Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 28, 2013

Consolidation

Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Landstar System, Inc. and its subsidiary, Landstar System Holdings, Inc. (“LSHI”). Landstar System, Inc. and its subsidiary are herein referred to as “Landstar” or the “Company.” Significant inter-company accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.

On December 28, 2013, the Company completed the sale of Landstar Supply Chain Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation, including its wholly owned subsidiary, Landstar Supply Chain Solutions LLC (collectively, “LSCS”), which was part of the Company’s transportation logistics segment, to XPO Logistics, Inc. (“XPO”). The operating results of LSCS along with the gain on sale are reported in the consolidated financial statements as discontinued operations.

On December 11, 2013, in connection with the sale of LSCS, the Company announced that its Board of Directors declared a special one-time cash dividend of $0.35 per share payable on January 16, 2014 to stockholders of record of its Common Stock as of December 27, 2013. Dividends payable of $15,921,000 related to this one-time dividend are included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets at December 28, 2013.

Estimates

Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires the use of management’s estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year

Landstar’s fiscal year is the 52 or 53 week period ending the last Saturday in December.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

When providing the physical transportation of freight, the Company is the primary obligor with respect to freight delivery and assumes the related credit risk. Accordingly, transportation services revenue billed to customers for the physical transportation of freight and the related direct freight expenses are recognized on a gross basis upon completion of freight delivery. Insurance premiums of the insurance segment are recognized over the period earned, which is usually on a monthly basis. Fuel surcharges billed to customers for freight hauled by independent contractors who provide truck capacity to the Company under exclusive lease arrangements (the “BCO Independent Contractors”) are excluded from revenue and paid in entirety to the BCO Independent Contractors.

Insurance Claim Costs

Insurance Claim Costs

Landstar provides, primarily on an actuarially determined basis, for the estimated costs of cargo, property, casualty, general liability and workers’ compensation claims both reported and for claims incurred but not reported. Landstar retains liability for individual commercial trucking claims up to $5,000,000 per occurrence. The Company also retains liability of up to $1,000,000 for each general liability claim, $250,000 for each workers’ compensation claim and up to $250,000 for each cargo claim.

Tires

Tires

Tires purchased as part of trailing equipment are capitalized as part of the cost of the equipment. Replacement tires are charged to expense when placed in service.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Included in cash and cash equivalents are all investments, except those provided for collateral, with an original maturity of 3 months or less.

Financial Instruments

Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments include cash equivalents, short and long-term investments, trade and other accounts receivable, accounts payable, other accrued liabilities, current and non-current insurance claims and long-term debt plus current maturities (“Debt”). The carrying value of cash equivalents, trade and other accounts receivable, accounts payable, current insurance claims and other accrued liabilities approximate fair value as the assets and liabilities are short term in nature. Short and long-term investments are carried at fair value as further described in the “Investments” footnote below. The carrying value of non-current insurance claims approximate fair value as the Company generally has the ability to, but is not required to, settle claims in a short term. The Company’s Debt includes borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility plus borrowings relating to capital lease obligations used to finance trailing equipment. The interest rates on borrowings under the revolving credit facility are typically tied to short-term LIBOR rates that adjust monthly and, as such, carrying value approximates fair value. Interest rates on borrowings under capital leases approximate the interest rates that would currently be available to the Company under similar terms and, as such, carrying value approximates fair value.

