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SEC Company Response from PAM TRANSPORTATION SERVICES INC (PTSI) (CIK 0000798287) (PAMT) — Jun 2, 2005

PAM TRANSPORTATION SERVICES INC (PTSI) (CIK 0000798287)
Date: June 2, 2005 · CIK: 0000798287 · Accession: 0000798287-05-000023

AI Filing Summary & Sentiment

Referenced dates: March 31, 2005

Date
June 01, 2005
Author
/S/ Larry J. Goddard
Form
CORRESP
Company
PAM TRANSPORTATION SERVICES INC (PTSI) (CIK 0000798287)

Letter

RE: P.A.M. Transportation Services, Inc. (the "Company") Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 File No. 0-15057

June 01, 2005

Jean Yu Staff Accountant United States Securities and Exchange Commission 450 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20549

NOTE 1 - ACCOUNTING POLICIES ---------------------------- - REVENUE RECOGNITION, PAGE 36 ------------------------------

1. WE NOTE YOUR RESPONSE TO OUR PRIOR COMMENT NUMBER THREE. PLEASE CLARIFY YOUR REVENUE RECOGNITION POLICY IN FUTURE FILINGS TO SPECIFICALLY STATE THAT EXPENSES RELATED TO FREIGHT IN TRANSIT AT THE END OF A REPORTING PERIOD ARE RECOGNIZED AS INCURRED.

RESPONSE -------- The disclosure regarding revenue recognition was changed in the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2005 to read as follows:

"Revenue Recognition. Revenue is recognized in full upon completion of delivery to the receiver's location. For freight in transit at the end of a reporting period, the Company recognizes revenue prorata based on relative transit miles completed as a portion of the estimated total transit miles. Expenses are recognized as incurred."

NOTE 18 - ACQUISITIONS, PAGE 50 -------------------------------

2. WE NOTE YOUR RESPONSE TO PRIOR COMMENT NUMBER SIX AND THE REASONS WHY YOU BELIEVE THAT INTANGIBLE ASSETS WHICH REQUIRE RECOGNITION APART FROM GOODWILL DID NOT EXIST AT THE TIME OF ACQUISITION. REFERENCE IS MADE YOUR RESPONSE REGARDING CUSTOMER BASE. WE NOTE THAT YOU DETERMINED THAT THE CUSTOMER BASE ACQUIRED IN CONNECTION WITH THE ACQUISITION OF EAST COAST TRANSPORT, INC. DID NOT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR RECOGNITION APART FROM GOODWILL BASED UPON THE GUIDANCE OUTLINED IN PARAGRAPH B165 OF SFAS NO. 141, WHICH IS ALSO PREMISED ON THE VIEW THAT A CUSTOMER BASE IS A GROUP OF CUSTOMERS THAT ARE NOT KNOWN OR IDENTIFIABLE TO THE ENTITY (SUCH AS CUSTOMERS OF A FAST-FOOD FRANCHISE). WE NOTE ALTHOUGH THE CUSTOMERS ARE NOT BOUND BY CONTRACTS, EACH CUSTOMER ORDER IS NEGOTIATED INDIVIDUALLY WHICH APPEARS TO INDICATE THAT THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS REQUIRES THE CUSTOMER TO BE KNOWN AND IDENTIFIABLE. THIS IS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY THE FACT THAT YOU ALSO ACQUIRED A CUSTOMER LIST AS PART OF THE ACQUISITION. IN THIS REGARD, PLEASE TELL US HOW YOU CONSIDERED THESE FACTORS IN DETERMINING WHETHER CUSTOMER-RELATED INTANGIBLE ASSETS (I.E. NON-CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS) SEPARATE FROM GOODWILL EXISTED AT THE TIME OF ACQUISITION. WE MAY HAVE FURTHER COMMENT UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR RESPONSE.

RESPONSE --------

CUSTOMER LIST -------------

In our response to the SEC Comment Letter dated March 31, 2005 we discussed an electronic customer list acquired with the assets of East Coast Transport, Inc. ("East Coast"). This discussion noted that the acquired list is strictly confidential and would not be sold, leased, or otherwise exchanged with an external entity and was therefore dismissed from consideration for separation from goodwill. This response was specific to our consideration of the customer list and was based on SFAS 141, paragraph A18.

