Registration No. 333-251059

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

Amendment No. 1 to

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc.

(Name of Issuer in Its Charter)

 

Nevada		4215		26-3106763
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

 

5500 Military Trail, Suite 22-357

Jupiter, Florida 33458

Telephone: (833) 764-1443

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

John Mercadante

5500 Military Trail, Suite 22-357

Jupiter, Florida 33458

Telephone: (833) 764-1443

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies of communications to:

 

Akabas & Sproule

11^th Floor

488 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Attn: Seth A. Akabas, Esq.

Telephone: (212) 308-8505

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box: [X]

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. [  ]

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. [  ]

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. [  ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer		[  ]	Accelerated filer	[  ]
Non-accelerated filer		[X]	Smaller reporting company	[X]
			Emerging Growth Company	[  ]

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. [  ]

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered		Amount to be Registered (1)(4)				Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share				Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price				Amount of Registration Fee
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, underlying Series E Convertible Preferred Stock			700,224,107	(2)(4)		$	0.05	(5)		$	12,627996.45	(5)		$	3,819.73
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, underlying warrants			252,559,929	(3)(4)		$	0.05	(5)(6)		$	35,011,205.35	(5)(6)		$	1,377.71
Total			952,784,036	(1)(2)(3)(4)						$	47,639,201.80			$	5197.44

 

(1)	The shares of common stock being registered hereunder are being registered for resale by the selling stockholders named in the accompanying prospectus.
(2)	Represents shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock assuming a Triggering Event (as defined in the Series E Certificate of Designation, Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock) has occurred and is continuing, resulting in the selling stockholders having the right to convert each share of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock into shares of common stock having a value equal to 125% of the stated value of $13.34 per share of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock at a conversion price equal to $0.006 per share of common stock.
(3)	Represents shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase 252,559,929 shares of common stock, offered by the selling stockholders.
(4)	Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the securities being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of additional shares of common stock as may from time to time become issuable by reason of anti-dilution provisions, stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations or other similar transactions.
(5)	The maximum price at which the Selling Shareholders will sell the shares offered by this prospectus.
(6)	Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) of the Securities Act.

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission acting pursuant to said Section 8(a) may determine.

 

 

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION

DATED FEBRUARY [*], 2021

 

Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc.

 

952,784,036 Shares of Common Stock

 

This prospectus relates to the sale or other disposition from time to time of up to 952,784,036 shares (“Shares”) of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), which consists of (i) 700,224,107 shares issuable upon the conversion of 219,320 shares of outstanding Series E Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Series E Stock”) currently outstanding assuming a Triggering Event (as defined in the Series E Certificate of Designation, Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock) has occurred and is continuing, resulting in the selling stockholders having the right to convert each share of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock into shares of common stock having a value equal to 125% of the stated value of $13.34 per share of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock at a conversion price equal to $0.006 per share of common stock and (ii) 252,559,929 shares issuable upon the exercise of 228,571,429 warrants outstanding warrants exercisable at $0.01 per share and 23,988,500 warrants outstanding warrants exercisable at $0.04 per share (collectively, “Warrants”)). Unless and until a Triggering Event (as defined in the Series E Certificate of Designation, Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock) has occurred and is continuing, only 354,013,023 shares of our Common Stock are issuable upon conversion of the outstanding Series E Stock. All of the shares of common stock being registered in this prospectus are being offered for resale by the selling stockholders named in this prospectus (the “Selling Stockholders”).

 

We are registering the offer and sale of the Shares by the Selling Stockholders to satisfy registration rights we have granted pursuant to registration rights agreements dated as of October 8, 2020, December 28, 2020, December 31, 2020, January 7, 2021, and January 27, 2021 (the “Registration Rights Agreements”). We have agreed to bear all of the expenses incurred in connection with the registration of the Shares. The Selling Stockholders will pay or assume brokerage commission and similar charges, if any, incurred in the sale of the Shares.

 

We are not selling any shares under this prospectus and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by the Selling Stockholders. However, we will receive proceeds for any exercise of Warrants, but not for the subsequent sale of the shares underlying the Warrants. The shares to which this prospectus relates may be offered and sold from time to time directly by the Selling Stockholders or alternatively through underwriters, broker dealers or agents. The Selling Stockholders will sell the shares offered by this prospectus at prices from $0.04 to $0.05 per share (and, within such range, will determine at what price they may sell the shares) until the company’s shares are listed on a national securities exchange or quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, OTCQX or OTCQB, at which time they will sell the shares offered by this prospectus at prevailing market prices or privately negotiated prices. For additional information on the methods of sale that may be used by the Selling Stockholders, see the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.” For a list of the Selling Stockholders, see the section entitled “Principal and Selling Stockholders.”

 

Our common stock is quoted on the OTC Pink Tier of the OTC Markets Group, Inc. under the symbol “TLSS”. On February 9, 2021, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $0.077 per share. Any over-the-counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions. As of the date of this prospectus, our common stock is subject to only limited quotation on the OTC Pink, and it is not otherwise regularly quoted on any other over-the-counter market.

 

Investing in our common stock is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 62 of this prospectus before making a decision to purchase our stock.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The date of this prospectus is February [*], 2021.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

	Page
Where You Can Find Additional Information	1
Prospectus Summary	2
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	14
Risk Factors	58
Special Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements	74
Use of Proceeds	74
Determination of Offering Price	74
Dividend Policy	74
Principal and Selling Securityholders	74
Plan of Distribution	76
Description of Securities	78
Legal Matters	82
Experts	82

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of securities described in this prospectus. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as information we have previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or the “Commission”) and incorporated by reference herein, is accurate as of the date on the front of those documents only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

 

For investors outside the United States: we have not, and the Selling Stockholders have not, taken any action to permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offer and sale of the shares of Common Stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.

 

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. See “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

 

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC the Registration Statement under the Securities Act to register with the SEC the Shares being offered in this prospectus. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the Registration Statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement or the exhibits and schedules filed with it. For further information about us and the Shares, reference is made to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with it. Statements contained in this prospectus regarding the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement are not necessarily complete, and each such statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the full text of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy and registration statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other information that we file, including the registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part, and the exhibits and schedules filed with it, without charge at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC, located at 100 F Street NE, Washington D.C. 20549, and copies of all or any part of the registration statement may be obtained from the SEC upon the payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the Public Reference Room, including information about the operation of the Public Reference Room. The SEC also maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the site is www.sec.gov.

 

Our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and exhibits incorporated in and amendments to those reports, are available free of charge on our website (https://tlss-inc.com/regulatory-filings/) as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Our website and the information contained on that site, or connected to that site, are not incorporated into and are not a part of this prospectus.

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

This summary highlights certain selected information about us, this offering and the securities offered hereby. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding whether to invest in our common stock. For a more complete understanding of our company and this offering, we encourage you to read the entire prospectus, including the information presented under the section entitled “Risk Factors” and the financial data and related notes. Unless we specify otherwise, all references in this prospectus to “TLSS,” “we,” “our,” “us,” and “our company,” refer to Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Prime EFS, LLC, Shypdirect LLC, Shyp FX, Inc., and TLSS Acquisition, Inc.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, the information in this prospectus reflects a 1-for-250 reverse stock split of our common stock effected on July 18, 2018. All share and per share data have been adjusted for the 1-for-250 reverse stock split for all periods presented.

 

OUR COMPANY

 

Our principal executive offices are located in the United States at 5500 Military Trail, Suite 22-357, Jupiter, Florida 33458, and our telephone number is (833) 764-1443. References below to the “Company” are to TLSS and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Shypdirect LLC, Shyp FX, Inc., and TLSS Acquisition, Inc.

 

Overview

 

Subsequent to the termination of our Delivery Service Provider Agreement with Amazon Logistics, Inc, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (“Amazon”), on September 30, 2020, as discussed below, we focus primarily on the transportation of packages, on pallets, which we pick up at an Amazon distribution center or other locations, in box trucks, for a single customer, Amazon, which are delivered to post offices or, less frequently, to another distribution center. This is our box-truck or “mid-mile business.” For the same customer, Amazon, we also pick up packages, on pallets, in tractor trailers, from on-line retailers who market through Amazon, and deliver those packages to Amazon for sale to the public (our tractor-trailer or “long-haul” business). Amazon is the largest E-commerce retailer in the United States.

 

We also do a limited amount of last-mile delivery (our minivan or “last mile” business) for a different customer.

 

Subsequent to the termination of our Delivery Service Provider Agreement with Amazon on September 30, 2020, as discussed below, our Mid-mile business currently accounts for approximately 80% of our revenues and our long-haul business accounts for approximately 18-19% of our revenues. These percentages will fall slightly if we are able to grow our last-mile business.

 

Historically, approximately 58% to 65% of our business consisted of last-mile services — transporting goods from a manufacturer or fulfillment center to a delivery station, from a fulfillment center to a post office, or from the delivery station to an end user or retail customer. Today, as noted, last-mile accounts for not more than 1-2% of our monthly revenues.

 

At present, we are providing tractor-trailer and box truck deliveries of packages on the east coast of the United States, primarily in and from New Jersey, Georgia, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee, primarily for Amazon and its customers, and for other customers.

 

We also offer a number of logistics services to Amazon and storage solutions for Amazon’s customers with limited storage facilities, in order to help manage such customer’s goods efficiently.

 

We are primarily an asset-based point-to-point delivery company. An asset-based delivery company, as compared to a non-asset-based delivery company, owns or leases its own transportation equipment and employs predominantly its own drivers, rather than depending entirely on independent contractors who arrange for their own vehicles.

 

Between June 18, 2018 and September 30, 2020, we operated through two New Jersey-based subsidiaries. Those subsidiaries were Prime EFS, LLC, which conducted the last-mile business focused on deliveries to the retail consumer for our primary customer in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania (“Prime EFS”), and Shypdirect LLC (“Shypdirect”), which formed in July 2018 and focused on, and which is still conducting, our long-haul and mid-mile delivery businesses.

 

The great bulk of Prime EFS’s business prior to September 30, 2020 was conducted pursuant to the Delivery Service Provider program (the “Prime EFS DSP Program”) of Amazon Logistics, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (“Amazon”). Shypdirect conducts its business as a carrier under a relay program service agreement with Amazon Logistics, Inc., last amended on August 24, 2020 (the “Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service Agreement”). Under that agreement, Shypdirect provides transportation services, including receiving, loading, storing, transporting, delivering, unloading and related services for Amazon and its customers, with such contract currently set to expire on May 14, 2021.

 

Revenues under the Prime EFS DSP Program agreement were approximately 67.8% of total revenues in 2019 and 97.0% of total revenue for the period from June 18, 2018 (acquisition date of Prime) to December 31, 2018. Revenues for Shypdirect under the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service Agreement were approximately 30.9% of total revenues in 2019 and 1.5% of total revenues for the period from June 18, 2018 (acquisition date of Prime) to December 31, 2018.

 

 

Revenues under the Prime EFS DSP Program for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were $13,732,513, or approximately 58.5% of total Company revenues. Revenues for Shypdirect under the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service Agreement were $9,175,769, or approximately 39.0% of total Company revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.

 

In June 2020, Amazon gave notice to Prime EFS that Amazon would not be renewing Prime EFS’s DSP Program agreement when that agreement terminated effective September 30, 2020. Amazon made clear to Prime EFS that Amazon’s decision not to renew the DSP agreement was part of a well-publicized initiative by Amazon to restructure how it would be delivering its last-mile services, and did not reflect the quality of the services provided by Prime EFS.

 

As a result of the termination of Prime EFS’s involvement with Amazon’s DSP Program, on or about October 20, 2020, Prime EFS gave notice to its vendors and other creditors that Prime had ceased business operations effective September 30, 2020. As a result of this action, effective October 1, 2020, and unless and until the Company, whether by acquisition or otherwise, augments its current business and/or enters into new line(s) of business, the Company’s Shypdirect subsidiary will be the major source of Company revenues through May 14, 2021, the date that the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service is currently set to expire. For last four (4) reported fiscal quarters, those revenues have been as follows: quarter ended September 30, 2020 - $2,398,098, quarter ended June 30, 2020 - $3,214,598, quarter ended March 31, 2020 - $3,563,074 and quarter ended December 31, 2019 - $3,435,317.

 

At present, the overwhelming source of Shypdirect’s revenues is as a carrier under a relay program service agreement with Amazon Logistics, Inc., last amended on August 24, 2020 (the “Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service”). Under that agreement, Shypdirect provides transportation services, including receiving, loading, storing, transporting, delivering, unloading and related services, for Amazon and its customers.

 

At present, Shypdirect primarily serves Amazon distribution centers located in the following five (5) cities: Carteret, New Jersey (serving the Tri-State area); Jacksonville, Florida; Jefferson, Georgia; Cleveland, Ohio; and Nashville, Tennessee. Each of the last four (4) distribution centers mentioned serves a perimeter of approximately three (3) hours’ one-way drive time.

 

While Shypdirect is attempting the grow its business in these other markets, there can be no assurance that Shypdirect will be successful in doing so.

 

Although Amazon recently extended the term of the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service, at present, the contract expires May 14, 2021. While the Company hopes to be able to extend the term of the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service beyond May 14, 2021, there can be no assurance that Shypdirect will be successful in doing so.

 

The Company has a highly experienced and dedicated senior management team, which, with the assistance of a highly experienced restructuring consultant, is currently evaluating various opportunities, whether by acquisition or otherwise, for the Company to augment its current business and/or enter into new line(s) of business. While the Company is hopeful that it will be able to announce a plan in this regard shortly, there can be no assurance that the Company will in fact be able to augment its current business and/or enter into new line(s) of business or to do so profitably.

 

At December 31, 2019, we owned or leased an aggregate of approximately 256 trucks or delivery vehicles and employed 588 drivers, who worked in shifts that allowed us to utilize most of our transportation equipment on a 24/7 basis. We also utilized the services of independent contractors to provide our delivery services. At December 31, 2019, 47 independent contractors provided services to us on a full-time basis.

 

With the termination of Prime EFS’s last-mile delivery business effective September 30, 2020, we currently employ approximately 126 drivers, who work in shifts that allow us to utilize most of our transportation equipment on a 24/7 basis. We currently own or lease an aggregate of approximately 40 vehicles – approximately 25 box trucks, 10 tractor-trailers and 5 vans. These vehicles are driven by our employees.

 

We also continue to utilize the services of independent contractors to provide our delivery services. At present, with the termination of Prime EFS’s last-mile delivery business effective September 30, 2020, approximately 17 independent contractors, with access to approximately 50 of their own trucks, provide services to us on a full-time basis.

