and Other Expenses
Consolidated Operating Expenses
The following tables present certain operating expenses from our consolidated statements of comprehensive income, including each operating expense as a percentage of total revenue and as a percentage of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge. Truckload and LTL fuel surcharge revenue can be volatile and is primarily dependent upon the cost of fuel, rather than operating expenses unrelated to fuel. Therefore, we believe that revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge is a better measure for analyzing many of our expenses and operating metrics.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Salaries, wages, and benefits
% of total revenue
bps
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps
Salaries, wages, and benefits expense is primarily affected by the total number of miles driven by and rates we pay to our company driving associates, and employee benefits including healthcare, workers' compensation, and other benefits. To a lesser extent, non-driver employee headcount, compensation, and benefits affect this expense. Driving associate wages represent the largest component of salaries, wages, and benefits expense.
Several ongoing market factors have reduced the pool of available driving associates, contributing to a challenging driver sourcing market, which we believe will continue. Having a sufficient number of qualified driving associates is a significant headwind, although we continue to seek ways to attract and retain qualified driving associates, including heavily investing in our recruiting efforts, our driving academies, technology, equipment, and terminals that improve the experience of driving associates. We expect labor costs (related to both driving associates and non-driver employees) to remain inflationary, which we expect will result in additional increases in pay and benefits expenses in the future, thereby increasing our salaries, wages, and benefits expense.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The increase in consolidated salaries, wages, and benefits is primarily due to a $129.5 million increase in LTL wages as a result of service center expansion, the DHE Acquisition, and labor to support increased shipment count from expansion efforts.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Fuel
% of total revenue
bps)
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps)
Fuel expense consists primarily of diesel fuel expense for our company-owned tractors. The primary factors affecting our fuel expense are the cost of diesel fuel, the fuel economy of our equipment, and the miles driven by company driving associates.
Our fuel surcharge programs help to offset increases in fuel prices, but generally apply only to loaded miles for our Truckload and LTL segments and typically do not offset non-paid empty miles, idle time, or out-of-route miles driven. Typical fuel surcharge programs involve a computation based on the change in national or regional fuel prices. These programs may update as often as weekly, but typically require a specified minimum change in fuel cost to prompt a change in fuel surcharge revenue for our Truckload and LTL segments. Therefore, many of these programs have a time lag between when fuel costs change and when the change is reflected in fuel surcharge revenue. Due to this time lag, our fuel expense, net of fuel surcharge, negatively impacts our operating income during periods of sharply rising fuel costs and positively impacts our operating income during periods of falling fuel costs. We continue to utilize our fuel efficiency initiatives such as trailer blades, idle-control, management of tractor speeds, fleet updates for more fuel-efficient engines, management of fuel procurement, and driving associate training programs that we believe contribute to controlling our fuel expense.
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2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in consolidated fuel expense was primarily due to lower average weekly DOE fuel prices of $3.66 per gallon in 2025 compared to $3.76 per gallon in 2024, and a 3.2% decrease in total miles driven by truckload company drivers, partially offset by a 23.2% increase in LTL miles.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Operations and maintenance
% of total revenue
bps)
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps)
Operations and maintenance expense consists of direct operating expenses, such as driving associate hiring and recruiting expenses, equipment maintenance, and tire expense. Operations and maintenance expenses are typically affected by the age of our company-owned fleet of tractors and trailers and the miles driven. We expect the driver market to remain competitive throughout 2026, which could increase future driving associate development and recruiting costs and negatively affect our operations and maintenance expense. We expect to continue refreshing our tractor fleet in the coming quarters, subject to availability of new revenue equipment, to maintain the average age of our equipment.
Operations and maintenance expense remained relatively flat for 2025, as compared to 2024.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Insurance and claims
% of total revenue
bps)
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps)
Insurance and claims expense consists of premiums for liability, physical damage, and cargo, and will vary based upon the frequency and severity of claims, our level of self-insurance, and premium expense. In recent years, insurance carriers have raised premiums for transportation companies based upon significant verdicts and settlements against transportation companies. As a result, our insurance and claims expense could increase in the future, or we could raise our self-insured retention limits or reduce excess coverage limits when our policies are renewed or replaced. Insurance and claims expense also varies based on the number of miles driven by company driving associates and independent contractors, the frequency and severity of accidents, trends in development factors used in actuarial accruals, and developments in prior-year claims. In future periods, our higher self-insured retention limits and lower excess coverage limits may cause increased in our consolidated insurance and expense.
In the first quarter of 2024, we exited our third-party insurance business, which offered insurance products to third-party carriers, earning premium revenues, which were partially offset by increased insurance reserves, and which exposed us to claims and inability to collect premiums.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Consolidated insurance and claims expense decreased primarily due to the Company exiting the third-party insurance business at the end of the first quarter of 2024. Additionally, the decrease was due to a 1.0% decrease in total miles driven year-over-year, improvements within our current year experience as a result of lower frequency and severity of claims, and positive development within certain prior year losses.