The acquired customer list consisted of a database master record for every customer for which East Coast had performed services during the period of time between their installation of the pre-acquisition software system and their purchase by the Company. This master record, as well as the software, were not utilized by East Coast post acquisition, and had no value to the Company. None of the pre-acquisition records, computerized or paper, were migrated to the post-acquisition system. The pre-acquisition system, including the customer list, was abandoned at acquisition.

You request that we discuss our consideration of customer base as an intangible asset apart from goodwill further, as these customers are known and identifiable to us, as is supported by the acquired customer list. Additional considerations surrounding customer relationships and related customer base is provided below.

CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS ----------------------------------

The Company utilized the guidance of SFAS 141, as well as, EITF No. 02-17 to determine the possible existence of contractual customer relationships and found that the nature of the services provided by East Coast do not result in agreements that might be interpreted to represent contractual relationships, such as supplier contracts, service contracts, or purchase orders. Services generally result from a verbal communication between East Coast and a potential customer on an as needed basis when the customer determines that it will utilize the services of East Coast. A backlog of customer orders for transportation did not exist and was not acquired with the assets of East Coast.

<PAGE>

NON-CONTRACTUALCUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS -------------------------------------

The Company initially began its evaluation of customer relationships by breaking down the criteria for recognition of intangible assets apart from goodwill.

Separability ------------ The second sentence in SFAS 141, paragraph 39 provides,

"If an intangible asset does not arise from contractual or other legal rights, it shall be recognized as an asset apart from goodwill only if separable, that is, it is capable of being separated or divided from the acquired entity and sold, transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged (regardless of whether there is an intent to do so.)

In our evaluation of separability, we considered the following circumstances:

CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS ----------------------------------

East Coast had no contracts with customers.

NON-CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS --------------------------------------

The Company initially began its evaluation of customer relationships by breaking down the criteria for recognition of intangible assets apart from goodwill.

Separability ------------ The second sentence in SFAS 141, paragraph 39 provides,

"If an intangible asset does not arise from contractual or other legal rights, it shall be recognized as an asset apart from goodwill only if separable, that is, it is capable of being separated or divided from the acquired entity and sold, transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged (regardless of whether there is an intent to do so.)

In our evaluation of separability, we considered the following circumstances:

-- Capable of being separated - - The customer relationships that existed at acquisition date were the result of the historical market experience of the customer base. There is virtually no allegiance of customers to a particular transportation broker, and repeat business typically results from the expertise of the company in being able to provide the required service at a lower price than competition in the market (both transportation brokers and trucking companies). - While some customers utilized the services of East Coast on a recurring basis, others used their services based on factors such as: - Supplemental use of East Coast Transport, Inc. while negotiating contracts with long term carriers or brokers - Transportation needs surpassing the service capacity of traditional or contractual carriers/brokers - To take advantage of short term market price declines over agreed upon rate obligations with contracted carriers/brokers - Seasonal transportation requirements that do not provide the customer leverage to negotiate long term contracts with permanent carriers/brokers - Non-recurring transportation needs - Recurring customers that provided a substantial portion of the total pre-acquisition revenue of East Coast Transport, Inc. existed, but in interviews with the previous owner of East Coast Transport, Inc., the composition of this group, and the revenue individually from each, historically fluctuated from very little or no sales in some periods to greater usage in other periods based on the criterion in the preceding bullet paragraph, rendering little confidence on the part of East Coast or the Company as to assurance of future service provision or cash flows from each with an acceptable degree of confidence.

-- and sold, transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged (regardless of intent to do so)

<PAGE>

- Recurring business relationships of East Coast Transport, Inc. resulted from their ability to provide the required transportation services to the satisfaction of the customer based on such criteria as price, on time pickup and delivery, convenience, and delivery of product without damage - Each customer shops prices to obtain the most competitive price available in the market for particular shipments, with price and the service elements mentioned above being the primary reason for selection of East Coast

