Filed by Swift Transportation Co., Inc.
                                                     Commission File No. 0-18605

                       Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933 and
  deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                                            Subject Company: M.S. Carriers, Inc.
                                                     Commission File No. 0-14781

                                                            Date: March 13, 2000

                         SWIFT TRANSPORTATION CO., INC.
                      ANNOUNCES FIRST QUARTER EXPECTATIONS


Phoenix,  AZ - March 13, 2001 -- Swift  Transportation  Co.,  Inc.  (NASDAQ-NMS:
SWFT)  announced  that it  anticipates  earnings for the quarter ended March 31,
2001 will be at least $0.10 less than the mean  estimate of the eleven  analysts
currently following the Company, which Swift believes to be $0.12 per share.

Jerry  Moyes,  Chairman  and  Chief  Executive  Officer,  said,  "As  previously
announced  in  February,  we expected  Swift's  financial  results for the first
quarter  to  fall  short  of  published   analysts'   expectations  and  we  are
experiencing perhaps the weakest first quarter freight demand since Swift became
a public  company in 1990. We saw a drop in the volume of shipments  originating
from the west coast in January  and  February  and this trend is  continuing  in
March.  This  situation,   coupled  with  a  reduced  freight  volume  from  the
southeastern states, has created this earnings shortfall.

On a positive  note,  we continue to see  improvements  in driver  retention and
recruitment and have experienced a moderation in fuel prices,  which had reached
record highs in the last half of 2000. We are also moving ahead with the process
of  completing  our merger with M.S.  Carriers and expect to close in the second
quarter.  We are pleased with the synergies being  identified.  For example,  we
estimate a $400,000  annual  savings on the forty  fastest  moving repair parts.
Also, we expect the conversion of the M.S.  Carriers fleet to the Swift ratio of
80% bulk  fueling  will  reduce  their  annual fuel cost by  approximately  $2.5
million.  Finally, we believe we can accelerate our integration plan so that our
operations will be combined by the first quarter of 2002."

Swift is the holding  company for Swift  Transportation  Co.,  Inc., a truckload
carrier headquartered in Phoenix,  Arizona.  Swift is the third largest publicly
held national  truckload  carrier in the United States with regional  operations
throughout the continental United States.

This  news  release  contains  statements  that may  constitute  forward-looking
statements,  usually  identified  by words  such as  "anticipates,"  "believes,"
"estimates," "projects," "expects" or similar expressions.  These statements are
made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include,  but are not limited to, statements
concerning Swift's projected earnings and financial  performance,  recent trends

in freight  demand,  Swift's  ability to recruit  and train  qualified  drivers,
anticipated fuel prices,  the proposed  acquisition of M.S.  Carriers,  expected
synergies and forecasts  regarding the integration of M.S. Carriers'  operations
with Swift's, and other information.  Such statements are based upon the current
beliefs and  expectations  of Swift's  management and are subject to significant
risks and  uncertainties.  Actual results may differ from those set forth in the
forward-looking  statements.  As to Swift's  business and financial  performance
generally,  the following factors,  among others,  could cause actual results to
differ materially from those in forward-looking  statements:  excess capacity in
the  trucking  industry;  significant  increases or rapid  fluctuations  in fuel
prices,  interest  rates,  fuel taxes,  tolls,  license and  registration  fees,
insurance  premiums  and  driver  compensation,  to the  extent  not  offset  by
increases in freight rates or fuel  surcharges;  difficulty  in  attracting  and
retaining  qualified  drivers and owner  operators,  especially  in light of the
current shortage of qualified drivers and owner operators; recessionary economic
cycles and  downturns in  customers'  business  cycles,  particularly  in market
segments and industries (such as retail and  manufacturing) in which Swift has a
significant  concentration of customers;  seasonal factors such as harsh weather
conditions that increase  operating costs;  increases in driver  compensation to
the extent not offset by increases in freight  rates;  the inability of Swift to
continue to secure acceptable  financing  arrangements;  the ability of Swift to
continue to  identify  and combine  acquisition  candidates  that will result in
successful  combinations;  an unanticipated increase in the number of claims for
which Swift is self insured;  competition  from  trucking,  rail and  intermodal
competitors;  and a significant  reduction in or termination of Swift's trucking
services by a key  customer.  With respect to the proposed  acquisition  of M.S.
Carriers,   these  risks  and  uncertainties  include:  the  ability  to  obtain
governmental  approvals of the merger on the proposed  terms and  schedule;  the
failure of Swift's and M.S.  Carriers'  stockholders to approve the merger;  the
risk that the businesses will not be integrated successfully or that integration
costs will exceed our estimates;  the risk that the revenue and other  synergies
and cost savings from the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer to
realize than expected; fluctuating stock market levels; the difficulty the stock
market may have in valuing  the  business  model of the  combined  company;  and
disruption  from the merger making it more  difficult to maintain  relationships
with customers, employees or suppliers.