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(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Operating taxes and licenses
% of total revenue
bps
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps
Operating taxes and licenses include state franchise taxes, state and federal highway use taxes, property taxes, vehicle license and registration fees, and fuel and mileage taxes, among others. The expense is impacted by changes in the tax rates and registration fees associated with our tractor fleet and regional operating facilities.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Operating taxes and licenses expenses increased by $7.6 million for 2025, as compared to the same periods last year, primarily as a result of expanding our LTL network.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Communications
% of total revenue
bps
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps)
Communications expense is comprised of costs associated with our tractor and trailer tracking systems, information technology systems, and phone systems.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Communications expense as a percentage of total revenue and revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge remained relatively flat for 2025, as compared to 2024.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment
% of total revenue
bps)
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps)
Depreciation relates primarily to our owned tractors, trailers, buildings, electronic logging devices, other communication units, and other similar assets. Changes to this fixed cost are generally attributed to increases or decreases in company-owned equipment, the relative percentage of owned versus leased equipment, and fluctuations in new equipment purchase prices. Depreciation can also be affected by the cost of used equipment that we sell or trade and the replacement of older used equipment. Management periodically reviews the condition, average age, and reasonableness of estimated useful lives and salvage values of our equipment and considers such factors in light of our experience with similar assets, used equipment market conditions, and prevailing industry practices.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in consolidated depreciation and amortization is primarily due to the decrease in tractor and trailer counts in our Truckload segment, partially offset by an increase in equipment counts for our LTL segment.
We anticipate that depreciation and amortization expense will increase, as a percentage of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge, as we intend to purchase, rather than enter into operating leases, for a majority of our revenue equipment, terminal improvements, or terminal expansions in 2026.
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(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Amortization of intangibles
% of total revenue
bps
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps
Amortization of intangibles relates to intangible assets identified with the 2017 Merger, ACT Acquisition, U.S. Xpress Acquisition, and other acquisitions. See Note 4 and Note 8 in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report for further details regarding the Company's intangible assets, historical amortization, and anticipated future amortization.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The increase in consolidated amortization of intangibles for 2025 is primarily attributed to the DHE acquisition. See Note 4 in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report for more details regarding our acquisitions.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Rental expense
% of total revenue
bps)
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps)
Rental expense consists primarily of payments for revenue equipment assumed in the U.S. Xpress Acquisition, as well as our terminals and other real estate leases.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in consolidated rental expense is primarily related to U.S Xpress increasing its ratio of owned versus leased equipment. We anticipate that rental expense will decrease, as a percentage of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge, as we intend to purchase, rather than enter into operating leases, a majority of our revenue equipment, terminal improvements, or terminal expansions in 2026.
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Purchased transportation
% of total revenue
bps)
% of revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
bps)
Purchased transportation expense is comprised of payments to independent contractors in our trucking operations, as well as payments to third-party capacity providers related to logistics, freight management, and non-trucking services in our logistics and intermodal businesses. Purchased transportation is generally affected by capacity in the market, as well as changes in fuel prices. As capacity tightens, our payments to third-party capacity providers and to independent contractors tend to increase. Additionally, as fuel prices increase, payments to third-party capacity providers and independent contractors increase. Purchased transportation expense may also fluctuate as a percentage of revenue based on the relative growth of our logistics and intermodal businesses as compared to our full truckload and LTL businesses.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in consolidated purchased transportation expense is primarily due to decreased load volume within our logistics and intermodal businesses as well as lower miles driven by independent contractors within our Truckload segment.
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(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Impairments
2025 Compared to 2024 — In 2025, we incurred impairment charges related to goodwill and intangible assets associated with Abilene as a result of the decision to cease its operations and combine it into our Swift business, tradenames associated with the decision to rebrand the MME and DHE brands of our LTL businesses under the AAA Cooper brand (within the LTL segment), certain discontinued software projects (within the Intermodal Segment), and certain revenue equipment as well as owned and lease real property (within the Truckload Segment).
In 2024, we incurred impairment charges related to building improvements, certain revenue equipment held for sale, leases, and other equipment (within the Truckload segment and All Other Segments).
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Miscellaneous operating expenses
Miscellaneous operating expenses primarily consists of legal and professional services fees, general and administrative expenses, and other costs, net of gain on sales of equipment.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in net consolidated miscellaneous operating expenses is primarily due to a $30.8 million increase in gain on sales of operating property and equipment, partially offset by increased costs associated with bringing new service centers online within our LTL segment.
