FTC stamps approval on Knight-Swift merger

user-gravatar Headshot
Updated May 8, 2017
The merger deal between the two carriers — two of the country’s largest truckload firms — is expected to close sometime this summer.The merger deal between the two carriers — two of the country’s largest truckload firms — is expected to close sometime this summer.

The Federal Trade Commission announced May 1 it has granted approval to the merger of two of the country’s largest truckload carriers, Knight Transportation (No. 24, CCJ Top 250)and Swift Transportation (No. 4). The merger, which will create a truckload giant made up of about 30,000 power units, was announced last month, with the deal expected to close sometime this summer.

The two Phoenix-based companies were required by federal law to file documents with the FTC and the Department of Justice to provide details about the merger. The FTC and DOJ are required to approve such deals before they close. A May 1 notice posted to the FTC’s website clears the Knight-Swift deal for closure. The SEC must also stamp its approval on the merger before the two companies can close, among a few other obligatory procedural steps.

Once the companies merge, the newly formed Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings should generate annual revenue upwards of $5 billion. The companies say they intend to remain separate entities and will simply share owners. Swift CEO Richard Stocking and Swift CFO Ginnie Henkley will part ways with the company once the merger is complete, but few other personnel changes are likely to occur, analyst Brad Delco of Stephens, Inc., told CCJ last month.