Note

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. Accordingly, fair value is a market-based measurement that is determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. The fair value of the hedge derivative liability was determined based on quotes from the counterparty which were verified by comparing them to the exchange on which the related futures are traded, adjusted for counterparty credit risk. The fair value of our interest rate swap agreements is determined using the market-standard methodology of netting the discounted future fixed-cash payments and the discounted expected variable-cash receipts. The variable-cash receipts are based on an expectation of future interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves. These analyses reflect the contractual terms of the swap, including the period to maturity, and use observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves and implied volatilities. The fair value calculation also includes an amount for risk of non-performance of our counterparties using "significant unobservable inputs" such as estimates of current credit spreads to evaluate the likelihood of default, which we have determined to be insignificant to the overall fair value of our interest rate swap agreements. A

three

-tier fair value hierarchy is used to prioritize the inputs in measuring fair value as follows:

●	Level 1. Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;
●	Level 2. Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, that are observable either directly or indirectly; and
●	Level 3. Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.

Derivatives

Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

(in thousands)
Hedge derivatives	March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017 (1)
Net Fair Value of Derivatives	$	1,340	$	393
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		-		-
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)	$	1,340	$	393
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)		-		-

(

)

Includes derivative liabilities of

$487

December 31, 2017.

Our financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, certificates of deposit, accounts receivable, commodity contracts, accounts payable, debt, and interest rate swaps. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, certificates of deposit, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and current debt approximates their fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments. Included in accounts receivable is

$31.8

million and

$31.9

million of receivables we have purchased under factoring arrangements at

March 31, 2018

and

December 31, 2017,

respectively, net of a

$0.2

million allowance for bad debt for each respective date. We advance approximately

85%

95%

of each receivable factored and retain the remainder as collateral for collection issues that might arise. The retained amounts are returned to the clients after the related receivable has been collected, net of accrued interest. At

March 31, 2018

and

December 31, 2017,

the retained amounts related to factored receivables totaled

$0.5

million and

$0.6

million, respectively, and were included in accounts payable in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Our clients are smaller trucking companies that factor their receivables to us for a fee to facilitate faster cash flow. We evaluate each client's customer base under predefined criteria. The carrying value of the factored receivables approximates the fair value, as the receivables are generally repaid directly to us by the client's customer within

days due to the combination of the short-term nature of the financing transaction and the underlying quality of the receivables.

Interest rates that are currently available to us for issuance of long-term debt with similar terms and remaining maturities are used to estimate the fair value of our long-term debt, which primarily consists of revenue equipment installment notes. The fair value of our revenue equipment installment notes approximated the carrying value at

March 31, 2018,

as the weighted average interest rate on these notes approximates the market rate for similar debt. Borrowings under our revolving Credit Facility (as defined herein) approximate fair value due to the variable interest rate on that facility. Additionally, commodity contracts, which are accounted for as hedge derivatives, as discussed in Note

are valued based on the forward rate of the specific indices upon which the contract is being settled and adjusted for counterparty credit risk using available market information and valuation methodologies. The fair value of our interest rate swap agreements is determined using the market-standard methodology of netting the discounted future fixed-cash payments and the discounted expected variable-cash receipts. The variable-cash receipts are based on an expectation of future interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves. These analyses reflect the contractual terms of the swap, including the period to maturity and use observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves and implied volatilities. The fair value calculation also includes an amount for risk of non-performance of our counterparties using "significant unobservable inputs" such as estimates of current credit spreads to evaluate the likelihood of default, which we have determined to be insignificant to the overall fair value of our interest rate swap agreements.