Commitments And Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

We have committed to property and equipment purchases of approximately $182.4 million at June 30, 2022.

We are involved in certain claims and pending litigation, including those described herein, arising in the ordinary course of business. The majority of these claims relate to bodily injury, property damage, cargo and workers’ compensation incurred in the transportation of freight, as well as certain class action litigation related to personnel and employment matters. We accrue for the uninsured portion of contingent losses from these and other pending claims when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Based on the knowledge of the facts, management believes the resolution of claims and pending litigation, taking into account existing reserves, will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict, and our view of these matters may change in the future as the litigation and related events unfold.

On May 17, 2018, in Harris County District Court in Houston, Texas, a jury rendered an adverse verdict against the Company in a lawsuit arising from a December 30, 2014 accident between a Werner tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle. On July 30, 2018, the court entered a final judgment against Werner for $92.0 million, including pre-judgment interest.

The Company has premium-based liability insurance to cover the potential outcome from this jury verdict. Under the Company’s insurance policies in effect on the date of this accident, the Company’s maximum liability for this accident is $10.0 million (plus pre-judgment and post-judgment interest) with premium-based coverage that exceeds the jury verdict amount. As a result of this jury verdict, the Company had recorded a liability of $31.4 million as of June 30, 2022, and $28.8 million as of December 31, 2021. Under the terms of the Company’s insurance policies, the Company is the primary obligor of the verdict, and as such, the Company has also recorded a $79.2 million receivable from its third-party insurance providers in other non-current assets and a corresponding liability of the same amount in the long-term portion of insurance and claims accruals in the consolidated condensed balance sheets as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

The Company is pursuing an appeal of this verdict. No assurances can be given regarding the outcome of any such appeal.

In July 2022, the Hopkins County District Court in Sulphur Springs, Texas approved a $150.0 million settlement, voluntarily agreed to by the Company and its insurers, of a motor vehicle accident lawsuit in Texas arising from a May 24, 2020 accident between a Werner tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle. Under the Company’s insurance policies in effect on the date of this accident, the Company’s maximum liability for this accident is $10.0 million with premium-based coverage for the remainder of the settlement amount. As a result of this settlement, the Company recognized $9.5 million of insurance and claims expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, and had recorded a liability of $10.0 million and $0.5 million as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Under the terms of the Company’s insurance policies, the Company is the primary obligor of the settlement, and as such, the Company has also recorded a $140.0 million receivable from its third-party insurance providers in other current assets and a corresponding liability of the same amount in the current portion of insurance and claims accruals in the consolidated condensed balance sheets as of June 30, 2022.

We have been involved in class action litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, in which the plaintiffs allege that we owe drivers for unpaid wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and the Nebraska Wage Payment and Collection Act and that we failed to pay minimum wage per hour for drivers in our Career Track Program, related to short break time and sleeper berth time. The period covered by this class action suit is August 2008 through March 2014. The case was tried to a jury in May 2017, resulting in a verdict of $0.8 million in plaintiffs’ favor on the short break matter and a verdict in our favor on the sleeper berth matter. As a result of various post-trial motions, the court awarded $0.5 million to the plaintiffs for attorney fees and costs. Plaintiffs appealed the post-verdict amounts awarded by the trial court for fees, costs and liquidated damages, and the Company filed a cross appeal on the verdict that was in plaintiffs’ favor. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit denied Plaintiffs’ appeal and granted Werner’s appeal, vacating the judgment in favor of the plaintiffs. The appellate court sent the case back to the trial court for proceedings consistent with the appellate court’s opinion. On June 22, 2020, the trial court denied Plaintiffs’ request for a new trial and entered judgment in favor of the Company, dismissing the case with prejudice. On July 21, 2020, Plaintiffs’ counsel filed a notice of appeal of that dismissal, and that appeal remains pending. As of June 30, 2022, we have an accrual for the jury’s award, attorney fees and costs in the short break matter and had not accrued for the sleeper berth matter.

We are also involved in certain class action litigation in which the plaintiffs allege claims for failure to provide meal and rest breaks, unpaid wages, unauthorized deductions and other items. Based on the knowledge of the facts, management does not currently believe the outcome of these class actions is likely to have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations. However, the final disposition of these matters and the impact of such final dispositions cannot be determined at this time.