Note 2 - Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Notes to Financial Statements

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements presented herein include the accounts of Rush Enterprises, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Estimates in Financial Statements

The preparation of the Company’s financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet date and the amounts of revenues and expenses recognized during the reporting period. Management analyzes the Company’s estimates based on historical experience and other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, however, actual results could differ materially from such estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents generally consist of cash and other money market instruments. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of ninety days or less to be cash equivalents.

Allowance for Credit Losses and Repossession Losses

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses based on the probability of default, its historical rate of losses, aging and current economic conditions. Accounts receivables consist primarily of commercial vehicle sales receivables, manufacturers’ receivables, leasing and parts and service receivables and other trade receivables. The Company writes off account balances when it has exhausted reasonable collection efforts and determined that the likelihood of collection is remote. These write-offs are charged against the allowance for credit losses.

The Company provides an allowance for repossession losses after considering historical loss experience and other factors that might affect the ability of customers to meet their obligations on finance contracts sold by the Company when the Company has a potential liability.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined by specific identification of new and used commercial vehicle inventory and by the first-in, first-out method for tires, parts and accessories. As the market value of the Company’s inventory typically declines over time, reserves are established based on historical loss experience and market trends. These reserves are charged to cost of sales and reduce the carrying value of the Company’s inventory on hand. An allowance is provided when it is anticipated that cost will exceed net realizable value.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the useful life of the improvement, or the term of the lease, whichever is shorter. Provision for depreciation of property and equipment is calculated primarily on a straight-line basis. The Company capitalizes interest on borrowings during the active construction period of major capital projects. Capitalized interest, when incurred, is added to the cost of the underlying assets and is amortized over the estimated useful life of such assets. The cost, accumulated depreciation and amortization and estimated useful lives of the Company’s property and equipment are summarized as follows (in thousands):

	2022			2021			Estimated Life (Years)
Land	$	162,641		$	156,169			–
Buildings and improvements		570,595			552,965		10	–	39
Leasehold improvements		42,236			39,665		2	–	39
Machinery and shop equipment		96,584			92,762		5	–	20
Furniture, fixtures and computers		98,609			84,728		3	–	15
Transportation equipment		116,327			103,611		3	–	15
Lease and rental vehicles		1,067,006			947,318		1	–	8
Construction in progress		14,585			6,664
Accumulated depreciation and amortization		(799,989	)		(705,675	)
Total	$	1,368,594		$	1,278,207

The Company recorded depreciation expense of $177.1 million and amortization expense of $22.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, depreciation expense of $148.3 million and amortization expense of $21.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, and depreciation expense of $157.8 million and amortization expense of $19.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had $114.7 million in lease and rental vehicles under various finance leases included in property and equipment, net of accumulated amortization of $49.1 million. The Company recorded depreciation and amortization expense of $143.5 million related to lease and rental vehicles in lease and rental cost of products sold for the year ended December 31, 2022, $116.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and $119.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Purchase Price Allocation, Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Purchase price allocation for business combinations and asset acquisitions requires the use of accounting estimates and judgments to allocate the purchase price to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective fair values. The Company determines whether substantially all the fair value of the gross assets acquired are concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets. If so, the single asset or group of assets, as applicable, is not a business. If not, the Company determines whether the single asset or group of assets, as applicable, meets the definition of a business.

In connection with the Company’s business combinations, it records certain intangible assets, including franchise rights. The Company periodically reviews the estimated useful lives and fair values of its identifiable intangible assets, taking into consideration any events or circumstances that might result in a diminished fair value or revised useful life. See Note 15 – Acquisitions in the Notes to the Financial Statements for further discussion.

Goodwill represents the excess, at the date of acquisition, of the purchase price of an acquired business over the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired. In addition to goodwill, the Company recognizes separately identifiable intangible assets for rights under franchise agreements with manufacturers.

The fair value of the intangible franchise right is determined at the acquisition date by discounting the projected cash flows specific to each acquisition. The carrying value of the Company’s manufacturer franchise rights was $12.3 million as of December 31, 2022 and $8.6 million as of December 31, 2021, and is included in Other Assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Company has determined that manufacturer franchise rights have an indefinite life, as there are no economic or other factors that limit their useful lives and they are expected to generate cash flows indefinitely due to the historically long lives of the manufacturers’ brand names. Furthermore, to the extent that any agreements evidencing manufacturer franchise rights have expiration dates, the Company expects that it will be able to renew those agreements in the ordinary course of business. Accordingly, the Company does not amortize manufacturer franchise rights.

Due to the fact that manufacturer franchise rights are specific to a geographic region, the Company has determined that evaluating and including all locations acquired in the geographic region is the appropriate level for purposes of testing franchise rights for impairment. The Company is subject to financial statement risk to the extent that manufacturer franchise rights become impaired due to decreases in the fair market value of its individual franchises.

The Company assesses goodwill and intangible franchise rights for impairment annually in the fourth quarter, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate an impairment may have occurred. If impaired, the carrying values of the assets are written down to fair value using Level 3 inputs. See Fair Value Measurements below for further discussion of Level 3 fair value inputs.