Consolidated Other Expenses, net
The following table summarizes fluctuations in certain non-operating expenses included in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income:
(Dollars in thousands)
Increase (decrease)
Interest income
Interest expense
Other income, net
Income tax expense
Interest income — Interest income includes interest earned from financing revenue equipment to independent contractors, as well as interest earned from our investments.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in consolidated interest income is primarily due to the lower balances in our interest yielding cash accounts during 2025.
Interest expense — Interest expense is comprised of debt and finance lease interest expense, as well as amortization of deferred loan costs.
2025 Compared to 2024 — Consolidated interest expense decreased due to a decrease in average interest rates during 2025, partially offset by an increase in the average debt balance. Additional details regarding our debt are discussed in Note 13 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Other income, net — Other income, net is primarily comprised of (gains) and losses from our various equity investments, as well as certain other non-operating income and expense items that may arise outside of the normal course of business.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in consolidated other income, net is primarily due to the $36.6 million benefit for the mark-to-market adjustment in 2024 related to certain purchase price obligations associated with the acquisition of U.S. Xpress, partially offset by a net gain recorded within our portfolio of investments in 2025.
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See Note 4 in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report for more details regarding our purchase price obligations in connection with the U.S. Xpress Acquisition.
Income tax expense — In addition to the discussion below, Note 11 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report provides further analysis related to income taxes.
2025 Compared to 2024 — The decrease in consolidated income tax expense was primarily due to a reduction in pre-tax earnings and an increase in tax benefits from foreign currency adjustments, changes in deferred foreign income tax expense, and federal amended income tax returns. These were partially offset by higher deferred tax expense associated with the merger of certain subsidiaries, and a decrease in tax benefits from the mark-to-market adjustment, less favorable changes in state rates, and lower stock compensation deductions. As a result, the effective tax rate for 2025 was 31.2% as compared to the 2024 effective tax rate of 22.1%.
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Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The terms "Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift," "Adjusted EPS," "Adjusted Operating Income," "Adjusted Operating Expenses," "Adjusted Operating Ratio," and "Free Cash Flow," as we define them, are not presented in accordance with GAAP. These financial measures supplement our GAAP results in evaluating certain aspects of our business. We believe that using these measures improves comparability in analyzing our performance because they remove the impact of items from our operating results that, in our opinion, do not reflect our core operating performance. Management and the Board focus on Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Expenses and Adjusted Operating Ratio as key measures of our performance, all of which are reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measures and further discussed below. Management and the Board use Free Cash Flow as a key measure of our liquidity. Free Cash Flow does not represent residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures. We believe our presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is useful because it provides investors and securities analysts the same information that we use internally for purposes of assessing our core operating performance.
Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift, Adjusted EPS, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Expenses, Adjusted Operating Ratio, and Free Cash Flow are not substitutes for their comparable GAAP financial measures, such as net income, cash flows from operating activities, operating income, or other measures prescribed by GAAP. There are limitations to using non-GAAP financial measures. Although we believe that they improve comparability in analyzing our period to period performance, they could limit comparability to other companies in our industry if those companies define these measures differently. Because of these limitations, our non-GAAP financial measures 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. Management compensates for these limitations by primarily relying on GAAP results and using non-GAAP financial measures on a supplemental basis.
Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation G, the following tables reconcile GAAP consolidated net income attributable to Knight-Swift to non-GAAP consolidated Adjusted Net Income attributable to Knight-Swift, GAAP consolidated earnings per diluted share to non-GAAP consolidated Adjusted EPS, GAAP consolidated operating ratio to non-GAAP consolidated Adjusted Operating Ratio, GAAP reportable segment operating income to non-GAAP reportable segment Adjusted Operating Income, GAAP reportable segment operating expenses to non-GAAP segment Adjusted Operating Expenses, GAAP reportable segment operating ratio to non-GAAP reportable segment Adjusted Operating Ratio, and GAAP cash flow from operations to non-GAAP Free Cash Flow.
Note regarding presentation: A discussion of changes in our results of operations from 2023 to 2024 has been omitted from this Annual Report, but may be found in "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our 2024 Annual Report filed with the SEC on February 20, 2025 .
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Non-GAAP Reconciliation:
Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS
(Dollars in thousands)
GAAP: Net income attributable to Knight-Swift
Adjusted for:
Income tax expense attributable to Knight-Swift
Income before income taxes attributable to Knight-Swift
Amortization of intangibles 1
Impairments 2
Legal accruals 3
Transaction fees 4
Severance expense 5
Change in fair value of deferred earnout 6
Loss on investment 7
Write-off of deferred debt issuance costs 8
USX mark to market adjustment 9
Adjusted income before income taxes
Provision for income tax expense at effective rate 10
Non-GAAP: Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift
Note: Since the numbers reflected in the table below are calculated on a per share basis, they may not foot due to rounding.
