Derivative Financial Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Financial Instruments

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Corporation uses derivative financial instruments to reduce its exposure to adverse fluctuations in interest rates and diesel fuel.  On the date a derivative is entered into, the Corporation designates the derivative as (i) a fair value hedge, (ii) a cash flow hedge, (iii) a hedge of a net investment in a foreign operation or (iv) a risk management instrument not designated for hedge accounting.  The Corporation recognizes all derivatives on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value.

Interest Rate Risk

In June 2008, the Corporation entered into an interest rate swap agreement, designated as a cash flow hedge, for purposes of managing its benchmark interest rate fluctuation risk.  Under the interest rate swap agreement, the Corporation paid a fixed rate of interest and received a variable rate of interest equal to the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) as determined on the last day of each monthly settlement period on an aggregated notional principal amount of $50 million.  The net amount paid or received upon monthly settlements was recorded as an adjustment to interest expense, while the effective change in fair value was recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in the equity section of the Corporation's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.  The interest rate swap agreement matured on May 27, 2011.

Diesel Fuel Risk

The Corporation uses independent freight carriers to deliver its products.  These carriers charge the Corporation a basic rate per mile that is subject to a mileage surcharge for diesel fuel price increases.  The Corporation entered into variable to fixed rate commodity swap agreements beginning in April 2010 with two financial counterparties to manage fluctuations in fuel costs.  The Corporation will hedge approximately 50% of its diesel fuel surcharge exposure for the next twelve months.  The Corporation uses the hedge agreements to mitigate the volatility of diesel fuel prices and related fuel surcharges, and not to speculate on the future price of diesel fuel.  The hedge agreements are designed to add stability to the Corporation's costs, enabling the Corporation to make pricing decisions and lessen the economic impact of abrupt changes in diesel fuel prices over the term of the contract.  The hedging instruments consist of a series of financially settled fixed forward contracts with expiration dates ranging up to twelve months.  The contracts have been designated as cash flow hedges of future diesel purchases, and as such, the net amount paid or received upon monthly settlements is recorded as an adjustment to freight expense, while the effective change in fair value is recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in the equity section of the Corporation's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

As of March 31, 2012, $0.4 million of deferred net gains, net of tax, included in equity ("Accumulated other comprehensive income" in the Corporation's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets) related to the diesel hedge agreements, are expected to be reclassified to current earnings ("Selling and administrative expenses" in the Corporation's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income) over the next twelve months.

The location and fair value of derivative instruments reported in the Corporation's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands):

		Asset (Liability) Fair Value
	Balance Sheet Location	March 31, 2012		December 31, 2011
Diesel fuel swap	Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	—	$	(256	)
Diesel fuel swap	Prepaid expenses and other current assets	706		165
		$	706	$	(91	)

The effect of derivative instruments on the Corporation's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2012 was as follows (in thousands):

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedge Relationship	Before-tax Gain (Loss) Recognized in AOCI on Derivative (Effective Portion)		Locations of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Income (Effective Portion)	Before-Tax Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI Into Income (Effective Portion)			Locations of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)	Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)
Diesel fuel swap	$	771	Selling and administrative expenses	$	(24	)	Selling and administrative expenses	$	—
Total	$	771		$	(24	)		$	—

The effect of derivative instruments on the Corporation's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended April 2, 2011 was as follows (in thousands):

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedge Relationship	Before-tax Gain (Loss) Recognized in AOCI on Derivative (Effective Portion)			Locations of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI into Income (Effective Portion)	Before-Tax Gain (Loss) Reclassified from AOCI Into Income (Effective Portion)			Locations of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)	Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion)
Interest rate swap	$	(219	)	Interest expense	$	(559	)	None	$	—
Diesel fuel swap	1,227			Selling and administrative expenses	256			None	5
Total	$	1,008			$	(303	)		$	5