Note 16 - Litigation	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Disclosure Text Block Supplement [Abstract]
Legal Matters and Contingencies [Text Block]	16. Litigation We are party to routine litigation incidental to our business, primarily involving claims for personal injury and property damage incurred in the transportation of freight. We maintain insurance to cover liabilities in excess of certain self-insured retention levels. Though management believes these claims to be routine and immaterial to our long-term financial position, adverse results of one or more of these claims could have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations in any given reporting period. On July 28, 2008, a former commission sales agent, Mr. William Blankenship (“Blankenship”), filed an action in the United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas entitled William Blankenship, Jr. v. USA Truck, Inc., asking the court to set aside a previously consummated settlement agreement between the parties. The matter was dismissed by the District Court based upon our Motion to Dismiss, but was later reinstated by the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals and set for trial in the United States District Court in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In October 2011, the trial was held in the United States District Court and the jury returned a favorable verdict for the Company on all counts and determined that the Company had no additional liability in this matter. On December 13, 2011, the Court entered an order awarding the Company its costs and attorney’s fees incurred in defending the case totaling approximately $0.2 million. Blankenship appealed the jury verdict and Court order. On June 27, 2013, the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals entered an order affirming the jury verdict and attorneys’ fee award in favor of USA Truck. By order dated July 30, 2013, the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals denied all of Blankenship’s requests for further appellate review, effectively ending the litigation. Blankenship filed bankruptcy in 2013, thus extinguishing our rights to collect the court ordered award of attorney’s fees. On September 26, 2013 Knight Transportation, Inc. (“Knight”) filed a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission stating it had acquired 829,946 shares of our common stock (approximately 7.9%) for the purpose of pursuing a merger with us. Knight also disclosed in this filing that it had made an offer to our Board of Directors on August 28, 2013 proposing an all cash offer of $9.00 per share for all of our outstanding shares of common stock. Subsequent to this filing, Knight reported that it had increased its holdings in our stock to 1,287,782 shares (approximately 12.2%). On September 26, 2013, the Company issued a press release regarding Knight’s unsolicited proposal, indicating that our Board of Directors had previously reviewed Knight’s unsolicited proposal with the Company’s management team and independent financial and legal advisors, that the Board unanimously concluded that the proposal substantially undervalued the Company in light of the initiatives undertaken by the new management team, and the proposal was not in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Company also indicated in the release that it had offered to meet with Knight to discuss the reasons why the Knight offer was inadequate. On October 10, 2013, we filed a breach of contract complaint in the Circuit Court of Crawford County, Van Buren, Arkansas, styled USA Truck, Inc. v. Knight Transportation, Inc., Docket No. 17CV-13-302-II (which was subsequently removed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and captioned USA Truck, Inc. v. Knight Transportation, Inc., No. 2:13 cv 02238 PKH), alleging, among other things, that Knight misused confidential information in violation of a confidentiality agreement between Knight and the Company, by disclosing prior confidential discussions between Knight and the Company, and by using confidential information in connection with the above mentioned stock acquisitions. The lawsuit seeks to require Knight to divest the shares it acquired in violation of the confidentiality agreement. On February 4, 2014, the Company entered into a settlement agreement (the "Settlement Agreement") with Knight for the purpose of resolving the litigation described above. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, and without either the Company or Knight admitting or conceding liability or wrongdoing, we have withdrawn the lawsuit, the Company and Knight exchanged mutual releases of liability and the Company and Knight entered into a voting agreement and a standstill agreement.

Note 16 - Litigation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Disclosure Text Block Supplement [Abstract]

Legal Matters and Contingencies [Text Block]

16. Litigation

We are party to routine litigation incidental to our business, primarily involving claims for personal injury and property damage incurred in the transportation of freight. We maintain insurance to cover liabilities in excess of certain self-insured retention levels. Though management believes these claims to be routine and immaterial to our long-term financial position, adverse results of one or more of these claims could have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations in any given reporting period.

On July 28, 2008, a former commission sales agent, Mr. William Blankenship (“Blankenship”), filed an action in the United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas entitled William Blankenship, Jr. v. USA Truck, Inc., asking the court to set aside a previously consummated settlement agreement between the parties. The matter was dismissed by the District Court based upon our Motion to Dismiss, but was later reinstated by the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals and set for trial in the United States District Court in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In October 2011, the trial was held in the United States District Court and the jury returned a favorable verdict for the Company on all counts and determined that the Company had no additional liability in this matter. On December 13, 2011, the Court entered an order awarding the Company its costs and attorney’s fees incurred in defending the case totaling approximately $0.2 million. Blankenship appealed the jury verdict and Court order. On June 27, 2013, the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals entered an order affirming the jury verdict and attorneys’ fee award in favor of USA Truck. By order dated July 30, 2013, the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals denied all of Blankenship’s requests for further appellate review, effectively ending the litigation. Blankenship filed bankruptcy in 2013, thus extinguishing our rights to collect the court ordered award of attorney’s fees.

On September 26, 2013 Knight Transportation, Inc. (“Knight”) filed a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission stating it had acquired 829,946 shares of our common stock (approximately 7.9%) for the purpose of pursuing a merger with us. Knight also disclosed in this filing that it had made an offer to our Board of Directors on August 28, 2013 proposing an all cash offer of $9.00 per share for all of our outstanding shares of common stock. Subsequent to this filing, Knight reported that it had increased its holdings in our stock to 1,287,782 shares (approximately 12.2%). On September 26, 2013, the Company issued a press release regarding Knight’s unsolicited proposal, indicating that our Board of Directors had previously reviewed Knight’s unsolicited proposal with the Company’s management team and independent financial and legal advisors, that the Board unanimously concluded that the proposal substantially undervalued the Company in light of the initiatives undertaken by the new management team, and the proposal was not in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Company also indicated in the release that it had offered to meet with Knight to discuss the reasons why the Knight offer was inadequate. On October 10, 2013, we filed a breach of contract complaint in the Circuit Court of Crawford County, Van Buren, Arkansas, styled USA Truck, Inc. v. Knight Transportation, Inc., Docket No. 17CV-13-302-II (which was subsequently removed to the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and captioned USA Truck, Inc. v. Knight Transportation, Inc., No. 2:13 cv 02238 PKH), alleging, among other things, that Knight misused confidential information in violation of a confidentiality agreement between Knight and the Company, by disclosing prior confidential discussions between Knight and the Company, and by using confidential information in connection with the above mentioned stock acquisitions. The lawsuit seeks to require Knight to divest the shares it acquired in violation of the confidentiality agreement.

On February 4, 2014, the Company entered into a settlement agreement (the "Settlement Agreement") with Knight for the purpose of resolving the litigation described above. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, and without either the Company or Knight admitting or conceding liability or wrongdoing, we have withdrawn the lawsuit, the Company and Knight exchanged mutual releases of liability and the Company and Knight entered into a voting agreement and a standstill agreement.