GAAP: Earnings per diluted share
Adjusted for:
Income tax expense attributable to Knight-Swift
Income before income taxes attributable to Knight-Swift
Amortization of intangibles 1
Impairments 2
Legal accruals 3
Transaction fees 4
Severance expense 5
Change in fair value of deferred earnout 6
Loss on investment 7
Write-off of deferred debt issuance costs 8
USX mark to market adjustment 9
Adjusted income before income taxes
Provision for income tax expense at effective rate 10
Non-GAAP: Adjusted EPS
1 "Amortization of intangibles" reflects the non-cash amortization expense relating to intangible assets identified in the 2017 Merger, the ACT Acquisition, the U.S. Xpress Acquisition, and other acquisitions, as well as the non-cash amortization expense related to the fair value of favorable leases assumed in the DHE acquisition included within "Rental expense" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
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2 "Impairments" reflects the non-cash impairments:
• Fourth quarter 2025 impairments reflects the non-cash impairments of goodwill and intangible assets associated with Abilene as a result of the decision to cease its operations and combine it into our Swift business and certain revenue equipment as well as owned and lease real property (within the Truckload Segment). Third quarter 2025 impairments reflect the non-cash impairments of tradenames associated with the decision to rebrand the MME and DHE brands of our LTL businesses under the AAA Cooper brand (within the LTL segment), as well as certain discontinued software projects (within the Intermodal Segment), and certain real property leases (within the Truckload Segment). Second quarter 2025 impairments reflects non-cash impairments related to certain real property owned and leased (within the Truckload Segment). First quarter 2025 reflects non-cash impairments related to certain real property leases (within the Truckload segment).
• 2024 impairments of building improvements, certain revenue equipment held for sale, leases, and other equipment (within the Truckload segment and All Other Segments).
3 "Legal accruals" are included in "Miscellaneous operating expenses" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income and reflect the following:
• Fourth quarter and year-to-date 2025 legal expense reflects the net increased estimated exposure for accrued legal matters based on recent settlement agreements.
• Year-to-date 2024 legal expense reflects the increased estimated exposures for accrued legal matters based on recent settlement agreements.
4 "Transaction fees" reflects certain legal and professional fees associated with the July 30, 2024 acquisition of DHE. The transaction fees are primarily included within "Miscellaneous operating expenses."
5 "Severance expense" is included within "Salaries, wages, and benefits" in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
6 " Change in fair value of deferred earnout" reflects the benefit for the change in fair value of a deferred earnout related to various acquisitions, which is recorded in "Miscellaneous operating expenses."
7 "Loss on investment" reflects the write-off of a minority investment in a transportation-adjacent technology venture which ceased operations in the third quarter of 2024 and is recorded within the All Other Segments.
8 "Write-off of deferred debt issuance costs" was incurred from replacing the 2021 Debt Agreement and 2023 Debt Agreement with the 2025 Debt Agreement, as well as replacing the 2025 RSA with the 2025 RPA.
9 Mark-to-market adjustment related to certain purchase price obligations associated with the acquisition of U.S. Xpress.
10 For 2025, an adjusted effective tax rate of 26.7% was applied in our Adjusted EPS calculation to exclude certain discrete items.
For 2024, an adjusted effective tax rate of 25.4% was applied in our Adjusted EPS calculation to exclude certain discrete items.
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Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Expenses, and Adjusted Operating Ratio
GAAP Presentation
(Dollars in thousands)
Total revenue
Total operating expenses
Operating income
Operating ratio
Non-GAAP Presentation
Total revenue
Truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
Revenue, excluding truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
Total operating expenses
Adjusted for:
Truckload and LTL fuel surcharge
Amortization of intangibles 1
Impairments 2
Legal accruals 3
Transaction fees 4
Severance expense 5
Change in fair value of deferred earnout 6
Adjusted Operating Expenses
Adjusted Operating Income
Adjusted Operating Ratio
1 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 1.
2 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 2.
3 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 3.
4 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 4.
5 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 5 .
6 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 6.
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Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Reportable Segment Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Operating Expenses, and Adjusted Operating Ratio
Truckload Segment
GAAP Presentation
(Dollars in thousands)
Total revenue
Total operating expenses
Operating income
Operating ratio
Non-GAAP Presentation
Total revenue
Fuel surcharge
Intersegment transactions
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge and intersegment transactions
Total operating expenses
Adjusted for:
Fuel surcharge
Intersegment transactions
Amortization of intangibles 1
Impairments 2
Legal accruals 3
Severance expense 4
Adjusted Operating Expenses
Adjusted Operating Income
Adjusted Operating Ratio
1 "Amortization of intangibles" reflects the non-cash amortization expense relating to intangible assets identified in historical Knight acquisitions and the U.S. Xpress Acquisition.
