BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Business Combination and Asset Acquisition [Abstract]

2022 Business Acquisitions

Developments during the year ended December 31, 2023 related to our 2022 business acquisitions are discussed below.

ReedTMS

On November 5, 2022, we acquired 100% of the equity interests in Reed Transport Services, Inc. and RTS-TMS, Inc., doing business as ReedTMS Logistics (“ReedTMS”), for a final purchase price of $108.6 million after including the impacts of working capital adjustments, cash acquired, net present value of future insurance payments, and contingent consideration, also referred to as earnout. We financed the transaction through existing credit facilities. The contingent earnout period related to the ReedTMS acquisition ended on December 31, 2023 and resulted in an additional cash payment of $1.5 million based on the achievement level of certain financial performance goals. This payment resulted in a $2.7 million net favorable change to the contingent earnout liability, which was recorded in other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income for the year ended December 31, 2023.

ReedTMS is an asset-light logistics provider and dedicated truckload carrier that offers a comprehensive suite of freight brokerage and truckload solutions to a diverse customer base. The results of operations for ReedTMS are included in our consolidated financial statements beginning November 5, 2022. Freight brokerage and truckload revenues generated by ReedTMS are reported in our Werner Logistics segment and in Dedicated within our Truckload Transportation Services (“TTS”) segment, respectively. We incurred transaction costs related to the acquisition, such as legal and professional fees, of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is included in other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income.

Baylor

On October 1, 2022, we acquired 100% of the equity interests in FAB9, Inc., doing business as Baylor Trucking, Inc. (“Baylor”), for a final purchase price of $89.0 million after including the impacts of working capital adjustments, cash acquired, and contingent consideration. We financed the transaction through existing credit facilities. The contingent consideration arrangement requires us to pay the former owner of Baylor an additional amount in cash if Baylor achieves certain performance financial goals over a three-year period beginning on November 1, 2022. The potential undiscounted future contingent earnout payment that we could be required to make is between $0 and $15.0 million.

Baylor operates in the east central and south central United States. The results of operations for Baylor are included in our consolidated financial statements beginning October 1, 2022. Revenues generated by Baylor are reported in One-Way Truckload within our TTS segment. We incurred transaction costs related to the acquisition, such as legal and professional fees, of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is included in other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income. No measurement period adjustments were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Purchase Price Allocations

We accounted for the ReedTMS and Baylor purchases using the acquisition method of accounting under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The purchase price of each acquisition has been allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed using market data and valuation techniques. The purchase price allocations for ReedTMS and Baylor were considered final as of June 30, 2023.

The following table summarizes the purchase price allocation for ReedTMS, including any adjustments (in thousands):


	November 5, 2022 Opening Balance Sheet as Reported at December 31, 2022		Adjustments (1)		November 5, 2022 Opening Balance Sheet as Reported at December 31, 2023
Purchase Price
Cash consideration paid	$	116,989	$	—	$	116,989	(2)
Cash and cash equivalents acquired	(12,120)		—		(12,120)
Contingent consideration arrangement	5,000		(800)		4,200		(3)
Working capital surplus (deficiency)	(689)		188		(501)
Total purchase price (fair value of consideration)	109,180		(612)		108,568
Purchase Price Allocation
Current assets	52,531		49		52,580
Property and equipment	35,000		(12,485)		22,515
Intangible assets	12,000		15,300		27,300
Other non-current assets	7,927		(1)		7,926
Total assets acquired	107,458		2,863		110,321
Current liabilities	(45,497)		(389)		(45,886)
Other long-term liabilities	(5,622)		527		(5,095)
Total liabilities assumed	(51,119)		138		(50,981)

Goodwill	$	52,841	$	(3,613)	$	49,228

(1) The measurement period adjustments were recorded during the three months ended March 31, 2023. No material statement of income effects were identified with these adjustments.

(2) Includes $0.9 million related to the net present value of future insurance payments. At closing, $11.5 million of the cash consideration was placed in escrow to secure certain indemnification obligations of the sellers and to cover post-closing adjustments. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we received $2.1 million from escrow for post-closing adjustments. The remaining balance of the escrow, except for $0.5 million, was returned to the sellers. In exchange, the sellers obtained a $10.0 million Standby Letter of Credit with the Company named as beneficiary.

(3) The contingent earnout liability was recorded in other long-term liabilities as of December 31, 2022. For additional information regarding the valuation of the contingent liability, see Note 6 – Fair Value.

2021 Business Acquisitions

NEHDS

On November 22, 2021, we acquired 100% of the equity interests in NEHDS Logistics, LLC (“NEHDS”) for a final purchase price of $62.3 million after including the impacts of contingent consideration and net working capital changes. We financed the transaction through a combination of cash on hand and existing credit facilities. The contingent earnout period related to the NEHDS acquisition ended on December 31, 2022 and did not result in any additional cash payments, as the financial performance goals were not achieved. This resulted in a $2.5 million favorable change to the contingent earnout liability, which was recorded in other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income for the year ended December 31, 2022.

NEHDS is a final mile residential delivery provider serving customers primarily in the Northeast and Midwest United States markets. NEHDS delivers primarily big and bulky products (primarily furniture and appliances) using 2-person delivery teams performing residential and commercial deliveries. The results of operations for NEHDS are included in our consolidated financial statements beginning November 22, 2021. Revenues generated by NEHDS are reported in Final Mile within our Werner Logistics segment. We incurred transaction costs related to the acquisition, such as legal and professional fees, of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is included in other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income.

ECM

On July 1, 2021, we acquired an 80% ownership interest in ECM Associated, LLC ("ECM”) for a final purchase price of $141.3 million after net working capital changes and net of cash acquired. We have an exclusive option to purchase the remaining 20% ownership interest in ECM upon the occurrence of certain events or after a period of five years following transaction close, based on a fixed multiple of ECM’s average annual adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The noncontrolling interest holder also has an option to put the remaining 20% ownership interest to us on the same terms. We record the 20% remaining interest in temporary equity – redeemable noncontrolling interest in the consolidated balance sheets. We financed the cash transaction through a combination of cash on hand, existing credit facilities, and the addition of a $100.0 million unsecured fixed-rate term loan commitment with BMO Harris Bank N.A. on June 30, 2021. For more information regarding our debt, see Note 8 – Debt and Credit Facilities.

ECM provides regional truckload carrier services in the Mid-Atlantic, Ohio, and Northeast regions of the United States. The results of operations for ECM are included in our consolidated financial statements beginning July 1, 2021. Revenues generated by ECM are reported in our TTS segment. We incurred transaction costs related to the ECM acquisition, such as legal and professional fees, of $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is included in other operating expenses on the consolidated statements of income.