UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant ☒
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
Check the appropriate box:
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
_________________________________________________________
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
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(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):
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No fee required |
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials |
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Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11 |
OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.
500 Old Dominion Way
Thomasville, North Carolina 27360
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
The Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, at the Grandover Resort, 1000 Club Road, Greensboro, North Carolina 27407, for the following purposes:
Shareholders of record at the close of business on March 7, 2024, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting.
By Order of the Board of Directors
Ross H. Parr
Senior Vice President - Legal Affairs,
General Counsel and Secretary
Thomasville, North Carolina
April 15, 2024
If you do not intend to be present at the meeting, we ask that you vote your shares using a toll-free telephone number, the Internet, or by signing, dating and returning the accompanying proxy card or voting instruction form promptly so that your shares of common stock may be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. Instructions regarding the different voting options made available to you are contained in the accompanying proxy statement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS TO THE PROXY STATEMENT
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Security Ownership of Management and Certain Beneficial Owners |
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Role of Compensation Committee, Independent Directors and Management |
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OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE, INC.
Principal Executive Offices: 500 Old Dominion Way
Thomasville, North Carolina 27360
PROXY STATEMENT
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials
for the Shareholder Meeting to be held on May 15, 2024:
The Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Proxy Statement, Form of Proxy and 2023 Annual Report to Shareholders are available on our corporate website at https://ir.odfl.com/annual-shareholder-meeting-information.
This proxy statement is first being distributed to shareholders on or about April 15, 2024, in connection with the solicitation of proxies by and on behalf of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. for use at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held at the Grandover Resort, 1000 Club Road, Greensboro, North Carolina 27407 on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and at any adjournment thereof. If you need directions so you can attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person, please contact our Corporate Secretary at (336) 889-5000.
On February 16, 2024, we announced that our Board approved a two-for-one stock split of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, and our common stock began trading on a split-adjusted basis on March 28, 2024 (the “two-for-one stock split”). All share and per-share information presented in this proxy statement has been adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock split, unless otherwise indicated.
2024 Proxy Statement Summary |
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This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider, and you should read the entire proxy statement carefully before voting. |
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Annual Meeting of Shareholders
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Time and Date |
10:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 15, 2024
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Place |
Grandover Resort |
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1000 Club Road |
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Greensboro, NC 27407
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Record Date |
March 7, 2024
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Voting |
Shareholders as of the record date are entitled to vote. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote for each director nominee and one vote for each of the proposals to be voted on at the meeting.
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Admission |
If you decide to attend the meeting in person, upon your arrival you will need to register with our Old Dominion representatives at the Grandview Room, which is located on the second floor of the Grandover Resort. See page 7 for further instructions and registration requirements.
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Meeting Agenda/Proposals |
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Board Vote |
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Page Reference |
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Election of twelve directors
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FOR ALL |
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11 |
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Approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of our named executive officers
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FOR |
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61 |
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Approval of an Amendment to our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock
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FOR |
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63 |
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Ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024
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FOR |
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64 |
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A shareholder proposal regarding greenhouse gas reduction targets
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AGAINST |
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65 |
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Transact other business, if any, that properly comes before the meeting
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Election of Directors
Our directors are elected annually for one-year terms. The twelve nominees below are comprised of ten current directors and Kevin M. Freeman and Cheryl S. Miller, each of whom have been recommended by the Board. The nominees receiving a plurality of the votes cast at the meeting will be elected as directors. The graphics below highlight the backgrounds of our director nominees and the table below provides summary information about each director nominee.
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Election of Directors (continued)
• 8 of our 12 director nominees are independent • Our director nominees have an average tenure of 9 years • 33% of our director nominees have self-identified gender, racial or ethnic diversity |
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Committees |
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Name |
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Age |
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Director |
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Occupation |
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Independent |
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AC |
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CC |
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GNC |
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RC |
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David S. Congdon |
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67 |
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1998 |
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Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, Old Dominion
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Sherry A. Aaholm |
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61 |
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2018 |
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Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Cummins, Inc.
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X |
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C |
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X |
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John R. Congdon, Jr.
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67 |
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1998 |
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Private investor |
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Andrew S. Davis
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46 |
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2023 |
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Senior Vice President, Strategy and Investments, Cox Enterprises Inc. |
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X |
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Kevin M. Freeman
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65 |
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Old Dominion |
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Bradley R. Gabosch
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72 |
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2016 |
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Private investor |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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Greg C. Gantt
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68 |
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2018 |
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Private investor |
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John D. Kasarda, Ph.D. |
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78 |
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2008 |
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CEO and President of Aerotropolis Business Concepts LLC; President of Aerotropolis Institute China; Faculty, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School |
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C |
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Cheryl S. Miller
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51 |
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Private investor |
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X |
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Wendy T. Stallings
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49 |
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2020 |
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Owner, President and CEO, TPI Event Solutions, Inc.; Real estate investor |
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X |
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X |
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C |
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Thomas A. Stith, III
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60 |
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2021 |
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Co-Founder and CEO, The Michael Thomas Group; Professor of the Practice, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School; Senior Fellow, Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise
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X |
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Leo H. Suggs *
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84 |
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2009 |
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Private investor |
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X |
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C |
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X |
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AC - Audit Committee
CC - Compensation Committee
* - Lead Independent Director
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GNC - Governance and Nomination Committee
RC - Risk Committee
C - Committee Chair
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Approval, on an Advisory Basis, of the Compensation of our Named Executive Officers
We are asking our shareholders to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers. The Board believes that our executive compensation policies are designed appropriately and are functioning as intended to align pay with performance and produce long-term value for our shareholders.
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Fiscal 2023 Executive Compensation Elements |
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Form |
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General Purpose and Terms |
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Cash |
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Base Salary |
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Retention component that is reviewed annually and adjusted as needed, and executives are generally eligible for an annual increase.
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Non-Equity |
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Motivates and rewards performance by linking a significant portion of compensation to profitability. Earned monthly based upon a fixed percentage, or participation factor, of our pre-tax income. No payment unless pre-tax income exceeds a required minimum performance threshold, and the aggregate PIP payments for each executive are limited to 10x the executive’s annual base salary.
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Equity- based |
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Performance-Based Restricted |
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Aligns executive compensation with Company performance and shareholder value. Grants are awarded based on the Company’s operating ratio (a measure of profitability calculated by dividing total operating expenses by revenue). Any shares earned generally vest in increments of 33% per year on the anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued service requirements.
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Performance-Based Restricted |
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Ties executive compensation to Company achievement of pre-tax income growth performance targets over a one-year performance period, with one-third of the award vesting following the conclusion of the performance period (to the extent the performance target is met) and an additional one-third of the award vesting on each anniversary thereafter, subject to continued service requirements.
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Other |
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401(k) Plan |
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Retirement plan with Company match; executive officers receive the same benefit as all employees. |
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Nonqualified |
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Self-funded retirement benefit; participants can defer significant percentages of annual base salary and monthly non-equity performance-based incentive compensation. No Company match or other contributions are provided by us.
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Recent Compensation Decisions
The principal factors in the Compensation Committee’s executive compensation decisions for 2023 were (i) our financial performance, (ii) the relationship of executive compensation to the Company’s pre-tax income, (iii) the amount of compensation that is performance-based, (iv) the review and analysis conducted by its independent compensation consultant, and (v) strong support received for “say-on-pay” voting results (approximately 96% of votes cast on the proposal at our 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders were in favor of such proposal).
Effective July 1, 2023, we made the following changes to the compensation of certain of our named executive officers in connection with their promotions. With respect to Mr. Freeman, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in his base salary to $956,800 and an increase in his participation factor in the PIP to 0.60%. With respect to Mr. Plemmons, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in his base salary to $628,074, an increase in his participation factor in the PIP to 0.30% and, effective January 2024, an increase in his target PBRSU opportunity to 100% of his base salary. These adjustments position target pay opportunities for Messrs. Freeman and Plemmons at the same levels as their predecessors, recognizing their extensive experience and ability to seamlessly transition into their new roles. With respect to Mr. Satterfield, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in his base salary to |
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Recent Compensation Decisions (continued)
$628,074 and an increase in his participation factor in the PIP to 0.30%, consistent with target pay opportunities for our other EVP-level role and reflecting Mr. Satterfield’s significant responsibilities.
In June 2023, in connection with Mr. Gantt’s retirement from the Company as an employee and in recognition of his distinguished contributions over his 28 years of service to the Company, and consistent with its authority under the Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. 2016 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2016 Plan”), the Board accelerated the vesting of an aggregate of 24,898 shares, as adjusted for the two-for-one stock split, of the Company’s common stock subject to Mr. Gantt’s (i) outstanding unvested RSAs, and (ii) outstanding earned and unvested PBRSUs. During Mr. Gantt’s tenure as CEO, our annualized total shareholder return was approximately 30.5%. Mr. Gantt helped guide our Company through the COVID-19 pandemic and an orderly leadership transition and will continue to provide valuable contributions as a member of the Board. Vesting acceleration only occurred for outstanding equity awards where performance hurdles had already been achieved; Mr. Gantt forfeited his PBRSU that was granted in February 2023 since his retirement occurred prior to the completion of the performance cycle.
We believe these compensation program changes further enhance the pay-for-performance focus of our executive compensation program and continue to strengthen the alignment of our executive compensation program with the long-term interests of our shareholders.
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Fiscal 2023 Compensation Summary |
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The following table summarizes the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, our former Chief Executive Officer and our next three most highly compensated executive officers who were serving at December 31, 2023, to whom we refer to collectively as our named executive officers, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. |
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Name |
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Salary ($) (1) |
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Stock Awards ($) |
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Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) |
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Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) |
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All Other Compensation ($) |
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Total Compensation ($) |
Kevin M. Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer
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784,387 |
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1,113,075 |
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7,558,433 |
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2,390 |
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38,326 |
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9,496,611 |
Gregory B. Plemmons Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
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568,682 |
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762,767 |
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4,012,039 |
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809 |
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31,877 |
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5,376,174 |
Adam N. Satterfield Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary |
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576,909 |
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941,023 |
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4,555,292 |
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— |
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46,023 |
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6,119,247 |
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Fiscal 2023 Compensation Summary (continued) |
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Name |
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Salary ($) (1) |
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Stock Awards ($) |
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Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) |
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Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) |
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All Other Compensation ($) |
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Total Compensation ($) |
Ross H. Parr Senior Vice President - Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary
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501,037
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726,672 |
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2,965,998 |
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— |
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44,467 |
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4,238,174 |
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Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. Senior Vice President - Strategic Development
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501,037 |
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726,672 |
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2,965,998 |
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10,319 |
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41,935 |
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4,245,961 |
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Greg C. Gantt Former President and Chief Executive Officer |
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499,772 |
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5,762,385 |
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4,656,450 |
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52,985 |
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325,154 |
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11,296,746 |
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(1) The base salaries reported in this table and corresponding amounts reflected in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section may differ due to the timing of effective dates for base salary changes.
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Approval of an Amendment to our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of our Common Stock
To provide us with the flexibility necessary to respond to future needs and opportunities, we are asking our shareholders to approve an amendment to our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock.
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Ratification of the Appointment of our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
As a matter of good corporate governance, we are asking our shareholders to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2024.
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Shareholder Proposal Regarding Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets
We recommend that shareholders vote against the shareholder proposal regarding greenhouse gas reduction targets.
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2025 Annual Meeting
Shareholder proposals submitted pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Rule 14a-8 must be received by us by December 16, 2024.
Notice of shareholder proposals outside of SEC Rule 14a-8, including director nominations pursuant to the proxy access provisions of our bylaws and pursuant to SEC Rule 14a-19, must be received by us no earlier than November 16, 2024 and no later than December 16, 2024. |
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General Information
The accompanying proxy is solicited by and on behalf of our Board, and the entire cost of such solicitation will be borne by us. This solicitation is being made by mail and may also be made in person or by fax, telephone, or Internet by our officers or employees. In addition, arrangements will be made with brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to send proxy materials to their principals, and we will reimburse them for their reasonable expenses in connection therewith.
The accompanying proxy is for use at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) if a shareholder either will be unable to attend in person or will attend but wishes to vote by proxy. “Registered holders” who have shares registered in the owner's name through our transfer agent may vote by either: (i) completing the enclosed proxy card and mailing it in the postage-paid envelope provided; (ii) voting over the Internet by accessing the website identified on the proxy card and following the online instructions; or (iii) calling the toll-free telephone number identified on the proxy card. Proxies submitted via the Internet or by telephone must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
For shares held in “street name,” that is, shares held in the name of a brokerage firm, bank or other nominee, you should receive a voting instruction form from that institution in lieu of a proxy card. The voting instruction form provides information on how you may instruct your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee to vote your shares.
If you own shares through the Old Dominion 401(K) Retirement Plan, you can direct the plan trustee to vote the shares held in your account in accordance with your instructions by completing any proxy card or voting instruction form you receive in the mail and returning it in the envelope provided or by registering your instructions via the Internet or telephone as directed on the proxy card. If you register your voting instructions by telephone or on the Internet, you do not have to mail in the proxy card. In order to instruct the plan trustee on the voting of shares held in your account, your instructions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Monday, May 13, 2024. If your voting instructions are not received by that date, the plan trustee will vote your shares in the same proportion as the plan shares for which voting instructions have been received.
If you decide to attend the meeting in person, upon your arrival you will need to register with our Old Dominion representatives at the Grandview Room, which is located on the second floor of the Grandover Resort, 1000 Club Road, Greensboro, NC 27407. Please register at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the Annual Meeting to ensure timely entry to the meeting. Please be sure to have your state- or government-issued photo identification with you at the time of registration. After a determination that you are a registered shareholder of Old Dominion common stock as of the record date, you will be allowed to access the meeting room to attend our Annual Meeting. If you are not a registered shareholder but beneficially own shares of our common stock as of the record date, please be sure that you bring your state- or government-issued photo identification as well as either (i) a proxy issued to you in your name by your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee, or (ii) a brokerage statement showing your beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the record date (and a legal proxy from your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee if you wish to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting) to present to us at the time of registration.
The Board of Directors has fixed March 7, 2024 as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. On March 7, 2024, there were 108,812,971 outstanding shares of our common stock each entitled to one vote. This amount is not adjusted for the two-for-one stock split because the shares issued in the two-for-one stock split were not outstanding on the record date. The presence in person or by proxy of a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding on the record date constitutes a quorum for purposes of conducting business at the Annual Meeting. Shareholders do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.
Brokers that are members of certain securities exchanges and that hold shares of our common stock in street name on behalf of beneficial owners have authority to vote on certain items when they have not received instructions from beneficial owners. Under the applicable rules governing such brokers, the proposals to ratify the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm and amend our articles of incorporation are considered “discretionary” items. This means that brokers may vote using their discretion on these proposals on behalf of beneficial owners who have not furnished voting instructions. In contrast, certain items are considered “non-discretionary,” and a “broker non-vote” occurs when brokers do not receive voting instructions from beneficial owners with respect to such items because the brokers are not entitled to vote such uninstructed shares. The proposals to elect directors, approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers, and approve the shareholder proposal are considered “non-discretionary,” which means that brokers cannot vote your uninstructed shares when they do not receive voting instructions from you.