2 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 2.
3 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 3.
4 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 5.
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LTL Segment
GAAP Presentation
(Dollars in thousands)
Total revenue
Total operating expenses
Operating income
Operating ratio
Non-GAAP Presentation
Total revenue
Fuel surcharge
Revenue, excluding fuel surcharge
Total operating expenses
Adjusted for:
Fuel surcharge
Amortization of intangibles 1
Impairments 2
Adjusted Operating Expenses
Adjusted Operating Income
Adjusted Operating Ratio
1 "Amortization of intangibles" reflects the non-cash amortization expense relating to intangible assets identified with the ACT, MME, and DHE acquisitions, as well as the non-cash amortization expense related to the fair value of favorable leases assumed in the DHE Acquisition.
2 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 2.
Logistics Segment
GAAP Presentation
(Dollars in thousands)
Revenue
Total operating expenses
Operating income
Operating ratio
Non-GAAP Presentation
Revenue
Total operating expenses
Adjusted for:
Amortization of intangibles 1
Adjusted Operating Expenses
Adjusted Operating Income
Adjusted Operating Ratio
1 "Amortization of intangibles" reflects the non-cash amortization expense relating to intangible assets identified in the U.S. Xpress and UTXL acquisitions.
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Intermodal Segment
GAAP Presentation
(Dollars in thousands)
Revenue
Total operating expenses
Operating loss
Operating ratio
Non-GAAP Presentation
Revenue
Total operating expenses
Adjusted for:
Impairments 1
Adjusted Operating Expenses
Adjusted Operating Loss
Adjusted Operating Ratio
1 See Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Consolidated Adjusted Net Income Attributable to Knight-Swift and Adjusted EPS footnote 2.
Non-GAAP Reconciliation: Free cash flow
GAAP: Cash flows from operations
Adjusted for:
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment, including assets held for sale
Purchases of property and equipment
Non-GAAP: Free Cash Flow
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources of Liquidity
The following table presents our available sources of liquidity as of December 31, 2025:
Source:
Amount
(In thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents, excluding restricted cash
Availability under 2025 Revolver, due July 8, 2030 1
Availability under 2025 RPA, due October 2, 2028 2
Total unrestricted liquidity
Cash and cash equivalents – restricted 3
Total liquidity, including restricted cash
1 As of December 31, 2025, we had $626.0 million in borrowings under our $1.5 billion 2025 Revolver. We additionally had $18.3 million in outstanding letters of credit (discussed below) issued under the 2025 Revolver, leaving $855.7 million available under the 2025 Revolver.
2 Based on eligible receivables at December 31, 2025, our facility capacity under the 2025 RPA was $499.3 million, while outstanding capital was $478.2 million, leaving $21.1 million available under the 2025 RPA.
3 Restricted cash and restricted investments are primarily held by our captive insurance companies for claims payments. "Cash and cash equivalents – restricted" consists of $82.4 million, which is included in "Cash and cash equivalents — restricted" in the consolidated balance sheets held by Mohave and Red Rock for claims payments. The remaining $5.9 million is included in "Other long-term assets" and is held in escrow accounts to meet statutory requirements.
Uses of Liquidity
Our business requires substantial amounts of cash for operating activities, including salaries and wages paid to our employees, contract payments to independent contractors, insurance and claims payments, tax payments, and others. We also use large amounts of cash and credit for the following activities:
Capital Expenditures — Subject to our liquidity and our ability to generate acceptable returns, we make substantial cash capital expenditures to maintain a modern company tractor fleet, refresh and expand our trailer fleet (when justified by customer demand), expand our network of LTL service centers, and, to a lesser extent, fund upgrades to our terminals and technology in our various service offerings. In connection with our business strategy, we regularly evaluate acquisition, investment, and strategic partnership opportunities. We expect net cash capital expenditures will be in the range of $625.0 to $675.0 million in 2026. Our expected net cash capital expenditures primarily represent replacements of existing tractors and trailers and investments in our terminal network, driver amenities, and technology, and excludes acquisitions.
Over the long-term, we will continue to have significant capital requirements, which may require us to seek additional borrowing, lease financing, or equity capital. The availability of financing or equity capital will depend upon our financial condition and results of operations as well as prevailing market conditions. If such additional borrowing, lease financing, or equity capital is not available at the time we need it, then we may need to borrow more under the 2025 Revolver (if not then fully drawn), extend the maturity of then-outstanding debt, rely on alternative financing arrangements, engage in asset sales, limit our fleet size, or operate our revenue equipment for longer periods.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional debt under our existing financial arrangements to satisfy our ongoing capital requirements. However, we believe the combination of our expected cash flows, financing available through operating and finance leases, available funds under our 2025 RPA, and availability under the 2025 Revolver will be sufficient to fund our expected capital expenditures for at least the next twelve months.
