Quarterlytics / Industrials / Trucking / Marten Transport, Ltd. / FY2021 Annual Report

Marten Transport, Ltd.
Annual Report 2021

MRTN · NASDAQ Industrials
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Ticker MRTN
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Industrials
Industry Trucking
Employees 3776
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FY2021 Annual Report · Marten Transport, Ltd.
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MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD. 

2021 Annual Report

Who We Are

Marten  Transport,  Ltd .,  with  headquarters  in  Mondovi, 
Wisconsin,  strives  to  be  the  premier  supplier  of  time  and  tem-
perature-sensitive and dry transportation and distribution services 
to customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico . Our mul-
tifaceted business offers a network of truck-based transportation 
capabilities across our five distinct business platforms .

Truckload  –  regional  and  over-the-road  fleets,  both  tempera-
ture-controlled and dry van, operating from Marten’s 15 regional 
service centers .

Dedicated – customized solutions tailored to each individual cus-
tomer’s requirements utilizing refrigerated trailers, dry vans and 
other specialized equipment .

Intermodal  –  refrigerated  COFC  (container  on  flatcar)  and 
refrigerated TOFC (trailer on flatcar) services, providing the econ-
omies and energy efficiencies of long-haul rail transportation with 
extended door-to-door support from Marten’s truck network .

Brokerage – surge flexibility to supplement Marten’s capabilities 
through temperature-controlled and dry van services provided by 
smaller third-party carriers .

MRTN  de  México  –  industry-leading  door-to-door  tempera-
ture-controlled  service  between  Mexico,  the  U .S .  and  Canada 
utilizing our Mexican partner carriers within Mexico .

We  will  accomplish  our  mission  by  exceeding  the  expectations 
of our customers, employees, stockholders and society . We serve 
customers  with  demanding  delivery  deadlines,  as  well  as  those 
who  ship  products  requiring  modern  temperature-controlled 
trailers to protect goods .

Founded  in  1946,  we  have  been  a  public  company  since  1986 .  
Our  common  stock  trades  on  the  NASDAQ  Global  Select 
Market  under  the  symbol  MRTN .  At  December  31,  2021,  we 
employed  4,007  people,  including  drivers,  office  personnel  and 
mechanics .

Three-Year Financial Summary

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) 
FOR THE YEAR

Years ended December 31, 
2020 

2019

2021 

Operating revenue  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
Operating income  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
Net income  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
Operating ratio(1)  
  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

  $ 973,644 
 111,689 
  85,428 

$ 874,374 
  93,246 
  69,500 

$ 843,271 
  76,498 
  61,071 

88.5% 

89 .3% 

90 .9% 

PER-SHARE DATA(2) 
Basic earnings per common share  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .   $ 
Diluted earnings per common share  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
Dividends declared per common share   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
Book value  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  

1.03 
1.02 
 0.66 
7.85 

$ 

0 .84 
0 .84 
0 .633 
7 .50 

$ 

0 .75 
0 .74 
0 .513 
7 .28 

AT YEAR END

Total assets .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .   $ 870,690 
Long-term debt   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  
– 
 651,677 
Stockholders’ equity .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  

$ 831,636 
– 
 620,333 

$ 796,586
– 
 597,589 

(1) Represents operating expenses as a percentage of operating revenue .

(2)  The amounts for 2019 have been restated to reflect the three-for-two stock split effected in the form of a 50% stock 

dividend on August 13, 2020 . 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To Our Stockholders and Employees

Growth.  Consistent.  Best-ever.  These  are  words  that  we  have 
used to describe Marten’s year-over-year financial performance 
improvements  throughout  the  past  decade .  We’re  using  them 
again  this  year  to  describe  our  2021  performance,  and  they’ve 
never been more apt: Marten’s 2021 operating income was the 
highest in our history, up 19 .8% on top of increases of 21 .9% 
in 2020, 8 .7% in 2019 and 23 .7% in 2018 . Our 22 .9% increase 
in net income for 2021 was our fourth consecutive double-digit 
percentage  increase  in  annual  earnings,  excluding  a  deferred 
income taxes benefit in 2017 . 

We are particularly pleased to be able to report these results for 
a year in which the continuing pandemic’s impact on our oper-
ating environment was even more disruptive than in 2020, with 
the worst-ever national driver shortage growing even worse .  

