General
Hub Group, Inc. (“Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a Delaware corporation that was incorporated on March 8, 1995. We are one of North America’s leading asset-light freight transportation management companies. We offer comprehensive intermodal, truck brokerage and logistics services. Since our founding in 1971, we have grown to become the largest intermodal marketing company (“IMC”) in the United States and one of the largest truck brokers.
We operate through a network of operating centers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Each operating center is strategically located in a market with a significant concentration of shipping customers and one or more railheads. Through our network, we have the ability to move freight in and out of every major city in the United States, Canada and Mexico. We service a large and diversified customer base in a broad range of industries, including consumer products, retail and durable goods. We utilize an asset-light strategy in order to minimize our investment in equipment and facilities and reduce our capital requirements. We arrange freight movement for our customers through transportation carriers and equipment providers.
Services Provided
Our transportation services can be broadly placed into the following categories:
Intermodal. As an IMC, we arrange for the movement of our customers’ freight in containers and trailers, typically over long distances of 750 miles or more. We contract with railroads to provide transportation for the long-haul portion of the shipment and with local trucking companies, known as “drayage companies,” for pickup and delivery. As part of our intermodal services, we negotiate rail and drayage rates, electronically track shipments in transit, consolidate billing and handle claims for freight loss or damage on behalf of our customers.
We use our network to access containers and trailers owned by leasing companies, railroads and steamship lines. We are able to track trailers and containers entering a service area and reuse that equipment to fulfill the customers’ outbound shipping requirements. This effectively allows us to “capture” containers and trailers and keep them within our network. As of February 1, 2011, we have exclusive access to approximately 9,600 rail-owned containers for our dedicated use on the Union Pacific (“UP”) and the Norfolk Southern (“NS”) rails. In addition to these rail-owned containers, as of February 1, 2011, we had a total of 8,702 53’ private containers for use on the UP and NS. We financed 6,194 of these containers with operating leases and we own 2,508 containers. These financing arrangements are included in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements.
As of February 1, 2011, approximately half of our drayage needs were met by our subsidiary, Comtrak Logistics, Inc. (“Comtrak”), which assists us in providing reliable, cost effective intermodal services to our customers. Comtrak has terminals in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charleston, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Dallas, Harrisburg, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Memphis, Nashville, Los Angeles, Perry (FL), Philadelphia, Savannah, St. Louis, Stockton, and Titusville (FL). As of February 1, 2011, Comtrak owned 283 tractors, leased or owned 502 trailers, employed 267 drivers and contracted with 1,414 owner-operators.
Truck Brokerage (Highway Services). We are one of the largest truck brokers in the United States, providing customers with another option for their transportation needs. We match the customers’ needs with carriers’ capacity to provide the most effective service and price combinations. We have contracts with a substantial base of carriers allowing us to meet the varied needs of our customers. As part of the truck brokerage services, we negotiate rates, track shipments in transit and handle claims for freight loss and damage on behalf of our customers.
Our truck brokerage operation also provides customers with specialized programs. Through the Dedicated Trucking Program, certain carriers have informally agreed to move freight for our customers on a continuous basis. This arrangement allows us to effectively meet our customers’ needs without owning the equipment.
Logistics. Our logistics business operates under the name of Unyson Logistics. Unyson Logistics is comprised of a network of logistics professionals dedicated to developing, implementing and operating customized logistics solutions. Unyson offers a wide range of transportation management services and technology solutions including shipment optimization, load consolidation, mode selection, carrier management, load planning and execution and web-based shipment visibility. Our multi-modal transportation capabilities include small parcel, heavyweight, expedited, less-than-truckload, truckload, intermodal and railcar. Unyson Logistics operates throughout North America, providing operations through its main operating location in St. Louis with additional support locations in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland and Minneapolis.
1
| Ernst & Young LLP |