Although the Company concluded the absence of any seperability criteria for the customer base, as an additional consideration the Company examined the valuation of the non-contractual customer relationships, assuming the seperability criteria were to be met. East Coast's historical operating activity employs agents who take calls from entities (shippers) who have a product at a location and need to have it moved to another location. Shippers want to get their product to the destination as economically and timely as possible. They have no preference as to which carrier ships the load or what broker they use to facilitate the movement - they simply want it to be cost effective and timely. In this regard, the broker becomes only a contact point - one who facilitates the cost effective/timely goal - to get the shipper's product moved. There is no contract created, no purchase order completed; only a verbal communication to the shipper specifying the price the shipper will pay East Coast and another verbal communication to the selected trucker indicating the amount East Coast will pay the trucker for delivery of the shipper's product accompanied by location and destination information. The shipper may or may not ever call East Coast again. Thus the nature of East Coast's business - non-contractual and price/time sensitive coupled with the absence of customer loyalty - makes any intangible of value the intangible represented by an assembled workforce.

Conclusion ----------

Based on the above considerations, we concluded that the acquired non-contractual customer relationships were not capable of being separated and could not be sold, transferred, licensed, rented or exchanged, even if the intent to do so were assumed to exist.

Unlike the example provided in SFAS 141, paragraph A21 regarding a commonly exchanged item such as deposit accounts, sales, transfers, rental, or exchanges of transportation customer relationships had not occurred in the history of East Coast and is not common in the industry.

We conclude that the nature of the customer relationships acquired represent characteristics that are more consistent with the SFAS 141, paragraph B102, component three regarding core goodwill provided by the combination of existing assets (predominantly the workforce in place) that exist within the acquired company. We also believe that component four regarding expected synergies gained through the acquisition is very applicable and will only strengthen East Coast's ability to attract customers (both recurring and new).

3. WE NOTE YOUR RESPONSE REGARDING BROKERAGE AGENTS. PLEASE SUPPLEMENTALLY EXPLAIN IN FURTHER DETAIL WHY YOU BELIEVE YOUR AGENT RELATIONSHIPS REPRESENT WORKFORCE IN PLACE.

<PAGE>

TELL US THE RELEVANT GUIDANCE WHICH SUPPORTS YOUR POSITION. FURTHER, YOU DISCLOSE THAT DUE TO THE OPEN NATURE OF THE AGREEMENTS WHICH ALLOW FOR TERMINATION WITHOUT PENALTY OR INDEFINITE EXTENSION MADE THE ESTIMATION OF A USEFUL LIFE EXTREMELY UNCERTAIN. HOWEVER, PARAGRAPH B174 OF SFAS NO. 141 STATES THAT A PRESENT VALUE TECHNIQUE MIGHT OFTEN BE THE BEST AVAILABLE TECHNIQUE TO ESTIMATE THE FAIR VALUE OF AN ACQUIRED INTANGIBLE ASSET, AND SUCH TECHNIQUE REQUIRES JUDGMENT IN ESTIMATING THE PERIOD AND AMOUNT OF EXPECTED CASH FLOWS WHICH INCORPORATES ASSUMPTIONS SUCH AS FUTURE CONTRACT RENEWALS AND OTHER BENEFITS THAT MIGHT RESULT IN ACQUISITION RELATED SYNERGIES. IT ALSO STATES THAT PAST HISTORY OFTEN PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT THE CONTRACTS OR RIGHTS ARE GENERALLY RENEWED WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL COST AND EFFORT. TELL US HOW YOU CONSIDERED PARAGRAPH B174 OF SFAS NO.141 IN DETERMINING WHETHER AN INTANGIBLE ASSET SEPARATE FROM GOODWILL SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED FOR CONTRACTS WITH SUCH BROKERAGE AGENTS. WE MAY HAVE FURTHER COMMENT UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR RESPONSE.

RESPONSE --------

Contractual or Legal -------------------- The first sentence in SFAS 141, paragraph 39 provides,

"An intangible asset shall be recognized as an asset apart from goodwill if it arises from contractual or other legal rights "

There were no agreements with brokerage agents prior to the acquisition of East Coast. Brokerage agreements were put into place at the request of the agents as a result of the acquisition to protect the agents who were concerned that the change of ownership of East Coast might cause changes in the relationship between the agents and East Coast. The relationships with the East Coast brokerage agents generally have termination clauses permitting the agent under written agreement to terminate the agreement upon 90 days notice to East Coast. Additionally, the agreements protect the agent by specifying the income he or she is to receive based on the revenue earned for the Company. Much of the business of East Coast is conducted by employees that perform the same service as the agents. Consequently, the contracts with the agents have little value, and certainly no long-term value, to the Company beyond a normal assembled workforce arrangement.