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Assuming the existence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting, the voting options for each proposal presented in this proxy statement, as well as the vote required to approve each proposal at the Annual Meeting, are as follows:
Proposal 1 - Election of Directors: With respect to this proposal, you may cast your vote “for all,” “withhold all,” or “for all except” with respect to the director nominees. The nominees receiving a plurality of the votes cast will be elected as directors.
Proposal 2 - Approval, on an Advisory Basis, of the Compensation of Our Named Executive Officers: With respect to this proposal (the results of which will not be binding upon Old Dominion or the Board), you may vote “for,” “against,” or “abstain” from voting. For this non-binding vote to be approved by the shareholders, the votes cast “for” this proposal must exceed the votes cast “against” this proposal.
Proposal 3 - Approval of an Amendment to our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to Increase the Number of Authorized Shares of Our Common Stock: With respect to this proposal, you may vote “for,” “against,” or “abstain” from voting. Approval of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of the holders of more than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of the record date.
Proposal 4 - Ratification of the Appointment of Our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm: With respect to this proposal, you may vote “for,” “against,” or “abstain” from voting. For this proposal to be approved by the shareholders, the votes cast “for” this proposal must exceed the votes cast “against” this proposal.
Proposal 5 - Shareholder Proposal Regarding Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets: With respect to this proposal, you may vote “for,” “against,” or “abstain” from voting. For this proposal to be approved by the shareholders, the votes cast “for” this proposal must exceed the votes cast “against” this proposal.
Abstentions, shares that are withheld as to voting and broker non-votes (if any) will be counted for determining the existence of a quorum, but will not be counted as a vote cast with respect to Proposals 1, 2, 4 and 5 and, therefore, will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for any of these proposals presented at the Annual Meeting. Because Proposal 3 requires the vote of outstanding shares, as opposed to votes cast, abstentions will have the effect of a negative vote on Proposal 3.
Where a choice is specified on any proxy as to the vote on any matter to come before the Annual Meeting, the proxy will be voted in accordance with such specification. If no specification is made but the proxy is otherwise properly completed, the shares represented thereby will be voted “for” the election of the director nominees named in this proxy statement, “for” the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of our named executive officers, “for” the approval of an amendment to our amended and restated articles of incorporation, “for” the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm, and “against” the shareholder proposal. Any shareholder submitting the accompanying proxy has the right to revoke it by notifying our Corporate Secretary in writing at any time prior to the voting of the proxy. A proxy is suspended if the person giving the proxy properly elects to vote in person and attends the Annual Meeting.
Management is not aware of any matters, other than those specified above, that will be presented for action at the Annual Meeting. If any other matters do properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named as agents in the proxy will vote upon such matters in accordance with their best judgment.
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT AND CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock, $0.10 par value, our only class of voting security, as of March 7, 2024, or such other date as indicated in the footnotes to the table, for: (i) each person known by us to own beneficially more than five percent of our common stock; (ii) each current director and the new non-employee director nominee; (iii) each named executive officer and each of the other executive officers; and (iv) all current directors, the new non-employee director nominee, the named executive officers and all of the other executive officers as a group. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of all listed shareholders is c/o Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., 500 Old Dominion Way, Thomasville, NC 27360. As of March 7, 2024, and in compliance with our securities trading policy, none of our directors or executive officers have pledged our common stock.
The number of shares reported for each shareholder in the table and footnotes below, including the number of shares disclosed as having been reported in the Schedule 13G or Schedule 13G/A by each of The Vanguard Group, BlackRock, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has been adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock split.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner |
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Shares Beneficially Owned (1) |
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Percent |
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The Vanguard Group, Inc. (2) 100 Vanguard Boulevard Malvern, PA 19355 |
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21,850,382 |
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10.0% |
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BlackRock, Inc. (3) 50 Hudson Yards New York, NY 10001 |
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17,603,522 |
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8.1% |
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T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (4) 100 E. Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21202 |
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12,663,834 |
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5.8% |
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David S. Congdon (5) |
|
|
11,577,512 |
|
|
5.3% |
|
|
John R. Congdon, Jr. (6) |
|
|
9,507,286 |
|
|
4.4% |
|
|
Greg C. Gantt (7) |
|
|
109,528 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Adam N. Satterfield (8) |
|
|
69,030 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Kevin M. Freeman (9) |
|
|
64,432 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. (10) |
|
|
46,188 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Ross H. Parr (11) |
|
|
39,560 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Christopher T. Brooks (12) |
|
|
36,974 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Gregory B. Plemmons (13) |
|
|
32,164 |
|
|
* |
|
|
John D. Kasarda |
|
|
13,540 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Bradley R. Gabosch |
|
|
12,588 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Christopher J. Kelley (14) |
|
|
10,488 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Sherry A. Aaholm |
|
|
10,056 |
|
|
* |
|
|
Steven W. Hartsell (15) |
|
9,818 |
|
|
* |
|
||
Leo H. Suggs |
|
9,588 |
|
|
* |
|
||
Wendy T. Stallings |
|
5,134 |
|
|
* |
|
||
Thomas A. Stith, III |
|
2,684 |
|
|
* |
|
||
Andrew S. Davis |
|
952 |
|
|
* |
|
||
Cheryl S. Miller |
|
— |
|
|
* |
|
||
All Directors, the Named Executive Officers and all of the other Executive Officers as a Group (19 persons) |
|
21,557,522 |
|
|
9.9% |
|
||
_______________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* Less than 1%
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Proposal 1 - Election of Directors
Our Bylaws currently provide that the number of directors shall be not less than five nor more than twelve, and the Board has determined that it shall consist of twelve directors. The Board, in concert with its Governance and Nomination Committee, has nominated ten current directors and two new directors – Kevin M. Freeman and Cheryl S. Miller – for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting. The Board, in concert with its Governance and Nomination Committee: (i) discussed multiple candidates as potential new director nominees as part of its selection process; (ii) sought out highly qualified women and individuals from minority groups to include in the pool from which director nominees were to be chosen; (iii) considered other criteria as set forth in our Corporate Governance Guidelines relating to the recommendation of director nominees; and (iv) obtained input from members of management as appropriate. In recruiting Ms. Miller, the Board paid a fee to a third-party search firm to help identify director prospects, perform candidate outreach, and provide other related services. Following completion of this process and multiple meetings with members of the Board and Old Dominion’s management team, Ms. Miller was formally nominated for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting. Mr. Freeman, who assumed the role of the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2023, was formally nominated for election to the Board at the Annual Meeting based on his experience as one of our executive officers and our long-standing practice of having our Chief Executive Officer serve as a member of the Board.
Unless authority is withheld, it is intended that proxies received in response to this solicitation will be voted in favor of the nominees. In accordance with its charter and our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board, in concert with its Governance and Nomination Committee, has approved the twelve individuals named below to serve as directors until our next annual meeting and until their respective successors have been elected and qualified or until their death, resignation, removal or disqualification or until there is a decrease in the number of directors. The age and a brief biographical description of each director nominee, his or her position with us, certain board memberships, and the nominee’s specific experience, qualifications, attributes, skills, diversity characteristics or other factors that led our Board to conclude that the candidate is well-qualified to serve as a member of our Board are set forth below. This information and certain information regarding beneficial ownership of securities by such nominees contained in this proxy statement has been furnished to us by the nominees or obtained from filings with the SEC. All of the nominees have consented to serve as directors, if elected.
David S. Congdon (67) was appointed Executive Chairman of the Board effective May 2018, having previously served as Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer from May 2015 to May 2018, and President and Chief Executive Officer from January 2008 to April 2015. He was our President and Chief Operating Officer from May 1997 to December 2007 and served in various positions in operations, maintenance and engineering between 1978 and 1997. He was first elected a director in 1998 and is the cousin of John R. Congdon, Jr., who also serves on the Board. Mr. Congdon, through his more than 40 years of service to us, including 26 years of service as an executive officer of Old Dominion, has played a critical role in helping us develop our strategic plan and grow our operations through geographic expansion and acquisitions. He has experience leading us through difficult operating conditions and has helped guide Old Dominion to sustained profitability and significant growth in shareholder value. The Board benefits from Mr. Congdon’s critical knowledge of the less-than-truckload (“LTL”) industry, his leadership in cultivating our unique OD Family Culture, and his deep understanding of the operational and regulatory complexities that we must address as a publicly-traded transportation company.
Sherry A. Aaholm (61) was first elected as a director in 2018. Since April 2021, Ms. Aaholm has served as Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Cummins, Inc. (NYSE: CMI), a global power leader and a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions, where she previously served as Vice President - Chief Information Officer from June 2013 to March 2021. From August 1999 to December 2012, Ms. Aaholm served as Executive Vice President, Information Technology of FedEx Services. Ms. Aaholm also serves as a member of the board of directors of nVent Electric PLC, a leading global provider of electrical connection and protection solutions. The Board benefits from Ms. Aaholm’s graduate degree in sustainability and her experience as a director of another publicly-traded company, as well as her over 35 years of overseeing mission-critical information systems, extensive experience in technology and information security, and development of digital/Internet of Things (IoT) and prognostics solutions for manufacturing and physical products, including in the transportation and logistics industries. Ms. Aaholm also brings to the Board key human capital management experience, gained from developing successful leadership programs and cultivating talent across different organizations. In addition, the Board benefits from the fact that Ms. Aaholm is National Association of Corporate Directors (“NACD”) Directorship Certified®. NACD Directorship Certified directors establish themselves as committed to continuing education on emerging issues and helping to elevate the role of directorship.
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John R. Congdon, Jr. (67) was first elected as a director in 1998. He is the cousin of David S. Congdon, the Company’s Executive Chairman of the Board. Prior to their acquisition by Penske Truck Leasing in July 2017, Mr. Congdon served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer for each of Old Dominion Truck Leasing, Inc. and Dominion Dedicated Logistics, Inc. Mr. Congdon has over 40 years of experience in the trucking industry and brings to the Board extensive knowledge of dedicated logistics, fleet management services and the purchase and sale of equipment. Having previously served as chairman of a board, Mr. Congdon also brings experience in board management.
Andrew S. Davis (46) was first elected as a director in 2023. Since April 2022, Mr. Davis has served as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Investments of Cox Enterprises Inc. From December 2019 to February 2022, he served as Director of Private Investments at T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“T. Rowe”), where he managed the private venture capital investments held in portfolios and funds advised by the firm. In a prior role at T. Rowe, from July 2010 to December 2019, Mr. Davis served as Vice President, Equity Investment Analyst, with responsibility for analysis and investment in companies within the transportation sector. Mr. Davis also previously served as a manager in the Financial Advisory Services Group at Deloitte & Touche LLP. Mr. Davis also serves as a member of the board of directors and as chair of the Audit Committee of Wheels Up Experience Inc., a leading provider of on-demand private aviation in the U.S. and one of the largest private aviation companies in the world. The Board benefits from Mr. Davis’ experience in the transportation sector as a public company investor at T. Rowe, his experience as a director of another publicly-traded company and his experience advising on capital allocation and strategic matters in his current and prior roles.
Kevin M. Freeman (65) was nominated by our Board, as further described under “Proposal 1 – Election of Directors.” Mr. Freeman was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer effective July 2023 after serving as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since May 2018. He also served as our Senior Vice President – Sales from January 2011 to May 2018 and Vice President of Field Sales from May 1997 to December 2010. Mr. Freeman has 44 years of experience in the transportation industry, and has held various positions in operations and sales with Old Dominion since joining us in February 1992. Mr. Freeman, through his ever-increasing roles and responsibilities with us over the past 32 years, has played a critical role in the development of our operational and sales plans and brings to the Board significant expertise in LTL industry leadership, customer relations and business strategy.
Bradley R. Gabosch (72) was first elected as a director in 2016. Mr. Gabosch previously served as Managing Director for the public accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP from August 2014 to May 2016. Mr. Gabosch also served in various positions at Grant Thornton LLP, including as Carolinas Managing Partner, from October 2009 until his retirement as partner in July 2013. He has over 43 years of experience in the public accounting profession, of which 29 years were spent as an audit partner. Mr. Gabosch brings to the Board extensive knowledge of accounting and management and a strong understanding of financial statement oversight and disclosure matters. The Board also benefits from Mr. Gabosch’s specific public accounting experience in the freight transportation and logistics industry, as well as his expertise in risk management and oversight.
Greg C. Gantt (68) was first elected as a director in 2018. He served as our President and Chief Executive Officer from May 2018 to June 2023 and previously served as our President and Chief Operating Officer from May 2015 to May 2018. He was our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from June 2011 to May 2015, and served as our Senior Vice President - Operations from January 2002 to June 2011. He joined us in November 1994 and was one of our regional Vice Presidents until January 2002. Prior to his employment with us, Mr. Gantt served in many operational capacities with Carolina Freight Carriers Corporation, including Vice President of its Southern Region. Mr. Gantt, through his ever-increasing roles and responsibilities with us over the past 29 years, played a critical role in the development of our operational plan. He brings to the Board significant expertise in LTL industry leadership and business strategy, and valuable experience with respect to marketing, sales and customer relationship management.
John D. Kasarda, Ph.D. (78) was first elected as a director in 2008. Dr. Kasarda has a Ph.D. in Sociology. He serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aerotropolis Business Concepts LLC and the President of Aerotropolis Institute China. Dr. Kasarda is also on the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School and is a former Chair of the University's Department of Sociology. He is considered the leading developer of the aerotropolis concept, which brings together air logistics and surface transportation to foster airport-linked business development. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Logistics, an international journal of transportation and supply chain management, and brings a unique perspective and creative insights to our Board due to his breadth of knowledge in business strategy, transportation, logistics, and sustainable development. Through his thought leadership and worldwide experiences in the transportation industry, he provides our Board with critical perspective and analysis regarding shareholder and stakeholder governance matters.
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Cheryl S. Miller (51) was nominated by our Board, as further described under “Proposal 1 – Election of Directors.” Ms. Miller most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of West Marine, the nation’s leading omni-channel provider of products, services and expertise for the marine aftermarket, from January 2022 to October 2022. She previously served as Executive Strategic Advisor to JM Family Enterprises, a diversified automotive company, from May 2021 to December 2021, prior to which she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of JM Family Enterprises from January 2021 to April 2021. She previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of AutoNation, Inc., a publicly traded automotive retailer with major metropolitan franchises and e-commerce operations from July 2019 to April 2020, prior to which she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AutoNation, Inc. since 2014, and as its Treasurer and Vice President of Investor Relations since 2010. Ms. Miller also served on the Board of AutoNation, Inc. from July 2019 to July 2020. She currently serves on the board of directors and as chair of the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee of Tyson Foods, Inc., one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. She also currently serves on the board of directors and as chair of the Audit Committee of Celsius Holdings, Inc., a global lifestyle fitness drink company. The Board will benefit from Ms. Miller’s more than 20 years of corporate finance experience, financial statement expertise and deep understanding of public company shareholder matters.
Wendy T. Stallings (49) was first elected as a director in 2020. Ms. Stallings is a real estate investor and the sole owner of TPI Event Solutions, Inc., a full-service event management company specializing in large scale national catering contracts, hospitality, corporate events, merchandise and contract fulfillment, where she has served as President and CEO since founding the company in December 2000. She was also the co-owner of Excel Learning Centers, a children’s early learning program, where she acquired and developed campuses throughout North Carolina and served as Vice President from March 2006 until the sale of the business in August 2021. The Board benefits from Ms. Stallings’ law degree as well as her comprehensive expertise in entrepreneurship, strategic planning, sales, customer relations and business management. Ms. Stallings also brings to the Board significant knowledge with respect to regulatory, reporting, and human relations matters gained from her varied business experiences.
