THOMASVILLE, N.C. Sept. 8, 2015 - Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODFL) today reported its results for less-than-truckload ("LTL") tons per day and revenue per hundredweight for July and August 2015. LTL tons per day increased 7.7% and 5.8% in July and August 2015, respectively, compared to July and August 2014. These increases reflected growth in shipments of 12.9% in July 2015 and 11.7% in August 2015 compared to the same months in 2014, partially offset by a year-over-year decline in LTL weight per shipment of 4.6% and 5.3% in July and August 2015, respectively.
Old Dominion also experienced a year-over-year decrease in LTL revenue per hundredweight of 0.8% for July 2015 and 1.2% in August 2015 compared to the same months in 2014, primarily due to declines in fuel surcharges. LTL revenue per hundredweight, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 5.3% and 5.6% in July and August 2015, respectively, compared to July and August 2014.
David S. Congdon, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Old Dominion, commented, "We are pleased to report the strong growth in our LTL shipments for July and August, which were consistent with our long-term growth trends. Our LTL tons per day also continued to grow against difficult year-over-year comparisons of 18.8% and 19.0% growth for July and August 2014, respectively, and the continued decline in our LTL weight per shipment. We believe the pricing environment continues to be stable and are confident in our ability to continue to gain market share while also improving our yield."
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution the reader that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) the competitive environment with respect to industry capacity and pricing, including the use of fuel surcharges, such that our total overall pricing is sufficient to cover our operating expenses; (2) our ability to collect fuel surcharges and the effectiveness of those fuel surcharges in mitigating the impact of fluctuating prices for fuel and other petroleum-based products; (3) the negative impact of any unionization, or the passage of legislation or regulations that could facilitate unionization, of our employees; (4) the challenges associated with executing our growth strategy, including the inability to successfully consummate and integrate any acquisitions; (5) changes in our goals and strategies, which are subject to change at any time at our discretion; (6) various economic factors such as economic recessions and downturns in customers' business cycles and shipping requirements; (7) increases in driver compensation or difficulties attracting and retaining qualified drivers to meet freight demand; (8) our exposure to claims related to cargo loss and damage, property damage, personal injury, workers' compensation, group health and group dental, including increased premiums, adverse loss development, increased self-insured retention levels and claims in excess of insured coverage levels; (9) cost increases associated with employee benefits, including compliance obligations associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; (10) the availability and cost of capital for our significant ongoing cash requirements; (11) the availability and cost of new equipment and replacement parts, including regulatory changes and supply constraints that could impact the cost of these assets; (12) decreases in demand for, and the value of, used equipment; (13) the availability and cost of diesel fuel; (14) the costs and potential liabilities related to compliance with, or violations of, existing or future governmental laws and regulations, including environmental laws, engine emissions standards, hours-of-service for our drivers, driver fitness requirements and new safety standards for drivers and equipment; (15) the costs and potential liabilities related to various legal proceedings and claims that have arisen in the ordinary course of our business, some of which include class-action allegations; (16) the costs and potential liabilities related to governmental proceedings; (17) various risks arising from our international business operations and relationships; (18) the costs and potential adverse impact of compliance with, or violations of, current and future rules issued by the Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, including its Compliance, Safety, Accountability initiative, and other regulatory agencies; (19) seasonal trends in the less-than-truckload industry, including harsh weather conditions; (20) our dependence on key employees; (21) the concentration of our stock ownership with the Congdon family; (22) the costs and potential adverse impact associated with future changes in accounting standards or practices; (23) potential costs associated with cyber incidents and other risks, including system failure, security breach, disruption by malware or other damage; (24) the impact of potential disruptions to our information technology systems or our service center network; (25) damage to our reputation from the misuse of social media; (26) dilution to existing shareholders caused by any issuance of additional equity; and (27) other risks and uncertainties described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our forward-looking statements are based upon our beliefs and assumptions using information available at the time the statements are made. We caution the reader not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements (i) as these statements are neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances and (ii) the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and projections about future events may differ materially from actual results. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect developments occurring after the statement is made, except as otherwise required by law.
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. is a leading, less-than-truckload ("LTL"), union-free motor carrier providing regional, inter-regional and national LTL services, which include ground and air expedited transportation and consumer household pickup and delivery through a single integrated organization. In addition to its core LTL services, the Company offers a broad range of value-added services including container drayage, truckload brokerage, international freight forwarding, supply chain consulting and warehousing.