Conclusion ---------- Based on the absence of any contractual relationships prior to acquisition, and the terms of the subsequent agreements only requiring an agent to stay for a period of 90 days and the uncertainty of the fair value of replacement cost of agents, cost to hire and train and related intellectual capital, we concluded that the East Coast agents represented assembled workforce in place and should be included in the amount initially recorded in goodwill.

SCHEDULE 14A PROXY STATEMENT ---------------------------- COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION -----------------------------------------------------------

4. THE DISCUSSION ON PAGE 7 OF YOUR SCHEDULE 14A PROXY STATEMENT REGARDING TRANSACTIONS WITH CERTAIN ENTITIES AFFILIATED WITH YOUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS IS INCONSISTENT WITH THAT PROVIDED

<PAGE>

IN NOTE 7 TO YOUR AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. IN FUTURE FILINGS, PLEASE RECONCILE AND REVISE THESE DISCLOSURES

Response --------

Future disclosures regarding related party transactions will be reconciled, and consistent.

Respectfully,
/S/ Larry J. Goddard
--------------------

Show Raw Text
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>CORRESP
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>filename1.txt
<TEXT>

                                                                   June 01, 2005

Jean Yu
Staff Accountant
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549

RE:  P.A.M. Transportation Services, Inc. (the "Company")
     Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004
     File No. 0-15057

NOTE 1 - ACCOUNTING POLICIES
----------------------------
- REVENUE RECOGNITION, PAGE 36
------------------------------

1.     WE  NOTE YOUR RESPONSE TO OUR PRIOR COMMENT NUMBER THREE.  PLEASE CLARIFY
YOUR  REVENUE  RECOGNITION  POLICY  IN FUTURE FILINGS TO SPECIFICALLY STATE THAT
EXPENSES  RELATED  TO  FREIGHT  IN  TRANSIT AT THE END OF A REPORTING PERIOD ARE
RECOGNIZED AS INCURRED.

RESPONSE
--------
The  disclosure  regarding  revenue recognition was changed in the Form 10-Q for
the quarter ended March 31, 2005 to read as follows:

"Revenue  Recognition. Revenue is recognized in full upon completion of delivery
to  the  receiver's  location.  For freight in transit at the end of a reporting
period,  the  Company recognizes revenue prorata based on relative transit miles
completed  as  a  portion  of  the  estimated  total transit miles. Expenses are
recognized as incurred."

NOTE 18 - ACQUISITIONS, PAGE 50
-------------------------------

2.     WE NOTE YOUR RESPONSE TO PRIOR COMMENT NUMBER SIX AND THE REASONS WHY YOU
BELIEVE THAT INTANGIBLE ASSETS WHICH REQUIRE RECOGNITION APART FROM GOODWILL DID
NOT  EXIST AT THE TIME OF ACQUISITION. REFERENCE IS MADE YOUR RESPONSE REGARDING
CUSTOMER  BASE.  WE  NOTE THAT YOU DETERMINED THAT THE CUSTOMER BASE ACQUIRED IN
CONNECTION  WITH  THE ACQUISITION OF EAST COAST TRANSPORT, INC. DID NOT MEET THE
CRITERIA FOR RECOGNITION APART FROM GOODWILL BASED UPON THE GUIDANCE OUTLINED IN
PARAGRAPH  B165  OF  SFAS  NO.  141,  WHICH  IS ALSO PREMISED ON THE VIEW THAT A
CUSTOMER  BASE IS A GROUP OF CUSTOMERS THAT ARE NOT KNOWN OR IDENTIFIABLE TO THE
ENTITY  (SUCH  AS  CUSTOMERS  OF  A  FAST-FOOD  FRANCHISE). WE NOTE ALTHOUGH THE
CUSTOMERS  ARE  NOT  BOUND  BY  CONTRACTS,  EACH  CUSTOMER  ORDER  IS NEGOTIATED
INDIVIDUALLY  WHICH APPEARS TO INDICATE THAT THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS REQUIRES
THE CUSTOMER TO BE KNOWN AND IDENTIFIABLE. THIS IS FURTHER SUPPORTED BY THE FACT
THAT  YOU  ALSO  ACQUIRED  A  CUSTOMER  LIST AS PART OF THE ACQUISITION. IN THIS
REGARD,  PLEASE  TELL US HOW YOU CONSIDERED THESE FACTORS IN DETERMINING WHETHER
CUSTOMER-RELATED INTANGIBLE ASSETS (I.E. NON-CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS)
SEPARATE  FROM  GOODWILL EXISTED AT THE TIME OF ACQUISITION. WE MAY HAVE FURTHER
COMMENT UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR RESPONSE.