Thomas A. Stith, III (60) was first elected as a director in 2021. Since July 2022 (and from January 2017 to September 2019), Mr. Stith has served as CEO of The Michael Thomas Group, a firm that he co-founded in 1995 focused on consulting and advising clients seeking business development opportunities in the public and private sectors. He also serves as a Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School and as a Senior Fellow for the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, where he previously served as a 2023 Distinguished Fellow to support the Institute's Grand Challenge: Workforce Disrupted Seeking the Labor Market’s Next Equilibrium initiative. Distinguished Fellows are global scholars committed to leveraging their individual expertise, thought leadership, research and networks to further the institute’s efforts to examine – and drive solutions to – the most complex and timely issues facing business and the economy. From January 2021 to July 2022, Mr. Stith served as President of the North Carolina Community College System, where, as chief administrative officer of the system, he provided policy oversight and guidelines for the 58 community and technical colleges in the system. From September 2019 to December 2020, Mr. Stith served as District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), with responsibility, as the SBA’s senior representative in North Carolina, for developing and implementing the District Office Strategic Plan while directing and managing all SBA programs within North Carolina. From January 2013 to December 2016, Mr. Stith served as Chief of Staff to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, in which role he advised and made recommendations to the Governor on public policy, budget, and state government operations matters. Mr. Stith brings to the Board extensive experience in public policy and administration, diversity and inclusion and legislative affairs, including valuable expertise with respect to information system management and social and governance matters at the federal, state and local levels. The Board also benefits from the fact that Mr. Stith is NACD Directorship Certified®.
Leo H. Suggs (84) was first elected as a director in 2009 and has served as our Lead Independent Director since December 2018. Mr. Suggs has a long and distinguished career in the trucking industry that began in 1958, holding a wide range of positions that included Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Overnite Transportation from 1996 to 2005 and President and Chief Executive Officer of UPS Freight from 2005 to 2006. As Chief Executive Officer of Overnite Transportation and Chairman of its Board of Directors, Mr. Suggs gained extensive knowledge about managing a union-free motor carrier in the LTL industry. He understands the opportunities and challenges associated with the LTL industry, and has first-hand knowledge of merger and acquisition considerations and strategies. We believe that Mr. Suggs is invaluable to our Board as an adviser on logistics services and LTL operations.
The nominees receiving a plurality of the votes cast will be elected as directors.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES IDENTIFIED ABOVE.
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Executive Officers
The following provides certain information about our executive officers who are not directors or nominees:
Christopher T. Brooks (53) was appointed Senior Vice President - Human Resources & Safety effective January 2018 after serving as our Vice President - Human Resources from June 2015 to December 2017. Prior to joining us, he served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at National General Insurance (which was acquired by The Allstate Corporation in 2021) from January 2015 to June 2015 after serving as that company’s Vice President of Human Resources from January 2010 to December 2014.
Steven W. Hartsell (56) was appointed Senior Vice President – Sales effective July 2023, after serving as our Vice President – Field Sales since January 2019. Mr. Hartsell also served as our Director – Expedited Sales & Service from May 2008 to January 2019 and as one of our Regional Sales Directors from March 2002 to May 2008. Mr. Hartsell previously served in various other positions in operations and sales since joining us in January 1998.
Christopher J. Kelley (54) was appointed Senior Vice President – Operations effective May 2023, after serving as our Vice President – Central States Region since November 2011. He also served as one of our Regional Sales Directors from November 2004 to November 2011. Mr. Kelley has 32 years of experience in the transportation industry, and has served Old Dominion in various other positions in sales since joining us in July 2002.
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. (62) was appointed Senior Vice President - Strategic Development in January 2011 after serving as our Vice President of National Accounts and Marketing since July 2000. Mr. Overbey has 38 years of experience in the transportation and distribution industries, and since joining us in June 1995 as a National Account Executive, has held various other management positions in sales and marketing with Old Dominion.
Ross H. Parr (52) was appointed Senior Vice President - Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary effective January 2016, after serving as our Vice President - Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary since May 2012. Mr. Parr joined us in August 2011 and served as our Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Secretary until May 2012. From August 2003 to December 2007 Mr. Parr was an associate, and from January 2008 to August 2011 he was a member, at the law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice (now known as Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP).
Gregory B. Plemmons (59) was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer effective July 2023 after serving as our Senior Vice President – Sales since January 2019. He also served as our Vice President – Field Sales from September 2013 to January 2019 and as our Vice President – OD Global from December 2002 to September 2013. Mr. Plemmons has 35 years of experience in the transportation industry, and has served Old Dominion in various other positions in operations and sales since joining us in April 1997.
Adam N. Satterfield (49) was appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary effective July 2023, after serving as Senior Vice President - Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary since January 2016. Mr. Satterfield also served as our Vice President – Treasurer from June 2011 to December 2015, as our Director - Finance and Accounting from August 2007 to June 2011 and as our Manager - SEC Reporting from October 2004 to August 2007. Prior to joining us in October 2004, he was an Audit Manager with KPMG LLP, a global accounting firm. Mr. Satterfield is a Certified Public Accountant.
Corporate Governance
Board Leadership Structure
Since January 2008, the Board has separated the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. The separation of the roles allows the Company to leverage the extensive knowledge of a former Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Earl E. Congdon served as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1985 through 2007, Executive Chairman from January 2008 to April 2018, and Senior Executive Chairman from May 2018 to January 2021. David S. Congdon, who currently serves as our Executive Chairman, served as our Chief Executive Officer from January 2008 to May 2018. The Company and the Board benefit from the significant expertise and experience of a prior Chief Executive Officer in the Chairman role, while providing full oversight of our strategic initiatives and business plans to the current Chief Executive Officer.
The Board also believes that strong, independent Board leadership is an important aspect of effective corporate governance and, as a result, appointed a Lead Independent Director in January 2010. Leo H. Suggs has served in such
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role since December 2018. Our Lead Independent Director's responsibilities and authority include presiding at meetings of our independent directors, coordinating with our Executive Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer on Board meeting agendas, schedules and materials and otherwise acting as a liaison between the independent directors, our Executive Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer. For these reasons, the Board believes that this leadership structure is appropriate for us. The Board believes that there is no specific generally accepted leadership structure that applies to all companies, nor is there one specific leadership structure that permanently suits us. As a result, our decision as to whether to combine, separate or add to the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and whether to have a Lead Independent Director may vary from time to time, as industry or our own conditions and circumstances warrant. The independent directors of the Board consider the Board's leadership structure on an annual basis to determine the structure that is most appropriate for the governance of Old Dominion.
Independent Directors
In accordance with the listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”), our Board must consist of a majority of independent directors. The Board has determined that current directors Ms. Aaholm, Mr. Davis, Mr. Gabosch, Dr. Kasarda, Ms. Stallings, Mr. Stith, Mr. Suggs, and new director nominee Ms. Miller, are each independent in accordance with Nasdaq listing standards. The Board performed a review to determine the independence of its members and made a subjective determination as to each that no transactions, relationships or arrangements exist that, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director of Old Dominion. In making these determinations, the Board considered information provided by the current directors as well as Ms. Miller, in addition to information obtained by us, with regard to each individual's business and personal activities as they may relate to us and our management. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines direct the independent directors of the Board to meet in executive session at least twice each year, and they met four times in 2023. Shareholders may communicate with the independent directors by following the procedures set forth in “Shareholder Communications with the Board” in this proxy statement.
Attendance and Committees of the Board
Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, directors are expected to attend the Annual Meeting and all meetings of the Board, including all meetings of Board committees of which they are members. All of our directors then in office were present at our 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders that was held on May 17, 2023. Our Board of Directors held seven meetings during 2023. The Board of Directors has four standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Governance and Nomination Committee and the Risk Committee. Each member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Governance and Nomination Committee and the Risk Committee is an “independent director” as such term is defined under applicable SEC rules and regulations and Nasdaq listing standards. In 2023, all incumbent directors attended at least 75% of the aggregate meetings held by the Board and their assigned committees during the period for which they served on the Board or such committees.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee, which is a separately-designated standing Audit Committee established in accordance with section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), currently consists of Sherry A. Aaholm (Chair), Andrew S. Davis, and Bradley R. Gabosch, each of whom the Board has determined is independent pursuant to applicable SEC rules and regulations and Nasdaq listing standards. The Board has determined that all Audit Committee members are financially literate and that Mr. Davis and Mr. Gabosch each qualify as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by applicable SEC rules. Please refer to the experience described for each of these members under “Proposal 1 - Election of Directors” in this proxy statement.
The Audit Committee is governed by a written charter approved by the Board, which is available on our website at https://ir.odfl.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents. The Committee annually reviews this charter to reassess its adequacy and recommends any proposed changes to the Board for approval. Committee members are nominated annually by the Governance and Nomination Committee and approved by our Board to serve for one-year terms. Information regarding the functions performed by this committee is set forth in the “Report of Audit Committee,” which is included in this proxy statement. In fulfilling its duties, the Audit Committee, among other things, appoints, compensates and oversees the work of the independent registered public accounting firm. In addition, the Audit Committee periodically meets with management to review the results of risk assessments, including our major financial risk exposures and steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures. Our Internal Audit Department reports to the Audit Committee on its audit plan and our audit-related processes and procedures and internal controls. The Audit Committee met ten times in 2023. The Audit Committee holds telephonic meetings after each quarterly period to
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discuss with both management and our independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”), the financial results to be included in our periodic filings with the SEC prior to their release.
Compensation Committee
Our Compensation Committee currently consists of Leo H. Suggs (Chair), John D. Kasarda and Wendy T. Stallings, each of whom the Board has determined to be independent pursuant to applicable SEC rules and regulations and Nasdaq listing standards. Committee members are nominated annually by the Governance and Nomination Committee and approved by our Board to serve for one-year terms.
The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing the components of our compensation plans for our officers, including an evaluation of the components of compensation, the standards of performance measurements and the relationship between performance and compensation. The Compensation Committee is also responsible for reviewing the results of our most recent “say-on-pay” vote and any shareholder feedback from our shareholder outreach initiatives, and also determines whether any adjustments to our compensation policies and practices are necessary or appropriate in light of such “say-on-pay” vote or shareholder feedback. In addition, the Compensation Committee regularly engages with our management team regarding the Company’s human capital programs, including employee diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Please refer to our compensation philosophy described in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement for further discussion, including the role of executive officers in determining or recommending the amount or form of executive and non-employee director compensation. The Compensation Committee also reviews and evaluates our non-employee director compensation program, and recommends changes as deemed necessary to maintain alignment with our compensation philosophy.
The Compensation Committee is governed by a written charter approved by the Board, which is available on our website at https://ir.odfl.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents. The Committee annually reviews this charter to reassess its adequacy and recommends any proposed changes to the Board for approval. The Committee meets periodically and is authorized to obtain opinions or reports from external or internal sources as it may deem appropriate or necessary to assist and advise it in connection with its responsibilities. The Compensation Committee met four times in 2023. In addition, the Chair of the Compensation Committee meets periodically with our Executive Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer to review and evaluate our executive compensation program and the relationship between performance and compensation. In accordance with its charter, the Committee may delegate authority to one or more members of the Committee as deemed necessary to fulfill its responsibilities. No such authority was delegated in 2023.
To assist the Compensation Committee with its review and analysis of executive, non-employee director and employee compensation matters, the Compensation Committee has engaged the services of an independent compensation consulting firm, Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC (“Pearl Meyer”), periodically since 2013. In 2022 and 2023, the Compensation Committee engaged Pearl Meyer to review and analyze our executive compensation program and conduct a peer group assessment, as well as assess and consider any shareholder outreach matters and shareholder advisory group observations. In addition, in 2023, the Compensation Committee also engaged Pearl Meyer to review and analyze the competitiveness of our non-employee director compensation program, including how our program and performance compared to those of our peer group. For a more detailed discussion of the nature and scope of the role of Pearl Meyer with respect to our compensation programs, please see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis - Role of Compensation Consultant” and “Director Compensation - Components of Compensation” below.
Governance and Nomination Committee
The Governance and Nomination Committee currently consists of John D. Kasarda (Chair), Bradley R. Gabosch, Thomas A. Stith, III and Leo H. Suggs, each of whom the Board has determined is independent pursuant to applicable Nasdaq listing standards. This Committee makes recommendations concerning the size and composition of the Board of Directors; evaluates and recommends candidates for election as directors (including nominees recommended by shareholders); coordinates the orientation (in conjunction with our Executive Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer) and educational opportunities for new and existing directors; assesses, with the assistance of our management team, environmental, social and governance ("ESG") matters and their relationship with various stakeholder, shareholder, sustainability and corporate citizenship considerations; and develops and implements our corporate governance policies. We also maintain a corporate membership in the NACD, which provides our Board members with opportunities and resources to continue to enhance their knowledge of current governance best practices and emerging issues faced by public company directors. As noted in “Proposal 1 – Election of Directors,” both Ms. Aaholm and Mr. Stith are NACD Directorship Certified®.
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The Governance and Nomination Committee is responsible for overseeing the annual self-evaluation process of the Board and its committees, which is used by the Board and each committee to assess effectiveness, performance and opportunities for improvement. The Governance and Nomination Committee reports its findings and any recommendations to the Board. During 2023, the Board and committee evaluation process involved the distribution of a self-assessment questionnaire to all Board and committee members inviting a review and written comments on all aspects of the Board and each committee’s composition, role and responsibilities, as well as director performance and Board dynamics. For both the Board and the relevant committee, the process solicited ideas from directors about (i) improving quality of Board and committee discussions on key matters, (ii) identifying specific issues that should be discussed in the future, and (iii) identifying any other matters of importance to the proper functioning of the Board or relevant committee.
The Governance and Nomination Committee is governed by a written charter approved by the Board, which is available on our website at https://ir.odfl.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents. The Committee annually reviews this charter to reassess its adequacy and recommends any proposed changes to the Board for approval. Committee members are appointed annually by a majority of the Board to serve for one-year terms. The Governance and Nomination Committee met four times in 2023.
Risk Committee
The Risk Committee currently consists of Wendy T. Stallings (Chair), Sherry A. Aaholm, Andrew S. Davis and Thomas A. Stith, III, each of whom the Board has determined is independent pursuant to applicable Nasdaq listing standards. The Risk Committee assists the Board in overseeing management’s identification and evaluation of enterprise risks, including the Company’s risk management framework, compliance programs and policies, procedures and practices employed to manage operational, strategic, reputational, technology, ESG and other risks. Among other responsibilities, the Risk Committee oversees the Company’s risk assessment and risk management practices for risks associated with technology and operations, such as (i) the quality, adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s data security, privacy and technology policies, procedures and internal controls; (ii) cybersecurity and cyber incident responses; and (iii) business continuity, crisis management and disaster recovery planning and capabilities. With the assistance of the Company's Compliance Department, the Risk Committee also periodically assesses management of sustainability-related risks.