 

Corporate History

 

We were incorporated under the name “PetroTerra Corp.” in the State of Nevada on July 25, 2008. Prior to March 2017, we were an independent oil or gas exploration and development company focused on the acquisition or lease of properties that potentially contained extractable oil or gas. However, at that time, we had not generated any revenues and, due to a decline of the oil and gas markets, elected to seek other business opportunities.

 

On March 30, 2017, we entered into a Share Exchange Agreement, dated as of the same date, with Save on Transport Inc., a Florida-based non-asset provider of integrated transportation management solutions, including brokerage and logistics services related to the transportation of automobiles and other freight (“Save on Transport”), pursuant to which we acquired Save on Transport as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

 

 

Our acquisition of Save on Transport was treated as a reverse merger and recapitalization of Save on Transport for financial reporting purposes because the Save on Transport shareholders retained an approximate 80% controlling interest in our consolidated company. Save on Transport was considered the acquirer for accounting purposes, and our historical financial statements before the acquisition transaction were replaced with the historical financial statements of Save on Transport before such acquisition. The balance sheets at their historical cost basis of both entities were combined at the acquisition date and the results of operations from the acquisition date forward included the historical results of Save on Transport and our combined results of operations from the acquisition date forward.

 

On June 18, 2018, we completed the acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Prime EFS from its members.

 

On July 24, 2018, we formed Shypdirect LLC, a company organized under the laws of New Jersey. Shypdirect is a transportation company with a focus on tractor trailer and box truck deliveries of product on the east coast of the United States from one distributor’s warehouse to another warehouse or from a distributor’s warehouse to the post office.

 

Company Overview

 

Prior to September 30, 2020, we generated our revenues through two subsidiaries, Prime EFS and Shypdirect. Effective October 1, 2020, we are generating our revenues through Shypdirect only.

 

For the period from January 1, 2018 to June 18, 2018, we operated in one reportable business segment consisting of brokerage and logistic services such as transportation scheduling, routing and other value-added services related to the transportation of automobiles and other freight.

 

From June 18, 2018 to May 1, 2019, we operated in two reportable business segments - (1) the transportation of automobiles and other freight (the “Save On” segment), and (2) a segment which, through Prime EFS and Shypdirect, concentrated on deliveries for online retailers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and on tractor trailer and box truck deliveries of product on the east coast of the United States from one distributor’s warehouse to another warehouse or from a distributor’s warehouse to the post office.

 

On May 1, 2019, we entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with Save On and Steven Yariv, whereby the Company returned all of the stock of Save On to Steven Yariv in exchange for Mr. Yariv conveying 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company back to the Company. Pursuant to Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 205-20-45, the financial statement in which net income or loss of a business entity is reported shall report the results of operations of the discontinued operation in the period in which a discontinued operation either has been disposed of or is classified as held for sale. Accordingly, beginning in the second quarter of 2019, the period that Save On was disposed of, we reflect Save On as a discontinued operation and such presentation is retroactively applied to all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

 

Prior to September 30, 2020, Prime EFS provided multiple services involving movement of goods through e-commerce. It focused primarily on the transportation of packages that are ultimately to be delivered to the business or retail consumer, with transportation services going from the manufacturer or fulfillment center to the delivery station and from the delivery station to the end user (known as “last mile” deliveries). We are currently looking to offer the expertise and knowledge we have in this area to customers other than Amazon.

 

Our current services are priced based on whether a route is a mid-mile route, served by a box truck, or a long-haul route, served by a tractor-trailer. Mid-mile services are priced either at a fixed rate or a variable rate, depending on length of route. All our long-haul business is fixed fee, based solely on where we pick up a trailer and where we drop it off, not on the time it takes for us to complete the delivery and return the trailer to our customer. The number of packages is not a factor in pricing either mid-mile or long-haul.

 

E-Commerce Fulfillment Expertise

 

The rapid growth of e-commerce and the online retailing segment of e-commerce is well documented. Online retail companies have logistics needs that differ from those of traditional businesses. Unlike traditional inventory management, e-commerce companies need to ship items directly to customers, who expect their orders to arrive on time and as described. We have built our delivery services to perform effectively in the “on demand” shipping environment that is part of the e-commerce fulfillment solutions system. We are currently looking to offer the expertise and knowledge we have in this area to new customers.

 

We have built a network operations center (“NOC”) in Carlstadt, New Jersey, which allows us to track the location of each of our vehicles and address any on-road disruptions. Our NOC is designed to grow with our business as we add more vehicles for additional routes and expand geographically. Presently, we utilize our NOC solely for our own business. We anticipate that as our revenues grow and the reach and scope of our transportation activities expand (both geographically and within the tristate area in which we currently operate) we will also generate revenues from services provided via our NOC to other logistics providers.

 

 

Our Strategy and Competitive Strengths

 

Our strategy is to be a leader in the transportation industry in providing on-time, high-quality pick-up, transportation and long-haul and mid-mile delivery services. We will also attempt to grow our last-mile business. We attribute our growth and success to date to the following competitive strengths.

  

Market Knowledge and Understanding. While we have been operating our current business for only a few years, our senior management personnel collectively have more than 40 years of experience in the transportation industry and broad knowledge in providing transportation services. These solutions are in high demand, and we hope to resume the growth we experienced prior to September 30, 2020. Members of our senior management team have e-commerce experience with online retailers and understand the dynamics of e-commerce growth, demands and logistics since all or the vast majority of their careers have been in e-commerce businesses. We believe we understand the various segments of the end-to-end solutions required to rapidly and accurately deliver goods between the various pick-up and delivery points in the delivery chain.

 

Unwavering Focus on Relationships and Superior Service. We aim to be the premier platform and partner of choice for our customers. We believe we offer superior services and solutions due to our company-wide commitment to customer service.

 

Experienced and Proven Management Team. We believe our management team is among the most experienced in the industry. Our senior management team brings experience in transportation and logistics, mergers and acquisitions, information technology, e-commerce retailing and fulfillment, and has an understanding of the cultural nuances of the e-commerce sectors we serve.

 

We hope to leverage our competitive strengths to increase shareholder value through the following core strategies.

 

Build Upon Strong Customer Relationships to Expand Organically. Prior to September 30, 2020, we built a strong relationship with Amazon that allowed us to expand the size of our service area and add higher margin services to our service offerings. We are continuing to build upon that relationship in the mid-mile and long-haul markets through Shypdirect.

 

During 2019, due to a decrease in “last mile” routes serviced related to our exit from certain areas in New York and Pennsylvania, we decreased the number of “last mile” local routes we served for Amazon from approximately 200 routes at December 31, 2018 to approximately 150 routes at December 31, 2019. However, we were able to expand the type of transportation services we render to Amazon to include “mid-mile” and long-haul transportation services in which we deliver packages from one distribution center to another or from the distribution center to the U.S. post office. We hope to maintain our relationship with Amazon through Shypdirect. However, even if that business also terminates in May 2021, we intend to utilize the experience gained from that relationship to help us diversify and perform similar services for other customers and delivery service providers.

 

Expand Our Operations to Other Regions of the U.S. Our mid-mile and long-haul delivery services are currently provided in the eastern United States. As we continue to expand our marketing and customer relationships, we anticipate expanding our geographic footprint to provide such services, and to capture market share, in other regions of the U.S. by opening our own operations centers and warehouses, acquiring existing regional transportation and logistics companies operating in other areas and partnering with local operators in other regions. We believe the expansion of our business in other regions of the U.S. will also allow us to expand our relationships with existing customers who operate in those regions.

 

Pursue Value-Enhancing Strategic Acquisitions. We intend to pursue strategic acquisitions as a means of adding new markets in the United States, expanding our transportation and logistics service offerings, adding talented management and operational employees, expanding and upgrading our technology platform and developing operational best practices. We are currently at various stages of reviewing several potential acquisition targets and believe we have significant opportunities to grow our business through our knowledge of our industry and possible acquisition targets.

 

Enhance Our Operating Margins. We hope to enhance our operating margins through a combination of increased operational efficiencies, leveraging our existing assets and distribution facilities and increasing our usage of technology to help us better plan, execute and monitor the performance of our services and transportation assets.

 

Technology

 

An integral part of our operating philosophy is the utilization of technology to support our transportation services and provide our employees with real-time information on the status of our operations. We believe our focus on technology as a support to our operations allows our employees to focus on performing at high levels for the benefit of our customers.

 

Each of our vehicles contains a mobile communications device. By being “always-connected”, we are able to monitor the real time location, performance and effectiveness of our drivers as well as the operating condition of the vehicles.

 

We regularly collect data, generate automatic reporting and measure that information against key performance indicators such as routes taken, travel time, destination arrival and departure time. Our NOC is designed to be scalable and will be expanded in reach and performance capability if and when our revenues grow and our assets increase in number.

 

Customers and Markets

 

Prior to the fourth quarter of 2019, our package delivery services were provided primarily in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania; however, during the fourth quarter of 2019, we expanded operations in four (4) new markets in Georgia, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee.

 

 

Prior to September 30, 2020, we continued to operate in the foregoing markets. However, effective September 30, 2020, Prime’s participation in Amazon’s Delivery Service Provider program terminated. As a result, as of October 1, 2020, our sole markets are the long-haul and mid-mile markets, and currently our major customer for these services is Amazon.

 

As a result, we continue to have customer concentration risk, which we hope to address by expanding our organic growth through the addition of new customers and through the acquisition of businesses that provide transportation services for new customer bases.

 

We also hope to make our delivery and fulfillment solutions available to retailers besides Amazon.

 

Acquisition

 

On January 15, 2021, through a newly-formed, wholly-owned, subsidiary, Shyp FX, Inc., we simultaneously executed an asset purchase agreement (“APA”) and closed a transaction to acquire substantially all of the assets and certain liabilities of Double D Trucking, Inc., a northern New Jersey-based logistics provider specializing in servicing Federal Express (“FedEx”) over the past 25 years (“DDTI”). DDTI’s annual revenues in 2020 exceeded $1 million. The purchase price is $100,000 of cash and a promissory note of $400,000. The principal assets involved in the acquisition are vehicles for cargo transport, system equipment for vehicle tracking and navigation of vehicles, and delivery route rights together with assumption of associated customer relationships.

 

The acquisition of DDTI will make the Company an approved contracted service provider of FedEx, which, we believe, fits in well with our current geographic coverage area and may lead to additional expansion opportunities within the FedEx network. The Company believes that the acquisition of DDTI, along with the proposed acquisition of Cougar Express, as discussed below, demonstrates that the Company is beginning to resume its growth strategy.

 

Potential Acquisition

 

On November 11, 2020, our wholly owned subsidiary, TLSS Acquisition, Inc. (the “Acquisition Sub”), entered into an asset purchase agreement dated as of November 6, 2020 (“APA”), to acquire substantially all of the assets and certain liabilities of Cougar Express, Inc., a New York-based full service logistics provider specializing in pickup, warehousing and delivery services in the tri-state area (“Cougar Express”).

 

Cougar Express is a family-owned full-service transportation business that has been in operation for more than 30 years providing one-to-four person deliveries and offering white glove services. It utilizes its own fleet of trucks, warehouse/driver/office personnel and on-call subcontractors from its convenient and secure New York JFK airport area location, allowing it to pick-up and deliver throughout the New York tri-state area. Cougar Express serves a diverse base of 50 commercial accounts, which are freight forwarders that work with some of the most notable retail businesses in the country. Some of Cougar Express’s accounts have been customers of Cougar Express for more than 20 years.

 

The APA provides for a purchase price equal to $2,350,000 plus 50% of the difference between the accounts receivable acquired by the Acquisition Sub and the accounts payable assumed by the Acquisition Sub. The Acquisition Sub will also assume indebtedness on certain truck leases and other equipment and service plans for equipment and services that are used by Cougar Express and which will continue to be used by the Acquisition Sub post-closing. After closing, the Acquisition Sub plans to change its name to Cougar Express, Inc., and the seller (the current Cougar Express, Inc. corporation) and its owner would be barred from competing with the Cougar Express business for five years.

 

The transaction was scheduled to close no later than January 15, 2021, subject to the completion of satisfactory due diligence by us to confirm the accuracy of all of Cougar Express’s representations and warranties in the APA and that Cougar Express has not suffered a material adverse change in its business, and also subject to Cougar Express’s procuring an acceptable landlord’s consent to Cougar Express’s assignment of the lease for its operating facility to the Acquisition Sub, and also subject to our securing financing for the acquisition. By amendment dated January 15, 2021, for an extension fee of $25,000, which would be a credit to purchase price at closing, the closing was adjourned until no later than February 15, 2021 to give us additional time to secure financing.

 

Consistent with our primary strategy to become a leader in the transportation industry in providing on-time, high-quality pick-up, transportation and delivery services, we expect to accomplish this goal, in part, by pursuing strategic acquisitions as a means of adding new markets in the United States, expanding its transportation and logistics service offerings, adding talented management and operational employees, expanding and upgrading its technology platform and developing operational best practices. Moreover, one factor in assessing acquisition opportunities is the potential for subsequent organic growth post-acquisition.

 

We believe that the acquisition of Cougar Express would fit our current business plan, given Cougar Express’s demographic location, services offered, and diversified customer base, and given that it would provide us with a long-standing, well-run profitable operation as a first step to begin replacing the revenue we lost as a result of Amazon’s terminating its delivery service provider business. Furthermore, we believe that, because Cougar Express is strategically based in New York and serves the tri-state area, organic growth opportunities will be available for expanding its footprint into our primary base of operations in New Jersey, as well as efficiencies that could be derived by leveraging Shypdirect operational capabilities.

 

 

Competition

 

Transportation services are highly competitive and composed of fragmented marketplaces, with multiple companies competing in the geographic region in which we provide services. We compete on service, reliability, scope and scale of operations, technological capabilities and price. Our competitors include local, regional and national companies that offer the same services we provide — some with larger customer bases, significantly more resources and more experience than we have. Additionally, some of our customers have internal resources that can perform services we offer. Due in part to the fragmented nature of the industry, we must strive daily to retain existing business relationships and forge new relationships.

 

The health of the transportation industry will continue to be a function of domestic economic growth, particularly in the e-commerce marketplace. We believe that we have positioned the Company to grow with and benefit from the e-commerce expansion. Together with our scale, technology and company-specific initiatives, we believe that our positioning should keep us growing faster than the macro environment.

 

Seasonality

 

Our business is affected by seasonality, which historically has resulted in higher sales volume during our calendar year fourth quarter, which ends December 31st. Our gross revenue was approximately 24% higher during the fourth quarter of 2019 compared to the third quarter of 2019. Our gross revenue was approximately 69% higher during the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the third quarter of 2018.