RESPONSE
--------

CUSTOMER LIST
-------------

In  our  response to the SEC Comment Letter dated March 31, 2005 we discussed an
electronic  customer list acquired with the assets of East Coast Transport, Inc.
("East  Coast").  This  discussion  noted  that  the  acquired  list is strictly
confidential  and  would  not  be  sold,  leased, or otherwise exchanged with an
external  entity  and  was therefore dismissed from consideration for separation
from  goodwill.  This response was specific to our consideration of the customer
list and was based on SFAS 141, paragraph A18.

The  acquired  customer  list  consisted  of  a database master record for every
customer  for  which East Coast had performed services during the period of time
between  their  installation  of  the  pre-acquisition software system and their
purchase  by the Company.  This master record, as well as the software, were not
utilized  by East Coast post acquisition, and had no value to the Company.  None
of  the  pre-acquisition  records,  computerized  or paper, were migrated to the
post-acquisition  system.  The  pre-acquisition  system,  including the customer
list, was abandoned at acquisition.

You  request that we discuss our consideration of customer base as an intangible
asset apart from goodwill further, as these customers are known and identifiable
to us, as is supported by the acquired customer list.  Additional considerations
surrounding  customer relationships and related customer base is provided below.

CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
----------------------------------

The  Company  utilized  the  guidance of SFAS 141, as well as, EITF No. 02-17 to
determine the possible existence of contractual customer relationships and found
that  the  nature  of  the  services  provided  by  East  Coast do not result in
agreements  that  might  be  interpreted to represent contractual relationships,
such  as  supplier  contracts,  service contracts, or purchase orders.  Services
generally  result from a verbal communication between East Coast and a potential
customer on an as needed basis when the customer determines that it will utilize
the services of East Coast.  A backlog of customer orders for transportation did
not exist and was not acquired with the assets of East Coast.

                                        2
<PAGE>

NON-CONTRACTUALCUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
-------------------------------------

The Company initially began its evaluation of customer relationships by breaking
down  the  criteria  for  recognition  of intangible assets apart from goodwill.

Separability
------------
The second sentence in SFAS 141, paragraph 39 provides,

"If an intangible asset does not arise from contractual or other legal rights,
it  shall  be recognized as an asset apart from goodwill only if separable, that
is,  it  is  capable  of being separated or divided from the acquired entity and
sold,  transferred,  licensed, rented, or exchanged (regardless of whether there
is an intent to do so.)

In our evaluation of separability, we considered the following circumstances:

CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
----------------------------------

East Coast had no contracts with customers.

NON-CONTRACTUAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
--------------------------------------

The Company initially began its evaluation of customer relationships by breaking
down the criteria for recognition of intangible assets apart from goodwill.

Separability
------------
The second sentence in SFAS 141, paragraph 39 provides,

"If  an  intangible asset does not arise from contractual or other legal rights,
it  shall  be recognized as an asset apart from goodwill only if separable, that
is,  it  is  capable  of being separated or divided from the acquired entity and
sold,  transferred,  licensed, rented, or exchanged (regardless of whether there
is an intent to do so.)