The Risk Committee is governed by a written charter approved by the Board, which is available on our website at https://ir.odfl.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents. The Committee annually reviews this charter to reassess its adequacy and recommends any proposed changes to the Board for approval. Committee members are appointed annually by a majority of the Board to serve for one-year terms. The Risk Committee was constituted by the Board in May 2023 and met two times in 2023.
Corporate Governance Guidelines
The Board has adopted written Corporate Governance Guidelines, which provide the framework for fulfillment of the Board's duties and responsibilities in light of various best practices in corporate governance and applicable laws and regulations. The Corporate Governance Guidelines address a number of matters applicable to directors, including director qualification standards, our withhold vote policy, meeting requirements and responsibilities of the Board and its committees. The Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on our website at https://ir.odfl.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents.
Code of Business Conduct
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct that applies to all of our directors, officers (including our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, principal accounting officer and any person performing similar functions) and employees. Our Code of Business Conduct is available on our website at https://ir.odfl.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents. To the extent permissible under applicable law, the rules of the SEC and Nasdaq listing standards, we intend to disclose on our website any amendment to our Code of Business Conduct, or any grant of a waiver from a provision of our Code of Business Conduct, that requires disclosure under applicable law, the rules of the SEC or Nasdaq listing standards.
Any shareholder desiring to contact the Board or any individual director serving on the Board may do so by written communication mailed to: Board of Directors (Attention: (name of director(s), as applicable)), care of the Corporate
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Secretary, Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., 500 Old Dominion Way, Thomasville, North Carolina 27360. Any communication so received will be processed by our Corporate Secretary and be promptly delivered to the appropriate member(s) of the Board.
Director Nominations
The Governance and Nomination Committee will consider qualified director nominees recommended by shareholders when such recommendations are submitted in accordance with our bylaws and policies regarding director nominations. Shareholders may submit in writing the names and qualifications of potential director nominees to our Corporate Secretary (500 Old Dominion Way, Thomasville, North Carolina 27360) for delivery to the Chair of the Governance and Nomination Committee for consideration. When submitting a nomination to the Governance and Nomination Committee for consideration, a shareholder must provide the following minimum information for each director nominee: (i) full name, age, business address and, if known, residence address; (ii) principal occupation or employment; (iii) number of our shares of common stock beneficially owned; (iv) all information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement for the election of directors (including such person's written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and serving as a director if elected); and (v) a description of all direct and indirect compensation or other material monetary agreements during the past three years, and any other material relationships between or among the nominating shareholder (and his/her respective affiliates and associates) and the director nominee (and his/her respective affiliates and associates). The shareholder's nomination must also include, among other things, information regarding that shareholder's economic, voting and other interests that may be material to our and our shareholders' evaluation of the director nominee. The shareholder’s nomination must also set forth, among other information required by Article 3, Section 6 of our bylaws, a representation as to whether or not the shareholder or beneficial owner, if any, or any of their respective affiliates, associates or others acting in concert therewith intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Company’s nominees in accordance with Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act.
Shareholder nominations for director must also be made in a timely manner and otherwise in accordance with our bylaws, as described in more detail in Article 3 of our bylaws. If the Governance and Nomination Committee receives a director nomination from a shareholder or group of shareholders who (individually or in the aggregate) have beneficially owned greater than 5% of our outstanding stock for at least one year prior to the date of nomination, we, to the extent required by applicable securities law, will identify the candidate and shareholder or group of shareholders recommending the candidate and will disclose in our proxy statement whether the Governance and Nomination Committee chose to nominate the candidate, as well as certain other information required by SEC rules and regulations. Shareholders may also nominate and include in our annual proxy materials a candidate for election as a director at our annual meeting of shareholders pursuant to the proxy access provisions described in Article 3, Section 7 of our bylaws, subject to certain limitations and provided that the requirements set forth in our bylaws are satisfied.
In addition to any director nominees submitted by shareholders, the Governance and Nomination Committee considers any candidates submitted by management or directors, as well as self-nominations by directors, and it also may consider candidates submitted by a third-party search firm hired for the purpose of identifying director candidates. From time to time the Governance and Nomination Committee may also consider candidates identified through outside networks or other sources focused on diversity in gender, race, ethnicity, culture/viewpoint, geography, or other qualities or attributes that the Governance and Nomination Committee believes are important in evaluating qualified director candidates. The Governance and Nomination Committee investigates potential director candidates and their individual qualifications, and all such candidates, including those submitted by shareholders, are similarly evaluated by the Governance and Nomination Committee.
In evaluating prospective nominees, the Governance and Nomination Committee considers the criteria outlined in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which include personal and professional ethics, integrity and values; director independence; relevant educational and business experience; willingness to devote the time required to fulfill the duties of a director and to develop additional insight into our operations; and a willingness to represent the best interests of us and our shareholders and be objective in evaluating management's effectiveness. The Governance and Nomination Committee also considers various specific skills, attributes and qualities of prospective nominees, as well as current Board members, that are particularly relevant to our business and a strong and effective Board, which include the following:
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In addition to these specific categories, the Governance and Nomination Committee considers a number of other factors in considering director candidates, including board dynamics, an appropriate mix of skills and experience (including a balance between new and experienced directors), reputation of potential nominees, the nature and extent of a nominee’s other commitments, and expected contributions of the nominee to the Board and its committees. Finally, directors are expected to ensure that other commitments do not materially interfere with their attendance at meetings or their ability to fulfill their responsibilities as members of the Board. Directors may not serve on more than three public company boards (including the Board); provided, however, that a director who serves as an executive officer of a public company may not serve on more than two public company boards (including the Board).
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Below we identify the skills and qualifications that each director nominee brings to the Board. The fact that a particular skill or qualification is not designated does not mean the director nominee does not possess that particular attribute. Rather, the skills and qualifications noted below are those reviewed by the Governance and Nomination Committee and the Board in making nomination decisions. Each director nominee also contributes other important skills, expertise, experience, viewpoints, and personal attributes to our Board that are not reflected below. We believe the combination of the skills and qualifications shown below demonstrates how the Board is well-positioned to provide strategic oversight and guidance to management.
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Director Skills and Qualifications |
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Industry - Extensive knowledge and experience in the freight transportation and logistics industry |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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X |
Executive Management - Senior level experience in operations, strategic planning, risk management and oversight, finance/accounting and economics, and/or treasury and securities markets |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Diversity - Self-identified diversity characteristics (including with respect to gender, race, ethnicity and national origin) |
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X |
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X |
X |
X |
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Human Resources and Safety - Knowledge of employee relations, safety and environmental issues |
X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
X |
Shareholder Relations - Understanding of public company governance and institutional investor considerations |
X |
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X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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X |
Customer Relations - Insight into marketing, sales and customer relationship management |
X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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X |
X |
X |
Information Technology - Understanding of information technology, cybersecurity, data privacy, information systems and related issues |
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X |
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X |
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X |
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International/Global - Knowledge of global trends and considerations relating to supply chain management and multimodal transportation solutions |
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X |
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X |
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Legal/Regulatory/Government Affairs - Understanding of legal and regulatory implications, including the impact of various ESG matters in this context, and a strong grasp of the workings of government and public policy on a local, state and national level |
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X |
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X |
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X |
X |
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In seeking and evaluating prospective director nominees, diversity in gender, race, ethnicity, culture, tenure of Board service, viewpoint, geography, and other qualities and attributes are important factors to consider in connection with the criteria outlined above and equal opportunity principles. The Governance and Nomination Committee is committed to actively seeking out highly qualified women and individuals from minority groups to include in the pool from
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which director nominees are chosen. We and the Governance and Nomination Committee believe that the current composition of the Board reflects a highly talented group of individuals best suited to perform oversight responsibilities for us and our shareholders at this time, and we will continue to consider diversity factors as we evaluate the composition of our Board. The following chart shows certain self-identified personal characteristics of our directors, in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rules. The chart does not reflect information with respect to director nominees Mr. Freeman and Ms. Miller.
Board Diversity Matrix (As of April 15, 2024) |
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Total Number of Directors |
10 |
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Female |
Male |
Part I: Gender Identity |
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Directors |
2 |
8 |
Part II: Demographic Background |
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African American or Black |
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1 |
White |
2 |
7 |
Director succession presents an opportunity for the Company to expand and replace key skills and experience and bring fresh perspectives to the boardroom. Since 2016, as part of our effort to identify, recruit and elect new directors whose qualifications would further strengthen our Board, and as a result of the nomination process described above, five new independent directors are currently serving on the Board (and if elected at the Annual Meeting, Ms. Miller would be the sixth new independent director). The Governance and Nomination Committee periodically reviews the specific categories and factors considered in evaluating director candidates, and makes updates as needed to inform any future director searches.
Effect of Withheld Votes on an Uncontested Election
In an uncontested election of directors, any director nominee who receives a greater number of votes "withheld" from his or her election than votes "for" such election shall immediately offer his or her resignation for consideration by the Governance and Nomination Committee. This resignation is conditioned upon the Board's acceptance and thus shall not be effective unless and until the Board, after considering the recommendation of the Governance and Nomination Committee, accepts the director nominee's offer to resign. Nevertheless, if the director nominee does not wish to remain a director, he or she shall so state and shall tender a non-conditional resignation, which shall be effective as of the date thereof.
The Governance and Nomination Committee will promptly consider the director nominee's offer to resign and will recommend to the Board whether to accept or reject it. In making this recommendation, the Governance and Nomination Committee will consider all factors deemed relevant by its members, including, without limitation, the stated reasons, if any, why shareholders "withheld" votes for election from such director nominee, the length of service and qualifications of the director nominee, the director nominee's contributions to us, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, whether accepting the offered resignation would cause us to fail to meet any applicable SEC or Nasdaq requirements, and whether the director's resignation from the Board would be in the best interests of us and our shareholders.
The Board will act on the Governance and Nomination Committee's recommendation no later than 90 days following the date of the shareholders' meeting at which the election occurred. In considering the Governance and Nomination Committee's recommendation, the Board will consider the information and factors considered by the Governance and Nomination Committee and such additional information and factors as the Board deems relevant.
Any director nominee who offers his or her resignation for consideration pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines will not participate in the Governance and Nomination Committee or Board deliberations regarding whether to accept the director nominee's offer to resign.
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Risk Management
The Board is responsible for the oversight of our policies, procedures and systems in place to manage our risk exposure. Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are responsible for the assessment and management of our risks and regularly report their findings to our Board directly or through their communications with our Audit Committee or Risk Committee, as appropriate. Our Risk Management Department is responsible for identifying, assessing and monitoring risks inherent to our business and providing guidance to senior management and our Audit Committee or Risk Committee, as appropriate, regarding our enterprise risk management, insurance portfolio, business continuity programs, crisis management, claims management and governance, and record retention initiatives. We regularly assess the likelihood and impact of our enterprise risks, as well as the effectiveness of our management and mitigation strategies, and also regularly consult with our outside advisors to help anticipate future threats and trends with respect to our risk environment.
Our Compliance Department further enhances our ability to manage and assess our enterprise compliance, environmental and sustainability programs, and risk mitigation controls. Our Compliance Department works closely with our Internal Audit and Risk Management Departments to develop strategies to identify, consolidate and maximize the effectiveness of our compliance initiatives across our multiple business functions, including safety, operations, finance, human resources, sales, marketing, pricing, purchasing, real estate, maintenance, legal and technology. Our Compliance Department also regularly interacts with various internal and external stakeholders regarding our ESG efforts and provides guidance to senior management and our Risk Committee regarding our compliance plans and progress.
Our Director of Internal Audit reports on risks that are identified during the internal audit process and our OD Technology Department reports on the risks associated with our information technology systems and data privacy initiatives. Our Internal Audit Department, as part of its audit plan that is approved by the Audit Committee, monitors cybersecurity audits as well as periodically engages third parties to perform cybersecurity assessments. We also use third parties to periodically benchmark and assess our cybersecurity and data privacy programs and to assess how any identified vulnerabilities in the industry might impact our Company as well as the sufficiency of our response. The results generated from these activities are reported to management and are used to develop action plans to address any identified opportunities for risk mitigation and overall improvement. The Risk Committee is apprised by management of the results of the third-party analysis, any related action plans and progress against those plans. Management, together with members of our OD Technology Department, brief the Board directly, or through their communications with the Risk Committee, on information security matters on at least a quarterly basis. After gathering and assessing information about our risk exposure, our Risk Committee reports the results of its review to the Board on a regular basis.
Committees of the Board have risk oversight responsibility. The Audit Committee is responsible for meeting with management to review the results of risk assessments, including our major financial risk exposures and steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures. The Risk Committee is responsible for assisting the Board in overseeing management’s identification and evaluation of enterprise risks, including the Company’s risk management framework, compliance programs, and policies, procedures and practices employed to manage operational, strategic, reputational, technology and ESG and other risks. The Governance and Nomination Committee is responsible for the oversight of risks associated with succession planning and corporate governance matters. The Compensation Committee is primarily responsible for the oversight of risks associated with compensation arrangements and human capital considerations, including the attraction and retention of qualified employees and our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The Chairs of each of the Audit Committee, the Risk Committee, the Governance and Nomination Committee and the Compensation Committee report the results of their meetings and reviews to the Board on a regular basis.
Our Lead Independent Director promotes effective communication and consideration of matters presenting significant risks to us through his role in coordinating with our Executive Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer on meeting agendas, advising committee chairs, chairing meetings of the independent directors, and communicating between the independent directors, our Executive Chairman and our Chief Executive Officer regarding shareholder, stakeholder and other corporate matters.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Matters
Corporate responsibility is a critical priority for both the Board and our Company. As reflected in our Code of Business Conduct, we are committed to being an ethical and responsible company acting with integrity and respect for our environment, as well as with respect to each other, our customers, vendors, business partners, shareholders, and other stakeholders.
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Our Board and our Governance and Nomination Committee regularly review and consider our diversity, equity and inclusion practices generally; environmental and sustainability matters; and corporate citizenship practices. Our Risk Committee also regularly considers the enterprise risks, initiatives and other programs associated with these protocols, and our Compliance Department and the leader of our internal ESG working group periodically reports on our various ongoing ESG initiatives and related matters. Our Compensation Committee’s oversight of our human capital management initiatives includes, but is not limited to, periodic review and discussion with management on topics including: (i) talent acquisition, development, assessment and retention of employees; (ii) initiatives with regard to employee diversity, equity and inclusion; (iii) opportunities to further leverage technology in developing workforce analytics; and (iv) our unique OD Family culture and its connection to our overall strategy. On a day-to-day basis, ESG is collaboratively managed by our respective operational departments with oversight by our ESG working group, which interacts regularly with our third-party ESG consultant, as well as our management-level ESG Steering Committee. Members of our ESG Steering Committee report to the Board regarding our ESG progress, and our operational leaders are responsible for measuring and monitoring such progress and for reviewing and applying stakeholder feedback and insights.
Highlights from our ESG strategies, programs and progress are outlined below. For more detail, please refer to our 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, available at https://ir.odfl.com/corp-responsibility/od-esg-reporting. Our website and our 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report are not incorporated by reference into, and do not form any part of, this proxy statement.
