8-K

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): July 21, 2017

J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES, INC.

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

Arkansas	0-11757	71-0335111
(State or other Jurisdiction of	Commission File Number	(IRS Employer
Incorporation or Organization		Identification No.)
615 J.B. Hunt Corporate Drive
Lowell, Arkansas	72745	(479) 820-0000)
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)	(Registrant’s telephone number)

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:

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

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

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. ☐

The information in this Current Report is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. The information in this Current Report shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

ITEM 7.01.       REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE

On July 21, 2017, we issued a news release announcing our entry into a definitive agreement for us to acquire Special Logistics Dedicated, LLC. A copy of the news release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 9.01.       FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(d)	Exhibits.
99.1	News release dated July 21, 2017, issued by J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

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 thereunto duly authorized on the 21st day of July 2017.

J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES, INC.
BY:	/s/ John N. Roberts, III
	John N. Roberts, III
	President and Chief Executive Officer
	(Principal Executive Officer)
BY:	/s/ David G. Mee
	David G. Mee
	Executive Vice President, Finance and
	Administration and Chief Financial Officer
	(Principal Financial Officer)

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.	Contact: David G. Mee
615 J.B. Hunt Corporate Drive	EVP, Finance/Administration
Lowell, Arkansas 72745	and Chief Financial Officer
NASDAQ: JBHT	(479) 820-8363

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES, INC. EXPANDS E-COMMERCE DELIVERY

PLATFORM WITH THE ACQUISITION OF SPECIAL LOGISTICS DEDICATED, LLC

LOWELL, Ark., July 21, 2017 – J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT), one of the largest supply chain solutions providers in North America, today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Special Logistics Dedicated, LLC (SLD), and its affiliated entities, subject to customary closing conditions.

“SLD’s strong customer base and strategically placed fulfillment centers position us as a top national pool distribution services provider,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of J.B. Hunt“This acquisition will also allow our customers to deploy ‘big and bulky’ inventories into key markets, improving order fulfillment times for Final Mile deliveries and further enhancing our e-commerce delivery capabilities. We are excited to welcome the employees, customers, and carriers of SLD to J.B. Hunt.”

The purchase price is $136 million with no assumption of debt. J.B. Hunt anticipates using its existing revolving credit facility to finance this transaction and to provide liquidity for future operations. The transaction is not expected to have a significant impact on interest expense. Preliminary valuations indicate an incremental amortization expense between $7 million and $10 million annually. J.B. Hunt expects the transaction to be immaterial to 2017 operating results and accretive in 2018.

Based in Houston, SLD provides pool distribution services throughout North America using 14 terminals and fulfillment centers and a fleet of over 850 pieces of equipment. Service offerings include dedicated transportation at both dedicated and multi-use sites; cross-docking and contract logistics; less-than-truckload product consolidation; commingled pool distribution; and a Texas-based intrastate 57’ dry van highway service.

About J.B. Hunt

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., a Fortune 500, S&P 500, and NASDAQ-100 company, provides innovative supply chain solutions for a variety of customers throughout North America. Utilizing an integrated, multimodal approach, the company applies technology-driven methods to create the best solution for each customer, adding efficiency, flexibility, and value to their operations. J.B. Hunt services include intermodal, dedicated, refrigerated, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, single source, final mile, and more. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. stock trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol JBHT and is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBHT. For more information, visit www.jbhunt.com.