Trade and Other Receivables

Trade and Other Receivables

The allowance for doubtful accounts for both trade and other receivables represents management’s estimate of the amount of outstanding receivables that will not be collected. Estimates are used to determine the allowance for doubtful accounts for both trade and other receivables and are generally based on specific identification, historical collection results, current economic trends and changes in payment terms. Following is a summary of the activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts for fiscal years ending December 28, 2013, December 29, 2012 and December 31, 2011 (in thousands):

	Balance at Beginning of Period		Charged to Costs and Expenses		Write-offs, Net of Recoveries			Balance at End  of Period
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 28, 2013
Trade receivables	$	8,650	$	1,801	$	(6,678	)	$	3,773
Other receivables		5,612		1,929		(2,547	)		4,994
Other non-current receivables		239		6		(23	)		222
	$	14,501	$	3,736	$	(9,248	)	$	8,989
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 29, 2012
Trade receivables	$	6,591	$	4,368	$	(2,309	)	$	8,650
Other receivables		7,768		610		(2,766	)		5,612
Other non-current receivables		274		6		(41	)		239
	$	14,633	$	4,984	$	(5,116	)	$	14,501
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2011
Trade receivables	$	5,324	$	4,503	$	(3,236	)	$	6,591
Other receivables		7,499		3,293		(3,024	)		7,768
Other non-current receivables		312		8		(46	)		274
	$	13,135	$	7,804	$	(6,306	)	$	14,633

Operating Property

Operating Property

Operating property is recorded at cost. Depreciation is provided on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets. Buildings and improvements are being depreciated over 30 years. Trailing equipment is being depreciated over 7 to 10 years. Information technology hardware and software included in other equipment is generally being depreciated over 3 to 7 years.

Goodwill

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets of acquired businesses. The Company has one reporting unit within the transportation logistics segment that reports goodwill. The Company tests for impairment of goodwill at least annually, typically in the fourth quarter, based on a two-step impairment test. The first step compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value of the reporting unit is estimated using a discounted cash flow model. The model includes a number of significant assumptions and estimates including future cash flows and discount rates. If the carrying amount exceeds fair value under the first step of the impairment test, then the second step is performed to measure the amount of any impairment loss. Only the first step of the impairment test was required in 2013 as the estimated fair value of the reporting unit significantly exceeded carrying value.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

Income tax expense is equal to the current year’s liability for income taxes and a provision for deferred income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for the future tax effects attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to be applied to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.

Share-Based Payments

Share-Based Payments

The Company’s share-based payment arrangements include restricted stock units (“RSU”), non-vested restricted stock and stock options. The Company estimates the fair value of stock option awards on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes pricing model and recognizes compensation cost for stock option awards expected to vest on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award. Forfeitures are estimated at grant date based on historical experience and anticipated employee turnover. The fair value of each share of non-vested restricted stock is based on the fair value of such share on the date of grant and compensation costs for non-vested restricted stock are recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the award. The fair value of each RSU is based on the market value of the Company’s Common Stock on the date of grant, discounted for lack of marketability for a minimum post-vesting holding requirement. The compensation costs for RSUs are recognized over the life of the award based on an estimated number of shares that will vest over the life of the award, multiplied by the fair value of an RSU.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share

Earnings per common share are based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding, including outstanding non-vested restricted stock. Diluted earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the incremental shares that would have been outstanding upon the assumed exercise of all dilutive stock options.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the average number of common shares outstanding used to calculate earnings per common share to the average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding used to calculate diluted earnings per share (in thousands):

	Fiscal Year
	2013		2012		2011
Average number of common shares outstanding		46,039		46,698		47,444
Incremental shares from assumed exercises of stock options		171		179		80
Average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding		46,210		46,877		47,524

For the fiscal years ended December 28, 2013, December 29, 2012 and December 31, 2011, there were 143,000, 321,000 and 220,244 options outstanding, respectively, to purchase shares of Common Stock excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share because they were antidilutive. Outstanding RSUs were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share for all periods because the performance metric requirements for vesting had not been satisfied.

Foreign Currency Translation

Foreign Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities of the Company’s Canadian operation are translated from their functional currency to U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date and revenue and expense accounts are translated at average monthly exchange rates during the period. Adjustments resulting from the translation process are included in accumulated other comprehensive income. Transactional gains and losses arising from receivable and payable balances, including intercompany balances, in the normal course of business that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the operation are recorded in the statements of income when they occur.