Building a More Sustainable Supply Chain
To improve efficiency throughout our operations, we continue to invest in our fleet and service centers by purchasing new equipment, adopting new technologies, and making fleet modifications, which helps reduce our impact on the environment. We strive for continuous improvement through our capital investments and by assessing and managing our energy usage, waste levels, and carbon emissions.
We have been recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) SmartWay® Program for seven consecutive years as a leader in supply chain freight environmental performance and energy efficiency. We continue to voluntarily participate in the U.S. EPA SmartWay® Program, which is a public-private partnership that helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency. We have proudly participated in the SmartWay® Program for 13 years.
Our People and Family Spirit
At OD, our employees are the heart of our organization. We recognize that without their hard work and dedication, we would not be the leader in LTL services. We provide many opportunities for our employees to connect with one another, and our unique culture encourages development and employee engagement while also motivating our employees to provide the superior customer service for which we are known. Creating a safe and collaborative working environment with training and advancement opportunities helps us maintain our “OD Family Spirit.” Given our consistent work on nurturing our OD Family Spirit we have once again been named for 2023 as one of Forbes America’s Best Large Employers.
Diversity Action Plan
OD’s established Diversity Action Plan formalizes our diversity recruitment efforts. We are committed to taking action to implement and execute strategies to recruit and retain a diverse candidate pool, while focusing on two main areas: (1) enhancing diversity recruitment efforts; and (2) strengthening relationships with organizations for underrepresented groups and women. To implement the activities detailed in our Diversity Action Plan, we have employed tools and engaged industry partners for the advancement of recruitment while always placing the most qualified candidates in open positions. In addition, OD was also named as one of Women in Trucking Association’s Top Companies to Work for in Transportation for 2023, as well as one of Newsweek America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity for 2024.
Driver Development and Safety
OD’s family spirit has always led to prioritizing employee safety. Working with OD, each employee is trained and equipped with the skills needed to safely complete their daily activities. OD invests in multiple programs for employee safety including trainings, technology updates, and incentives. We regularly invest in our people, processes, and equipment.
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Service Center Safety
Our behavior-based safety program, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Safety/ Hazards/Injuries – Employees Leading the Defense), is focused on preventing injuries. OD has trained S.H.I.E.L.D. team members in each of our service centers who are empowered to take corrective action to improve the safety of co-workers and to sustain a safe working environment. These team members work together to develop and implement solutions to reduce safety hazards, while continuously improving communication, awareness, engagement, and training to help ensure that everyone receives the knowledge, skills, guidance, and resources to perform their jobs safely and efficiently.
Engaging our Community
Engaging in our communities is the cornerstone of our organization’s success. As a transportation leader, we know OD has an opportunity to be a catalyst for positive change in the communities we serve. Our commitment to excellence in service expands beyond our customers to the local surrounding communities.
We are focused on supporting the well-being of the members of our communities, especially those in need. We are proud to support family, health, education, and safety causes. On a company-wide basis, we currently support initiatives carried out by these outstanding organizations: the American Red Cross, United Way, United Service Organizations, Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Toys for Tots.
Delivering on our P.R.O.M.I.S.E.S.
The OD Family of employees’ work is based on keeping our P.R.O.M.I.S.E.S. – being Professional, Reliable, Open, Mindful, Innovative, Serving, Ethical, and Supportive. We focus on these commitments and are cognizant of these values when serving our customers each day. As a result, OD was named #1 National LTL Carrier for Quality by Mastio & Company for 2023 and awarded American Trucking Associations' President’s Trophy Award for 2023, an award recognizing our ongoing efforts to have an excellent safety record.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Audit Committee has adopted a written policy that requires advance approval of all audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services performed by our independent registered public accounting firm. The policy provides for pre-approval by the Audit Committee of specifically defined audit and permissible non-audit services. Unless the specific service has been pre-approved with respect to that year, the Audit Committee must approve the permitted service before the independent registered public accounting firm is engaged to perform it. The Audit Committee has delegated to the Chair of the Audit Committee authority to pre-approve permitted services under $50,000, provided that the Chair reports any decisions to all members of the Audit Committee at the earliest convenience. In the event the Chair is unavailable, the remaining members must unanimously approve any request for permitted services, not to exceed $50,000, and notify the Chair at the earliest convenience.
Policy for Accounting Complaints
The Audit Committee has established procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and processing of complaints related to accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters, and (ii) the confidential, anonymous submission by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. The Company has contracted with a third party to provide a toll-free telephone number and Internet service that is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This third party documents the complaint, assigns a reference number to the complaint for tracking purposes and notifies, through email, the Chair of the Audit Committee, our Director - Internal Audit, our Corporate Compliance Manager, and our Manager - Executive Administration that a new complaint is awaiting review. Either the Chair of the Audit Committee or our Director - Internal Audit, using whatever resources are required and working with the Corporate Compliance Manager and Manager - Executive Administration as needed, initiates and/or manages the investigation of the complaint. Corrective action, if deemed necessary, is decided upon by the Chair of the Audit Committee and then implemented as needed. Unless the individual chooses otherwise, the identity of the individual submitting the complaint and the complaint itself remain anonymous throughout this process.
Securities Trading Policy
We have adopted a securities trading policy governing the purchase, sale and/or other disposition of Company securities by our directors, officers and employees that is reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading
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laws, rules and regulations and applicable listing standards. Our securities trading policy also prohibits our directors, officers and employees from engaging in short sales of Company securities or purchasing financial instruments (including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds), or otherwise engaging in transactions that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the market value of Company securities we have granted to such individuals as part of their compensation, or held, directly or indirectly, by them, regardless of the purpose for any such proposed transaction. Our securities trading policy also prohibits our directors, officers and employees from holding Company securities in a margin account or pledging Company securities as collateral for a loan, regardless of the purpose of any such proposed transaction.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The current members of the Compensation Committee are Mr. Suggs (Chair), Dr. Kasarda and Ms. Stallings. None of the current members of the Compensation Committee has ever served as an officer or employee of our Company or had any relationship during the year ended December 31, 2023 that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to the SEC's Item 404 of Regulation S-K. No interlocking relationships exist between our directors, our executive officers or the Compensation Committee and the board of directors or compensation committee of any other company.
DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires certain of our officers, directors and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Such officers, directors and shareholders are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all such reports that they file. Based solely on a review of copies of the reports filed with the SEC since January 1, 2023 and on representations by certain officers and directors, all persons subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) filed the reports required to be filed on a timely basis, except that one Form 4 reporting the settlement of shares of phantom stock and related withholding was not timely filed by Greg Gantt.
Report of Audit Committee
The Audit Committee oversees our financial reporting, internal controls and audit functions on behalf of the Board and operates under a written charter, which is reviewed on an annual basis and was most recently revised on May 17, 2023. The Audit Committee is comprised solely of independent directors as defined by SEC rules and regulations and Nasdaq listing standards. Two of the three members of the Audit Committee have been designated as “audit committee financial experts” as that term is defined by SEC rules and regulations. The Chair reports the Audit Committee's actions and deliberations to the Board at quarterly scheduled Board meetings.
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Audit Committee fulfilled its duties and responsibilities as outlined in the charter. Among its actions, the Audit Committee:
In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee also reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K with management and EY. The Audit Committee also has reviewed and discussed with management and EY management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and EY’s evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting.
The Audit Committee has discussed with EY the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) and the SEC. In addition, the Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from EY required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding EY's communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with EY that firm's independence.
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Based on the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 for filing with the SEC.
The Audit Committee,
Sherry A. Aaholm, Chair
Andrew S. Davis
Bradley R. Gabosch
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Executive Summary of Compensation Program
Company Performance and Business Highlights
The Company's financial results in 2023 reflect the disciplined execution of our long-term strategic plan. Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment that saw continued high levels of inflation, we remained focused on creating value for our customers by delivering best-in-class service and offering capacity to help keep promises to our customers. The relentless commitment of our OD Family of employees to customer service helped the Company achieve revenue of $5.9 billion, net income of $1.2 billion and an operating ratio of 72.0%.
We believe our industry-leading results reflect a continued focus on the consistent execution of our long-term strategic plan of delivering superior service at a fair price, while also continuing to invest in capacity to achieve our long-term market share goals. The discipline instilled by our executive officers to remain committed to these long-term philosophies across our organization has contributed to compound annualized total shareholder returns, assuming reinvestment of all dividends, of 28.1%, 38.1% and 28.0% over the three-year, five-year and ten-year periods ended December 31, 2023, respectively, significantly outperforming the average of companies in our peer group. During 2023, we repurchased $453.6 million of common stock and returned $175.1 million to shareholders through cash dividends. The compound annualized increase in our per share dividend is 34.8% since inception of this program in 2017. We believe these results demonstrate the alignment of our executive compensation program with Company performance and the long-term interests of our shareholders.
Highlights of Recent Compensation Program Changes
Effective July 1, 2023, we made the following changes to the compensation of certain of our named executive officers in connection with their promotions. With respect to Mr. Freeman, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in his base salary to $956,800 and an increase in his participation factor in the PIP to 0.60%. With respect to Mr. Plemmons, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in his base salary to $628,074, an increase in his participation factor in the PIP to 0.30% and, effective January 2024, an increase in his target PBRSU opportunity to 100% of his base salary. These adjustments position target pay opportunities for Messrs. Freeman and Plemmons at the same levels as their predecessors, recognizing their extensive experience and ability to seamlessly transition into their new roles. With respect to Mr. Satterfield, the Compensation Committee approved an increase in his base salary to $628,074 and an increase in his participation factor in the PIP to 0.30%, consistent with target pay opportunities for our other EVP-level role and reflecting Mr. Satterfield’s significant responsibilities.
In June 2023, in connection with Mr. Gantt’s retirement from the Company as an employee and in recognition of his distinguished contributions over his 28 years of service to the Company, and consistent with its authority under the 2016 Plan, the Board accelerated the vesting of an aggregate of 24,898 shares, as adjusted for the two-for-one stock split, of the Company’s common stock subject to Mr. Gantt’s (i) outstanding unvested RSAs, and (ii) outstanding earned and unvested PBRSUs. During Mr. Gantt’s tenure as CEO, our annualized total shareholder return was approximately 30.5%. Mr. Gantt helped guide our Company through the COVID-19 pandemic and an orderly leadership transition and will continue to provide valuable contributions as a member of the Board. Vesting acceleration only occurred for outstanding equity awards where performance hurdles had already been achieved; Mr. Gantt forfeited his PBRSU that was granted in February 2023 since his retirement occurred prior to the completion of the performance cycle.
These changes were made after discussion with Pearl Meyer, as well as consideration of Pearl Meyer’s industry and market analysis, and recommendations and findings with respect to our executive compensation program. We believe
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these compensation program changes further enhance the pay-for-performance focus of our executive compensation program, and continue to strengthen the alignment of our executive compensation program with the long-term interests of our shareholders.
We seek to pay our executive officers fairly and competitively and to link pay with performance. The main elements of our compensation program are base salary, performance-based cash incentive awards under our PIP, and performance-based stock incentive compensation in the form of RSAs tied to our operating ratio results and PBRSUs tied to Company profitability that we believe drive focus on operational excellence in support of long-term value creation and continuity for our leadership team.
Compensation Objectives
Our guiding principles in the development of our executive compensation philosophy have been to align executive compensation with both our business objectives and the interests of our shareholders. We have attempted to balance the principal elements of our compensation program (base salary, short-term performance-based incentives and long-term performance-based incentives) to motivate our executives to achieve our short-term financial objectives as well as our long-term objectives of increasing our market share and shareholder value. We believe a significant portion of executive compensation should be based upon performance, and we have designed our elements of compensation accordingly. These guiding compensation principles have continued to effectively motivate our executive management team and have enabled us to deliver superior short- and long-term performance relative to our peers.
Shareholder Outreach, Feedback and Compensation Committee Response
We are committed to ensuring our executive compensation program reinforces key business and strategic objectives and aligns pay with performance and long-term value creation. We believe our executive compensation program has been successful in achieving these objectives by placing a significant emphasis on variable, performance-based incentives and focusing our executive officers and other key employees on continuous operational excellence in support of long-term shareholder value creation. The program’s success is evidenced by our strong absolute and relative financial performance and long-term total shareholder returns. Our Board and Compensation Committee value the opinions of our shareholders and, to the extent there is any significant vote against the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement, we will carefully consider our shareholders’ concerns and the Compensation Committee will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address those concerns. At our 2023 Annual Meeting, approximately 96% of the votes cast on the advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers were in favor of the proposal. We believe this strong support for the executive compensation program from our shareholders was a result of our continued commitment to pay-for-performance, our continued shareholder outreach, and careful consideration of shareholder feedback regarding our executive compensation program.
Continued Pay-for-Performance Alignment
We believe our executive compensation program continues to strike the appropriate balance between driving the Company’s short-term goals while also emphasizing long-term shareholder value creation through the grant of performance-based equity awards. In reviewing and designing our executive compensation program, in 2023 we focused on connecting our compensation objectives to our current business strategy and ensuring our executive officers are compensated based on results that support this strategy. We believe our current executive compensation program establishes the appropriate balance and mix of executive pay between base salaries, short-term incentives, and long-term incentives. We do not believe the elements of our executive compensation program encourage excessive risk-taking, and we regularly review our program with our Compensation Committee and our Board to ensure it is operating in accordance with our objectives.
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Our executive compensation program includes a significant portion of performance-based compensation, which we believe has been critical in supporting the long-term growth of our Company and increased shareholder value. The table below provides a summary of the percentage of total direct compensation for our named executive officers in the aggregate that is directly based on our corporate performance:
|
2023** |
2022 |
2021 |
Non-performance-based Pay |
|||
Base Salary |
8% |
8% |
9% |
Performance-based Pay |
|||
Performance-based Cash Incentive |
67% |
74% |
71% |
Performance-based Stock Incentive* |
25% |
18% |
20% |
Total Direct Compensation |
100% |
100% |
100% |
* The performance-based stock incentive component of total direct compensation includes the grant date fair value of RSAs and PBRSUs granted in each year, including the accelerated vesting on June 23, 2023, of Mr. Gantt’s outstanding unvested RSAs and outstanding earned and unvested PBRSUs in connection with his retirement from the Company as discussed above and Mr. Gantt's pro rata RSA grant for his service as a non-employee director beginning July 1, 2023 (following his retirement as our President and Chief Executive Officer effective June 30, 2023). The PBRSUs granted in 2022 and 2021 were earned at the maximum level, and the PBRSUs granted in 2023 were not earned. |
|||
|
|
|
|
** The 2023 percentages excluding the accelerated vesting discussed above would be 9% base salary, 74% performance-based cash incentive and 17% performance-based stock incentive.
|
Our executive compensation program continues to tie a significant portion of cash compensation directly to corporate performance primarily through the PIP. As described below, the PIP provides for monthly bonus opportunities of a specified percentage of our monthly pre-tax income to the PIP participants, subject to (i) a minimum profitability threshold requirement and (ii) limits on the total amount that may be paid to an executive officer under the PIP, to the lesser of (a) 10x such executive officer’s base salary, and (b) 1.5% of the Company’s pre-tax income, as defined in the PIP. We believe the PIP has been instrumental in motivating our named executive officers and other participating officers to consistently achieve and sustain superior profitability in our industry.