Once again Marten was able to thrive through adversity .

Marten  faces  the  same  economic  and  marketplace  challenges 
as  every  other  trucking  company .  The  difference  for  Marten 
is  a  unique  business  model  in  the  hands  of  our  dedicated  and 
experienced people supporting the industry’s finest professional 
driver group . It is a model that has transformed Marten from 
a  leading  over-the-road  temperature-controlled  carrier  into  a 
national  network  of  truck-based  transportation  capabilities . 
It  is  a  multifaceted  approach  that  has  given  us  five  distinct 
yet  complementary  business  platforms:  Truckload,  Dedicated, 
Intermodal,  Brokerage  and  MRTN  de  México .  With  this 
model,  we  have  transitioned  from  a  centralized  business  plat-
form  to  a  decentralized  platform  operating  across  15  regional 
centers, while consistently producing profitable growth .

2021 Financial Results

Net  income  for  2021  was  $85 .4  million,  or  $1 .02  per  diluted 
share,  up  22 .9%  from  $69 .5  million,  or  84  cents  per  diluted 
share, for 2020 .

Operating revenue improved 11 .4% to a record $973 .6 million 
from  $874 .4  million  for  2020 .  Operating  revenue,  net  of  fuel 
surcharges,  improved  for  the  eleventh  consecutive  year,  rising 
8 .3% to $855 .9 million for 2021 from $790 .6 million for 2020 . 

Operating income improved 19 .8% to a record $111 .7 million 
for 2021 from $93 .2 million for 2020 . Our operating ratio (oper-
ating expenses as a percentage of operating revenue) improved 
to 88 .5% for 2021 from 89 .3% for 2020 . Our ratio, net of fuel 
surcharges, improved to 87 .0%, the best ratio for any year since 
we became a public company 35 years ago, from 88 .2% . 

Growing Network Strength

Each  of  our  five  business  platforms  contributed  to  Marten’s 
record  operating  revenue  for  2021—both  individually  and 
through  collaborative  interaction  made  possible  by  our  net-

Operating Results Comparison

Percentage Increase, Year Ended December 31,

2021 vs. 2020 

2020 vs. 2019 

2019 vs. 2018

Operating revenue 

11.4% 

3.7% 

7.1%

Operating revenue,
net of fuel surcharges 

Operating income 

Net income 

8.3% 

19.8% 

22.9% 

6.8% 

21.9% 

8.6%

8.7%

13.8% 

11.0%

work  of  regional  operating  centers .  The  aggregate  revenue  of 
Dedicated, Intermodal and Brokerage, our three most recently 
developed  reporting  segments,  passed  the  half-billion-dollar 
mark  in  2021—more  than  two  and  a  half  times  what  it  was 
when we began breaking out these results seven years ago . 

Truckload—Truckload  revenue  was  $396 .7  million,  a  4 .6% 
increase  from  $379 .1  million  for  2020 .  Excluding  fuel  sur-
charges, Truckload revenue was $346 .3 million, up 1 .1% from 
$342 .4 million for 2020 . Average revenue, net of fuel surcharg-
es,  per  tractor  per  week—a  main  measure  of  Truckload  asset 
productivity—improved by 9 .9% . Operating income was $51 .0 
million,  up  28 .7%  from  $39 .6  million  for  2020 .  The  2021 
Truckload operating ratio was 87 .1%, and the operating ratio, 
net of fuel surcharges, was 85 .3% . 

We’ve developed our regional service centers with a vision for 
expanding our Truckload operations into the much larger dry 
van  market .  And  we  are  doing  that .  Operating  profitably  out 
of our Kansas City, Phoenix, Atlanta and Tampa facilities, our 
emerging  dry  van  business  contributed  a  21%  year-over-year 
revenue increase in 2021 . We are broadening these operations 
in 2022 through our Dallas, Laredo and Otay Mesa facilities as 
we expand our dry van business into Mexico to complement our 
growing MRTN de México business .