In our evaluation of separability, we considered the following circumstances:

-- Capable of being separated  -
     -  The  customer  relationships  that  existed at acquisition date were the
        result  of  the historical market experience of the customer base. There
        is  virtually  no allegiance of customers to a particular transportation
        broker,  and repeat business typically results from the expertise of the
        company  in  being able to provide the required service at a lower price
        than competition in the market (both transportation brokers and trucking
        companies).
     -  While  some customers utilized the services of East Coast on a recurring
        basis, others used their services based on factors such as:
         -  Supplemental  use  of  East  Coast Transport, Inc. while negotiating
            contracts with long term carriers or brokers
         -  Transportation  needs surpassing the service capacity of traditional
            or contractual carriers/brokers
         -  To  take  advantage  of short term market price declines over agreed
            upon rate obligations with contracted carriers/brokers
         -  Seasonal  transportation  requirements  that  do  not  provide  the
            customer  leverage  to  negotiate long term contracts with permanent
            carriers/brokers
         -  Non-recurring transportation needs
     -  Recurring  customers  that  provided  a substantial portion of the total
        pre-acquisition  revenue  of  East Coast Transport, Inc. existed, but in
        interviews  with  the  previous owner of East Coast Transport, Inc., the
        composition  of  this  group,  and  the  revenue individually from each,
        historically  fluctuated from very little or no sales in some periods to
        greater  usage  in other periods based on the criterion in the preceding
        bullet  paragraph, rendering little confidence on the part of East Coast
        or the Company as to assurance of future service provision or cash flows
        from each with an acceptable degree of confidence.

-- and  sold,  transferred, licensed, rented, or exchanged (regardless of intent
   to do so)

                                        3
<PAGE>

     -  Recurring  business relationships of East Coast Transport, Inc. resulted
        from  their  ability  to provide the required transportation services to
        the  satisfaction  of  the  customer based on such criteria as price, on
        time  pickup  and delivery, convenience, and delivery of product without
        damage
     -  Each customer shops prices to obtain the most competitive price
        available in the market for particular shipments,  with price and the
        service elements  mentioned above being the primary reason for selection
        of East Coast

Although  the Company concluded the absence of any seperability criteria for the
customer base, as an additional consideration the Company examined the valuation
of  the  non-contractual  customer  relationships,  assuming  the  seperability
criteria  were  to  be  met.  East Coast's historical operating activity employs
agents  who take calls from entities (shippers) who have a product at a location
and  need  to  have  it  moved  to another location.  Shippers want to get their
product to the destination as economically and timely as possible.  They have no
preference  as  to  which  carrier  ships  the  load  or what broker they use to
facilitate  the  movement - they simply want it to be cost effective and timely.
In  this  regard,  the broker becomes only a contact point - one who facilitates
the  cost  effective/timely goal - to get the shipper's product moved.  There is
no contract created, no purchase order completed; only a verbal communication to
the  shipper  specifying  the  price the shipper will pay East Coast and another
verbal  communication  to  the selected trucker indicating the amount East Coast
will  pay  the  trucker  for  delivery  of  the shipper's product accompanied by
location and destination information.  The shipper may or may not ever call East
Coast  again.  Thus  the  nature  of East Coast's business - non-contractual and
price/time  sensitive  coupled  with the absence of customer loyalty - makes any
intangible  of  value  the  intangible  represented  by  an assembled workforce.

Conclusion
----------

Based  on  the  above  considerations,  we  concluded  that  the  acquired
non-contractual  customer  relationships were not capable of being separated and
could  not  be  sold,  transferred,  licensed,  rented or exchanged, even if the
intent to do so were assumed to exist.

Unlike  the  example  provided  in  SFAS 141, paragraph A21 regarding a commonly
exchanged  item such as deposit accounts, sales, transfers, rental, or exchanges
of transportation customer relationships had not occurred in the history of East
Coast and is not common in the industry.

We  conclude  that  the  nature of the customer relationships acquired represent
characteristics  that  are  more  consistent  with the SFAS 141, paragraph B102,
component  three regarding core goodwill provided by the combination of existing
assets  (predominantly  the  workforce  in place) that exist within the acquired
company.  We  also  believe  that  component  four  regarding expected synergies
gained  through the acquisition is very applicable and will only strengthen East
Coast's ability to attract customers (both recurring and new).

3.     WE  NOTE  YOUR RESPONSE REGARDING BROKERAGE AGENTS. PLEASE SUPPLEMENTALLY
EXPLAIN  IN  FURTHER  DETAIL  WHY YOU BELIEVE YOUR AGENT RELATIONSHIPS REPRESENT
WORKFORCE IN PLACE.