We believe long-term incentives are also necessary to align pay with performance, reward loyalty, enhance retention, and create shareholder value. All equity grants issued to named executive officers and other officers in 2023 were made under the 2016 Plan, our primary plan for equity-based incentive compensation. Equity grant levels are tied to performance requirements, with any earned shares subject to continued service vesting provisions to further enhance retention. In addition to RSA grants tied to operating ratio results, each executive officer, including each named executive officer, was also eligible to receive a PBRSU under the 2016 Plan based on the achievement of forward-looking performance objectives over a one-year performance period that further strengthens the alignment of executive officer compensation with long-term shareholder interests. Other elements of our executive compensation program include employee deferrals of short-term cash compensation into our Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan and contributions to our 401(k) retirement plan, which are described in more detail below.
The principal factors in the Compensation Committee’s executive compensation decisions for 2023 were (i) our financial performance, (ii) the relationship of executive compensation to the Company’s pre-tax income, (iii) the amount of compensation that is performance-based, (iv) the review and analysis conducted by the Compensation Committee's independent compensation consultant, and (v) our strong support received for “say-on-pay” voting results.
The Company's financial results in 2023 reflect our ability to focus on superior customer service, the quality of our revenue and disciplined cost management. Our success with these ongoing strategies, while also investing $757.3 million in capital expenditures in 2023 to increase our capacity for future growth, provides us with the financial and operational strength to maximize our opportunities in 2024. Despite our industry-leading profitable financial performance in 2023, our pre-tax income decreased approximately 10%, resulting in lower PIP payments to the named executive officers (excluding the impact of mid-year promotional adjustments to award opportunities for Messrs. Freeman, Plemmons and Satterfield). As a result of our industry-leading operating ratio of 72.0% in 2023, the continuing named executive officers earned performance-based RSAs equal to 110% of base salary. These RSAs were granted in February 2024 and will vest in three equal annual increments beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date. Since the grants were made in February 2024, they will be included in tabular disclosures in our proxy statement for fiscal 2024, based on current SEC
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reporting requirements. Our financial results resulted in none of the 2023 PBRSU grants being earned by the named executive officers. We believe these actions further demonstrate our commitment to aligning senior executive pay with performance outcomes.
Objectives of Our Executive Compensation Program
Our executive compensation program is designed to achieve the following objectives, consistent with the principles and philosophy outlined above:
We also believe it is critical that our executive compensation program is structured to:
Below we highlight key compensation practices that we have implemented in our executive compensation program to promote the interests of shareholders and ensure responsible compensation and governance practices.
WHAT WE DO |
Pay-for-performance |
Limits on maximum incentive payouts |
Significant portion of compensation for named executive officers is at-risk |
Annual advisory vote on executive compensation |
Independent compensation consultant |
Multi-year vesting periods for equity grants |
Significant stock ownership guidelines for executives (who are also subject to stock retention requirements) and directors |
Robust clawback policy |
Maintain a dialogue with shareholders relating to the Company’s governance and compensation practices |
WHAT WE DO NOT DO |
No hedging or pledging of Company stock |
No employment agreements for executives |
No single-trigger cash severance benefits upon a change in control |
No guaranteed salary increases or bonuses |
No tax gross-up payments for executives |
No liberal share recycling under the 2016 Plan |
No dividends paid on unearned or unvested performance-based restricted stock units |
The Company's financial results in 2023, despite a slow-growth economy and a challenging operating environment, reflect the combination of our continued focus on revenue quality and the cost control discipline instilled
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across our organization by our senior executive management team. Our success would not have been possible without our commitment to a long-term strategic plan that is centered on the delivery of superior service at a fair price. We remain focused on this fundamental element of our long-term strategic plan, and we believe the disciplined execution of our plan will continue to support our ability to win market share and increase shareholder value. We continue to evaluate our service offerings and are dedicated to ensuring that our service remains best-in-class, and we were very proud to win the Mastio Quality Award for the fourteenth consecutive year. The Mastio Quality Award recognizes the top national LTL company across various customer service categories, based on Mastio’s annual survey conducted with freight customers in numerous industries.
Our commitment to customer service and the consistent execution of our strategic plan by our team, which includes over 23,000 employees, has resulted in the long-term consistent improvement in our financial results. As a result of this improvement, we delivered total shareholder returns for the one-, three-, and five-year periods ended December 31, 2023 that significantly outperformed the average of companies in our peer group, ranking approximately at or above the 75th percentile over each period. The consistent improvement in both short- and long-term shareholder value creation reinforced the determination by our Compensation Committee and Board that our executive compensation program is achieving its desired objectives.
Role of Compensation Committee, Independent Directors and Management
The Compensation Committee is comprised entirely of independent directors, and this committee is charged with recommending to our Board the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and determining the compensation paid to our other executive officers. Additionally, the Compensation Committee makes recommendations to the Board regarding the adoption of, and changes to, our executive compensation plans.
Mr. Freeman, our President and Chief Executive Officer, has a significant role in the compensation-setting process, including (i) providing recommendations to the Compensation Committee on business performance targets and objectives, and (ii) evaluating individual performance. From time to time, Mr. Freeman and Mr. David Congdon, our Executive Chairman, also provide recommendations to the Compensation Committee regarding salary and equity or non-equity based award considerations.
Mr. David Congdon and Mr. Freeman do not participate in any Compensation Committee decisions regarding their individual performance, salary level, non-equity incentive plan compensation or other compensation that may be granted to them.
The Compensation Committee has the authority to hire outside advisers, such as compensation consultants, to render guidance and assistance when the Compensation Committee deems it appropriate and advisable. The Compensation Committee, at its discretion, determines both the frequency with which outside consultants are engaged and the scope of work these consultants perform. Prior to selecting or receiving advice from a compensation consultant or other adviser, the Compensation Committee assesses the independence of such adviser and thereafter conducts an annual assessment of any potential conflicts of interest raised by the work of such adviser.
Role of Compensation Consultant
Since 2013, the Compensation Committee has periodically engaged Pearl Meyer to assist it with its review and analysis of our executive and non-employee director compensation programs. The Compensation Committee initially selected and has continued to engage Pearl Meyer based primarily on its skill sets, strengths, professionals, industry knowledge and resources.
During the first quarter of 2023, the Compensation Committee engaged Pearl Meyer to conduct a review and analysis of the Company’s executive compensation program. Pearl Meyer conducted a market pay review for each executive officer position, business performance analysis, total shareholder return analysis and pay and performance alignment review. In conducting its analysis, Pearl Meyer compared and summarized compensation data from the same fifteen peer group companies used during Pearl Meyer’s review of our executive compensation program performed in 2022, except that Werner Enterprises, Inc. was replaced with Union Pacific Corporation to position the Company at the 75th percentile for market capitalization and enterprise value. Effective December 19, 2022, AMERCO changed its name to U-Haul Holding Company. At the time the study was conducted, the Company was positioned near or above the 75th percentile for profitability, market capitalization and enterprise value, below (but near) the 25th percentile for revenue, and above the 75th percentile for total shareholder returns, as compared with the industry peer group. In addition, Pearl Meyer
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collected and summarized pay data from multiple and reputable executive compensation surveys to supplement the peer group data when officer position matches were either unavailable or were limited in number.
2023 Peer Group |
||||
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. |
Canadian Pacific Railway |
CSX Corporation |
Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.
|
Hub Group, Inc. |
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.
|
Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc.
|
Landstar System, Inc.
|
Norfolk Southern Corporation
|
Ryder System, Inc.
|
Saia, Inc.
|
Schneider National, Inc.
|
U-Haul Holding Company
|
Union Pacific Corporation
|
XPO Logistics, Inc. |
Following confirmation of the peer group composition by the Compensation Committee, Pearl Meyer conducted a review and analysis of our executive compensation program, which was considered by the Compensation Committee and the Board when making 2024 compensation decisions. With respect to our executive compensation program, Pearl Meyer was requested to review the competitiveness of the program and analyze recent business results in order to evaluate the strength of the relationship between executive officer pay and overall Company performance. Pearl Meyer’s analysis of our executive compensation program: (i) included each of our executive officer positions; (ii) focused on position level pay data (with respect to base salary, short-term incentives, total cash compensation, long-term incentives and total direct compensation (sum of base salary, short-term incentives and long-term incentives)); and (iii) highlighted comparisons to market based on publicly-available proxy statements and further supplemented by published survey data.
Based on its review and analysis, Pearl Meyer determined, among other things, that: (i) our aggregate total direct compensation levels for the executive officer group were above the 75th percentile of the market; (ii) for the most recently completed fiscal year, we continued to outperform the fifteen companies identified above based on a wide range of financial and shareholder metrics (with our average overall performance at the 67th percentile on a one-year basis and at the 76th percentile on a three-year basis); (iii) our total shareholder return was above the peer group 75th percentile over the one-year and three-year periods ending June 30, 2023; (iv) our executive pay structure had a greater weight on variable, performance-based compensation as compared to market; (v) our base salaries were within a competitive range (+/- 10%) of 50th percentile market values for most incumbents; and (vi) our long-term incentive compensation was generally between the 25th percentile and 50th percentile market values. Based on these findings, Pearl Meyer determined that our executive compensation program continues to demonstrate strong directional alignment versus industry peers in terms of average overall company performance and named executive officer aggregate total pay ranks. The Compensation Committee considered Pearl Meyer’s findings and analysis when it assessed our executive compensation program for 2024 and approved modest base salary increases for the continuing named executive officers.
Although peer data is utilized in Pearl Meyer’s analysis, and the Compensation Committee reviews and considers such data in making compensation decisions, we do not benchmark compensation to any particular peer group percentile for any of our named executive officers. Given our financial performance, the majority of total compensation for our named executive officers over the past several years has been delivered through the PIP, which rewards our executives for driving superior financial performance. The Compensation Committee periodically reviews all aspects of our compensation program, including the pay mix for officers, to ensure alignment with desired objectives. After the Compensation Committee reviewed and considered the results of Pearl Meyer’s analysis conducted in 2023 and our 2023 “say-on-pay” voting results, the Compensation Committee approved the modifications to our executive compensation program discussed above.
In connection with its engagement of Pearl Meyer, the Compensation Committee conducted a conflict of interest assessment and determined that Pearl Meyer was independent and that its engagement did not present any conflicts of interest. During fiscal 2023, Pearl Meyer only worked for the Compensation Committee and performed no additional services for the Company or any of the named executive officers. The Compensation Committee pre-approved all work performed by Pearl Meyer.
During fiscal 2023, neither the Compensation Committee nor Company management used the services of any other compensation consultant other than Pearl Meyer.
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Elements of Compensation
Set forth below is each of the components of our executive compensation program and the decisions the Compensation Committee made in connection with 2023 and, where appropriate, 2024 compensation.
Annual Base Salary
Base salaries for our executive officer group are designed to reflect job responsibilities and incumbent qualifications and to provide competitive, fixed pay to balance performance-based risks. We have historically increased the base salaries of our named executive officers annually based in part on the market analysis conducted by our compensation consultant and, in some instances, an incremental adjustment attributable to market factors or a change in responsibilities. Base salaries for our named executive officer group are generally intended to approximate 50th percentile market values for similar roles within comparably-sized organizations. The Compensation Committee may also approve additional salary increases for certain officers, including certain named executive officers, when job performance, promotions and increased job responsibilities and/or other factors warrant.
The table below reflects the annual base salaries for our named executive officers that have been approved by the Compensation Committee for 2024, and annual base salaries for 2023 and 2022:
Named Executive Officer |
2024 Base Salary (1) |
2023 Base Salary (1) |
2022 Base Salary (1) |
||||||
Kevin M. Freeman |
|
985,504 |
|
|
956,800 |
(2) |
|
603,917 |
|
Gregory B. Plemmons |
|
646,916 |
|
|
628,074 |
(3) |
|
495,441 |
|
Adam N. Satterfield |
|
646,916 |
|
|
628,074 |
(4) |
|
510,585 |
|
Ross H. Parr |
|
516,483 |
|
|
501,440 |
(5) |
|
(5) |
|
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. |
|
516,483 |
|
|
501,440 |
(5) |
|
(5) |
|
Greg C. Gantt |
|
N/A |
|
|
956,800 |
|
|
920,000 |
|
Non-equity Incentive Plan
The Compensation Committee has determined that a significant portion of compensation provided to our named executive officers should be performance-based. Accordingly, during 2023, our named executive officers participated with certain other employees in our PIP, which is an incentive cash bonus plan designed to incentivize participants to achieve the Company’s strategic and financial goals for the fiscal year, using a formulaic calculation. The PIP is administered by the Compensation Committee. Participants were selected by the Compensation Committee, with input by senior management, to receive a monthly cash incentive payment opportunity based upon a fixed percentage, or participation factor, of our pre-tax income if our pre-tax income exceeds 2% of revenue for that month. The Compensation Committee
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approved the participation factors for our named executive officers and other key participants and monitored the compensation derived from the PIP.
The formula applied for each participant in the PIP is shown below:
Monthly Income Before Income Taxes x Participation Factor = Monthly Payout
The Compensation Committee believes that the PIP has been very effective in focusing our executive officers and other participants on continuous operational excellence and aligning pay with performance. Compensation earned under the PIP is “at risk” and performance-based, and will vary over time based on our profitability. Generally, any decrease in pre-tax income directly – and negatively – impacts the amount of PIP compensation paid to our named executive officers.
For illustration purposes, the following table reflects minimum, threshold and maximum PIP payouts that could be earned by each continuing named executive officer based on his individual PIP participation factor. Pre-tax income must exceed 2% of revenue for the threshold amount to be earned. The threshold amounts below are calculated using a pre-tax income amount of $117.3 million, which is 2% of our 2023 revenue. We used our 2023 revenue of $5.9 billion as the base revenue for this illustration, as we have not provided revenue guidance for any future periods.
|
Pro Forma 2024 PIP Payout |
||||||||||||||
Named Executive Officer |
Minimum |
Threshold (1) |
Maximum (2) |
||||||||||||
Kevin M. Freeman |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
703,800 |
|
|
|
|
9,855,040 |
|
|
Gregory B. Plemmons |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
351,900 |
|
|
|
|
6,469,160 |
|
|
Adam N. Satterfield |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
351,900 |
|
|
|
|
6,469,160 |
|
|
Ross H. Parr |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
211,140 |
|
|
|
|
5,164,830 |
|
|
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
211,140 |
|
|
|
|
5,164,830 |
|
|
The following table shows the 2024 and 2023 PIP participation factors as well as the payouts earned by each of our named executive officers for each of 2023 and 2022:
Named Executive Officer |
2024 PIP |
2023 PIP |
2023 PIP |
2022 PIP |
||||||
Kevin M. Freeman |
0.60 |
|
0.60 |
(1) |
|
7,558,433 |
|
|
5,513,125 |
|
Gregory B. Plemmons |
0.30 |
|
0.30 |
(2) |
|
4,012,039 |
|
|
3,307,875 |
|
Adam N. Satterfield |
0.30 |
|
0.30 |
(3) |
|
4,555,292 |
|
|
4,594,271 |
|
Ross H. Parr |
0.18 |
|
0.18 |
|
|
2,965,998 |
|
|
(4) |
|
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. |
0.18 |
|
0.18 |
|
|
2,965,998 |
|
|
(4) |
|
Greg C. Gantt |
N/A |
|
0.60 |
(5) |
|
4,656,450 |
|
|
9,200,000 |
|
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The cash incentive provided by the PIP is determined on a monthly basis and paid to participants, subject to (i) our pre-tax income exceeding 2% of revenue for that month, and (ii) limits on the total amount that may be paid to an executive officer under the PIP, to the lesser of (a) 10x such executive officer’s base salary, and (b) 1.5% of the Company’s pre-tax income, as defined in the PIP. Each of these criteria were satisfied for each participant for each month in 2023, and as a result, our named executive officers received cash compensation from the PIP each month based upon their respective participation factor. In keeping with our philosophy of pay-for-performance, PIP payouts to our officers, including our named executive officers, in 2023 were directly aligned with our financial performance. In 2023, our annual pre-tax income decreased to approximately $1.6 billion, representing an approximately 10% year-over-year decrease as compared to 2022 results. Excluding the impact of promotional adjustments to award opportunities, PIP payouts to our named executive officers also decreased by approximately 10% on a year-over-year basis. Compared with 2022, aggregate PIP payouts to Mr. Freeman and Mr. Plemmons increased in connection with their respective promotions in 2023.