Refer to Note 16 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for additional discussion of our short-term and long-term contractual payment obligations related to purchase commitments.
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Principal and Interest Payments — As of December 31, 2025, we had debt and finance lease obligations of $2.4 billion, which are discussed under "Material Debt Agreements," below. Certain cash flows from operations are committed to minimum payments of principal and interest on our debt and lease obligations. Additionally, when our financial position allows, we periodically make voluntary prepayments on our outstanding debt balances.
Prior to the maturity of our 2025 Term Loans, 2025 Revolver, Prudential Notes, revenue equipment installment notes, and other debt, we expect to be contractually obligated to make interest payments of approximately $189.5 million, $154.8 million, $0.3 million, $4.4 million and $1.0 million, respectively. Refer to Notes 12 and 13 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for additional discussion of the principal payment obligations related to the 2025 Debt Agreement.
Refer to Note 14 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for additional discussion on our contractual principal and interest payment obligations for finance leases.
Letters of Credit — Our lenders may issue standby letters of credit on our behalf, certain of which reduce availability under our revolving line of credit. As of December 31, 2025, we also had outstanding letters of credit of $191.1 million pursuant to a bilateral agreement which does not impact the availability of the 2025 Revolver. Standby letters of credit are typically issued for the benefit of regulatory authorities, insurance companies and state departments of insurance for the purpose of satisfying certain collateral requirements, primarily related to our automobile, workers' compensation, and general insurance liabilities.
Share Repurchases — From time to time, and depending on Free Cash Flow 1 availability, debt levels, the price of our common stock, general economic and market conditions, as well as internal approval requirements, we may repurchase shares of our outstanding common stock. The 2022 Knight-Swift Repurchase Plan had $200.0 million available as of December 31, 2025. See further details regarding our share repurchases under Note 18 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Working Capital
We had a working capital deficit of $143.7 million as of December 31, 2025 and a working capital deficit of $258.0 million as of December 31, 2024. The working capital deficit as of December 31, 2025 was primarily due to the reduction in our trade receivables due to their sale as part of the 2025 RPA.
1 Refer to "Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
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Material Debt Agreements
As of December 31, 2025, we had $2.4 billion in material debt obligations at the following carrying values:
• $698.1 million: 2025 Term Loan A-1, due July 2030, net of $1.9 million in deferred loan costs
• $299.4 million: 2025 Term Loan A-2, due January 2027, net of $0.6 million in deferred loan costs
• $606.2 million: Finance lease obligations
• $626.0 million: 2025 Revolver, due July 2030
• $106.6 million: Revenue equipment installment notes
• $13.9 million: Other
As of December 31, 2024, we had $2.9 billion in material debt obligations at the following carrying values:
• $349.1 million: 2021 Term Loan A-2, due September 2026, net of $0.9 million in deferred loan costs
• $779.4 million: 2021 Term Loan A-3, due September 2026, net of $0.6 million in deferred loan costs
• $249.5 million: 2023 Term Loan, due September 2026, net of $0.5 million in deferred loan costs
• $459.0 million: 2023 RSA outstanding borrowings, net of $0.2 million in deferred loan costs
• $597.4 million: Finance lease obligations
• $232.0 million: 2021 Revolver, due September 2026
• $192.3 million: Revenue equipment installment notes
• $23.3 million: Other, net of approximately $10,000 in deferred loan costs
Key terms and other details regarding our material debt obligations and finance leases are discussed in Notes 12, 13, and 14 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, and are incorporated by reference herein.
Cash Flow Analysis
Change
(In thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in financing activities
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
2025 Compared to 2024 — The $467.6 million increase in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to $478.2 million in sales proceeds funded under the 2025 RPA and a $13.1 million decrease in cash paid for interest partially offset by a $40.4 million increase in cash paid for taxes and various changes in working capital. Factors affecting the increase in operating income are discussed in "Results of Operations — Consolidated Operating and Other Expenses."
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities
2025 Compared to 2024 — The $238.7 million decrease in net cash used in investing activities was primarily due to a $185.5 million decrease in net cash invested in acquisitions and a $61.8 million decrease in net cash capital expenditures.
Net Cash Used in Financing Activities
2025 Compared to 2024 — Net cash used in financing activities increased by $668.3 million, primarily due to a $497.3 million increase in net repayments on our finance leases and long-term debt, a $391.4 million increase in net repayments on our our accounts receivable securitization programs primarily as a result of the $478.2 million repayment of the 2025 RSA from entering into the 2025 RPA, and a $13.3 million increase in our dividends paid. These were partially offset by a $229.0 million increase in net borrowings on our 2021 Revolver and 2025 Revolver.
