Note 8 - Long-term Debt

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

8. Long-term Debt

Long-term debt consists of the following:

		(in thousands)
		December 31,
		2011			2010
Revolving credit agreement (1)	$	68,800		$	49,900
Capitalized lease obligations (2)		49,273			48,616
		118,073			98,516
Less current maturities		(19,146	)		(18,766	)
Long-term debt, less current maturities	$	98,927		$	79,750

(1)

On April 19, 2010, we entered into a Credit Agreement with Branch Banking and Trust Company as Administrative Agent, which replaced our Amended and Restated Senior Credit Facility scheduled to mature on September 1, 2010. The Credit Agreement, which was amended June 14, 2010, provides for available borrowings of up to $100.0 million, including letters of credit not to exceed $25.0 million. Availability may be reduced by a borrowing base limit as defined in the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement provides an accordion feature allowing us to increase the maximum borrowing amount by up to an additional $75.0 million in the aggregate in one or more increases, subject to certain conditions. The Credit Agreement bears variable interest based on the type of borrowing and on the Administrative Agent’s prime rate or the LIBOR plus a certain percentage, which is determined based on our attainment of certain financial ratios. A quarterly commitment fee is payable on the unused portion of the credit line and bears a rate which is determined based on our attainment of certain financial ratios. The obligations of the Company under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by the Company and secured by a pledge of substantially all of the Company’s assets with the exception of real estate. The Credit Agreement includes usual and customary events of default for a facility of this nature and provides that, upon the occurrence and continuation of an event of default, payment of all amounts payable under the Credit Agreement may be accelerated, and the lenders’ commitments may be terminated. The Credit Agreement contains certain restrictions and covenants relating to, among other things, dividends, liens, acquisitions and dispositions outside of the ordinary course of business, and affiliate transactions. The Credit Agreement will expire on April 19, 2014.

Borrowings under the Credit Agreement are classified as “base rate loans,” “LIBOR loans” or “Euro dollar loans.” Base rate loans accrue interest at a base rate equal to the Administrative Agent’s prime rate plus an applicable margin that is adjusted quarterly between 0.0% and 1.0%, based on the Company’s leverage ratio. LIBOR loans accrue interest at LIBOR plus an applicable margin that is adjusted quarterly between 2.00% and 3.25% based on the Company’s leverage ratio. Euro dollar loans and letters of credit accrue interest at the LIBOR rate in effect at the beginning of the month in which the borrowing occurs plus an applicable margin that is adjusted quarterly between 2.00% and 3.25% based on the Company’s leverage ratio. On a quarterly basis, the Company must pay a fee on the unused amount of the revolving credit facility of between 0.25% and 0.375% based on the Company’s leverage ratio, and it must pay an annual administrative fee to the Administrative Agent of 0.03% of the total commitments.

The interest rate on our overnight borrowings under the Credit Agreement at December 31, 2011, was 4.25%. The interest rate including all borrowings made under the Credit Agreement at December 31, 2011 was 3.7%. The weighted average interest rate on the Company’s borrowings under the agreements for the year ended December 31, 2011 was 2.9%. A quarterly commitment fee is payable on the unused portion of the credit line and bears a rate which is determined based on our attainment of certain financial ratios. At December 31, 2011, the rate was 0.375% per annum. The Credit Agreement is collateralized by revenue equipment having a net book value of $166.2 million at December 31, 2011, and all trade and other accounts receivable. The Credit Agreement requires us to meet certain financial covenants (i.e., a maximum leverage ratio of 3.0 to 1.0 and a minimum fixed charge ratio of 1.4 to 1) and to maintain a minimum tangible net worth of approximately $106.4 million at December 31, 2011. We were in compliance with these covenants throughout 2011 and at December 31, 2011. The covenants would prohibit the payment of dividends by us if such payment would cause us to be in violation of any of the covenants. The borrowings under the Credit Agreement approximate its fair value and at December 31, 2011, the Company had outstanding $2.2 million in letters of credit. As the Company reprices its debt on a quarterly basis, the borrowings under the Credit Agreement approximate their fair value.

(2)

The Company’s capitalized lease obligations have various termination dates extending through July 31, 2015 and contain renewal or fixed price purchase options. The effective interest rates on the leases range from 1.6% to 4.1% at December 31, 2011. The lease agreements require the Company to pay property taxes, maintenance and operating expenses.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for information about short-term and long-term debt arrangements, which includes amounts of borrowings under each line of credit, note payable, commercial paper issue, bonds indenture, debenture issue, own-share lending arrangements and any other contractual agreement to repay funds, and about the underlying arrangements, rationale for a classification as long-term, including repayment terms, interest rates, collateral provided, restrictions on use of assets and activities, whether or not in compliance with debt covenants, and other matters important to users of the financial statements, such as the effects of refinancing and noncompliance with debt covenants.

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