 

Regulation

 

Our operations are regulated and licensed by various governmental agencies. These regulations impact us directly and indirectly by regulating third-party transportation providers we use to transport freight for our customers.

  

Regulation Affecting Motor Carriers, Owner-Operators and Transportation Brokers. In the United States, our subsidiaries that operate as motor carriers have motor carrier licenses issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”). In addition, our subsidiaries acting as property brokers have property broker licenses issued by the FMCSA. Our motor carrier subsidiaries and the third-party motor carriers that provide services to us must comply with the safety and fitness regulations of the DOT, including those related to drug-testing, alcohol-testing, hours-of-service, records retention, vehicle inspection, driver qualification and minimum insurance requirements. Weight and equipment dimensions also are subject to government regulations. We also may become subject to new or more restrictive regulations relating to emissions, drivers’ hours-of-service, independent contractor eligibility requirements, onboard reporting of operations, air cargo security and other matters affecting safety or operating methods. Other agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), also regulate our equipment, operations and independent contractor drivers. Like our third-party support carriers, we are subject to a variety of vehicle registration and licensing requirements in certain states and local jurisdictions where we operate. In foreign jurisdictions where we operate, our operations are regulated by the appropriate governmental authorities.

 

In 2010, the FMCSA introduced the Compliance Safety Accountability program (“CSA”), which uses a Safety Management System (“SMS”) to rank motor carriers on seven categories of safety-related data, known as Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, or “BASICs.”

 

Although the CSA scores are not currently publicly available, we believe such scores will be made public in the future. Our fleet could be ranked worse or better than our competitors, and the safety ratings of our motor carrier operations could be impacted. Our network of third-party transportation providers may experience a similar result. A reduction in safety and fitness ratings may result in difficulty attracting and retaining qualified independent contractors and could cause our customers to direct their business away from the Company and to carriers with more favorable CSA scores, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Classification of Independent Contractors. Tax and other federal and state regulatory authorities, as well as private litigants, continue to assert that independent contractor drivers in the trucking industry are employees rather than independent contractors. Federal legislators have introduced legislation in the past to make it easier for tax and other authorities to reclassify independent contractors as employees, including legislation to increase the recordkeeping requirements and heighten the penalties for companies who misclassify workers and are found to have violated overtime and/or wage requirements. Additionally, federal legislators have sought to abolish the current safe harbor allowing taxpayers that meet certain criteria to treat individuals as independent contractors if they are following a longstanding, recognized practice. Federal legislators also sought to expand the Fair Labor Standards Act to cover “non-employees” who perform labor or services for businesses, even if said non-employees are properly classified as independent contractors; require taxpayers to provide written notice to workers based upon their classification as either an employee or a non-employee; and impose penalties and fines for violations of the notice requirement and/or for misclassifications. Some states have launched initiatives to increase revenues from items such as unemployment, workers’ compensation and income taxes, and the reclassification of independent contractors as employees could help states with those initiatives. Taxing and other regulatory authorities and courts apply a variety of standards in their determinations of independent contractor status. If our independent contractor drivers are determined to be employees, we would incur additional exposure under some or all of the following: federal and state tax, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, and labor, employment and tort laws, including for prior periods, as well as potential liability for employee benefits and tax withholdings.

 

  

Environmental Regulations. Our facilities and operations and our independent contractors are subject to various environmental laws and regulations dealing with the hauling, handling and disposal of hazardous materials, emissions from vehicles, engine-idling, fuel tanks and related fuel spillage and seepage, discharge and retention of storm water, and other environmental matters that involve inherent environmental risks. Similar laws and regulations may apply in many of the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. We have instituted programs to monitor and control environmental risks and maintain compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations. We may be responsible for the cleanup of any spill or other incident involving hazardous materials caused by our operations or business. In the past, we have been responsible for the costs of cleanup of diesel fuel spills caused by traffic accidents or other events, and none of these incidents materially affected our business or operations. We generally transport only hazardous materials rated as low-to-medium-risk, and a small percentage of our total shipments contain hazardous materials. We believe that our operations are in substantial compliance with current laws and regulations, and we do not know of any existing environmental condition that reasonably would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results. Future changes in environmental regulations or liabilities from newly discovered environmental conditions or violations (and any associated fines and penalties) could have a material adverse effect on our business, competitive position, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. U.S. federal and state governments, as well as governments in certain foreign jurisdictions where we operate, have also proposed environmental legislation that could, among other consequences, potentially limit carbon, exhaust and greenhouse gas emissions. If enacted, such legislation could result in higher costs for new tractors and trailers, reduced productivity and efficiency, and increased operating expenses, all of which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Employees

 

As of the date of this prospectus, the only employed individuals providing services to Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc. are its chief executive officer and, on a part-time basis, its chief development officer. Other professional and executive services are procured by TLSS through independent contractors.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, Shypdirect has 37 employees, all of whom are full-time.

 

In addition to our chief executive officer, we have retained the services of a consultant, Ascentaur, LLC (“Ascentaur”), pursuant to a Consulting Agreement between the Company and Ascentaur dated February 21, 2020, as amended (the “Consulting Agreement”). Under the Consulting Agreement, Sebastian Giordano, the CEO and principal of Ascentaur, provides management services to the Company in the role of chief executive under direction of the Board. Mr. Giordano devotes the majority of his business attention to the Company, but he may spend time on other business ventures. The Consulting Agreement runs until January 31, 2023 (“Termination Date”), unless earlier terminated by an employment agreement between Mr. Giordano and the Company.

 

As consideration for Mr. Giordano’s services, Ascentaur receives a base consulting fee of $300,000 annually, payable in installments of $12,500 twice a month and is eligible for bonuses based on certain Company revenue, EBITDA, market capitalization or capital raise milestones. In addition, upon approval by the Board, Ascentaur received nonqualified stock options to purchase up to 25,000,000 shares of Common Stock of the Company at an exercise price of $0.06 per share. Mr. Giordano is also eligible for the Company’s standard medical and dental plans. Upon any termination of the Consulting Agreement by the Company without “Cause,” by Mr. Giordano for “Good Reason,” or by expiration and non-renewal of the Consulting Agreement as of the Termination, Mr. Giordano will receive (i) a separation payment equal to one year’s worth of the base consulting fee, (ii) all accrued and unpaid bonuses and (iii) accelerated vesting of all unvested options he may have received.

 

The Company and Mr. Giordano have also, as required by Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.751, entered into an Indemnity Agreement (the “Indemnity Agreement”) whereby the Company indemnifies Mr. Giordano and Ascentaur, to the fullest extent as provided by Nevada corporate law, for all fees, costs and charges (including attorneys’ fees) for any actual or threatened claims against him, except to the extent that Mr. Giordano’s actions constituted gross negligence; criminal, fraudulent or reckless misconduct; or, with respect to any criminal actions, Mr. Giordano had reasonable cause to believe his actions were unlawful.

 

Information Systems

 

Prime EFS will use, if it resumes operations, and Shypdirect uses a suite of non-proprietary software programs and other technologies to manage dispatching of vehicles, employees, DOT compliance, vehicle maintenance, and scheduling.

 

Properties

 

Our principal executive offices are located in the United States at 5500 Military Trail, Suite 22-357, Jupiter, Florida 33458.

 

On November 30, 2018, we entered into a commercial lease agreement for the lease of sixty parking spaces under an operating lease through November 2023 for a monthly rental fee of $6,000. Either party can cancel this lease on the annual anniversary date of the lease provided that the party who wishes to terminate provides the other party with at least 30-day prior written notice of such termination.

 

In December 2018, we entered into a lease agreement for the lease of office and warehouse space and parking spaces under a non-cancelable operating lease through December 2023. From the lease commencement date until the last day of the 29th month, monthly rent is $14,000. At the beginning of the 30th month following the commencement date and through the end of the term, minimum rent will be $14,420 per month. We have one option to renew the term of this lease for an additional five years.

 

In July 2019, we entered into a 4.5-year lease agreement for the lease of office and warehouse space and parking spaces in New Jersey under a non-cancelable operating lease through February 2024. From the lease commencement date until the last day of the second lease year, monthly rent is $10,000. At the beginning of the 25th month following the commencement date and through the end of the term, minimum rent will be $10,500 per month. We have one option to renew the term of this lease for an additional five years. In July 2019, we paid a security deposit of $20,000.

 

 

In July 2019, we entered into a five-year lease agreement for the lease of office and warehouse space and parking spaces under a non-cancelable operating lease through August 2024. During the first year on the lease term, the base monthly rent is $18,000 and shall increase by 3% each lease year. Additionally, we pay the leased premises’ portion of operating expenses. We have one option to renew the term of this lease for an additional five years. As of December 31, 2019, we paid a security deposit of $18,000.

 

Market For Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

Our Common Stock has been quoted on OTC Pink market under the symbol “PTRA” through August 13, 2018 and “TLSS” beginning on August 14, 2018. Trading in OTC Pink stocks can be volatile, sporadic and risky, as thinly traded stocks tend to move more rapidly in price than more liquid securities. Such trading may also depress the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for our stockholders to resell their common stock. Our common stock does not have an established public trading market. The following table reflects the high and low bid price for our common stock for the period indicated. The bid information was obtained from the OTC Markets Group, Inc. and reflects inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, markdown or commission, and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

 

		Quarter				High				Low
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2020			First			$	8.00			$	0.201
			Second			$	0.2699			$	0.0099
			Third			$	0.0748			$	0.012
			Fourth			$	0.0333			$	0.01

 

		Quarter				High				Low
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2019			First			$	4.00			$	1.00
			Second			$	16.25			$	4.25
			Third			$	13.00			$	8.58
			Fourth			$	8.58			$	3.55

 

Our common stock may be considered to be penny stock under rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Under these rules, broker-dealers participating in transactions in these securities must first deliver a risk disclosure document which describes risks associated with these stocks, broker- dealers’ duties, customers’ rights and remedies, market and other information, and make suitability determinations approving the customers for these stock transactions based on financial situation, investment experience and objectives. Broker-dealers must also disclose these restrictions in writing, provide monthly account statements to customers, and obtain specific written consent of each customer. With these restrictions, the likely effect of designation as a penny stock is to decrease the willingness of broker- dealers to make a market for the stock, to decrease the liquidity of the stock and increase the transaction cost of sales and purchases of these stocks compared to other securities.

 

Holders. As of February 8, 2021, there were 77 record holders of our common stock, and there were 1,749,302,040 shares of our common stock outstanding.

 

Dividends. We have not previously declared or paid any dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends on our common stock is within the discretion of our board of directors. We intend to retain any earnings for use in our operations and the expansion of our business. Payment of dividends in the future will depend on our future earnings, future capital needs and our operating and financial condition, among other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. We are not under any contractual restriction as to our present or future ability to pay dividends.

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans. The Company does not currently have any equity compensation plans.

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

 

Not applicable.

 

Directors, Executive Officers, Promoters and Control Persons

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

Below are the names of and certain information regarding the Company’s current executive officers and directors:

 

Name		Age		Position		Date Named to Board of Directors/as Executive Officer
John Mercadante		75		Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors		April 16, 2019
Doug Cerny		61		Chief Development Officer and Director		April 16, 2019

 

 

Directors are elected to serve until their successors are elected and qualified. Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at the annual meeting of stockholders and hold office until the expiration of the term for which he or she was elected and until a successor has been elected and qualified.

 

A majority of the authorized number of directors constitutes a quorum of the Board of Directors for the transaction of business. The directors must be present at the meeting to constitute a quorum. However, any action required or permitted to be taken by the Board of Directors may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board of Directors individually or collectively consent in writing to the action. Executive officers are appointed by the Board of Directors and serve at its pleasure.

 

The principal occupation and business experience during at least the past five years for our executive officers and directors is as follows:

 

John Mercadante - Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

John Mercadante, age 75. John Mercadante has been the President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of our company since April 16, 2019. For more than the past five years, John has been a consultant and a manager of his personal investments. John co-founded Leisure Line, Inc., a motor coach company serving New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1970 and served as its Chief Executive Officer for a ten-year period through the sale of the company to Golden Nugget in 1980. At the time of the sale, Leisure Line was generating approximately $11 million in annual revenues. In 1988, John cofounded Cape Transit, Inc., a motor coach company servicing Atlantic City, Philadelphia and South New Jersey. Under John Mercadante’s leadership as CEO, annual revenues at Cape Transit grew from $2 million to more than $11 million. In May 1996, Cape Transit became one of the founding companies of Coach USA, Inc. and John Mercadante became Coach USA’s president and Chief Operating Officer. John was an integral part of growing Coach’s annual revenues from $100 million to over $1 billion in revenues in just three years. The board of directors has concluded that Mr. Mercadante should serve as a director of the Company because of his extensive management and leadership skills and experience.

 

Doug Cerny - Director and Chief Development Officer

 

Doug Cerny, age 61. Doug Cerny has been the Chief Development Officer and a director of our company since April 16, 2019. For more than the past five years, Doug has been engaged in the practice of law with the Law Offices of Douglas M. Cerny located in Houston, Texas. Doug was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Coach USA, Inc. A major portion of the acquisitions completed by Coach USA were through the teamwork of Doug and John Mercadante in conjunction with personnel experienced in financial, integration and human capital management. Doug has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions and business transactions. Doug earned a Bachelor’s of Science Civil Engineering from Valparaiso University, and his law degree and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Houston, Houston, Texas. The board of directors has concluded that Mr. Cerny should serve as a director of the Company because of his extensive management and leadership skills and experience.

 

Family Relationships

 

There are no family relationships among our directors and executive officers.

 

Code of Ethics

 

We have not yet adopted a Code of Ethics although we expect to do so as we develop our infrastructure and business. Our board of directors and executive officers have focused on identifying and hiring the personnel required to manage the growth of the Company and will be adopting a Code of Ethics that will be implemented in conjunction with completing the hiring of additional personnel.

Audit Committee

 

We do not have an audit committee and as a result our entire board of directors performs the duties of an audit committee. The board of directors has determined that it does not have an independent “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined under applicable SEC rules because the board of directors does not have any independent directors. Our board of directors evaluates the scope and cost of the engagement of an auditor before the auditor renders audit and non-audit services.

 

Options/SAR Grants and Fiscal Year End Option Exercises and Values

 

We have not had a stock option plan or other similar incentive compensation plan for officers, directors and employees, and no stock options have been issued and are outstanding, other than as is discussed in this Prospectus.

 

 

Executive Compensation.