For the annual goodwill and intangible franchise rights impairment assessment conducted in the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company elected to perform a qualitative assessment and determined that it was not more-likely-than-not that the fair values of the Company’s reporting units were less than their carrying values.

No impairments of goodwill or intangible franchise rights were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

The following table sets forth the change in the carrying amount of goodwill for the Company for the year ended December 31, 2022 (in thousands):

Balance December 31, 2021	$	370,331
Acquisitions during 2022		47,437
Currency translation		(1,405	)
Balance December 31, 2022	$	416,363

Equity Method Investments

On February 25, 2019, the Company acquired 50% of the equity interest in RTC Canada, which acquired the operating assets of Tallman Group, the largest International Truck dealer in Canada. Prior to acquiring an additional 30% equity interest on May 2, 2022, for approximately $20.0 million, the Company accounted for the equity interest in RTC Canada using the equity method of accounting. Subsequent to the Company’s acquisition of the additional 30% equity interest on May 2, 2022, operations of RTC Canada are included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. Income (loss) related to the 20% equity owner of RTC Canada is reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements as a noncontrolling interest. See Note 15 – Acquisitions in the Notes to the Financial Statements for further discussion.

On January 3, 2022, a subsidiary of Cummins, Inc. acquired a 50% equity interest in Natural Gas Fuel Systems, LLC (“NGFS”) from the Company for $27.5 million. NGFS previously conducted business as Momentum Fuel Technologies. The $12.5 million gain realized on the transaction is included in Other income on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company is accounting for the business as a joint venture and recognizes the investment using the equity method. The Company’s equity income in NGFS is included in the line item Other income on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Income Taxes

Management’s judgment is required to determine the provisions for income taxes and to determine whether deferred tax assets will be realized in full or in part. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. When it is more likely than not that all or some portion of specific deferred income tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance must be established for the amount of deferred income tax assets that are determined not to be realizable. Accordingly, the facts and financial circumstances impacting deferred income tax assets are reviewed quarterly and management’s judgment is applied to determine the amount of valuation allowance required, if any, in any given period.

In determining its provision for income taxes, the Company uses an annual effective income tax rate based on annual income, permanent differences between book and tax income, and statutory income tax rates. The effective income tax rate also reflects its assessment of the ultimate outcome of tax audits. The Company adjusts its annual effective income tax rate as additional information on outcomes or events becomes available. Discrete events such as audit settlements or changes in tax laws are recognized in the period in which they occur.

The Company’s income tax returns are periodically audited by tax authorities. These audits include questions regarding the Company’s tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions. In evaluating the exposures associated with its various tax filing positions, the Company adjusts its liability for unrecognized tax benefits and income tax provision in the period in which an uncertain tax position is effectively settled, the statute of limitations expires for the relevant taxing authority to examine the tax position or when more information becomes available.

The Company’s liability for unrecognized tax benefits contains uncertainties because management is required to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate the exposures associated with its various filing positions. The Company’s effective income tax rate is also affected by changes in tax law, the level of earnings and the results of tax audits. Although the Company believes that the judgments and estimates are reasonable, actual results could differ, and the Company may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material. An unfavorable tax settlement would generally require use of the Company’s cash and result in an increase in its effective income tax rate in the period of resolution. A favorable tax settlement would be recognized as a reduction in the Company’s effective income tax rate in the period of resolution. The Company’s income tax expense includes the impact of reserve provisions and changes to reserves that it considers appropriate, as well as related interest.

Revenue Recognition Policies

The Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("Topic 606"), the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that it will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of Topic 606, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract and determines those that are performance obligations. The Company then assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct and recognize as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied. For a complete discussion of accounting for revenue, see Note 17 – Revenue of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Rental and Lease Sales

The Company leases commercial vehicles that the Company owns to customers. Lease and rental revenue is recognized over the period of the related lease or rental agreement. Variable rental revenue is recognized when it is earned.

Cost of Sales

For the Company’s new and used commercial vehicle operations, cost of sales consists primarily of the Company’s actual purchase price, plus make-ready expenses, less any applicable manufacturers’ incentives. For the Company’s parts operations, cost of sales consists primarily of the Company’s actual purchase price, less any applicable manufacturers’ incentives. For the Company’s service and collision center operations, technician labor cost is the primary component of cost of sales. For the Company’s rental and leasing operations, cost of sales consists primarily of depreciation and amortization, rent, maintenance costs, license costs and interest expense considered direct and incremental on the lease and rental fleet owned and leased by the Company. There are no costs of sales associated with the Company’s finance and insurance revenue or other revenue.

Leases

The Company leases commercial vehicles and real estate under finance and operating leases. The Company determines whether an arrangement is a lease at its inception. For leases with terms greater than twelve months, the Company records a lease asset and liability at the present value of lease payments over the term. Many of the Company’s leases include renewal options and termination options that are factored into its determination of lease payments when appropriate.