Dedicated—Dedicated revenue increased 6 .3% to $329 .4 mil-
lion from $309 .8 million for 2020 . Excluding fuel surcharges, 
Dedicated  revenue  improved  2 .0%  to  $276 .9  million  from 
$271 .6 million for 2020 . Operating income was $36 .4 million, 
compared  with  $40 .9  million  for  2020 .  The  2021  Dedicated 
operating  ratio  was  89 .0%,  and  the  operating  ratio,  net  of 
fuel  surcharges,  was  86 .9% .  Marten’s  Dedicated  operations 
were honored by two prominent customers in 2021:  Grocery 
Dedicated  Carrier  of  the  Year  by  Walmart,  for  the  second 
consecutive  year,  and  Platinum  Carrier  of  the  Year  by  the 
Chemours  Company .  Walmart  credited  Marten  with  an 
on-time  delivery  rate  of  over  99 .7%  on  nearly  700,000  store 
deliveries .  The  Chemours  award,  which  recognizes  excellence 
in  transportation  of  specialty  chemicals,  singled  out  Marten 

MARTEN TRANSPORT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

 
 
for “showcasing reliability and dependability,” with more than 
a 99% on-time pick-up rate and exemplary communications . 

Intermodal—Intermodal  revenue  grew  by  15 .2%  to  $102 .2 
million  in  2021  from  $88 .7  million  for  2020 .  Excluding  fuel 
surcharges,  2021  Intermodal  revenue  was  $87 .5  million,  up 
9 .4% from $79 .9 million for 2020 . Operating income improved 
65 .4%  to  $9 .5  million  from  $5 .7  million  for  2020 .  The  2021 
Intermodal operating ratio was 90 .7%, and the operating ratio, 
net  of  fuel  surcharges,  was  89 .2% .  We  grew  our  Intermodal 
COFC (container on flatcar) resources  with  a  46 .4% increase 
in  containers  in  2021,  providing  a  much-needed  option  for 
customers dealing with the capacity shortage .

Brokerage—Brokerage  revenue  increased  by  50 .2%  to  $145 .3 
million  from  $96 .7  million  for  2020 .  Brokerage  operating 
income  was  $14 .8  million,  up  112 .1%  from  $7 .0  million  for 
2020 .  The  2021  Brokerage  operating  ratio  was  89 .8% .  The 
sharp rise in Brokerage revenue reflected our effort to provide 
additional capacity solutions to customers struggling with the 
driver and capacity shortage . 

Operating  within  our  Truckload  and  Brokerage  segments, 
another  profitable  component  of  Marten’s  vision  and  plan  is 
MRTN  de  México,  through  which  we  have  provided  indus-
try-leading  temperature-control  freight  solutions  utilizing  our 
Mexican partner carriers . Its 2021 revenue increased by 13 .5% 
to $68 .2 million from $60 .1 million for 2020 . 

Winning with Talent and Teamwork 

No  matter  how  well  conceived,  a  business  model  is  only  as 
good  as  the  people  who  execute  it .  And  that’s  where  Marten 
shines . The talent and teamwork of Marten’s people have never 
been  more  evident  than  they  were  during  the  second  year  of 
pandemic disruption in 2021—responding in real time to the 
swirling  levels  of  freight  demand,  staying  ahead  of  the  inten-
sifying  driver  shortage,  and  turning  aside  a  cyberattack  early 
in the fourth quarter . The flexibility designed into the Marten 
model explains part of our success in winning against challenges 
like these . Marten’s no-excuses, get-it-done culture takes care 
of the rest .

It’s  a  culture  focused  on  working  smart  and  hard  in  a  team 
effort  aimed  at  continuous  improvement . We  have  developed 
a data-driven mentality backed by an in-house, state-of-the-art 
information technology system that provides real-time visibility 
of the data needed for high-speed decision making .

Uncertainty  and  supply  chain  disruptions  rattled  the  trans-
portation  industry  in  2021—even  more  than  in  2020 .  The 
amount  of  freight  that  needed  to  be  moved  over  the  road  far 
outstripped  the  number  of  available  drivers,  an  economically 
painful  impact  of  a  driver  shortage  now  growing  ominously 
acute . No carrier is immune, though Marten has built a clear 
competitive  advantage  in  recruiting  and  retaining  top  driv-
ers  through  industry-leading  improvements  in  compensation, 
benefits, safety and technology . We have heightened and will 
continue  to  heighten  our  emphasis  on  structurally  improving 
our drivers’ jobs and work-life balance by collaborating with our 
customers . Unlike the other major carriers, we only hire expe-
rienced drivers . Marten’s customers are not serviced by trainees 
learning on the job . 

