8-K

 

UNITED STATES
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): February 21, 2005

Ryder System, Inc.
__________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Florida	1-4364	59-0739250
_____________________ (State or other jurisdiction	_____________ (Commission	______________ (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)	File Number)	Identification No.)
3600 NW 82nd Avenue, Miami, Florida		33166
_________________________________ (Address of principal executive offices)		___________ (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (305) 500-3726

Not Applicable
______________________________________________
Former name or former address, if changed since last report

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))

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On February 21, 2005, we issued a press release announcing that we had resolved all issues with the Internal Revenue Service related to our 1998 through 2000 tax audit. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c) Exhibits

99.1 Press Release, dated February 21, 2005, related to the resolution of our 1998 through 2000 tax audit.

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 hereunto duly authorized.

	Ryder System, Inc.
February 22, 2005	By:	Tracy A. Leinbach
		Name: Tracy A. Leinbach
		Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release, dated February 21, 2005, related to the resolution of our 1998 through 2000 tax audit.

EX-99.1

News Release

Contacts:	Media:	Investor Relations:
	David Bruce (305) 500-4999	Bob Brunn (305) 500-4053

RYDER RESOLVES 1998-2000 TAX AUDIT

MIAMI, February 21, 2005 – Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE:R), a global leader in transportation and supply chain management solutions, today announced it has resolved all issues with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) related to the 1998 to 2000 tax period. In connection with the resolution of this audit, the Company expects to pay approximately $175 million (after offsets of available federal net operating losses and alternative minimum tax carry-forwards) in February 2005, plus interest from December 31, 2004 to the date of payment.

The amounts Ryder expects to pay are within the amounts previously accrued for the matters. Consequently, Ryder believes the resolution of these matters will have no adverse effect on shareholders’ equity or results of operations. Additionally, Ryder believes it has not entered into any other transactions since 2000 that raise the same types of issues identified by the IRS audit of the 1998 to 2000 tax period.

About Ryder

Ryder provides leading-edge transportation, logistics, and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Ryder’s product offerings range from full-service leasing, commercial rental and programmed maintenance of vehicles to integrated services such as dedicated contract carriage and carrier management. Additionally, Ryder offers comprehensive supply chain solutions, consulting, lead logistics management services and e-Business solutions that support customers’ entire supply chains, from inbound materials and parts through distribution and delivery of finished goods. Ryder serves customer needs throughout North America, in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

The National Safety Council selected Ryder to receive the 2002 Green Cross for Safety Medal – its highest honor – for exemplary commitment to workplace safety and corporate citizenship. For the eighth consecutive year, Ryder was featured in the 2004 Fortune Most Admired Companies survey of corporate reputations. InternetWeek named Ryder as one of the top 100 U.S. companies for effectiveness in using the Internet to achieve tangible business benefits. For the seventh consecutive year, Ryder has been named a top three third-party logistics provider by Inbound Logistics.

Ryder’s stock is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Ryder had 2004 revenue of more than $5 billion.

For more information on Ryder System, Inc., visit www.ryder.com.

# # #

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements and information included in this presentation are “forward-looking statements” under the Federal Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements should be evaluated with consideration given to the many risks and uncertainties inherent in our business that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, among others, our ability to obtain adequate profit margins for our services, our inability to maintain current pricing levels due to customer acceptance or competition, customer retention levels, the possibility that changes in customers’ business environments will limit their ability to commit to long-term vehicle leases, changes in market conditions affecting the commercial rental market or the sale of used vehicles, higher borrowing costs and possible decreases in available funding sources caused by adverse changes in debt ratings, changes in accounting assumptions, adequacy of accounting accruals, changes in general economic conditions, availability of heavy- and medium-duty vehicles, increases in fuel prices, availability of qualified drivers, the Company’s ability to create operating synergies in connection with its acquisitions of Ruan and General, and changes in government regulations, including regulations regarding vehicle emissions, drivers’ hours of service and security regulations issued by the Department of Homeland Security. The risks included here are not exhaustive. New risks emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors or to assess the impact of such risks on the Company’s business. Accordingly, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

8-05