 

Summary Compensation Table

 

The following table sets forth information concerning the total compensation paid or accrued by us during the last two fiscal years indicated to the named executive officers, John Mercadante, Douglas Cerny and Steven Yariv:

 

Name & Principal Position		Fiscal Year ended Dec. 31,				Salary ($)				Bonus ($)				Stock Awards (2) ($)				Option Awards ($)				Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)				Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)				All Other Compensation ($)				Total ($)
John Mercadante, Chief Executive			2020				4,000				0				0				0				0				0				0				4,000
Officer			2019				15,000				0				1,442,000				0				0				0				80,000				1,537,000
Doug Cerny, Vice			2020				4,000				0				0				0				0				0				0				4,000
President			2019				30,000				0				1,030,000				0				0				0				105,000				1,165,000
Steven Yariv, former Chief			2019				204,000				0				44,484				0				0				0				0				248,484
Executive Officer (1)

 

(1) Reflects compensation received from Save on Transport. Mr. Yariv resigned as an officer and employee of our company on April 16, 2019. Mr. Yariv resigned as a director of our company on May 1, 2019 in connection with our disposition of our former Save on Transport subsidiary.

 

(2) Reflects grant date fair value of restricted stock awards computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.

 

Employment Agreements

 

The Company has no executive officer employment agreements in place as of February 8, 2020.

 

We have no plans in place and have never maintained any plans that provide for the payment of retirement benefits or benefits that will be paid primarily following retirement including, but not limited to, tax qualified deferred benefit plans, supplemental executive retirement plans, tax-qualified deferred contribution plans and nonqualified deferred contribution plans. The Company also does not currently offer or have any benefits, such as health or life insurance, available to its employees.

 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

 

As of December 31, 2020, we did not have any outstanding equity awards to our officers.

 

Director Compensation

 

Our directors received no compensation for their service as directors, however, Mr. Mercadante, Mr. Cerny and Mr. Yariv were paid compensation in their roles as executive officers during the 2019 and 2020 periods.

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

 

Subject to community property laws, where applicable, and except as otherwise noted, the persons or entities named in the tables below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of our Common Stock indicated as beneficially owned by them.

 

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of February 9, 2021, by (i) each stockholder known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our Common Stock (our only class of voting securities), (ii) each of our directors and executive officers, and (iii) all of our directors and executive officers as a group. To the best of our knowledge, except as otherwise indicated, each of the persons named in the table has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares of our Common Stock beneficially owned by such person, except to the extent such power may be shared with a spouse. To our knowledge, none of the shares listed below are held under a voting trust or similar agreement, except as noted. To our knowledge, there is no arrangement, including any pledge, by any person of securities of the Company or any of its parents, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result in a change of control of the Company.

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the following table, the address for each person named in the table is 5500 Military Trail, Suite 22-357, Jupiter, FL 33458.

 

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner		Amount and nature of Beneficial Ownership				Percent of class (1)
Directors and Executive Officers
John Mercadante			1,300,000 shares				*
Douglas Cerny			800,000 shares				*
All directors and executive officers as a group			2,100,000 shares				*

 

* less than 1%.

 

(1) Applicable percentage ownership is based on 1,749,302,040 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of November 30, 2020.

 

 

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

 

The Company does not currently have any securities authorized for issuance under any equity compensation plans.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence. Director Independence

 

We are not currently subject to the listing requirements of any national securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system which has requirements that a majority of the board of directors be “independent” and, as a result, we are not at this time required to have our board of directors composed of a majority of “independent directors.” We have assessed the independence of our directors using the independence definition of the Nasdaq Stock Market. We do not have any independent directors under such definition.

 

Related Party Transactions

 

Due to related parties

 

In connection with the acquisition of Prime EFS, we acquired a balance of $14,019 that was due from Rosemary Mazzola, the former majority owner of Prime EFS. Pursuant to the terms of the SPA, we agreed to pay $489,174 in cash to Ms. Mazzola who then advanced back the $489,174 to Prime EFS. Accordingly, on June 18, 2018, the Company owed $489,174 on this obligation. During the period from acquisition date of Prime EFS (June 18, 2018) to December 31, 2018, we repaid $216,155 of this advance. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we repaid $130,000 of this advance. This advance is non- interest bearing and is due on demand. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the amounts due to Ms. Mazzola were $129,000 and $259,000, respectively, and have been included in due to related parties on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The amount due to Ms. Mazzola was $94,000 as of May 22, 2020.

 

During the period from acquisition date of Prime EFS (June 18, 2018) to December 31, 2018, Frank Mazzola, an employee of Prime EFS who exerts significant influence over the business of Prime EFS, paid costs and expenses of $56,507 on behalf of the Company and was reimbursed $40,207 by the Company. In 2018, these advances were non-interest bearing and were due on demand. During the year ended December 31, 2019, Frank Mazzola advanced the Company $88,000. In 2019, we paid Frank Mazzola interest of $44,000 related to 2019 working capital advances made. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, amounts due to Frank Mazzola amounted to $88,000 and $16,300, respectively, and have been included in due to related parties on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2019, Performance Fleet Maintenance LLC, an entity that is controlled by Frank Mazzola, an employee of Prime EFS who exerts significant influence over the business of Prime EFS, advanced the Company $25,000. In 2019, we paid Performance Fleet Maintenance LLC interest of $12,500 related to 2019 working capital advances made. At December 31, 2019, amounts due to Performance Fleet Maintenance LLC amounted to $25,000, and has been included in due to related parties on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. This advance was repaid in January 2020.

 

Convertible note payable – related parties

 

On March 13, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Wendy Cabral, an individual, who shares a household with the Company’s chief executive officer, in the amount of $500,000. Commencing on April 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this note of $7,500 were due and payable. Commencing on October 11, 2019 and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter through April 11, 2021, payments of principal and interest of $31,902 were due and payable, if the note was not sooner converted as provided in the note agreement. All or any portion of the principal and accrued interest was permitted to be paid prior to the April 11, 2021. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. All past due principal and interest on this note was to bear interest from maturity of such principal or interest (in whatever manner same may be brought about) until paid at the lesser of (i) 20% per annum, or (ii) the highest non-usurious rate allowed by applicable law. This note was convertible by the holder at any time in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with its terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount of the note that is being converted by $1.37. In connection with the issuance of the note, we determined that the note contains terms that are fixed monetary amounts at inception. Since the conversion price of $1.37 was equal to the quoted closing of the Company’s common shares on the note date, no beneficial feature conversion was recorded. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with Ms. Cabral. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 203,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $500,000 and accrued interest payable of $7,500. In connection with the conversion of this convertible note, we also issued warrants to Ms. Cabral to purchase 203,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.81 per share for a period of five years. During the year ended December 31, 2019, interest expense related to this note amounted to $30,329 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

 

On April 11, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership, an entity controlled by Wendy Cabral, an individual wo shares a household, with the Company’s chief executive officer in the amount of $2,000,000. Commencing on May 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this note of $30,000 were due and payable. Commencing on November 11, 2019 and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter through April 11, 2021, payments of principal and interest of $117,611 were due, if the note was not sooner converted as provided in the convertible note agreement. All or any portion of the principal and accrued interest could be prepaid prior to April 11, 2021. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. All past due principal and interest on this note was to bear interest from maturity of such principal or interest until paid at the lesser of (i) 20% per annum, or (ii) the highest non-usurious rate allowed by applicable law. This note was convertible by the holder at any time in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with its terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount of the note that is being converted by $11.81. Since the conversion price of $11.81 was equal to the quoted closing of the Company’s common shares on the note date, no beneficial feature conversion was recorded. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 812,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $2,000,000 and accrued interest payable of $30,000. In connection with the conversion of this convertible notes, we also issued warrants to Westmount Financial Limited Partnership to purchase 812,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share for a period of five years. During the year ended December 31, 2019, interest expense related to this note amounted to $165,616 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

In connection with the modification of the related convertible notes pursuant to the respective Note Conversion Agreements, we changed the conversion price of the notes to $2.50 per share and issued an aggregate of 1,015,000 warrants as discussed above.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2019, interest expense related to these notes amounted to $195,945 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

Notes payable – related parties

 

From July 25, 2018 through December 31, 2018, we entered into Promissory Notes with Steve Yariv, the Company’s former chief executive officer, and his spouse. Pursuant to these promissory notes, the Company borrowed an aggregate of $1,150,000 and received net proceeds of $1,050,000, net of original issue discounts of $100,000. Additionally, in October 2018, we issued 50,000 shares of its common stock to this related party in connection with loans made between July and October 2018. The shares were valued at $100,000, or $2.00 per share, based on the quoted trading price on the date of grant. In connection with these shares, the Company recorded interest expense – related party of $100,000. From July 25, 2018 through December 31, 2018, $930,000 of these loans were repaid. At December 31, 2018, notes payable – related party amounted to $213,617, which consisted of a note payable of $220,000 and is net of unamortized debt discount of $6,383. During January 2019, we repaid the remaining existing promissory note totaling $220,000 with the spouse of the Company’s former chief executive officer. In addition, during February 2019, the Company entered into another promissory note with the spouse of the former chief executive officer totaling $220,000, net of an original issue discount of $20,000. In April 2019, the Company repaid this promissory note. During the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, amortization of debt discount related to these notes amounted to $26,383 and $93,617 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

On July 3, 2019, we entered into a note agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership, an entity, who is affiliated to the Company’s chief executive officer, in the amount of $500,000. Commencing on September 3, 2019, and continuing on the third day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this Note shall be due and payable. Commencing on January 3, 2020 and continuing on the third day of each month thereafter through January 3, 2021, equal payments of principal and interest shall made. The principal amount of this note and all accrued, but unpaid interest hereunder shall be due and payable on the earlier to occur of (i) January 3, 2021, or (ii) an event of default. The payment of all or any portion of the principal and accrued interest may be paid prior to the maturity date. Interest shall accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid at a rate equal to 18% per annum. All past due principal and interest on this note will bear interest from maturity of such principal or interest until paid at the lesser of (i) 20% per annum, or (ii) the highest rate allowed by applicable law. To date, no repayments have been made on this related party note. At December 31, 2019, interest payable to related parties amounted to $83,445 and is included in due to related parties on the accompanying balance sheets.

 

In August 2019, the Company’s chief executive officer advanced to the Company and was repaid $50,000, The advance was non-interest bearing and payable on demand.

 

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, notes payable – related parties amounted to $500,000 and $213,617, which consisted of a note payable of $500,000 and $220,000 and is net of unamortized debt discount of $0 and $6,383, respectively.

 

There are not currently any conflicts of interest by or among the Company’s current officers, directors, key employees or advisors. The Company has not yet formulated a policy for handling conflicts of interest; however, it intends to do so prior to hiring any additional employees.

 

 

MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

Statements made in this prospectus that are not historical or current facts are “forward-looking statements” made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These statements often can be identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “approximate” or “continue,” or the negative thereof. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors for such statements. We wish to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Any forward-looking statements represent management’s best judgment as to what may occur in the future. However, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and important factors beyond our control that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from historical results of operations and events and those presently anticipated or projected. Factors that may affect the results of our operations include, among others: whether the OTC Markets Group approves our application to OTCQB; our ability to successfully execute our business strategies, including integration of acquisitions and the future acquisition of other businesses to grow our Company; customers’ cancellation on short notice of master service agreements from which we derive a significant portion of our revenue or our failure to renew such master service agreements on favorable terms or at all; our ability to attract and retain key personnel and skilled labor to meet the requirements of our labor-intensive business or labor difficulties which could have an effect on our ability to bid for and successfully complete contracts; the ultimate geographic spread, duration and severity of the coronavirus outbreak and the effectiveness of actions taken, or actions that may be taken, by governmental authorities to contain the outbreak or ameliorate its effects; our failure to compete effectively in our highly competitive industry, which could reduce the number of new contracts awarded to us or adversely affect our market share and harm our financial performance; our ability to adopt and master new technologies and adjust certain fixed costs and expenses to adapt to our industry’s and customers’ evolving demands; our history of losses, deficiency in working capital and a stockholders’ deficit and our inability to achieve sustained profitability; material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and our ability to maintain effective controls over financial reporting in the future; our substantial indebtedness, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to meet our payment obligations; the impact of new or changed laws, regulations or other industry standards that could adversely affect our ability to conduct our business; and changes in general market, economic, social and political conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from natural or man-made disasters.

 

Other important factors which could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as those discussed elsewhere in this prospectus and as set forth from time to time in our other public filings and public statements. You should not assume that material events subsequent to the date of this prospectus have or have not occurred. In addition to the other information included in this prospectus and our other public filings and releases, a discussion of factors affecting our business is included in this prospectus under the heading “Risk Factors” and should be considered while evaluating our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

 

You should read this prospectus in its entirety and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We may not update these forward-looking statements, even in the event that our situation changes in the future, except as required by law. All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.

 

Our condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern and, accordingly, do not include adjustments relating to the recoverability and realization of assets and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue our operation.

 

We expect we will require additional capital to meet our long-term operating requirements. We expect to raise additional capital through, among other things, the sale of equity or debt securities.

 

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 vs. 2019

 

Effects of COVID-19

 

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting global disruptions have affected our businesses, as well as those of our customers and their third-party suppliers and sellers. To serve our customers while also providing for the safety of our employees and service providers, we have adapted numerous aspects of our logistics and transportation processes. We continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation and expect to continue to adapt our operations to address federal, state, and local standards as well as to implement standards or processes that we determine to be in the best interests of our employees, customers, and communities.

 

As reflected in the discussion below, the impact of the pandemic and actions taken in response to it had minimal effects on our results of operations. We are experiencing higher net sales, which reflect increased demand, particularly as more people are staying at home, for household staples and other essential products, partially offset by decreased demand for discretionary consumer products, delayed procurement and shipment of non-priority products, and supply chain interruptions. Other effects include increased fulfillment costs and cost of sales, primarily due to investments in employee hiring, pay, and benefits, as well as costs to maintain safe workplaces, and higher shipping costs. We expect to continue to be affected by possible procurement and shipping delays, supply chain interruptions, higher product demand in certain categories, lower product demand in other categories, and increased fulfillment costs and cost of sales as a percentage of net sales through at least Q4 2020, although it is not possible to determine the duration and spread of the pandemic or such actions, the ultimate impact on our results of operations during 2020, or whether other currently unanticipated consequences of the pandemic are reasonably likely to materially affect our results of operations.

 

 

Termination of agreement with Amazon

 

On June 19, 2020, Amazon Logistics, Inc. (“Amazon”) notified Prime EFS in writing (the “Prime EFS Termination Notice”), that Amazon did not intend to renew its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) Agreement with Prime EFS when that agreement (the “In-Force Agreement”) expired. In the Prime EFS Termination Notice, Amazon stated that the In-Force Agreement expired on September 30, 2020.