                                        4
<PAGE>

TELL  US  THE  RELEVANT  GUIDANCE  WHICH  SUPPORTS  YOUR  POSITION. FURTHER, YOU
DISCLOSE  THAT  DUE  TO  THE  OPEN  NATURE  OF  THE  AGREEMENTS  WHICH ALLOW FOR
TERMINATION  WITHOUT  PENALTY  OR  INDEFINITE EXTENSION MADE THE ESTIMATION OF A
USEFUL  LIFE EXTREMELY UNCERTAIN. HOWEVER, PARAGRAPH B174 OF SFAS NO. 141 STATES
THAT  A  PRESENT  VALUE TECHNIQUE MIGHT OFTEN BE THE BEST AVAILABLE TECHNIQUE TO
ESTIMATE  THE  FAIR  VALUE  OF  AN ACQUIRED INTANGIBLE ASSET, AND SUCH TECHNIQUE
REQUIRES  JUDGMENT  IN  ESTIMATING  THE PERIOD AND AMOUNT OF EXPECTED CASH FLOWS
WHICH  INCORPORATES  ASSUMPTIONS  SUCH  AS  FUTURE  CONTRACT  RENEWALS AND OTHER
BENEFITS THAT MIGHT RESULT IN ACQUISITION RELATED SYNERGIES. IT ALSO STATES THAT
PAST  HISTORY OFTEN PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT THE CONTRACTS OR RIGHTS ARE GENERALLY
RENEWED  WITHOUT  SUBSTANTIAL  COST  AND  EFFORT.  TELL  US  HOW  YOU CONSIDERED
PARAGRAPH  B174  OF  SFAS  NO.141  IN  DETERMINING  WHETHER  AN INTANGIBLE ASSET
SEPARATE  FROM  GOODWILL  SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED FOR CONTRACTS WITH SUCH BROKERAGE
AGENTS. WE MAY HAVE FURTHER COMMENT UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR RESPONSE.

RESPONSE
--------

Contractual or Legal
--------------------
The first sentence in SFAS 141, paragraph 39 provides,

 "An  intangible asset shall be recognized as an asset apart from goodwill if it
arises from contractual or other legal rights "

There  were no agreements with brokerage agents prior to the acquisition of East
Coast.  Brokerage agreements were put into place at the request of the agents as
a  result  of  the acquisition to protect the agents who were concerned that the
change  of  ownership  of  East  Coast  might  cause changes in the relationship
between  the  agents  and  East  Coast.  The  relationships  with the East Coast
brokerage  agents  generally have termination clauses permitting the agent under
written  agreement to terminate the agreement upon 90 days notice to East Coast.
Additionally,  the  agreements  protect the agent by specifying the income he or
she  is  to  receive  based  on the revenue earned for the Company.  Much of the
business  of  East Coast is conducted by employees that perform the same service
as  the  agents.  Consequently, the contracts with the agents have little value,
and  certainly  no  long-term  value,  to  the Company beyond a normal assembled
workforce arrangement.

Conclusion
----------
Based  on the absence of any contractual relationships prior to acquisition, and
the  terms  of  the  subsequent agreements only requiring an agent to stay for a
period  of  90 days and the uncertainty of the fair value of replacement cost of
agents,  cost  to  hire and train and related intellectual capital, we concluded
that  the  East Coast agents represented assembled workforce in place and should
be  included  in  the  amount  initially  recorded  in  goodwill.

SCHEDULE 14A PROXY STATEMENT
----------------------------
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
-----------------------------------------------------------

4.  THE  DISCUSSION  ON  PAGE  7  OF YOUR SCHEDULE 14A PROXY STATEMENT REGARDING
TRANSACTIONS  WITH  CERTAIN  ENTITIES AFFILIATED WITH YOUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS IS
INCONSISTENT  WITH THAT PROVIDED

                                        5
<PAGE>

IN  NOTE  7  TO  YOUR  AUDITED  FINANCIAL  STATEMENTS. IN FUTURE FILINGS, PLEASE
RECONCILE AND REVISE THESE DISCLOSURES

Response
--------

Future  disclosures regarding related party transactions will be reconciled, and
consistent.

Respectfully,

/S/ Larry J. Goddard
--------------------

Larry J. Goddard
Chief Financial Officer
P.A.M. Transportation Services, In