The Compensation Committee recognizes that the PIP can produce higher-than-market cash compensation during periods of high profitability, including periods when our period-over-period performance may have declined. However, the PIP can also produce lower-than-market cash compensation during periods of low profitability, including periods when our period-over-period performance has improved and/or outperformed peers.
The Compensation Committee has considered whether our employee compensation policies and practices, including our PIP, create inadvertent incentives for executive management and other participants to make decisions that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us, and believes they do not. The PIP and other performance-based incentives are subject to our clawback policy, which was revised during 2023 to comply with SEC requirements and Nasdaq listing standards, and all executive officers are subject to meaningful stock ownership guidelines to help ensure a strong focus on long-term performance and value creation. The Compensation Committee believes the overarching characteristic of the PIP is its ability to create a highly motivated and aligned management team that is focused on consistently executing our operating plan, improving our performance, and creating long-term value for our shareholders. The compounded annualized increase in our revenue and pre-tax income over the past ten years was 9.6% and 17.5%, respectively. The compounded annualized total shareholder return, assuming reinvestment of all dividends, over the past three, five and ten years was 28.1%, 38.1% and 28.0%, respectively.
2016 Stock Incentive Plan
Since 2016, the Compensation Committee has annually granted performance-based RSAs for shares of our common stock under the 2016 Plan to our named executive officers, as well as other officers, and service-based RSAs to non-employee members of the Board. Since 2019, the Compensation Committee also has granted PBRSUs to our executive officers, which are settled in shares of our common stock under the 2016 Plan if the requisite prospective performance objective and service requirements are achieved.
The 2016 Plan permits the grant of a broad array of equity award types, including RSAs, PBRSUs and other restricted stock units, stock options and stock appreciation rights. The 2016 Plan authorizes the issuance of up to 6,000,000 shares of our common stock, as adjusted for the two-for-one stock split.
Performance-Based Restricted Stock Awards
RSA grants under the 2016 Plan are based on attainment of Company performance objectives, with no awards provided when results fall below a minimum performance threshold. The Compensation Committee generally determines the RSA amounts based on a percentage of annual base salary that is determined by our operating ratio for the previous fiscal year. Operating ratio is a profitability measure commonly used within the transportation industry and is calculated by dividing total operating expenses by revenue. Prior to the RSA grants approved by the Compensation Committee in 2024 for the 2023 fiscal year, the Compensation Committee could approve an RSA under the 2016 Plan in an amount ranging from 0% up to 100% of an officer’s base salary for achieving certain operating ratio levels, and no grants were made for an operating ratio greater than 95%. Effective for the RSA grants approved by the Compensation Committee in 2024, the Compensation Committee may approve an RSA under the 2016 Plan in an amount ranging from 0% up to 150% of an officer’s base salary for achieving certain operating ratio levels, and no grants will be made for an operating ratio greater than 90%. Furthermore, for grants at or above 110% of an officer’s salary, any year-over-year reduction in the Company’s operating ratio within a designated range will reduce award funding by 10%, but in no event to less than 100% of the officer’s salary. The Compensation Committee approved these changes, upon the recommendation of Pearl Meyer, to provide a larger RSA amount for achieving increasingly difficult annual operating ratios but also provide for a reduction in the RSA amount under certain circumstances if the Company’s operating ratio decreased as compared to a prior year.
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The Compensation Committee believes the underlying performance hurdles as modified are challenging and would generally require us to perform above industry norms to earn grants in the upper half of the award opportunity range.
If the minimum performance threshold is met, any earned awards are provided in the form of RSAs that vest in equal annual installments over a period of three years, subject to continued employment, to further enhance executive retention and incentive. Vesting may also occur on the earliest of: (i) the date of a change in control of our ownership, which includes a “double trigger” and assumes the RSAs are not substituted, assumed, or continued; or (ii) the date the participant’s employment is terminated without cause by the Company or by the participant for good reason within six months before or one year after the effective date of the change of control; or (iii) the date the participant’s employment is terminated as a result of death or disability.
The RSAs granted in 2023, 2022 and 2021 were determined by our operating ratio results for the preceding fiscal year. Our operating ratio was 70.6%, 73.5%, and 77.4% for the years 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively. As a result, the Compensation Committee approved RSAs that were granted under the 2016 Plan equal to 100% of each named executive officer’s annual base salary in each of February 2021 (reported as compensation for fiscal year 2021), February 2022 (reported as compensation for fiscal year 2022) and February 2023 (reported as compensation for fiscal year 2023). The number of shares awarded for each individual was calculated by dividing the cash value of the award by the 50-day moving average closing price of our common stock for the period ending on the trading day immediately preceding each grant date. The fair value at each grant date is calculated by multiplying the number of shares granted for each individual by the closing price of our common stock on such grant date. See "Executive Compensation - 2023 Grants of Plan-Based Awards" for more information about the 2023 RSA grants.
|
Value of Earned Restricted Stock Award (RSA) |
||||||||||||||
Named Executive Officer |
2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
||||||||||||
Kevin M. Freeman |
|
|
746,436 |
|
|
|
|
570,831 |
|
|
|
|
600,820 |
|
|
Gregory B. Plemmons |
|
|
612,517 |
|
|
|
|
468,480 |
|
|
|
|
469,754 |
|
|
Adam N. Satterfield |
|
|
631,177 |
|
|
|
|
482,695 |
|
|
|
|
507,826 |
|
|
Ross H. Parr |
|
|
583,611 |
|
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. |
|
|
583,611 |
|
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
|
|
(1 |
) |
|
Greg C. Gantt |
|
|
3,169,875 |
|
(2) |
|
|
869,988 |
|
|
|
|
797,417 |
|
|
The amounts of our fiscal 2024 RSA grants were determined by our 2023 operating ratio of 72.0%, which resulted in each of the continuing named executive officers earning RSA grants equal to 110% of base salary. Since the grants were made in February 2024, they will be included in tabular disclosures in our proxy statement for fiscal 2024, based on current SEC reporting requirements.
Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units
We believe that grants of PBRSUs under the 2016 Plan are a key long-term incentive component of our executive compensation program and further enhance our pay-for-performance philosophy. PBRSUs are directly linked to the Company’s prospective performance, with annual pre-tax income growth as the sole performance metric. We believe growth in pre-tax income is a key contributor to the long-term improvement in the price of our common stock.
The amount of the PBRSUs eligible to be earned may range from 0% to 200% of each officer’s base salary for the year in which the grant is made. The earning of the PBRSUs is tied to the achievement of pre-tax income growth performance goals established by the Compensation Committee over a one-year performance period. No awards are earned for below-threshold performance. One-third of any earned PBRSUs are paid out following the end of the performance period, and an additional one-third of the PBRSUs are paid out on each anniversary thereafter, subject to continued employment by the named executive officer for further retention and incentive purposes. Vesting may also occur on the earliest of: (i) the date of a change in control of our ownership, which includes a “double trigger” and
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assumes the PBRSUs are not substituted, assumed, or continued; or (ii) the date the participant’s employment is terminated without cause by the Company or by the participant for good reason within six months before or one year after the effective date of the change of control; or (iii) the date the participant’s employment is terminated as a result of death or disability.
Each of the named executive officers received a PBRSU grant in February 2023. Named executive officers with the title of Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or Chief Operating Officer received a target PBRSU of 100% of base salary, and named executive officers with the title of Senior Vice President received a target PBRSU of 50% of base salary. As such, the target PBRSU for Messrs. Freeman, Satterfield and Gantt was equal to 100% of each officer’s base salary, and the target PBRSU for Messrs. Plemmons, Parr and Overbey was equal to 50% of his base salary. In 2023, the Company did not achieve any annual pre-tax income growth, which resulted in none of the continuing named executive officers earning a PBRSU. Mr. Gantt forfeited his 2023 PBRSU in connection with his retirement from the Company effective June 30, 2023.
The table below sets forth the target PBRSU for each of the named executive officers, expressed as a percentage of the named executive officer’s base salary for the 2023 performance period, the target number of PBRSUs, and the actual number of PBRSUs earned in 2023, adjusted for the two-for-one stock split:
Named Executive Officer |
Target 2023 PBRSU As Percentage of Base Salary |
Target 2023 |
2023 PBRSUs |
||
Kevin M. Freeman |
100% |
|
4,080 |
|
— |
Gregory B. Plemmons |
50% |
|
1,674 |
|
— |
Adam N. Satterfield |
100% |
|
3,450 |
|
— |
Ross H. Parr |
50% |
|
1,594 |
|
— |
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. |
50% |
|
1,594 |
|
— |
Greg C. Gantt |
100% |
|
18,672 |
(1) |
N/A |
In January 2024, the Compensation Committee again selected pre-tax income growth as the performance metric and established year-over-year pre-tax income growth performance goals in connection with the grant of 2024 PBRSUs to our executive officers. The Compensation Committee believes that continuing to tie PBRSUs to pre-tax income growth goals that are aligned with our fiscal 2024 financial plan will appropriately incentivize our executive officers to achieve the Company’s strategic and financial goals. The Compensation Committee also determined that the target number of shares of common stock subject to the PBRSU will be equal to a specified percentage of each named executive officer’s 2024 base salary amount. The actual number of PBRSUs earned can range from 0% to 200% of target levels based on Company performance. We have not disclosed the specific goals for pre-tax income for fiscal 2024, as they are highly confidential and not reported publicly. Disclosing the specific goals would provide competitors and third parties with insights into our internal planning processes, which might allow our competitors to predict certain business strategies and cause us competitive harm. The Compensation Committee has set the fiscal 2024 pre-tax income performance target at a level that it believes to be challenging, but attainable. The shares underlying the PBRSUs awarded for fiscal 2024 are eligible to be earned only if we achieve a minimum threshold of growth in pre-tax income for fiscal 2024 as compared to 2023.
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The table below sets forth the target PBRSU for each continuing named executive officer, expressed as a percentage of the named executive officer’s 2024 base salary, consistent with the policy described above, for the 2024 performance period.
Named Executive Officer |
Target 2024 PBRSU As Percentage of Base Salary |
Kevin M. Freeman |
100% |
Gregory B. Plemmons |
100% |
Adam N. Satterfield |
100% |
Ross H. Parr |
50% |
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. |
50% |
The Compensation Committee believes that the grant of PBRSUs driven by prospective pre-tax income growth strikes a healthy balance with our RSA program, which is based on the Company’s current operating ratio. In conjunction with our RSA program, the Compensation Committee believes PBRSUs complement our pay-for-performance philosophy, which is designed to drive continuous improvement in our operating and financial results that should further enhance long-term shareholder value. Our most recently completed PBRSU performance period illustrates our commitment to pay for performance. In 2023, the Company did not achieve any annual pre-tax income growth, which resulted in none of the named executive officers earning a PBRSU. We believe that our long-term equity incentive awards will continue to motivate our executive officers to achieve financial success for the Company and provide long-term benefit to our shareholders.
Phantom Stock Plans
Prior to 2016, phantom stock awards were used to reward our named executive officers for creating shareholder value and to provide a long-term retirement incentive for our named executive officers. No phantom stock awards have been granted since the adoption of the 2016 Plan. In December 2019, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, the Board approved the amendment and restatement of the Company’s phantom plans to permit stock settlement of outstanding phantom stock awards in shares of our common stock in lieu of cash settlement. The amended and restated Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Phantom Stock Plan (the “Amended 2005 Phantom Plan”) and the amended and restated Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. 2012 Phantom Stock Plan (the “Amended 2012 Phantom Plan” and, together with the Amended 2005 Phantom Plan, the “Amended Phantom Plans”) also provide for waivers of the age 65 or age 55 vesting terms for participants, including each of the Company’s named executive officers, who will settle their outstanding phantom stock awards in shares of our common stock. No other time-based or service-based vesting provisions were modified or accelerated for any participant as a result of the Amended Phantom Plans.
Phantom stock awards were previously granted under the Amended Phantom Plans. Each share of phantom stock awarded to participants under the Amended Phantom Plans represents a contractual right to receive an amount of common stock equal to the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the settlement date, provided that vesting provisions have been satisfied. This component of compensation generally facilitates the retention of key employees, rewards longevity and provides a retirement benefit to our named executive officers that is directly tied to shareholder value. Vesting and settlement provisions for each plan are discussed below.
Our Board approved, and we adopted, the Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Phantom Stock Plan (the “2005 Phantom Plan”) in May 2005. The 2005 Phantom Plan expired in May 2012; however, grants under the Amended 2005 Phantom Plan remain outstanding. Awards granted to our named executive officers under the Amended 2005 Phantom Plan vest upon the earlier to occur of the following, provided the recipient is employed by us on such date: (i) the date of a change of control in our ownership; (ii) the fifth anniversary of the grant date; (iii) the date of the recipient’s death; or (iv) the date of the recipient’s total disability. Vested phantom stock awards are settled upon the earlier of the recipient’s: (i) termination of employment for any reason other than death, total disability, or for cause; (ii) death while employed by us; or (iii) termination of employment as a result of total disability. Subject to restrictions under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), settlements are paid in 24 equal monthly installments.
Following expiration of the 2005 Phantom Plan, our Board approved, and we adopted, the Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. 2012 Phantom Stock Plan (the “2012 Phantom Plan”) in October 2012. Although we now utilize the 2016 Plan to facilitate our long-term incentive program, grants under the Amended 2012 Phantom Plan remain outstanding. Under the Amended 2012 Phantom Plan, a maximum of 3,000,000 shares of phantom stock, as adjusted for the two-for-one stock split, may be awarded to eligible employees, subject to adjustment to prevent dilution or enlargement caused by changes
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in our outstanding shares of common stock. Each award granted to our named executive officers vests in 20% increments on the anniversary of the grant date and is fully vested on the fifth anniversary of the grant date provided that the recipient: (i) has been continuously employed by us from the grant date until each respective vesting date; and (ii) has been continuously employed by us for at least 10 years on the respective vesting date. Vesting also occurs on the earliest of: (i) the date of a change in control of our ownership; (ii) the date of the recipient’s death; or (iii) the date of the recipient’s total disability, in each case provided that the recipient has been continuously employed by us from the grant date until the date of the respective event. Vested phantom stock awards are settled upon the earliest of the date of the recipient’s: (i) termination of employment for any reason other than death, total disability or for cause; (ii) death while employed by us; or (iii) termination of employment as a result of total disability. Settlements are generally paid in 24 equal monthly installments of shares of common stock, although recipients may, with respect to each grant, provide for payment in any other manner for up to five years following settlement subject to the limitations set forth in each individual award agreement. Each recipient also has the ability to defer the annual installments payable under an award agreement for a period of five years by filing a written election with the administrator at least one year in advance of the date on which payment of the annual installments would otherwise commence. Any payment may be delayed, if necessary, to comply with Section 409A of the Code.