 

Additionally, on July 17, 2020, Amazon notified Shypdirect that Amazon had elected to terminate the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service (the “Program Agreement”) between Amazon and Shypdirect effective as of November 14, 2020 (the “Shypdirect Termination Notice”). However, on August 3, 2020, Amazon offered to withdraw the Shypdirect Termination Notice and extend the term of the Program Agreement to and including May 14, 2021, conditioned on Prime EFS executing, for nominal consideration, a separation agreement with Amazon under which Prime EFS would agree to cooperate in an orderly transition of its Amazon last-mile delivery business to other service providers, release any and all claims it may have had against Amazon, and covenant not to sue Amazon (the “Aug. 3 Proposal”). On August 4, 2020, the Company, Prime EFS and Shypdirect accepted the Aug. 3 Proposal.

 

Approximately 58.5% and 39.0% (for a total of 97.5%) of the Company’s revenue of $23,503,384 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were attributable to Prime EFS’s last-mile DSP business and Shypdirect’s mid-mile and long-haul business with Amazon, respectively. The termination of the Amazon last-mile business will have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business in the 4th fiscal quarter of 2020 and thereafter. If the Amazon mid-mile and long-haul business is discontinued after May 14, 2021 it would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business in 2nd fiscal quarter of 2021 and thereafter.

 

The Company will continue to: (i) seek to replace its last-mile DSP Amazon business and supplement its mid-mile and long-haul Amazon business with other, non-Amazon, customers; (ii) explore other strategic relationships; and (iii) identify potential acquisition opportunities, while continuing to execute our restructuring plan, commenced in February 2020.

 

Overview

 

Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc. (“TLSS” or the “Company”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada, on July 25, 2008. The Company operates through its subsidiaries as a logistics and transportation company specializing in ecommerce fulfillment, last mile deliveries, two-person home delivery, mid-mile, and long-haul services for predominantly online retailers.

 

On March 30, 2017 (the “Closing Date”), TLSS and Save On Transport Inc. (“Save On”) entered into a Share Exchange Agreement, dated as of the same date (the “Share Exchange Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Share Exchange Agreement, on the Closing Date, Save On became a wholly-owned subsidiary of TLSS (the “Reverse Merger”). Save On was incorporated in the state of Florida and started business on July 12, 2016. This transaction was treated as a reverse merger and recapitalization of Save On for financial reporting purposes because the Save On shareholders retained an approximate 80% controlling interest in the post-merger consolidated entity. Save On was considered the acquirer for accounting purposes, and the Company’s historical financial statements before the Reverse Merger were replaced with the historical financial statements of Save On before the Reverse Merger. The balance sheets at their historical cost basis of both entities were combined at the Closing Date and the results of operations from the Closing Date forward include the historical results of Save On and results of TLSS from the Closing Date forward. On May 1, 2019, the Company entered into a share exchange agreement with Save On and Steven Yariv, whereby the Company returned all of the stock of Save On to Steven Yariv in exchange for Mr. Yariv conveying 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company back to the Company. In addition, the Company granted an aggregate of 80,000 options to certain employees of Save On. On April 16, 2019, Mr. Yariv ceased to be an officer or director of the Company.

 

On June 18, 2018 (the “Acquisition Date”), the Company completed the acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding membership interests of Prime EFS, LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company (“Prime EFS”), from its members pursuant to the terms and conditions of a Stock Purchase Agreement entered into among the Company and the Prime EFS members on the Acquisition Date (the “SPA”). Prime EFS is a New Jersey based transportation company with a focus on deliveries for on-line retailers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

 

On July 24, 2018, we formed Shypdirect LLC (“Shypdirect”), a company organized under the laws of New Jersey. Shypdirect is a transportation company with a focus on tractor trailer and box truck deliveries of product on the east coast of the United States from one distributor’s warehouse to another warehouse or from a distributor’s warehouse to the post office.

 

The following discussion highlights the results of our operations and the principal factors that have affected the Company’s consolidated financial condition as well as its liquidity and capital resources for the periods described, and provides information that management believes is relevant for an assessment and understanding of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations presented herein. The following discussion and analysis are based on the condensed consolidated financial statements contained in this Quarterly Report, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. You should read the discussion and analysis together with such consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements for the periods ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 include a summary of our significant accounting policies and should be read in conjunction with the discussion below.

 

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Accounting Estimates

 

The methods, estimates, and judgments that we use in applying our accounting policies have a significant impact on the results that we report in our condensed consolidated financial statements. Some of our accounting policies require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates regarding matters that are inherently uncertain. Significant estimates included in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes include the valuation of accounts receivable, the useful life of property and equipment, the valuation of intangible assets, the valuation of right of use assets and related liabilities, assumptions used in assessing impairment of long-lived assets, estimates of current and deferred income taxes and deferred tax valuation allowances, the fair value of non-cash equity transactions, the valuation of derivative liabilities, and the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the business acquisition.

 

We have identified the accounting policies below as critical to our business operation:

 

Accounts receivable

 

Accounts receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses. The Company reviews the accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes general and specific allowances when there is doubt as to the collectability of individual balances. In evaluating the collectability of individual receivable balances, the Company considers many factors, including the age of the balance, a customer’s historical payment history, its current credit-worthiness and current economic trends. Accounts are written off after exhaustive efforts at collection.

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

 

In accordance with ASC Topic 360, we review long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable, or at least annually. We recognize an impairment loss when the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. The amount of impairment is measured as the difference between the asset’s estimated fair value and its book value.

 

Derivative financial instruments

 

We have certain financial instruments that are embedded derivatives associated with capital raises. We evaluate all our financial instruments to determine if those contracts or any potential embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivatives to be separately accounted for in accordance with ASC 810-10-05-4 and 815-40. This accounting treatment requires that the carrying amount of any embedded derivatives be recorded at fair value at issuance and marked-to-market at each balance sheet date. In the event that the fair value is recorded as a liability, as is the case with the Company, the change in the fair value during the period is recorded as either other income or expense. Upon conversion, exercise or repayment, the respective derivative liability is marked to fair value at the conversion, repayment or exercise date and then the related fair value amount is reclassified to other income or expense as part of gain or loss on extinguishment.

 

In July 2017, FASB issued ASU No. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): (Part I) Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features. These amendments simplify the accounting for certain financial instruments with down-round features. The amendments require companies to disregard the down-round feature when assessing whether the instrument is indexed to its own stock, for purposes of determining liability or equity classification. The guidance was adopted as of January 1, 2019 and we elected to record the effect of this adoption retrospectively to outstanding financial instruments with a down round feature by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of the beginning of 2019, the period which the amendment is effective. In accordance with the guidance presented in ASU 2017-11, the fair value of derivative liabilities associated with certain convertible notes as of December 31, 2018 of $838,471 and the offsetting effect of reclassifying such debt to stock-settled debt for which we recorded a put premium liability of $385,385 was reclassified by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening accumulated deficit as of January 1, 2019 in the amount of $453,086.

 

Leases

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The updated guidance requires lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for most operating leases. In addition, the updated guidance requires that lessors separate lease and non-lease components in a contract in accordance with the new revenue guidance in ASC 606. The updated guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018.

 

On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU No. 2016-02, applying the package of practical expedients to leases that commenced before the effective date whereby the Company elected to not reassess the following: (i) whether any expired or existing contracts contain leases and; (ii) initial direct costs for any existing leases. For contracts entered into on or after the effective date, at the inception of a contract the Company assessed whether the contract is, or contains, a lease. The Company’s assessment is based on: (1) whether the contract involves the use of a distinct identified asset, (2) whether we obtain the right to substantially all the economic benefit from the use of the asset throughout the period, and (3) whether it has the right to direct the use of the asset. We will allocate the consideration in the contract to each lease component based on its relative stand-alone price to determine the lease payments. We have elected not to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases that have a term of 12 months or less.

 

 

Operating lease ROU assets represents the right to use the leased asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at the commencement date. As most leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the adoption date in determining the present value of future payments. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is amortized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is included in general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

 

Revenue recognition and cost of revenue

 

The Company adopted ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition. This ASC is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This ASC also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer service orders, including significant judgments.

 

For the Company’s Prime EFS and Shypdirect business activities, we recognize revenues and the related direct costs of such revenue which generally include compensation and related benefits, gas costs, insurance, parking and tolls, truck rental fees, and maintenance fees as of the date the freight is delivered which is when the performance obligation is satisfied. In accordance with ASC Topic 606, we recognize revenue on a gross basis. Our payment terms are net seven days from acceptance of delivery. We do not incur incremental costs obtaining service orders from our Prime EFS and Shypdirect customers, however, if we did, because all of Prime EFS and Shypdirect’s customer contracts are less than a year in duration, any contract costs incurred would be expensed rather than capitalized. The revenue that we recognize arises from deliveries of packages on behalf of the Company’s customers. Primarily, our performance obligations under these service orders correspond to each delivery of packages that we make under the service agreements. Control of the delivery transfers to the recipient upon delivery. Once this occurs, we have satisfied our performance obligation and we recognize revenue.

 

Management has reviewed the revenue disaggregation disclosure requirements pursuant to ASC 606 and determined that no further disaggregation disclosure is required to be presented.

 

Stock-based compensation

 

Stock-based compensation is accounted for based on the requirements of ASC 718 – “Compensation –Stock Compensation”, which requires recognition in the financial statements of the cost of employee, director, and non-employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments over the period the employee, director, or non-employee is required to perform the services in exchange for the award (presumptively, the vesting period). The ASC also requires measurement of the cost of employee, director, and non-employee services received in exchange for an award based on the grant-date fair value of the award. We have elected to recognize forfeitures as they occur as permitted under ASU 2016-09 Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Our condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern and, accordingly, do not include adjustments relating to the recoverability and realization of assets and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue our operation.

 

We expect we will require additional capital to meet our long-term operating requirements. We expect to raise additional capital through, among other things, the sale of equity or debt securities.

 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared with the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019

 

The following table sets forth our revenues, expenses and net loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. The financial information below is derived from our condensed consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report.

 

		Three Months ended September 30,								Nine months ended September 30,
		2020				2019				2020				2019
Revenues		$	6,309,509			$	7,759,451			$	23,503,384			$	21,664,070
Cost of revenues			5,978,265				6,293,699				20,831,870				19,366,374
Gross profit			331,244				1,465,752				2,671,514				2,297,696
Operating expenses			1,502,829				4,755,410				6,591,345				17,049,069
Loss from operations			(1,171,585	)			(3,289,658	)			(3,919,831	)			(14,751,373	)
Other (expenses) income, net			36,773,882				(8,071,256	)			(31,586,542	)			(22,537,296	)
Loss from discontinued operations			-				-				-				(681,426	)
Net income (loss)			35,602,297				(11,360,297	)			(35,506,373	)			(37,970,095	)
Deemed dividend related to ratchet adjustment			-				(981,548	)			(18,696,012	)			(981,548	)
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders		$	35,602,297			$	(12,342,462	)		$	(54,202,385	)		$	(38,951,643	)

 

 

Results of Operations

 

Revenues

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, our revenues from continuing operations were $6,309,509 as compared to $7,759,451 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $1,449,942, or 18.7%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, our revenues from continuing operations were $23,503,384 as compared to $21,664,070 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, an increase of $1,839,314, or 8.5%. This (decrease) increase was primarily a result of an increase in revenue from box truck and tractor truck delivery services where we transport product from a distribution center to the post office offset by a decrease in last-mile deliveries performed.

 

As discussed above, approximately 58.5% and 39.0% of our revenue of $23,503,384 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were attributable to Prime EFS’s last-mile DSP business and Shypdirect’s mid-mile and long-haul business with Amazon, respectively. The termination of the Amazon last-mile business will have a material adverse impact on our business in the 4th fiscal quarter of 2020 and thereafter. If the Amazon mid-mile and long-haul business is discontinued after May 14, 2021, it would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business in 2nd fiscal quarter of 2021 and thereafter. The Company will continue to: (i) seek to replace its last-mile DSP Amazon business and supplement its mid-mile and long-haul Amazon business with other, non-Amazon, customers; (ii) explore other strategic relationships; and (iii) identify potential acquisition opportunities, while continuing to execute our restructuring plan, commenced in February 2020.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, our cost of revenues from continuing operations was $5,978,265 compared to $6,293,699 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $315,434, or 5.0%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, our cost of revenues from continuing operations was $20,831,870 compared to $19,366,374 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, an increase of $1,465,496, or 7.6%. Cost of revenues relating to our Prime EFS and Shypdirect segments consists of truck and van rental fees, insurance, gas, maintenance, parking and tolls, and compensation and related benefits.

 

Gross Profit

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, our gross profit was $331,244, or 5.3% of revenue, as compared to $1,465,752, or 18.9% of revenue, for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $1,134,508, or 77.4%. The decrease in gross profit for the three months ended September 30, 2020 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2019 primarily resulted from a decrease in revenue and a decrease in operational efficiencies in Prime EFS doe to the termination of the Amazon last-mile business. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, our gross profit was $2,671,514, or 11.4% of revenue, as compared to $2,297,696, or 10.6% of revenue, for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, an increase of $373,818, or 16.3%. The increase in gross profit for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2019 primarily resulted from an increase in operational efficiencies in both Prime EFS and Shypdirect. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we received a reduction in workers’ compensation balances due of approximately $155,000 resulting from positive results from a prior period workers’ compensation premium audit.

 

Operating Expenses

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, total operating expenses amounted to $1,502,829 as compared to $4,755,410 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $3,252,581, or 68.4%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, total operating expenses amounted to $6,591,345 as compared to $17,049,069 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $10,457,724, or 61.3%. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, operating expenses consisted of the following:

 

		Three Months ended September 30,								Nine months ended September 30,
		2020				2019				2020				2019
Compensation and related benefits		$	551,306			$	3,433,741			$	1,955,854			$	11,150,955
Legal and professional Fees			621,105				517,277				3,523,811				1,588,359
Rent			156,738				83,911				496,349				269,148
General and administrative expenses			173,680				720,481				615,331				2,316,016
Impairment loss			-				-				-				1,724,591
Total Operating Expenses		$	1,502,829			$	4,755,410			$	6,591,345			$	17,049,069

 

Compensation and related benefits

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, compensation and related benefits amounted to $551,306 as compared to $3,433,741 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $2,882,435. Compensation and related benefits for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 included stock-based compensation of $0 and $2,500,000, respectively, a decrease of $2,500,000, from the granting of shares of our common stock to employees, our former chief executive officer, and our new chief executive officer for services rendered. Additionally, during the three months ended September 30, 2020, the overall decrease in compensation and related benefits was attributable to a decrease in compensation paid to significant employees and the reduction of staff.