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Inflation
Most of our operating expenses are inflation-sensitive, with inflation generally leading to increased costs of operations. Price increases in manufactured revenue equipment have impacted the cost for us to acquire new equipment in recent periods. Cost increases have also impacted the cost of parts for equipment repairs and maintenance. The qualified driver shortage experienced by the trucking industry overall has had the effect of increasing compensation paid to our driving associates. We have also experienced inflation in insurance and claims cost related to health insurance and claims as well as auto liability insurance and claims. Prolonged periods of inflation have recently and could continue to cause interest rates, fuel, wages, and other costs to increase as well. Any of these factors could adversely affect our results of operations unless freight rates correspondingly increase.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that impact the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Therefore, the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and associated disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities are affected by these estimates and assumptions. We evaluate these estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis, utilizing historical experience, consultation with experts, and other methods considered reasonable in the particular circumstances. Nevertheless, actual results may differ significantly from our estimates and assumptions, and it is possible that materially different amounts could be reported using differing estimates or assumptions. We consider our critical accounting estimates to be those that require us to make more significant judgments and estimates when we prepare our financial statements.
Note 2 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report describes the Company's accounting policies. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with Note 2, as it presents uncertainties involved in applying the accounting policies, and provides insight into the quality of management's estimates and variability in the amounts recorded for these critical accounting estimates. Our critical accounting estimates include the following:
Claims Accruals — Insurance and claims expense varies as a percentage of total revenue, based on the frequency and severity of claims incurred in a given period, as well as changes in claims development trends. The actual cost to settle our self-insured claim liabilities, as well as our third-party claim liabilities, may differ from our reserve estimates due to legal costs, claims that have been incurred but not reported, and various other uncertainties, including the inherent difficulty in estimating the severity of the claim and the potential judgment or settlement amount to dispose of the claim. If claims development factors that are based upon historical experience had increased by 10%, our claims accrual as of December 31, 2025 would have potentially increased by $40.6 million.
Refer to Note 10, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the changes in the claims accrual balance.
Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets — The test of goodwill requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assigning assets (including goodwill) and liabilities to reporting units and determining the fair value of each reporting unit. Fair value of the reporting unit is determined using a combination of comparative valuation multiples of publicly traded companies, internal transaction methods, and discounted cash flow models. Estimating the fair value of reporting units includes several significant assumptions, including future cash flow estimates, determination of appropriate discount rates, and other assumptions that management believed reasonable under the circumstances. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and/or goodwill impairment for each reporting unit.
Knight-Swift evaluated its goodwill associated with the 2017 Merger and various acquisitions as of June 30, 2025 and 2024. The evaluations were completed using fair value measurement guidance prescribed in ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other. The fair value of the goodwill was established using an equal weighting of both the income and market approaches. In evaluating this quantitative analysis, the Company determined that it was more likely than not that fair value exceeded carrying value for the Company's reporting units as of June 30, 2025 and 2024. Separate and apart from the Company's annual test of goodwill, the Company's decision to cease the operations of Abilene and combine it into its Swift business was identified as a potential indicator of impairment. Upon further analysis, the Company determined that as result of this decision the fair value of goodwill associated
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with Abilene would be zero. As a result, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment of $27.4 million related to Abilene's goodwill.
The test of inde finite-lived intangible assets consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of certain trade names to their carrying values. The determination of the fair value of the trade names requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to forecasts of future revenues, discount rates, and royalty rates. Changes in these assumptions could materially affect the determination of the fair value of the trade names, the amount of any trade names impairment charge, or both. Management evaluated trade names for impairment as of June 30, 2025 and 2024 noting that the fair value exceeded carrying value for the trade name. Separate and apart from the Company's annual test of indefinite-lived intangible assets, the Company determined that the decision to rebrand the MME and DHE brands of our LTL businesses under the AAA Cooper brand, and the decision to cease operations of the Abilene brand were indicators of impairment. Upon further analysis, the Company determined that as result of these decisions the fair value of the MME, DHE, and Abilene tradenames would be zero. As a result the Company recorded non-cash impairments of $33.5 million to the tradenames associated with these brands.
Refer to Note 8, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the changes in the goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible asset balances.
Depreciation and Amortization — Selecting the appropriate accounting method requires management judgment, as there are multiple acceptable methods that are in accordance with GAAP, including straight-line, declining-balance, and sum-of-the-years' digits. As discussed in Note 2 included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, property and equipment is depreciated on a straight-line basis and intangible customer relationships are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. We believe that these methods properly spread the costs over the useful lives of the assets. Management judgment is also involved when determining estimated useful lives of the Company's long-lived assets. We determine useful lives of our long-lived assets, based on historical experience, as well as future expectations regarding the period we expect to benefit from the asset. Factors affecting estimated useful lives of property and equipment may include estimating loss, damage, obsolescence, and company policies around maintenance and asset replacement. Factors affecting estimated useful lives of long-lived intangible assets may include legal, contractual, or other provisions that limit useful lives, historical experience with similar assets, future expectations of customer relationships, among others.