A  discussion  of these and other  factors that could cause  Swift's  results to
differ materially from those described in the forward-looking  statements can be
found  in the most  recent  Annual  Reports  on  Forms  10-K of  Swift  and M.S.
Carriers, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at the
Securities and Exchange Commission's internet site  (http://www.sec.gov).  Swift
undertakes  no  obligation  to  publicly  update or revise  any  forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Further,  nothing  herein shall  constitute  adoption or approval of any analyst
report  regarding Swift, nor any undertaking to update or comment upon analysts'
expectations in the future.

The  proposed  merger with M.S.  Carriers  will be submitted to Swift's and M.S.
Carriers'  stockholders for their consideration.  Swift will file a registration
statement  on Form S-4 that  will  include a joint  proxy  statement/prospectus.
Stockholders  should read the joint  proxy  statement/prospectus  regarding  the
proposed transaction that will be filed with the SEC and mailed to stockholders.
The joint proxy  statement/prospectus  will contain  important  information that
stockholders should consider. Stockholders will be able to obtain a free copy of
the  joint  proxy  statement/prospectus,  as well as  other  filings  containing
information about Swift and M.S. Carriers, without charge, at the SEC's internet

site  (http://www.sec.gov).  Copies of the joint proxy  statement/prospectus and
the SEC  filings  that will be  incorporated  by  reference  in the joint  proxy
statement/prospectus  can also be  obtained,  without  charge,  by  directing  a
request to: Swift Transportation Co., Inc., 2200 South 75th Avenue,  Phoenix, AZ
85043, Attention: Chief Financial Officer (602-269-9700).

Swift and M.S.  Carriers and certain  other persons named below may be deemed to
be  participants in the  solicitation  of proxies of Swift's and M.S.  Carriers'
stockholders to approve the transaction.  The participants in this  solicitation
may include the directors and executive officers of Swift and M.S.  Carriers.  A
detailed  list of the names and  interests of Swift's  directors and officers is
contained in Swift's proxy statement for its 2000 annual meeting, and a detailed
list of the names and  interests  of M.S.  Carriers'  directors  and officers is
contained in M.S. Carriers' proxy statement for its 2000 annual meeting.

As of the  date  of  this  communication,  none  of the  foregoing  participants
individually beneficially owns in excess of 5% of Swift's common stock, or 5% of
M.S. Carriers' common stock,  except that Jerry Moyes, CEO of Swift beneficially
owns more than 5% of the common  stock of Swift and Michael S.  Starnes,  CEO of
M.S.  Carriers,  beneficially  owns  more  than 5% of the  common  stock of M.S.
Carriers.  Certain  employees  of M.S.  Carriers,  including  participants,  may
receive accelerated vesting of their stock options in connection with the merger
in accordance with their existing stock option agreements. In addition,  certain
officers of M.S.  Carriers,  as a condition  to the closing of the merger,  will
enter into employment  agreements that will become  effective upon completion of
the merger. A description of the employment  agreements will be contained in the
joint proxy statement/prospectus.

This press  release is being  filed with the SEC  pursuant to Rule 425 under the
Securities Act of 1933.


Contact: Jerry Moyes, President, or Bill Riley, CFO of
         Swift Transportation Co., Inc.
         (602) 269-9700