 

 

For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, compensation and related benefits amounted to $1,955,854 as compared to $11,150,955 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $9,195,101. Compensation and related benefits for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 included stock-based compensation of $0 and $7,450,809, respectively, a decrease of $7,450,809, from the granting of shares of our common stock to employees, our former chief executive officer, and our new chief executive officer for services rendered. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the overall decrease in compensation and related benefits was attributable to a decrease in compensation paid to significant employees and the reduction of staff.

 

Legal and professional fees

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, legal and professional fees were $621,105 as compared to $517,277 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, an increase of $103,828, or 20,1%. During the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, we incurred stock-based consulting fees of $0 and $28,646, respectively, from the issuance of our common shares and warrants to consultants for business development services rendered, a decrease of $28,646. Additionally, we had an incurred an increase in accounting fees attributable to an increase in auditing and third-party accountant fees, and an increase in legal fees. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, legal and professional fees were $3,523,811 as compared to $1,588,359 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, an increase of $1,935,452, or 121.8%. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, we incurred stock-based consulting fees of $1,999,749 and $294,145, respectively, from the issuance of our common shares and warrants to consultants for business development services rendered, an increase of $1,705,603. Additionally, we had an increase in legal fees related to an increase in ongoing legal matters.

 

Rent expense

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, rent expense was $156,738 as compared to $83,911 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, an increase of $72,827, or 86.8%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, rent expense was $496,349 as compared to $269,148 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, an increase of $227,201, or 84.4%. These increases were attributable to a significant expansion in office, warehouse and parking spaces pursuant to short and long-term operating leases related to the Prime EFS and Shypdirect businesses.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, general and administrative expenses were $173,680 as compared to $720,481 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $546,801, or 75.9%. This decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in general administrative expenses of $305,370 and a decrease in depreciation and amortization of $241,431. The decrease in depreciation and amortization expense was related to a decrease in amortization of intangible assets of $219,433 and a decrease in depreciation expense of $21,998. In 2020, we cut our overall general and administrative expenses due to cost-cutting measures taken. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, general and administrative expenses were $615,331 as compared to $2,316,016 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $1,700,685, or 73.4%. This decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in general administrative expenses of $869,766 and a decrease in depreciation and amortization of $830,919. The decrease in depreciation and amortization expense was related to a decrease in amortization of intangible assets of $742,985 due to impairment of the intangible in 2019, and a decrease in depreciation expense of $87,934. In 2020, we cut our overall general and administrative expenses due to cost-cutting measures taken.

 

Impairment expense

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, management tested the intangible asset for impairment. Based on our analysis, we recorded intangible asset impairment expense of $1,724,591 in the unaudited consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. No impairment expense was recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020.

 

Loss from Operations

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, loss from operations amounted to $1,171,585 as compared to $3,289,658 for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $2,118,073, or 64.4%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, loss from operations amounted to $3,919,831 as compared to $14,751,373 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $10,831,542, or 73.4%.

 

Other Expenses (Income)

 

Total other expenses (income) include interest expense, derivative expense, loan fees, gain on debt extinguishment, and other income. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, other expenses (income) consisted of the following:

 

		Three Months ended September 30,								Nine months ended September 30,
		2020				2019				2020				2019
Interest expense		$	2,028,958			$	2,339,508			$	7,016,597			$	4,936,951
Interest expense – related party			22,686				35,753				152,262				183,392
Loan fees			-				-				-				601,121
Loss (gain) on debt extinguishment			(907,447	)			4,714,751				(7,151,041	)			(39,203,017	)
Other income			(91,950	)			-				(266,918	)			-
Derivative expense			(37,826,129	)			981,244				31,835,642				56,018,849
Total Other Expenses (Income)		$	(36,773,882	)		$	8,071,256			$	31,586,542			$	22,537,296

 

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, aggregate interest expense was $2,051,644 and $2,375,261, respectively, a decrease of $323,617. The decrease in interest expense resulted from a decrease in interest-bearing loans due to debt conversions into common shares and Series D preferred shares and a decrease in the amortization of original issue discount. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, aggregate interest expense was $7,168,859 and $5,120,343, respectively, an increase of $2,048,516. The increase in interest expense resulted from an increase in the interest rate on interest-bearing loans due to default provisions and an increase in the amortization of original issue discount. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we incurred a 30% default interest penalty of $1,531,335, which was included in interest expense. We did not incur this expense during the 2019 period.

 

For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, loan fees were $601,121. In connection with previous promissory notes payable, on June 11, 2019, we issued 55,000 warrants to purchase 55,000 shares of common stock an exercise price of $1.00 per share. On June 11, 2019, we calculated the fair value of these warrants of $601,121, which was expensed and included in loan fees on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations. We did not incur such expense during the 2020 periods.

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt was $907,447 and $(4,714,751), respectively, a change of $5,622,198. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, gain on extinguishment of debt was $7,151,041 and $39,203,017, respectively, a decrease of $32,051,976. The gains (loss) on debt extinguishment were attributable to the settlement of secured merchant in 2020, the conversion of convertible debt, and the settlement of other payables.

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, derivative (income) expense was $(37,826,129) and $981,244, respectively, a change of $38,807,373. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, derivative expense was $31,835,642 and $56,018,849, respectively, a decrease of $24,183,207. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, we recorded a derivative expense related to the calculated initial derivative fair value of conversion options and warrants. Additionally, we adjusted our derivative liabilities to fair value and recorded derivative expense or income. Furthermore, upon the conversion of debt to equity, we reduce the derivative liability and record derivative income.

 

Loss from Continuing Operations

 

For the three months ended September 30, 2020, income (loss) from continuing operations amounted to $35,602,297 as compared to $(11,360,914) for the three months ended September 30, 2019, a change of $46,963,211. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, loss from continuing operations amounted to $35,506,373 as compared to $37,288,669 for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, a decrease of $1,782,296, or 4.8%.

 

Discontinued Operations

 

On May 1, 2019, the Company entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with Save On and Steven Yariv, whereby the Company returned all of the stock of Save On to Steven Yariv in exchange for Mr. Yariv conveying 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company back to the Company. In addition, the Company granted an aggregate of 80,000 options to certain employees of Save On. Accordingly, we reflected Save On as a discontinued operations beginning in the second quarter of 2019, the period that Save On was disposed of, and retroactively for all periods presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. The businesses of Save On are considered discontinued operations because: (a) the operations and cash flows of Save On were eliminated from the Company’s operations; and (b) the Company has no interest in the divested operations. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, loss from discontinued operations amounted to $681,426. We did not have discontinued operations during the 2020 periods.

 

Net Income (Loss)

 

Due to factors discussed above, for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, net income (loss) amounted to $35,602,297, or $0.03 per basic common share and $(0.00) diluted common share, and $(11,360,914), or $(1.10) per basic and diluted common share respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, net loss amounted to $35,506,373 and $37,970,095, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, net loss attributable to common shareholders, which included a deemed dividend related to price protection of $18,696,012 and $981,548, amounted to $54,202,385, or $(0.11) per basic and diluted common share, and $38,951,643, or $(4.42) per basic and diluted common share, respectively.

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

Liquidity is the ability of a company to generate funds to support its current and future operations, satisfy its obligations, and otherwise operate on an ongoing basis. At September 30, 2020, we had a cash balance of $318,356. Our working capital deficit was $12,974,773 at September 30, 2020. We reported a net increase in cash for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 of $268,330 primarily as a result of net cash proceeds received from payroll protection loans and convertible debt, offset by the use of cash in operations.

 

We do not believe that our existing working capital and our future cash flows from operating activities will provide sufficient cash to enable us to meet our operating needs and debt requirements for the next twelve months. We expect cash flows to decrease significantly in the fourth quarter of 2020 due to the termination of the Amazon last-mile business. We are seeking to (i) replace its last-mile DSP business and supplement its mid-mile and long-haul business with other, non-Amazon, customers; (ii) explore other strategic relationships; and (iii) identify potential acquisition opportunities, while continuing to execute our restructuring plan, commenced in February 2020.

 

 

Additionally, we are seeking to raise capital through additional debt and/or equity financings to fund our operations in the future. Although we have historically raised capital from sales of shares of common stock and from the issuance of convertible promissory notes and notes payable, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to do so. If we are unable to raise additional capital or secure additional lending in the near future, management expects that we will need to curtail our operations.

 

Company financing activities

 

Related Party Convertible Note

 

On March 13, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Wendy Cabral, an individual, who shares a household with the Company’s chief executive officer, in the amount of $500,000. Commencing on April 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this note of $7,500 was due and payable. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal was paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. This note was convertible by the holder at any time, in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with its terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount that is being converted by $1.37. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with Ms. Cabral. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 203,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $500,000 and accrued interest payable of $7,500, and we also issued Ms. Cabral warrants to purchase 203,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.81 per share for a period of five years.

 

Red Diamond Partners LLC and RDW Capital, LLC

 

On April 25, 2017, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with RedDiamond Partners LLC (“RedDiamond”) pursuant to which the Company would issue to RedDiamond convertible promissory notes (the “RedDiamond Notes”) in an aggregate principal amount of up to $355,000, which includes a purchase price of $350,000 and transaction costs of $5,000. Pursuant to this securities purchase agreement, during 2017, the Company entered into three RedDiamond Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $270,000 and the Company received $265,000 after giving effect to the original issue discount of $5,000. The RedDiamond Notes matured during 2018. RedDiamond is not required to fund any additional tranches under the securities purchase agreement. Through date of default, the RedDiamond Notes bore interest at a rate of 12% per annum and were convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock at RedDiamond’s option at 65% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the RedDiamond Notes) for the ten trading days preceding the conversion. During 2018, the Company failed to make its required maturity date payments of principal and interest on the RedDiamond Notes of $270,000. In accordance with these notes, the Company entered into default in 2018, which increased the interest rate to 18.0% per annum. The RedDiamond Notes contain cross default provisions whereby a default in any one note greater than $25,000 causes a default in all the notes, however, this provision is only effective if there is a formal notice of default by the lender.

 

On June 30, 2017, the Company issued RDW Capital, LLC a senior convertible note in the aggregate principal amount of $240,000, for an aggregate purchase price of $30,000. Through date of default, the principal due under the note accrued interest at a rate of 12% per annum. All principal and accrued interest under the note was due six months following the issue date of the note, and was convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, at a conversion price equal to fifty (50%) of the lowest volume-weighted average price for the ten trading days immediately preceding the conversion. The note includes anti-dilution protection, including a down-round provision under which the conversion price could be affected by future equity offerings undertaken by the Company, as well as customary events of default, including non-payment of the principal or accrued interest due on the note. Upon an event of default, all obligations under the note become immediately due and payable and the Company is required to make certain payments to the lender. On December 31, 2017 the Company failed to make its required maturity date payment of principal and interest. In accordance with the note, the Company entered into default on January 3, 2018, which increased the interest rate to 24% per annum.

 

In connection with the issuance of these convertible promissory notes to RedDiamond and RDW Capital, LLC, the Company determined that the terms of these convertible promissory notes included a down-round provision under which the conversion price could be affected by future equity offerings undertaken by the Company.

 

On April 9, 2019, the Company entered into agreements (the “RedDiamond Amendments”) with RedDiamond Partners LLC and RDW Capital, LLC, the holders of these convertible notes representing an aggregate principal amount of $510,000, and agreed with such holders to:

 

	●	extend the maturity date of the notes to December 31, 2020;
	●	remove all convertibility features of the notes; and
	●	repay not less than half of the obligations then outstanding pursuant to the notes if the Company completes an offering of equity or equity linked securities (including warrants, convertible preferred stock, convertible debentures or convertible promissory notes) which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $4,000,000, using a portion of the proceeds thereof.

 

 

Pursuant to the RedDiamond Amendments, the conversion provisions contained in the convertible promissory notes held by RedDiamond and RDW Capital, LLC were suspended and ceased to be exercisable beginning as of April 9, 2019. However, under the RedDiamond Amendments, the conversion provisions contained in the convertible promissory notes held by Red Diamond and RDW Capital, LLC were subject to reinstatement upon the occurrence of an event of default. The parties agreed that it would be considered an event of default under the convertible promissory notes if the Company consummated any new offering of equity or equity linked securities containing a conversion or exercise price which is variable based upon the market trading price of the Company’s securities. On August 30, 2019, the Company entered into a new offering of equity or equity linked securities containing a conversion or exercise price which is variable based upon the market trading price of the Company’s securities. Accordingly, the conversion terms were reinstated and the Company recorded a put premium of $385,385 and recorded interest expense of $385,385.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we issued 96,661,102 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of debt of $510,000 and accrued interest of $158,141.

 

Bellridge Capital, LLC

 

On June 18, 2018, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “Bellridge Purchase Agreement”), whereby it issued to Bellridge Capital, LLC (“Bellridge”) a senior secured convertible note in the aggregate principal amount of $2,497,503 (the “Bellridge Note”), for an aggregate purchase price of $1,665,000, net of an original issue discount of $832,503. In addition, the Company paid issue costs of $177,212. The original issue discount and issue costs were recorded as a debt discount to be amortized over the term of the Bellridge Note. The principal due under the Bellridge Note initially accrued interest at a rate of 10% per annum. Principal and interest payments of $232,940 were payable monthly beginning on December 18, 2018 and were due monthly over the term of the Bellridge Note in cash or common stock of the Company, at Bellridge’s discretion.

 

In connection with the Bellridge Purchase Agreement, Bellridge was issued a warrant, with a term of two years, to purchase up to 4.75% of the fully-diluted outstanding common stock of the Company, for an aggregate purchase price of $100 (the “First Bellridge Warrant”). Additionally, the placement agent for the Bellridge Note was issued a warrant, with a term of two years, to purchase up to 4.75% of the fully-diluted outstanding common stock of the Company, for an aggregate purchase price of $100 (the “Bellridge Note PA Warrant”).

 

In August 2018, the Company defaulted on the Bellridge Note due to (i) default on the payment of monthly interest payments due, (ii) default caused by the late filing of the Company’s reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2018 and (iii) default due to failure to file a registration statement. Upon an event of default, all principal, accrued interest, and liquidated damages and penalties were due upon request of Bellridge at 125% of such amounts.