In connection with the amendment and restatement of the Company’s phantom plans in December 2019, as discussed above, each of the Company’s named executive officers has entered into amended award agreements with respect to outstanding phantom stock awards, whether vested or unvested, to settle such awards in shares of our common stock, adjusted for the two-for-one stock split, as set forth in the table below. The market value was computed by multiplying the number of phantom shares by the closing share price of $202.67 ($405.33 prior to the two-for-one stock split) at December 29, 2023, the last trading day of our fiscal year, as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
Named Executive Officer |
Outstanding Vested Stock Awards under Amended Phantom Plans, as Amended for Settlement in Common Stock (#) |
Market Value at |
||||||
Kevin M. Freeman |
|
75,372 |
|
|
|
15,275,266 |
|
|
Gregory B. Plemmons |
|
62,504 |
|
|
|
12,667,373 |
|
|
Adam N. Satterfield |
|
22,048 |
|
|
|
4,468,358 |
|
|
Ross H. Parr |
|
27,658 |
|
|
|
5,605,309 |
|
|
Cecil E. Overbey, Jr. |
|
75,372 |
|
|
|
15,275,266 |
|
|
Greg C. Gantt |
|
122,582 |
|
|
|
24,843,081 |
|
|
The outstanding phantom stock awards will be settled in shares of our common stock equal to the number of vested shares of phantom stock on the applicable settlement date. The shares of common stock will generally be distributed in twenty-four substantially equal monthly installments commencing on the first day of the sixth calendar month following such settlement date. All shares of common stock that may be issued to settle phantom stock awards under the Amended Phantom Plans will be issued only under, and will be subject to the terms and conditions of, the 2016 Plan.
We do not provide a supplemental retirement plan for our named executive officers, although we do offer a voluntary, self-funded and unsecured deferred compensation program. See “Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan” below.
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Stock Ownership Policy
The Compensation Committee and the Board strongly believe that our officers’ financial interests should be aligned with the long-term interests of our Company and its shareholders. To further this goal, the Board has adopted a stock ownership and retention policy (the “Stock Ownership Policy”) applicable to members of the Board and officers of the Company. Each officer is required to achieve and maintain a level of ownership in our common stock based on a multiple of annual base salary as described below.
Covered Individuals (1) |
Base Salary Multiple Threshold |
Chief Executive Officer |
6.0x (600%) annual base salary |
President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer |
2.0x (200%) annual base salary |
Other Executive Officers |
1.5x (150%) annual base salary |
All other Officers |
1.0x (100%) annual base salary |
For purposes of determining whether an officer has satisfied the Stock Ownership Policy, eligible equity may include: (i) shares owned by the officer; (ii) shares owned jointly with the officer’s spouse and/or dependent children; (iii) shares owned by the officer’s spouse or dependent children; (iv) shares held by the officer in a 401(k) plan; (v) shares held in individual brokerage accounts or other custodial accounts or in trust for the benefit of the officer or the officer’s spouse and/or dependent children; (vi) shares underlying time-based RSAs, restricted stock units, deferred stock units or similar awards (including performance- and time-based restricted stock unit awards if and to the extent earned) (in each case, whether vested or unvested); (vii) shares received upon the exercise of stock options, stock appreciation rights or similar awards; and (viii) shares received from earned performance-based awards such as performance-based restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units or similar awards. Shares of phantom stock awarded under the Amended Phantom Plans and unearned PBRSUs are not considered eligible equity for purposes of determining compliance with the Stock Ownership Policy.
Officers may utilize grants under the 2016 Plan, in the manner discussed above, to satisfy the Stock Ownership Policy. Until the applicable thresholds of ownership outlined above are met, an officer is required to retain 50% of the net shares (those shares of common stock that remain after shares are sold, delivered, or withheld in payment of withholding taxes related to equity awards) resulting from the vesting or earning of all RSAs or PBRSUs granted under the 2016 Plan, and 50% of the net shares resulting from the exercise of any stock options that may be granted under the 2016 Plan.
The Stock Ownership Policy also requires all individuals covered under this policy, including named executive officers, to retain 50% of the net shares resulting from the vesting or earning of all RSAs, restricted stock unit awards, performance awards or similar awards granted on or after June 1, 2018, and 50% of the net shares resulting from the exercise of any stock options, stock appreciation awards or similar awards granted on or after June 1, 2018, for a period of twelve months following the applicable vesting, earning or exercise date. This retention requirement applies even after the applicable thresholds of ownership described above are satisfied.
Clawback Policy
The Compensation Committee and the Board believe it is desirable and in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to maintain a culture that emphasizes accountability and integrity and discourages conduct detrimental to the Company and its shareholders. To reinforce this objective, in October 2023, the Compensation Committee and the Board approved an updated clawback policy designed to comply with Section 10D of the Exchange Act and Rule 10D-1 adopted thereunder and with applicable Nasdaq listing standards. The policy provides for the recoupment of certain incentive compensation in the event that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement resulting from material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements under the federal securities laws or as otherwise provided under the policy. The policy was filed as Exhibit 97 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
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401(k) Retirement Plan
Our named executive officers may participate in our 401(k) retirement plan, which includes a matching provision that is based upon the participant’s contributions and, at our option, a discretionary contribution that is allocated to all 401(k) participants. Although we consider this match in our evaluation of overall compensation, we believe the maximum employee contribution and matching limits in our plan are, alone, insufficient to enable our named executive officers to save an amount that is adequate for their retirement or to be competitive with similarly-situated executives at other companies in our industry. As a result, we offer certain employees, including our named executive officers, the opportunity to participate in a non-qualified deferred compensation plan.
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan
Because we do not provide a significant retirement plan for our named executive officers, we offer them an alternative vehicle for self-funding their retirement through our 2006 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan. This plan allows eligible participants, including our named executive officers, to defer percentages of both their annual base salary and their monthly non-equity incentive compensation. The retirement benefits for our named executive officers are self-funded and unsecured, and the availability of these retirement benefits will depend on our ability to fund future payments. The Company does not provide any matching contributions or other discretionary contributions to this plan. The plan is described in further detail under the caption “Executive Compensation - 2023 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation” in this proxy statement.
Tax Considerations
For tax years prior to January 1, 2018, Section 162(m) of the Code generally allowed us to deduct certain compensation paid to certain of our named executive officers under the Section 162(m) qualified performance-based compensation exemption. For taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2018, the qualified performance-based compensation exemption is no longer available, except in limited situations that are eligible for transition relief, and the group of current and former named executive officers who may be covered by the deduction limit was expanded. Going forward, we will therefore not be eligible to take a full deduction under Section 162(m) for qualified performance-based compensation except in limited grandfathered situations. The Compensation Committee may modify compensation that was initially intended to be exempt from Section 162(m), to the extent permitted by applicable law and the relevant governing documents, as well as its mix of compensation elements, if it determines that such modifications are consistent with our business needs. We will continue to structure our executive compensation program to place primary emphasis on performance-based incentives that are intended to align pay with performance in support of long-term shareholder value creation.
Change of Control and Post-Employment Benefit Considerations
The Severance Plan provides for post-employment benefits in the event of a qualifying termination resulting from a change in control to eligible key officers, including all of our named executive officers. We believe the Severance Plan provides a reasonable level of protection to our named executive officers in the event we experience a change of control. The benefits provided by this plan are described in more detail under the caption “Executive Compensation - Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Change of Control Severance Plan for Key Executives” in this proxy statement.
Other Benefits and Perquisites
Our named executive officers participate equitably with our employees in various employee benefits, which include medical, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability. We also provide all full-time employees a predetermined amount of group life insurance, and each named executive officer receives term-life benefits of $300,000.
In 2023, we once again offered our officers, including our named executive officers, the opportunity to participate, on a voluntary basis, in an executive health program. For participants in this program, we paid the costs for a comprehensive health assessment to address their overall medical needs and assess their health risks. Mr. Freeman, Mr. Satterfield and Mr. Overbey chose to participate in this program and our cost was $2,400 for each officer. This cost is included in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table under the caption “Executive Compensation - Summary Compensation Table” in this proxy statement. We plan to continue to offer this benefit to our officers, including our named executive officers, on an annual basis.
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In 2023, Mr. Gantt, Mr. Freeman, Mr. Plemmons and Mr. Overbey elected to use a Company-provided vehicle, and Mr. Satterfield and Mr. Parr elected to receive a vehicle allowance provided by the Company. The taxable value of the personal use of these automobiles and applicable vehicle allowances is included in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table under the caption “Executive Compensation - Summary Compensation Table” in this proxy statement.
We own a fractional interest in an aircraft that is primarily used for business purposes. Our named executive officers may utilize the aircraft for personal travel to optimize use of their time. None of our named executive officers used the aircraft for personal travel in 2023.
We do not provide any tax gross-up payments on any perquisites or benefits.
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation
Since our 2011 Annual Meeting, we have conducted an advisory vote on the approval of compensation for our named executive officers each year at our annual meeting of shareholders. While this is a non-binding vote, we believe it is important for our shareholders to have an opportunity to vote on this proposal on an annual basis as a means to express their views regarding our executive compensation philosophy, our compensation policies and programs and our decisions regarding executive compensation, all of which are disclosed in our proxy statement. Our Board and Compensation Committee value the opinions of our shareholders and, to the extent there is any significant vote against the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement, we will carefully consider our shareholders’ concerns and the Compensation Committee will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address those concerns. In addition to our annual advisory vote on executive compensation, we are committed to engagement with our shareholders on executive compensation and corporate governance issues. These engagement efforts take place through meetings, telephone calls and correspondence involving our senior management and representatives of our shareholders.
At our 2023 Annual Meeting, approximately 96% of the votes cast on the advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers were in favor of the proposal. Our Compensation Committee and Board believe this shareholder vote reflects strong support for our executive compensation program and alignment of executive and long-term shareholder interests. In addition, the Compensation Committee believes that our executive compensation program continues to be tailored to our business strategies, is consistent with our pay-for-performance philosophy, reflects competitive pay practices, and appropriately rewards or penalizes our management team based on the level of financial success of our Company each year. Our financial performance in 2023 reinforces the view of our Compensation Committee and Board that our executive compensation program is achieving its desired objectives.
The Compensation Committee and the Board will continue to consider shareholders’ sentiments regarding our executive compensation program going forward. As part of that commitment, we have determined that our shareholders should vote on a “say-on-pay” proposal each year, consistent with the preference expressed by our shareholders most recently at our 2023 Annual Meeting. Our Board unanimously recommends that you vote “FOR” Proposal 2 at the Annual Meeting. See “Proposal 2 - Approval, on an Advisory Basis, of the Compensation of our Named Executive Officers” in this proxy statement. Our shareholders will once again have the opportunity to express a preference on the frequency of “say-on-pay” votes at our 2029 Annual Meeting.
Conclusions
Our Compensation Committee has considered all of the elements of compensation described above and the objective of each element in determining the total amount of current compensation for our named executive officers. The Compensation Committee also considered whether our compensation policies and practices promote or encourage unnecessary and excessive risks and concluded they do not. Our compensation practices, which provide a balanced mix of short- and long-term incentives and use multiple performance metrics, together with our securities trading policy’s prohibitions on hedging and pledging of our securities, our stock ownership and retention requirements and our clawback policy, mitigate excessive risk-taking by our named executive officers. In addition, the Compensation Committee considered the review and analysis of our executive compensation program conducted by Pearl Meyer, which helped the Compensation Committee make the aforementioned changes to various components of executive compensation and ultimately reaffirm the Company’s overall compensation strategy and approach. The Compensation Committee believes the amount of each element of pay and the total amount of compensation for each named executive officer are reasonable and appropriate in light of the officer’s experience and individual performance, our operational and financial performance relative to our own expectations and the industry, and the officer’s role in creating shareholder value. The
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Compensation Committee also believes that the program design continues to appropriately incentivize our executives and further strengthen the alignment of executive compensation with our strategic goals, performance, and long-term shareholder interests.
Compensation Committee Report
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has reviewed and discussed the above Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with our management. Based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to our Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 through incorporation by reference to this proxy statement.
Except for the Annual Report on Form 10-K described above, this Compensation Committee Report is not incorporated by reference into any of our previous or future filings with the SEC, unless such filing explicitly incorporates this report.
The Compensation Committee,
Leo H. Suggs (Chair)
John D. Kasarda, Ph.D.
Wendy T. Stallings
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Executive Compensation
Summary Compensation Table
The following table provides an overview of compensation earned by our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, our former Chief Executive Officer and our three other most highly compensated executive officers serving as of December 31, 2023 (collectively, our “named executive officers”).
Name and Principal |
Year |
Salary |
|
Stock |
|
|
Non-Equity |
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings |
All Other |
Total |
|
|||||||||||||||
Kevin M. Freeman |
2023 |
|
784,387 |
|
|
1,113,075 |
|
|
|
|
7,558,433 |
|
|
|
|
2,390 |
|
|
|
|
38,326 |
|
|
|
9,496,611 |
|
President and Chief |
2022 |
|
604,024 |
|
|
1,692,240 |
|
|
|
|
5,513,125 |
|
|
|
|
6,943 |
|
|
|
|
32,460 |
|
|
|
7,848,792 |
|
Executive Officer |
2021 |
|
583,168 |
|
|
1,488,187 |
|
|
|
|
4,165,267 |
|
|
|
|
4,601 |
|
|
|
|
25,546 |
|
|
|
6,266,769 |
|
Gregory B. Plemmons |
2023 |
|
568,682 |
|
|
762,767 |
|
|
|
|
4,012,039 |
|
|
|
|
809 |
|
|
|
|
31,877 |
|
|
|
5,376,174 |
|
Executive Vice President |
2022 |
|
495,619 |
|
|
928,521 |
|
|
|
|
3,307,875 |
|
|
|
|
1,578 |
|
|
|
|
33,232 |
|
|
|
4,766,825 |
|
and Chief Operating Officer |
2021 |
|
478,432 |
|
|
816,548 |
|
|
|
|
2,499,160 |
|
|
|
|
1,046 |
|
|
|
|
24,665 |
|
|
|
3,819,851 |
|
Adam N. Satterfield |
2023 |
|
576,909 |
|
|
941,023 |
|
|
|
|
4,555,292 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
46,023 |
|
|
|
6,119,247 |
|
|
Executive Vice President, |
2022 |
|
510,753 |
|
|
1,430,697 |
|
|
|
|
4,594,271 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
44,554 |
|
|
|
6,580,275 |
|
|
Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary |
2021 |
|
493,042 |
|
|
1,257,950 |
|
|
|
|
3,471,056 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
37,261 |
|
|
|
5,259,309 |
|
|
Ross H. Parr(5) |
2023 |