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):March 11, 2009

USA TRUCK, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

0-19858	71-0556971
(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

3200 Industrial Park Road
Van Buren, Arkansas	72956
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

(479) 471-2500

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

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:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 7.01Regulation FD Disclosure

The Company hereby furnishes the slide presentation for the 2009 J.P. Morgan Aviation and Transportation Conference to be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2009, in New York, NY. The presentation will begin at 3:00 P.M. (EDT) and will be approximately 30 minutes in length, including questions and answers after the presentation. A copy of the slide presentation is attached to this report as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits

99.1 USA Truck, Inc. slide presentation from the 2009 J.P. Morgan Aviation and Transportation Conference held in New York, NY on March 11, 2009.

The information contained in this report (including items 7.01 and 9.01) and the exhibit shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing. The information set forth herein, or in the exhibit, shall not be deemed an admission as to the materiality of any information herein or in the exhibit that is required to be disclosed to satisfy the requirements of Regulation FD.

The information in this report, the exhibit hereto, and statements made at the 2009 J.P. Morgan Aviation and Transportation Conference may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements generally may be identified by their use of terms or phrases such as “expects,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “potential,” “continue,” “future,” and terms or phrases of similar substance.Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements.Accordingly, actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.Readers should review and consider the factors that may affect future results and other disclosures by the Company in its press releases, Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting the forward-looking information. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this report and the exhibit hereto, as well as those made at the 2009 J.P. Morgan Aviation and Transportation Conference might not occur.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

The slide presentation also will be available to interested parties at our web site, http://www.usa-truck.com under the “Presentations” tab of the “Investors” menu.

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.

		USA Truck, Inc.
		(Registrant)
Date:	March 11, 2009	/s/ CLIFTON R. BECKHAM
		Clifton R. Beckham
		President and Chief Executive Officer
Date:	March 11, 2009	/s/ DARRON R. MING
		Darron R. Ming
		Vice President, Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit Number	Exhibit
99.1	USA Truck, Inc. slide presentation from the 2009 J.P. Morgan Aviation and Transportation Conference to be held in New York, NY

EX-99

USA Truck

Forward-Looking Statement

This information and the statements made at this conference presentation may contain

forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as

amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These

statements generally may be identified by their use of terms or phrases such as “expects,”

“estimates,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “will,” “should,”

“could,” “potential,” “continue,” “future,” and terms or phrases of similar

substance.  Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of

our management and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot

be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ

materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking

statements.  Accordingly, actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking

statements.  Readers should review and consider the factors that may affect future results and

other disclosures by the Company in its reports, Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other filings

with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise

any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting the

forward-looking information.  In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking

events and circumstances discussed in this conference presentation might not occur.

Improved Performance

                     Vision

                 Planning

                Execution

              Why USAK?

                 Research

Our Stock is Under-Valued

As of March 5, 2009

Price to Book Multiples

Why ROC and EPS?

Financial Performance Correlation to Stock Price

Vision

Planning

Execution

Why USAK?

Research

The VEVA^*Plan

August 2007

December 2013

December 2010

PHASE II – Earnings Growth

^* We call our strategic plan Vision for Economic Value-Added, or VEVA

1.0 x Book Value

2 % ROC

98% O.R.

3.0 x Book Value

10% ROC

89% O.R.

4.0 x Book Value

≥ 10% ROC

≥ 10% EBIT CAGR

< 89% O.R.

The Results We’ll Need

Consistent Earnings

Earn our Cost of Capital

Positioned for Long-Term Growth

How We’ll Do It

Culture (Mission, Core Values)

Project Velocity

War on Accidents

Yield Management

Cost Discipline

Expand Owner Operator Fleet

Improve Brokerage Model

Launch Intermodal Model

Project Tech

Project People

The Results We’ll Need

Sustained Earnings Growth > 10%

Positive Economic Value Added

How We’ll Do It

Intermodal Growth

Brokerage Growth

General Freight Acquisitions

Productivity Gains

Share Repurchases/Dividends

PHASE I – Margin Expansion

                      Vision

                  Planning

                Execution

              Why USAK?

                  Research

Project Tech

Aging Technology Infrastructure

October 2008

First Quarter 2009

Third Quarter 2009

January 2008

October 2008

January 2008

Third Quarter 2009

First Quarter 2009

Project People

USA Truck 12/31/2007 3.2 : 1

Peer Average 12/31/2007 3.8 : 1

Best-in-Class 12/31/2007    6.0 : 1

USA Truck 12/31/2008  3.9 : 1

Driver to Non-Driver Ratio

A Fresh Operating Strategy

Divergent Business Models

1,190 BPS

270 BPS

Operating Margin Comparison

2007 Average LOH = 829

2007 Average LOH = 550

Velocity Effect

Year-Over-Year Comparison

   8.4%

3.6%

1.0%

7.3%

  8.6%

Yield Management

Base Revenue per Paid Mile (2000 = 100)

4.7%
CAGR

1.1%
CAGR

Cost Discipline

Operating Cost per Mile*

* Asset-based operations only for quarter ended September 30, 2008
Source:  SEC Documents and USA Truck, Inc.

The War on Accidents

Insurance & Claims

Strategic Capacity Solutions

Freight Brokerage Growth^*

Intermodal Growth^*

*Base Revenue (excludes fuel surcharge) in Thousands

                       Vision

                   Planning

                  Execution

               Why USAK?

                   Research

The Iceberg Theory of Execution

Public Results– The “Tip of the Iceberg” where
everything is clearly visible.

What the press reports; What drives stock value; and
where the uninformed THINK execution occurs

(ROC, EPS, Operating Ratio, Revenue, etc.)

Operational Results – Just below the surface, but still
shallow enough to be visible.

What the analysts focus on; Where the Street THINKS
execution occurs

(Utilization, Revenue per Mile, Empty Miles, Cost per Mile,
Fixed Costs, etc.)

KPI Results– Deep beneath the surface beyond the
visible sunlight.

Where execution ACTUALLY occurs; Take care of
these numbers, and the Public and Operational
Results will take care of themselves!

(Velocity, Yield, Driver Pay, MPG, Owner Operator Count,
Direct Repairs, Mexico Margin, Staff Wages, APMM,
Recruiting Costs & Quality, SCS Revenue & Margin, DSO,
etc.)

20

Vision

Planning

Execution

Why USAK?

Research

Why Invest In USA Truck?

Substantial operating
leverage with stock
valuation deeply
discounted vs. peers.

Strong core of
management, cost
discipline and customer
base.

Vision and a plan to
create shareholder value.

USA Truck