 

On December 27, 2018, Bellridge waived any and all defaults in existence on the Bellridge Note and the Company agreed to issue a warrant that is convertible into 2% of the issued and outstanding shares existing at the time the Company files a registration statement or makes an application to up list to a national stock exchange (the “Second Bellridge Warrant” and together with the First Bellridge Warrant and the Bellridge Note PA Warrant, the “Bellridge Warrants”). Pursuant to the Second Bellridge Warrant, at any time on or before the date that the Company files a registration statement on Form S-l or applies for up-listing to a National Exchange (as defined in the Second Bellridge Warrant), and on or prior to the close of business on the early of the first year anniversary of the issuance of December 27, 2018, Bellridge could have chosen to subscribe for and purchase from the Company up to 2% of the outstanding shares of common stock for an aggregate exercise price of $100. Additionally, the principal interest amount due under the Bellridge Note was modified with a monthly payment of principal and interest due beginning on January 18, 2019 of $156,219 with all remaining principal and interest amounts on the Bellridge Note due on December 18, 2019. This modification was not considered a debt extinguishment.

 

On April 9, 2019, the Company entered into a new agreement with Bellridge that modified the Bellridge Note and cancelled these warrants (see below).

 

Through April 9, 2019, all principal and accrued interest under the Bellridge Note was convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, at a conversion price equal to the lower of $1.50 and 65% of the lowest traded price during the fifteen trading days immediately prior to the conversion date. The Bellridge Note included anti-dilution protection, as well as customary events of default, including, but not limited to, non-payment of the principal or accrued interest due on the Bellridge Note and cross default provisions on other Company obligations or contracts. Upon an event of default, all obligations under the Bellridge Note become immediately due and payable and the Company is required to make certain payments to Bellridge.

 

Bellridge was granted a right of first refusal on future financing transactions of the Company while the Bellridge Note remains outstanding, plus an additional three months thereafter. In connection with the issuance of the Bellridge Note, the Company entered into a security agreement with Bellridge pursuant to which the Company agreed that obligations under the Bellridge Note and related documents will be secured by all of the assets of the Company. In addition, all of the Company’s subsidiaries are guarantors of the Company’s obligations to Bellridge pursuant to the Bellridge Note and have granted a similar security interest over substantially all of their assets. A portion of the proceeds of the Bellridge Note were used to acquire 100% of the membership interests of Prime EFS.

 

 

During the term of the Bellridge Note, in the event that the Company consummates any public or private offering or other financing or capital raising transaction of any kind (each a “Bellridge Note Subsequent Offering”), in which the Company receives, in one or more contemporaneous transactions, gross proceeds of at least $5,000,000, at any time upon ten (10) days written notice to the holder of the Bellridge Note, but subject to the Bellridge Note holder’s conversion rights set forth in the Bellridge Purchase Agreement, then the Company must use 20% of the gross proceeds of the Bellridge Note Subsequent Offering and must make payment to the Bellridge Note holder of an amount in cash equal to the product of (i) the sum of (x) the then outstanding principal amount of the Bellridge Note and (y) all accrued but unpaid interest, multiplied by (ii) (x) 110%, if the Prepayment Date (as defined in the Bellridge Note) is within 90 days of the date hereof the Closing Date (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), or (y) 125%, if the Prepayment Date is after the 90th day following the Closing Date, to which calculated amount the Company must add all other amounts owed pursuant to the Bellridge Note, including, but not limited to, all late fees and liquidated damages.

 

In connection with the Bellridge Purchase Agreement, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement which, among other things, required the Company to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after June 18, 2018. The Company failed to file such registration statement. Accordingly, in addition to any other rights the holders may have under the Bellridge Purchase Agreement or under applicable law, on the default date and on each monthly anniversary of each such default date (if the applicable event is not cured by such date) until the ninetieth day from such default date, the Company will pay to each holder an amount in cash, as partial liquidated damages and not as a penalty, equal to the product of one percent (1%) multiplied by the aggregate subscription amount paid by the holder pursuant to the Bellridge Purchase Agreement. Subsequent to the ninetieth day from such default date, the one percent (1%) penalty increases to two percent (2%), with an aggregate cap of twenty percent (20%) per annum. If the Company fails to pay any of these partial liquidated damages in full within seven days after the date payable, the Company will pay interest thereon at a rate of 18% per annum to the holder, accruing daily from the date such partial liquidated damages are due until such amounts, plus all such interest thereon, are paid in full. On December 27, 2018, Bellridge waived any and all defaults.

 

In connection with the Bellridge Purchase Agreement, the Company paid a placement agent $120,000 in cash, which is included in issue costs previously discussed above and this placement agent was issued the Bellridge Note PA Warrant, with a term of two years, to purchase up to 4.75% of the fully-diluted outstanding common stock of the Company, for an aggregate purchase price of $100. On April 9, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with this placement agent that cancelled the Bellridge Note PA Warrant.

 

On April 9, 2019 (the “Bellridge Modification Date”), the Company entered into an agreement with Bellridge (the “Bellridge Modification Agreement”) that modified its existing obligations to Bellridge as follows:

 

●

the overall principal amount of the Bellridge Note was reduced from the original principal amount of $2,497,502 (principal amount was $2,223,918 at April 9, 2019) to $1,800,000, in exchange for the issuance to Bellridge of 800,000 shares of restricted common stock, to be delivered to Bellridge, either in whole or in part, at such time or times as when the beneficial ownership of such shares by Bellridge will not result in Bellridge’s beneficial ownership of more than the Beneficial Ownership Limitation and such shares are to be issued within three business days of the date the Bellridge has represented to the Company that it is below the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Such issuances will occur in increments of no fewer than the lesser of (i) 50,000 shares and (ii) the balance of the 800,000 shares owed. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” is 4.99% of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of common stock issuable pursuant to the Bellridge Modification Agreement. In connection with these shares, the Company recorded a loss on debt extinguishment of $10,248,000 in April 2019. As of August 19, 2019, 100,000 of these shares have been issued and on August 16, 2019, the Company issued 700,000 shares of Series B Preferred shares upon settlement of 700,000 shares of issuable common stock;

 

	●	the maturity date of the Bellridge Note was extended to August 31, 2020;
	●	the interest rate was reduced from 10% to 5% per annum;
	●	if the Company completes an offering of equity or equity linked securities (including warrants, convertible preferred stock, convertible debentures or convertible promissory note) which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $4,000,000, then the Company will use a portion of the proceeds thereof to repay not less than half of the obligations then outstanding pursuant to the Bellridge Note;
	●	if the Company completes an offering of debt which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $3,000,000, then the Company will use a portion of the proceeds thereof to repay any remaining obligations then outstanding pursuant to the Bellridge Note;
	●	the convertibility of the Bellridge Note was amended such that the Bellridge Note is only convertible at a conversion price to be mutually agreed upon between the Company and the holder. As of the date of this report, the Company and holder have agreed that the conversion price is $0.02 per share, although final documents are pending;
	●	the registration rights previously granted to Bellridge were eliminated; and
	●	The First Bellridge Warrant and the Second Bellridge Warrant were cancelled and of no further force or effect as of the Bellridge Modification Date. In exchange, the Company issued Bellridge 360,000 shares of restricted common stock.

 

 

In addition, on April 9, 2019, the holders of the Bellridge Note PA Warrants that were exercisable into an aggregate of 4.75% of the outstanding common stock of the Company all agreed to exercise such warrants for an aggregate of 240,000 shares of common stock of the Company.

 

In an agreement dated August 3, 2020, Bellridge and the Company resolved many of the disputes between them. Among other things, Bellridge and the Company agreed upon the balance of all indebtedness owed to Bellridge as of August 3, 2020 ($2,150,000), a new maturity date on the indebtedness (April 30, 2021), and a price of $0.02 for the conversion of all Bellridge indebtedness into shares of Company common stock.

 

On July 20, 2020, in connection with the parties’ recent settlement, the Company issued 10,281,018 shares to Bellridge to settle certain claims of Bellridge (see Note 9 under legal matters). During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we issued 107,500,001 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of debt of $1,813,402 and accrued interest of $70,671.

 

Westmount Financial

 

On April 11, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership, an entity controlled by Wendy Cabral, an individual who shares a household with the Company’s chief executive officer in the amount of $2,000,000. Commencing on May 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payment of interest only in the amount of $30,000 on the outstanding principal balance of this note was due and payable. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. This note was convertible by the holder at any time in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with the terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount of this note that is being converted by $11.81. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 812,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $2,000,000 and accrued interest payable of $30,000. In connection with the conversion of this convertible note, we also issued to Westmount Financial Limited Partnership warrants to purchase 812,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share for a period of five years.

 

August 30, 2019 Equity Offering

 

On August 30, 2019, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with the investor parties thereto (collectively, the “Equity Investors”), pursuant to which the Equity Investors agreed to purchase, severally and not jointly, 585,000 units of the Company, each unit comprised of one share of common stock, and a warrant to purchase one (1) share of common stock (the “Equity Offering”) at an exercise price of $2.50 per share of common stock. The warrants include down-round provisions under which the warrant exercise price could be affected by future equity offerings undertaken by the Company. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, down-round provisions were triggered. As of September 30, 2020, the exercise price of these warrants was lowered to $0.006 per share.

 

Including the Equity Offering, from August 2019 to October 2019, we issued 619,000 shares of our common stock and 619,000 five-year warrants to purchase common shares for an exercise price of $2.50 per common share to investors for cash proceeds of $1,547,500, or $2.50 per share, pursuant to unit subscription agreements.

 

August 30, 2019 convertible debt and related warrants

 

On August 30, 2019, we issued and sold to investors convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $2,469,840 (the “August 2019 Notes”), and warrants to purchase up to 987,940 shares of our common stock (the “August 2019 Warrants”) pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “August 2019 Debt Purchase Agreement”) with accredited investors. We received net proceeds of $295,534, which is net of 10% original issue discounts of $246,984 and origination fees of $61,101, and is net of $1,643,367 for the repayment of notes payable, and net of $222,854 related to the conversion of existing notes payable already outstanding to these lenders into these August 2019 Notes. The August 2019 Notes initially bear interest at 10% per annum and become due and payable on November 30, 2020. During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the August 2019 Notes), interest accrues at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the four-month anniversary of these August 2019 Notes, monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments, based on a 12 month amortization schedule (each, an “August 2019 Note Amortization Payment”), are due and payable, until November 30, 2020, at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable under the August 2019 Notes will be immediately due and payable. The August 2019 Note Amortization Payments are made in cash unless the investor requests payment in our common stock in lieu of a cash payment (each, an “August 2019 Note Stock Payment”). If the investor requests an August 2019 Note Stock Payment, the number of shares of common stock issued is based on the amount of the applicable August 2019 Note Amortization Payment divided by 80% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) during the five Trading Day (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) period prior to the due date of the August 2019 Note Amortization Payment.

 

The August 2019 Notes may be prepaid, provided that certain Equity Conditions, as defined in the August 2019 Notes, have been met (or any such failure to meet the Equity Conditions has been waived): (i) from August 30, 2019 until and through November 30, 2019 at an amount equal to 105% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the August 2019 Notes and accrued and unpaid interest, and (ii) after August 30, 2019 at an amount equal to 115% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the August 2019 Notes and accrued and unpaid interest. In the event that the Company closes a registered public offering of securities for its own account (a “Public Offering”), the holders may elect to: (x) have their principal and accrued interest prepaid directly from the proceeds of the Public Offering at the prices set forth above, (y) exchange their August 2019 Notes at the closing of the Public Offering for the securities being issued in the Public Offering at the Public Offering prices based upon the outstanding principal, accrued interest and other charges, or (z) continue to hold their August 2019 Notes. Except for a Public Offering and August 2019 Amortization Payments, in order to prepay the August 2019 Notes, the Company must provide at least 20 days’ prior written notice to the holders, during which time the holders may convert their August 2019 Notes in whole or in part at the then-applicable conversion price. For avoidance of doubt, the August 2019 Amortization Payments are prepayments and are subject to prepayment penalties equal to 115% of the August 2019 Amortization Payment. In the event the Company consummates a Public Offering while the August 2019 Notes are outstanding, then 25% of the net proceeds of such offering will, within two business days of the closing of such Public Offering, be applied to reduce the outstanding obligations pursuant to the August 2019 Notes.

 

 

From the original issue date until the August 2019 Notes are no longer outstanding, the August 2019 Notes are convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the investor. The initial conversion price of the August 2019 Notes was the lower of: (i) $3.50 per share and (ii) the price per share paid by investors in the contemplated equity offering of up to $1,000,000. If an Event of Default (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) has occurred, regardless of whether it has been cured or remains ongoing, the August 2019 Notes were initially convertible at the lower of: (i) $3.50 and (ii) 70% of the second lowest closing price of the common stock as reported on the Trading Market (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) during the 20 consecutive Trading Day (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) period ending and including the Trading Day (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable notice of conversion (the “August 2019 Note Default Conversion Price”).

 

In January 2020, we defaulted on our August 30, 2019 convertible debt due to non-payment of the required amortization payment due. Accordingly, the outstanding principal balance on date of default increased by 30% amounting to approximately $724,000, default interest accrues at 18%, and the default conversion terms now apply as described above. All such Conversion Price determinations are to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock. These August 2019 Notes and related August 2019 Warrants include a down-round provision under which the August 2019 Note conversion price and August 2019 Warrant exercise price were reduced, on a full-ratchet basis, to $0.006 due to the default on the August 2019 Notes triggering the default conversion price. See Note 6 to the condensed consolidated financial statements for additional details.

 

During the six months ended June 30, 2020, we repaid principal of $257,139, settled $128,674 of debt, and we issued 293,677,788 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of principal and default interest of $2,118,311, accrued interest of $48,685 and fees of $1,000. Additionally, accrued interest payable of $84,416 was reclassified to principal balance. During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we issued 39,885,602 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of principal and default interest of $284,249, accrued interest of $8,450 and fees of $900.

 

Additionally, on July 20, 2020 and July 22, 2020, we entered Exchange Agreements (the “Exchange Agreements”) with two Investors to exchange outstanding August 2019 Notes and August 2019 Warrants for a newly created series of preferred stock designated the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series D”) (See below).

 

At September 30, 2020, convertible notes payable related to August 30, 2019 convertible debt amounted to $22,064, which consists of $22,064 of principal balance and default interest due. At December 31, 2019, convertible notes payable related to August 30, 2019 convertible debt amounted to $658,623, which consists of $2,469,840 of principal balance due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $1,811,217.

 

Series D Exchange

 

On July 20, 2020, the Company entered an Exchange Agreement (the “Cavalry Exchange Agreement”) with one of the investors in the August 2019 Notes and August 2019 Warrants, Cavalry Fund I, LP, (“Cavalry”) to exchange outstanding August 2019 Notes and August 2019 Warrants for a newly created series of preferred stock designated the Series D Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series D”). Pursuant to the Cavalry Exchange Agreement, Cavalry exchanged August 2019 Notes with an aggregate remaining principal and accrued interest amounts outstanding of $559,846.31 and August 2019 Warrants to purchase 228,713,916 shares of common stock for 301,457 shares of Series D (the “Cavalry Exchange”).

