Form 8-K ARCBEST CORP /DE/ For: Jun 09

June 30

​

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

​

FORM 8-K

​

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

​

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 9, 2023 (June 9, 2023)

​

ARCBEST CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

​

​

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (479) 785-6000

​

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

​

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions.

​

​

​

​

​

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:

​

​

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

​

Emerging growth company☐

​

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.☐

​

​

​

​

​

ITEM 7.01 – REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE

ArcBest^® (Nasdaq: ARCB) is providing its regular monthly update on the most recent information related to its second quarter 2023 financial results and business trends.

​

Asset-Based Operating Segment

​

Year-over-Year Monthly Business Trends:

The May 2023 Asset-Based tonnage and shipment trends, including the year-over-year decrease in weight per shipment, have been impacted by changes in freight profile and business mix. The slowdown in the general economy has impacted customer order quantities and resulting shipment sizes compared to May 2022.  Our tech-enabled dynamic LTL-rated, market-based pricing program has been effective in optimizing revenue and managing to more consistent business levels by filling available capacity in our network during this weaker economic environment. As a result, profitable dynamic LTL-rated business drove the shipment and tonnage growth, which was offset by lower demand from core accounts.

​

The pricing environment continues to be rational as the revenue per hundredweight change in May 2023 followed a 16% increase in May 2022 versus May 2021. Lower diesel fuel costs in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022 have contributed to reduced fuel surcharge revenue this year, thus impacting year-over-year yield management statistical comparisons.  Pricing on core LTL-rated business, excluding fuel surcharges, increased by a percentage in the mid-single digits in May 2023.

​

Asset-Light ArcBest Segment

Purchased transportation expense as a percentage of revenue averaged approximately 84% quarter-to-date through May 31, 2023, compared to the first quarter 2023 average of 84.5% and the second quarter 2022 average of 81.5%.

​

Year-over-year changes in revenue per shipment and purchased transportation expense as a percentage of revenue reflect continued market softness combined with business mix changes. During the current period of market softness and lower average shipment revenue, active management of operating expenses continues in order to better align with business levels.

​

​

​

The following is a “safe harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements and information in this report may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among others, statements regarding (i) our expectations about our intrinsic value or our prospects for growth and value creation and (ii) our financial outlook, position, strategies, goals, and expectations. Terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “foresee,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “scheduled,” “should,” “would,” and similar expressions and the negatives of such terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s beliefs, assumptions, and expectations based on currently available information, are not guarantees of future performance, and involve certain risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control). Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, we cannot provide assurance that our expectations will prove to be correct. Actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied, or forecasted in these statements due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to: unfavorable terms of, or the inability to reach agreement on, future collective bargaining agreements or a workforce stoppage by our employees covered under ABF Freight’s collective bargaining agreement; the effects of a widespread outbreak of an illness or disease, including the COVID-19 pandemic, or any other public health crisis, as well as regulatory measures implemented in response to such events; external events which may adversely affect us or the third parties who provide services for us, for which our business continuity plans may not adequately prepare us, including, but not limited to, acts of war or terrorism, or military conflicts; data privacy breaches, cybersecurity incidents, and/or failures of our information systems, including disruptions or failures of services essential to our operations or upon which our information technology platforms rely; interruption or failure of third-party software or information technology systems or licenses; untimely or ineffective development and implementation of, or failure to realize the potential benefits associated with, new or enhanced technology or processes, including the pilot test program at ABF Freight and our investments in human-centered remote operation software; the loss or reduction of business from large customers; the timing and performance of growth initiatives and the ability to manage our cost structure; the cost, integration, and performance of any recent or future acquisitions, including the acquisition of MoLo Solutions, LLC, and the inability to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition within the expected time period or at all; maintaining our corporate reputation and intellectual property rights; nationwide or global disruption in the supply chain resulting in increased volatility in freight volumes; competitive initiatives and pricing pressures; increased prices for and decreased availability of new revenue equipment, decreases in value of used revenue equipment, and higher costs of equipment-related operating expenses such as maintenance, fuel, and related taxes; availability of fuel, the effect of volatility in fuel prices and the associated changes in fuel surcharges on securing increases in base freight rates, and the inability to collect fuel surcharges; relationships with employees, including unions, and our ability to attract, retain, and upskill employees; union employee wages and benefits, including changes in required contributions to multiemployer plans; availability and cost of reliable third-party services; our ability to secure independent owner operators and/or operational or regulatory issues related to our use of their services; litigation or claims asserted against us; governmental regulations; environmental laws and regulations, including emissions-control regulations; default on covenants of financing arrangements and the availability and terms of future financing arrangements; our ability to generate sufficient cash from operations to support significant ongoing capital expenditure requirements and other business initiatives; self-insurance claims and insurance premium costs; potential impairment of goodwill and intangible assets; general economic conditions and related shifts in market demand that impact the performance and needs of industries we serve and/or limit our customers’ access to adequate financial resources; increasing costs due to inflation and rising interest rates; seasonal fluctuations, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, and climate change; and other financial, operational, and legal risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in ArcBest Corporation’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

​

For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, please see our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

​

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

​

​

​

SIGNATURES

​

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​