Refer to Note 8, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the impact of the amortization of definite-lived intangibles on our results for 2025 and 2024.
Impairments of Long-lived Assets — Fair value is determined through various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow models, quoted market values, and third-party independent appraisals, as necessary. Estimating fair value includes several significant assumptions, including future cash flow estimates, determination of appropriate discount rates, and other assumptions that management believed reasonable under the circumstances. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and/or impairment.
Refer to Note 21, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the changes in long-lived assets and the impact on our results for 2025 and 2024.
Fair Value of Net Assets Acquired in Business Combinations — Management performs fair value assessments in determining the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities acquired through the business combination as of the acquisition date. Management and third-party specialists use significant inputs and assumptions in the valuations of acquired net assets such as certain prospective information, discount rates, royalty rates, and market data. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value.
Refer to Note 4, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations and the impact on our results for 2025 and 2024.
Fair Value of Contingent Consideration — Management performs assessments in determining the fair value of contingent consideration arrangements associated with certain acquisitions and which based on the acquired businesses achieving certain thresholds related to performance. The fair values of these contingent consideration arrangements are included as part of the purchase price of the acquired companies on their respective acquisition
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dates. For each transaction, we estimate the fair value of contingent earnout payments as part of the initial purchase price and record the estimated fair value of contingent consideration as a liability on the consolidated balance sheets.
The fair values of certain earnout arrangements are estimated by discounting the expected future contingent payments to present value using a variation of the income approach, specifically using a Monte Carlo Simulation approach. The key assumptions used in our valuation were: (i) forecast of operating income and net income, (ii) the volatility associated with operating income and net income, (iii) risk-adjusted discount rate applied to forecasted operating income and net income, and (iv) the credit-adjusted discount rate related to the payment of the contingent consideration.
Refer to Notes 4 and 21, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the fair value of contingent consideration agreements and the impact on our results for 2025 and 2024.
Income Taxes — Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and in determining whether deferred tax assets will be realized in full or in part. We periodically assess the likelihood that all or some portion of deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income. To the extent we believe the likelihood of recovery is not sufficient, a valuation allowance is established for the amount determined not to be realizable. Management judgment is necessary in determining the frequency at which we assess the need for a valuation allowance, the accounting period in which to establish the valuation allowance, as well as the amount of the valuation allowance. We believe that we have adequately provided for our future tax consequences based upon current facts and circumstances and current tax law. However, should our tax positions be challenged, different outcomes could result and have a significant impact on the amounts reported in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
Management judgment is also required regarding a variety of other factors including the appropriateness of tax strategies. We utilize certain income tax planning strategies to reduce our overall income taxes. It is possible that certain strategies might be disallowed, resulting in an increased liability for income taxes. Significant management judgments are involved in assessing the likelihood of sustaining the strategies and determining the likely range of defense and settlement costs, in the event that tax strategies are challenged by taxing authorities. An ultimate result worse than our expectations could adversely affect our results of operations.
Refer to Note 11, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the changes in the balances of deferred taxes assets and related valuation allowances.
Leases — At the inception of a lease, management judgment is involved in the determination of the discount rate, the determination of whether a contract contains a lease, classification of operating versus finance lease, assessment of useful lives, and estimation of residual values. Discounted future minimum lease payments are used in determining the lease classification represent the present value of minimum rental payments called for over the lease term, inclusive of residual value guarantees (if applicable) and amounts that would be required to be paid, if any, by the Company upon default for leases containing subjective acceleration or cross default clauses.
Refer to Note 14, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the changes in balance of operating leases.
Stock-based Compensation — We issue several types of stock-based compensation, including awards that vest, based on service conditions, performance conditions, or a combination of service and performance conditions. Determining the appropriate amount to expense in each period is based on likelihood and timing of achievement of the stated targets for performance-based awards, and requires judgment, including forecasting future financial results, market performance, and other factors. The estimates are revised periodically, based on the probability and timing of achieving the required performance targets, and adjustments are made as appropriate. There is also some judgment involved with estimating expected forfeiture rates as we have opted to net the benefit of expected forfeitures against our stock-based compensation expense.
Refer to Note 19, in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report for discussion about the assumptions related to these awards and the impact on our results for 2025 and 2024.
Legal Settlements and Reserves — See Note 17 in Part II Item 8 of this Annual Report.
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Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 3 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, which is incorporated herein by reference, for recently issued accounting pronouncements that could have an impact on our consolidated financial statements.