Reflecting  the  continuing  development  of  our  executive  lead-
ership,  in  2021  our  Board  of  Directors  appointed  Tim  Kohl 
as Chief Executive Officer, and then appointed Doug Petit to 
succeed  Mr .  Kohl  as  President .    Mr .  Kohl  had  served  as  our 
President since 2008 .  Mr . Petit had been our Chief Operating 
Officer  since  2019  after  serving  for  five  years  as  Senior  Vice 
President of Operations .  After serving as our Chief Executive 
Officer since 2005, I now serve as Marten’s Executive Chairman 
of the Board .

For more than a decade, consistent profitable growth has been 
the hallmark of Marten’s financial performance and a measure 
of  our  business  model’s  effectiveness .  The  consistency—illus-
trated  by  the  last  four  consecutive  years  of  record  operating 
revenue  and  operating  profit—has  taken  us  through  the  pan-
demic  and  driver  shortage  with  a  continued  long-term  focus 
on the growth of each of our businesses . We are confident that 
our  bright  and  determined  people  will  continue  to  produce 
consistent profitable growth—with the best-ever yet to come .

Sincerely,

Randolph L . Marten 
Executive Chairman of the Board  

February 14, 2022

This  Annual  Report  contains  forward-looking  statements  that  involve  risks  and 
uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from those projected. Please 
refer to the “Risk Factors” section in Item 1A of the attached Form 10-K.

MARTEN TRANSPORT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Corporate Information

Corporate Headquarters

129 Marten Street
Mondovi, Wisconsin 54755
Telephone: (715) 926-4216
Fax: (715) 926-4530
www .marten .com

Stockholder Information

Additional copies of our 2021 Annual Report on Form 
10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
are available by writing to James J . Hinnendael, executive 
vice president and chief financial officer, at our corporate 
headquarters .

Annual Meeting

Stockholders, employees and friends may attend our annual 
meeting on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at 3:00 p .m . at the Roger 
Marten Community Center, 120 South Franklin Street, 
Mondovi, Wisconsin .

Stock Listing

NASDAQ Global Select Market symbol: MRTN

Legal Counsel

Fox Rothschild LLP 
Campbell Mithun Tower – Suite 2000 
222 South Ninth Street 
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Grant Thornton LLP
200 South Sixth Street, Suite 1400 
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

Computershare Shareowner Services 

Stockholder correspondence mailing address: 
P .O . Box 505000 
Louisville, Kentucky 40233 

Overnight correspondence address: 
462 South 4th Street, Suite 1600
Louisville, Kentucky 40202 

Telephone: (866) 637-5412 
TDD: (800) 231-5469 
Foreign: (201) 680-6578 
www .computershare .com/investor 

Stockholder online inquiries: 
www-us .computershare .com/investor/contact 

Direct communications about stock certificates or a change 
of address to Computershare Shareowner Services .

MARTEN TRANSPORT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Executive Officers and Directors

Randolph L. Marten
Executive Chairman of the Board and Director

Timothy M. Kohl
Chief Executive Officer

Douglas P. Petit
President

James J. Hinnendael
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 

John H. Turner
Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Patrick J. Pazderka
Secretary
Partner,
Fox Rothschild LLP 
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Larry B. Hagness
Director
Chief Executive Officer, 
Durand Builders Service, Inc .
Durand, Wisconsin

Thomas J. Winkel
Director
Management Consultant
Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Jerry M. Bauer
Director
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, 
Bauer Built, Inc . 
Durand, Wisconsin 

Robert L. Demorest
Director
Business Consultant and Retired President,
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board,
MOCON, Inc .
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Ronald R. Booth
Director
Retired Partner,
KPMG LLP
Dellwood, Minnesota 

Kathleen P. Iverson
Director
Retired President, Chief Executive Officer and  
Chairman of the Board, 
CyberOptics Corporation 
Chanhassen, Minnesota 

The 2021 Annual Report is printed on recycled paper.

MARTEN TRANSPORT 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD.  129 MARTEN STREET   MONDOVI, WISCONSIN 54755   TELEPHONE: (715) 926-4216   FAX: (715) 926-4530   www.marten.com