GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.4
GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
THIS GUARANTEE AGREEMENT, dated as of September 29, 2006, is entered into by J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES, INC. (the Guarantor) and SUNTRUST BANK, a Georgia banking corporation as administrative agent (the Administrative Agent) for the Lenders (as defined in the Credit Agreement referred to below).
A. Reference is made to the Term Loan Agreement dated as of September 29, 2006 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Credit Agreement), among the Borrower, the lenders from time to time party thereto (the Lenders) and SunTrust Bank, as Administrative Agent for the Lenders, and a Lender. Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement.
B. The Lenders have agreed to make Loans to the Borrower pursuant to, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions specified in, the Credit Agreement. The Guarantor is the parent of the Borrower and acknowledges that it will derive substantial benefit from the making of the Loans by the Lenders. The obligations of the Lenders to make the Loans are conditioned on, among other things, the execution and delivery by the Guarantor of this Guarantee Agreement. As consideration therefore and in order to induce the Lenders to make the Loans, the Guarantor is willing to execute this Guarantee Agreement.
Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Guarantee. The Guarantor unconditionally guarantees, as a primary obligor and not merely as a surety, (a) the due and punctual payment of (i) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest (including interest accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) on the Loans, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise, and (ii) all other monetary obligations, including fees, costs, expenses and indemnities, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), of the Loan Parties to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (b) the due and punctual performance of all covenants, agreements, obligations and liabilities of the Loan Parties under or pursuant to the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents; and (c) the due and punctual payment and performance of all obligations of the Borrower, monetary or otherwise, under each Hedging Agreement entered into with a counterparty that was a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender at the time such Hedging Agreement was entered into (all the monetary and other obligations referred to in the preceding clauses (a) through (c) being collectively called the Obligations). The Guarantor further agrees that the Obligations may be extended or renewed, in whole or in part, without notice to or further assent from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding any extension or renewal of any Obligation.
SECTION 2. Obligations Not Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Guarantor waives presentment to, demand of payment from and protest to the Borrower of any of the Obligations, and also waives notice of acceptance of its guarantee and notice of protest for nonpayment. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be affected by (a) the failure of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce or exercise any right or remedy against the Borrower or any other Guarantor under the provisions of the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or otherwise, (b) any rescission, waiver, amendment or modification of, or any release from any of the terms or provisions of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document, any Guarantee or any other agreement, including with respect to any other Guarantor under this Agreement, or (c) the failure to perfect any security interest in, or the release of, any of the security held by or on behalf of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.
SECTION 3. Guarantee of Payment. The Guarantor further agrees that its guarantee constitutes a guarantee of payment when due and not of collection, and waives any right to require that any resort be had by the Administrative Agent or any Lender to any of the security held for payment of the Obligations or to any balance of any deposit account or credit on the books of the Administrative Agent or any Lender in favor of the Borrower or any other person.
SECTION 4. No Discharge or Diminishment of Guarantee. The obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason (other than the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Obligations), including any claim of waiver, release, surrender, alteration or compromise of any of the Obligations, and shall not be subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination whatsoever by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of the Obligations or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder shall not be discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by the failure of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy under the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, by any waiver or modification of any provision of any thereof, by any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the performance of the Obligations, or by any other act or omission that may or might in any manner or to the extent vary the risk of the Guarantor or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of the Guarantor as a matter of law or equity (other than the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all the Obligations).
SECTION 5. Defenses of Borrower Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or the unenforceability of the Obligations or any part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower, other than the final and indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Obligations. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders may, at their election, foreclose on any security held by one or more of them by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such security in lieu of foreclosure, compromise or adjust any part of the Obligations, make any other accommodation with the Borrower or any other guarantor, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of the Guarantor hereunder except to the extent the Obligations have been fully, finally and indefeasibly paid in cash.
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Pursuant to applicable law, the Guarantor waives any defense arising out of any such election even though such election operates, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or to extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of the Guarantor against the Borrower or any other Guarantor or guarantor, as the case may be, or any security.
SECTION 6. Agreement to Pay; Subordination. In furtherance of the foregoing and not in limitation of any other right that the Administrative Agent or any Lender has at law or in equity against the Guarantor by virtue hereof, upon the failure of the Borrower or any other Loan Party to pay any Obligation when and as the same shall become due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, after notice of prepayment or otherwise, the Guarantor hereby promises to and will forthwith pay, or cause to be paid, to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders in cash the amount of such unpaid Obligations. Upon payment by the Guarantor of any sums to the Administrative Agent, all rights of the Guarantor against the Borrower arising as a result thereof by way of right of subrogation, contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or otherwise shall in all respects be subordinate and junior in right of payment to the prior indefeasible payment in full in cash of all the Obligations. In addition, any indebtedness of the Borrower now or hereafter held by the Guarantor is hereby subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full in cash of the Obligations. If any amount shall erroneously be paid to the Guarantor on account of (i) such subrogation, contribution, reimbursement, indemnity or similar right or (ii) any such indebtedness of the Borrower, such amount shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and shall forthwith be paid to the Administrative Agent to be credited against the payment of the Obligations, whether matured or unmatured, in accordance with the terms of the Loan Documents.