When available, the Company uses the rate implicit in the lease to discount lease payments to present value; however, most of its leases do not provide a readily determinable implicit rate. Therefore, the Company must estimate its incremental borrowing rate to discount the lease payments based on information available at lease commencement.

Taxes Assessed by a Governmental Authority

The Company accounts for sales taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction on a net (excluded from revenues) basis.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of incentive based compensation for sales, finance and general management personnel, salaries for administrative personnel and expenses for rent, marketing, insurance, utilities and other general operating purposes.

Stock Based Compensation

The Company applies the provisions of ASC topic 718-10, “Compensation – Stock Compensation,” which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees and directors, including grants of employee stock options, restricted stock units, restricted stock awards and employee stock purchases under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan, based on estimated fair values.

The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of share-based payment awards on the date of grant. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as an expense over the requisite service periods.

Compensation expense for all share-based payment awards is recognized using the straight-line single-option method. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized based on awards expected to vest. Accordingly, stock based compensation expense has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

The Company determines the fair value of share-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model that is affected by the Company’s stock price, as well as assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include the Company’s expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards and actual and projected stock option exercise behaviors. Option-pricing models were developed for use in estimating the value of traded options that have no vesting or hedging restrictions and are fully transferable. Because the Company’s stock options have characteristics that are significantly different from traded options and because changes in the subjective assumptions can materially affect the estimated value, in management’s opinion, the existing valuation models may not provide an accurate measure of fair value and it may not be indicative of the fair value observed in a market transaction between a willing buyer and a willing seller.

The following table reflects the weighted-average fair value of stock options granted during each period using the Black-Scholes option valuation model with the following weighted-average assumptions used:

	2022			2021			2020
Weighted-average stock volatility		34.97	%		36.03	%		33.11	%
Expected dividend yield		1.44	%		1.65	%		1.20	%
Risk-free interest rate		2.13	%		1.07	%		0.80	%
Expected life (years)		6.0			6.0			6.0
Weighted-average fair value of stock options granted	$	16.81		$	14.77		$	6.36

The Company computes its historical stock price volatility in accordance with ASC Topic 718-10. The risk-free interest rate for periods within the contractual life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant. The dividend yield assumption is based on the Company’s history and expectation of dividend payouts. The expected life of stock options represents the weighted-average period the stock options are expected to remain outstanding.

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising and marketing expense was $8.7 million for 2022, $7.5 million for 2021 and $7.9 million for 2020. Advertising and marketing expense is included in selling, general and administrative expense.

Accounting for Internal Use Software

The Company’s accounting policy with respect to accounting for computer software developed or obtained for internal use is consistent with ASC topic 350-40 (Internal Use Software), which provides guidance on accounting for the costs of computer software developed or obtained for internal use and identifies characteristics of internal-use software. The Company has capitalized software costs, including capitalized interest, of approximately $4.2 million as of December 31, 2022, net of accumulated amortization of $14.9 million, and had $5.5 million as of December 31, 2021, net of accumulated amortization of $13.6 million.

Insurance

The Company is partially self-insured for a portion of the claims related to its property and casualty insurance programs. Accordingly, the Company is required to estimate expected losses to be incurred. The Company engages a third-party administrator to assess any open claims and the Company adjusts its accrual accordingly on an annual basis. The Company is also partially self-insured for a portion of the claims related to its worker’s compensation and medical insurance programs. The Company uses actuarial information provided from third-party administrators to calculate an accrual for claims incurred, but not reported, and for the remaining portion of claims that have been reported.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company has various financial instruments that it must measure at fair value on a recurring basis. See Note 9 – Financial Instruments and Fair Value of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, for further information. The Company also applies the provisions of fair value measurement to various nonrecurring measurements for its financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities.

Applicable accounting standards define fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit price). The Company measures its assets and liabilities using inputs from the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy:

Level 1 inputs are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.

Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability (i.e., interest rates, yield curves, etc.), and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means (market corroborated inputs).

Level 3 includes unobservable inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about what factors market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The Company develops these inputs based on the best information available, including its own data.

Acquisitions

The Company uses the acquisition method of accounting for the recognition of assets acquired and liabilities assumed through acquisitions at their estimated fair values as of the date of acquisition. The purchase price allocation for business combinations and asset acquisitions requires the use of accounting estimates and judgments to allocate the purchase price to the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective fair values. As a result, during the measurement period, which is not to exceed one year from the date of acquisition, any changes in the estimated fair values of the net assets recorded for the acquisitions will result in an adjustment to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848).” In January 2021, the FASB clarified the scope of that guidance with the issuance of ASU 2021-01, “Reference Rate Reform: Scope.” The new accounting rules provide optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform. In December 2022, the FASB deferred the expiration date of Topic 848 with the issuance of ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform: Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848.” The new accounting rules extend the relief in Topic 848 beyond the cessation date of USD LIBOR. The new accounting rules must be adopted by the fourth quarter of 2024. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of the new rules on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and disclosures.