SECTION 7. Information. The Guarantor assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of the Borrowers financial condition and assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that the Guarantor assumes and incurs hereunder, and agrees that none of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders will have any duty to advise the Guarantor of information known to it or any of them regarding such circumstances or risks.
SECTION 8. Representations and Warranties. The Guarantor represents and warrants as to itself that all representations and warranties relating to it (as the parent of the Borrower) contained in the Credit Agreement are true and correct.
SECTION 9. Termination. The guarantees made hereunder (a) shall terminate when all the Obligations have been paid in full in cash and the Lenders have no further commitment to lend under the Credit Agreement, and (b) shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored by any Lender or any Guarantor upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, any Guarantor or otherwise. In connection with the foregoing, the Administrative Agent shall execute and deliver to the Guarantor or Guarantors designee, at the Guarantors expense, any documents or instruments which the Guarantor shall reasonably request from time to time to evidence such termination and release.
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SECTION 10. Binding Effect; Several Agreement; Assignments. Whenever in this Agreement any of the parties hereto is referred to, such reference shall be deemed to include the permitted successors and assigns of such party; and all covenants, promises and agreements by or on behalf of the Guarantor that is contained in this Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of each party hereto and their respective successors and assigns. This Agreement shall become effective as to the Guarantor when a counterpart hereof executed on behalf of the Guarantor shall have been delivered to the Administrative Agent, and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on behalf of the Administrative Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon the Guarantor and the Administrative Agent and their respective successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of the Guarantor, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and their respective successors and assigns, except that Guarantor shall not have the right to assign its rights or obligations hereunder or any interest herein (and any such attempted assignment shall be void). If all of the capital stock (or membership interest, as the case may be) of Guarantor is sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of pursuant to a transaction permitted by the Credit Agreement, the Guarantor shall be released from its obligations under this Agreement without further action.
SECTION 11. Waivers; Amendment.
(a) No failure or delay of the Administrative Agent in exercising any power or right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights of the Administrative Agent hereunder and of the Lenders under the other Loan Documents are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or consent to any departure by Guarantor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) below, and then such waiver and consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. No notice or demand on the Guarantor in any case shall entitle Guarantor to any other or further notice in similar or other circumstances.
(b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to a written agreement entered into between the Guarantor with respect to which such waiver, amendment or modification relates and the Administrative Agent, with the prior written consent of the Required Lenders (except as otherwise provided in the Credit Agreement).
SECTION 12. Governing Law. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE.
SECTION 13. Notices. All communications and notices hereunder shall be in writing and given as provided in Section 10.1 of the Credit Agreement. All communications and notices hereunder to each Guarantor shall be given to it at its address set forth on Schedule I attached hereto.
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SECTION 14. Survival of Agreement: Severability.
(a) All covenants, agreements representations and warranties made by the Guarantors herein and in the certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or the other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and shall survive the making by the Lenders of the Loans regardless of any investigation made by any of them or on their behalf, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on the Loans or any other fee or amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is outstanding and unpaid.
(b) In the event one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document should be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein and therein shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby (it being understood that the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not in and of itself affect the validity of such provision in any other jurisdiction). The parties shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.
SECTION 15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract (subject to Section 10), and shall become effective as provided in Section 10. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Agreement by facsimile transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
SECTION 16. Rules of Interpretation. The rules of interpretation specified in Section 1.3 of the Credit Agreement shall be applicable to this Agreement.
SECTION 17. Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process.
(a) The Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of the Chancery Court in Davidson County, Tennessee or Federal court of the United States of America sitting in the Middle District of Tennessee, and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the other Loan Documents, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such Tennessee state court or, to the extent permitted by law, in such federal court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement
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or the other Loan Documents against the Guarantor or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(b) The Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the other Loan Documents in any Tennessee state or federal court. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(c) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 13. Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 18. Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS. EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS, AS APPLICABLE, BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 18.
SECTION 19. Affirmative Covenants; Negative Covenants; Financial Covenants. All of the provisions of Article V, Article VI and Article VII of the Credit Agreement are by this reference incorporated herein as if set forth in full herein, and the Guarantor agrees and covenants that all of the provisions of such Articles V, VI and VII are applicable to it. Any and all references to the Borrower in such Articles V, VI and VII are and shall be deemed to be references to the Guarantor.
SECTION 20. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held and other Indebtedness at any time owing by such Lender or the Issuing Bank to or for the credit or the account of the Guarantor against any or all the obligations of Guarantor now or hereafter existing under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents held by such Lender, irrespective of whether or not such Person shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations may be unmatured. The rights of each Lender under this Section 20 are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) which such Lender may have.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
| J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES, | ||||
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| By: | /s/ Kirk Thompson |
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| Name | Kirk Thompson |
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| Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
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| SUNTRUST BANK, as Administrative | ||||
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| By: | /s/ William H. Crawford |
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| Name | William H. Crawford |
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| Title: | Director |
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