 

On July 22, 2020, the Company entered an Exchange Agreement (the “Puritan Exchange Agreement”) with another investor, Puritan Partners LLC (“Puritan”) to exchange outstanding August 2019 Notes and August 2019 Warrants for Series D. Pursuant to the Puritan Exchange Agreement, Puritan exchanged August 2019 Notes with an aggregate remaining principal amount outstanding of $265,843.79 and August 2019 Warrants to purchase 194,445,377 shares of common stock for 221,269 shares of Series D (the “Puritan Exchange” and together with the Cavalry Exchange, the “Series D Exchanges”).

 

In connection with Cavalry Exchange, the Company and Cavalry entered into a leak-out agreement, dated as of July 20, 2020 (the “Cavalry Leak-Out Agreement”), whereby Cavalry agreed that, until the earliest to occur of (a) 120 days from July 20, 2020, (b) the common stock trading at an average reported volume of at least 100,000,001 shares for three consecutive trading days, (c) the price per share of the common stock exceeding $0.10 in a transaction, (d) the time of release (whether by termination of an applicable leak-out agreement or otherwise), in whole or in part, of any leak-out agreement with any other holder of securities, or (e) any breach by the Company of any term of the Cavalry Leak-Out Agreement that is not cured within five trading days following delivery of written notice of such breach by Cavalry to the Company, neither Cavalry, nor any of its Affiliates (as defined in the Cavalry Leak-Out Agreement), collectively, shall sell, on any trading day, more than 10% of the common stock sold on such trading day.

 

 

In connection with the Puritan Exchange, the Company and Puritan entered into a Leak-Out Agreement, dated as of July 22, 2020 (the “Puritan Leak-Out Agreement”), whereby Puritan agreed that, until the earliest to occur of (a) 120 days from July 22, 2020, (b) the common stock trading at an average reported volume of at least 100,000,001 shares for three consecutive trading days, (c) the price per share of the common stock exceeding $0.10 in a transaction, (d) the time of release (whether by termination of an applicable leak-out agreement or otherwise), in whole or in part, of any leak-out agreement with any other holder of securities, or (e) any breach by the Company of any term of the Puritan Leak-Out Agreement that is not cured within five trading days following delivery of written notice of such breach by Puritan to the Company, neither Puritan, nor any of its Affiliates (as defined in the Puritan Leak-Out Agreement), collectively, shall sell, on any trading day, more than 10% of the common stock sold on such trading day.

 

In connection with the Series D Exchanges, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) created the Series D pursuant to the authority vested in the Board by the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to issue up to 10,000,0000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. The Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation explicitly authorize the Board to issue any or all of such shares of preferred stock in one (1) or more classes or series and to fix the designations, powers, preferences and rights, the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, redemption prices, liquidation preferences and the number of shares constituting any class or series, without further vote or action by the stockholders.

 

On July 20, 2020, the Board filed the Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series D Preferred Stock (the “Series D COD”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada designating 1,250,000 shares of preferred stock as Series D. The Series D does not have the right to vote. The Series D has a stated value of $6.00 per share (the “Stated Value”). Subject only to the liquidation rights of the holders of Series B Preferred Stock that is currently issued and outstanding, upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the business of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the Series D is entitled to receive an amount per share equal to the Stated Value and then receive a pro-rata portion of the remaining assets available for distribution to the holders of common stock on an as-converted to common stock basis. Until July 20, 2021, the holders of Series D have the right to participate, pro rata, in each subsequent financing in an amount up to 25% of the total proceeds of such financing on the same terms, conditions and price otherwise available in such subsequent financing.

 

Subject to a beneficial ownership limitation and customary adjustments for stock dividends and stock splits, each share of Series D is convertible into 1,000 shares of common stock. A holder of Series D may not convert any shares of Series D into common stock if the holder (together with the holder’s affiliates and any persons acting as a group together with the holder or any of the holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the conversion, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Series D COD. However, upon notice from the holder to the Company, the holder may decrease or increase the beneficial ownership limitation, which may not exceed 9.99% of the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Series D COD, provided that any such increase or decrease in the beneficial ownership limitation will not take effect until 61 days following notice to the Company.

 

Approval of at least a majority of the outstanding Series D is required to: (a) amend or repeal any provision of, or add any provision to, the Company’s Articles of Incorporation or bylaws, or file any Certificate of Designation (however such document is named) or articles of amendment to create any class or any series of preferred stock, if such action would adversely alter or change in any respect the preferences, rights, privileges or powers, or restrictions provided for the benefit, of the Series D, regardless of whether any such action shall be by means of amendment to the Articles of Incorporation or bylaws or by merger, consolidation or otherwise or filing any Certificate of Designation, it being understood that the creation of a new security having rights, preferences or privileges senior to or on parity with the Series D in a future financing will not constitute an amendment, addition, alteration, filing, waiver or repeal for these purposes; (b) increase or decrease (other than by conversion) the authorized number of Series D; (c) issue any Series D, other than to the Investors; or (d) without limiting any provision hereunder, whether or not prohibited by the terms of the Series D, circumvent a right of the Series D.

 

October 3, 2019 convertible debt and related warrants

 

On October 3, 2019, the Company issued and sold to an investor a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $166,667 (the “October 3 Note”), and warrants to purchase up to 66,401 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “October 3 Warrant”). The Company received net proceeds of $150,000, which is net of a 10% original issue discounts of $16,667. The October 3 Note initially bore interest at 10% per annum and becomes due and payable on January 3, 2021. During the existence of an Event of Default, interest accrues at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the four month anniversary of the October 3 Note, monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments, based on a 12 month amortization schedule (each, an “October 3 Note Amortization Payment”), are due and payable, until the Maturity Date, at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable under the October 3 Note will be immediately due and payable. The October 3 Note Amortization Payments are made in cash unless the investor requests payment in the Company’s common stock in lieu of a cash payment (each, an “October 3 Note Stock Payment”). If the investor requests an October 3 Note Stock Payment, the number of shares of common stock issued is based on the amount of the applicable October 3 Note Amortization Payment divided by 80% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the October 3 Note) during the five Trading Day (as defined in the October 3 Note) period prior to the due date of the October 3 Note Amortization Payment.

 

 

The October 3 Note may be prepaid, provided that certain Equity Conditions, as defined in the October 3 Note, have been met (or any such failure to meet the Equity Conditions has been waived): (i) from October 3, 2019 until and through January 3, 2020, at an amount equal to 105% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the October 3 Note and accrued and unpaid interest, and (ii) after January 3, 2020, at an amount equal to 115% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the October 3 Note and accrued and unpaid interest. In the event that the Company closes a Public Offering, the holder may elect to: (x) have its principal and accrued interest prepaid directly from the proceeds of the Public Offering at the prices set forth above, (y) exchange its October 3 Note at the closing of the Public Offering for the securities being issued in the Public Offering at the Public Offering prices based upon the outstanding principal, accrued interest and other charges, or (z) continue to hold the October 3 Note. Except for a Public Offering and October 3 Note Amortization Payments, in order to prepay the October 3 Note, the Company must provide at least 20 days’ prior written notice to the holder, during which time the holder may convert the October 3 Note in whole or in part at the conversion price. For avoidance of doubt, the October 3 Note Amortization Payments are prepayments and are subject to prepayment penalties equal to 115% of the October 3 Note Amortization Payment. In the event the Company consummates a Public Offering while the October 3 Note is outstanding, then 25% of the net proceeds of such offering will, within two business days of the closing of such Public Offering, be applied to reduce the outstanding obligations pursuant to the October 3 Note.

 

On the original issue date until the October 3 Note is no longer outstanding, the October 3 Note is convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the investor. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date means, as of any Conversion Date (as defined in the October 3 Note) or other date of determination, the lower of: (i) $2.51 per share and (ii) the price per share paid by investors in the contemplated equity offering of up to $1,000,000. If an Event of Default (as defined in the October 3 Note) has occurred, regardless of whether such Event of Default (as defined in the October 3 Note) has been cured or remains ongoing, the October 3 Note is convertible at the lower of: (i) $2.51 and (ii) 70% of the second lowest closing price of the common stock as reported on the Trading Market (as defined in the October 3 Note) during the 20 consecutive Trading Day (as defined in the October 3 Note) period ending and including the Trading Day (as defined in the October 3 Note) immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable Notice of Conversion (the “October 3 Note Default Conversion Price”). All such conversion price determinations are to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock.

 

This October 3 Note and the related October 3 Warrant include down-round provisions under which the October 3 Note conversion price and October 3 Warrant exercise price were reduced on a full-ratchet basis to $0.006 due to the adjusted conversion price of certain other convertible notes issued by the Company. See Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.

 

The October 3 Warrant is exercisable at any time on or after the date of the issuance and entitles the investor to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock for a period of five years from the initial date the October 3 Warrant became exercisable. Under the terms of the October 3 Warrant, the investor is entitled to exercise the October 3 Warrant to purchase up to 66,401 shares of the Company’s common stock at an initial exercise price of $3.51, subject to adjustment as detailed in the October 3 Warrant and described above.

 

In February 2020, due to the default of the February 2020 October 3 Note Amortization Payment, the October 3 Note was deemed in default. Accordingly, the outstanding principal balance on date of default increased by 30% which amounted to approximately $50,000, default interest accrues at 18%, and the default conversion terms apply as described above. See Note 6 to the condensed consolidated financial statements for additional details.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company issued 27,525,109 shares of its common stock upon the conversion of principal and default interest of $216,667, accrued interest of $11,774, fees of $5,000, and additional interest expense of $2,180.

 

At September 30, 2020, convertible notes payable related to the October 3, 2019 convertible debt amounted to $0. At December 31, 2019, convertible notes payable related to the October 3, 2019 convertible debt amounted to $33,334, which consists of $166,667 of principal balance due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $133,333.

 

Fall 2019 notes

 

On October 14, 2019 and November 7, 2019, we entered into convertible note agreements with an accredited investor. Pursuant to the terms of these convertible note agreements, we issued and sold to an investor convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $500,000 (the “Fall 2019 Notes”) and we received cash proceeds of $500,000. The Fall 2019 Notes bear interest at 10% per annum. The October 14, 2019 convertible promissory note of $300,000 became due and payable on October 14, 2020 and the November 7, 2019 convertible promissory note of $200,000 became due and payable on November 7, 2020. Commencing on the respective seven-month anniversaries of issuance, and continuing each month thereafter through the respective maturity date, payments of principal and interest will be made in accordance with the respective amortization schedule. During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the Fall 2019 Notes), interest will accrue at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the seventh month anniversary of each respective note, monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments are due and payable, until the respective maturity dates, at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable under such Fall 2019 Note will be immediately due and payable.

 

The Company has the right to prepay in cash all or a portion of the outstanding principal due under the Fall 2019 Notes. The Company must provide the holders with written notice at least twenty business days prior to the date on which the Company will deliver payment of accrued interest and all or a portion, in $100,000 increments, of the principal.

 

Each Fall 2019 Note is convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the investor. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date means, as of any date of determination, the lower of: (i) $2.50 per share and (ii) the twenty day per share closing trading price of the Company’s common stock during the twenty trading days that close with the last previous trading day ended three days prior to the date of exercise. The Fall 2019 Notes do not contain anti-dilutive provisions. In May 2020, due to the default of a May 2020 Amortization Payment, the October 14, 2019 convertible note was deemed in default. Accordingly, default interest accrues at 18% and the October 14, 2019 convertible note became due on the date of default.

 

 

At September 30, 2020, convertible notes payable related to the Fall 2019 Notes amounted to $430,783, which consists of $500,000 of principal balance due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $69,217. At December 31, 2019, convertible notes payable related to the Fall 2019 Notes amounted to $233,600, which consists of $500,000 of principal balance due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $266,400.

 

Secured Merchant Loans

 

From November 22, 2019 to December 31, 2019, we entered into several secured merchant loans in the aggregate amount of $2,283,540. We received net proceeds of $1,355,986, net of original issue discounts and origination fees of $927,554. Pursuant to these several secured merchant loans, we were required to pay the noteholders by making daily and/or weekly payments on each business day or week until the loan amounts were paid in full. Each payment was deducted from the Company’s bank account. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we repaid an aggregate of $464,344 of the loans. At December 31, 2019, notes payable related to these secured merchant loans amounted to $1,057,074, which consists of $1,819,196 of principal balance due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $762,122. Subsequent to December 31, 2019, we settled and repaid substantially all of these notes.

 

Q1/Q2 convertible debt and related warrants

 

Beginning in January 2020 and continuing through April 1, 2020 we have issued and sold to investors convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $2,068,000 (the “Q1/Q2 2020 Notes”), and warrants to purchase up to 827,200 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Q1/Q2 2020 Warrants”). We received net proceeds of $1,880,000, which is net of 10% original issue discounts of $188,000. The Q1/Q2 2020 Notes initially bore interest at 6% per annum and become due and payable on the date that is the 24-month anniversary of the original issue date of the respective Q1/Q2 2020 Note. During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the applicable Q1/Q2 2020 Note), interest accrues at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the thirteenth month anniversary of each 2020 Note, monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments, based on a 12 month amortization schedule (each, a “2020 Note Amortization Payment”), will be due and payable, until the Maturity Date (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note), at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable under such 2020 Note will be immediately due and payable. The 2020 Note Amortization Payments will be made in cash unless the investor requests payment in the Company’s common stock in lieu of a cash payment (each, a “2020 Note Stock Payment”). If a holder of a 2020 Note requests a 2020 Note Stock Payment, the number of shares of common stock issued will be based on the amount of the applicable 2020 Note Amortization Payment divided by 80% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note) during the five Trading Day (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note) period prior to the due date of such 2020 Note Amortization Payment.

 

The Q1/Q2 2020 Notes may be prepaid, provided that certain Equity Conditions, as defined in the Q1/Q2 2020 Notes, have been met (or any such failure to meet the Equity Conditions has been waived): (i) from each Q1/Q2 2020 Note’s respective original issuance date until and through the day that falls on the third month anniversary of such original issue date (each a “Q1/Q2 2020 Note 3 Month Anniversary”) at an amount equal to 105% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the Q1/Q2 2020 Note and accrued and unpaid interest, and (ii) after the applicable Q1/Q2 2020 Note 3 Month Anniversary at an amount equal to 115% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the Q1/Q2 2020 Note and accrued and unpaid interest. In the event that the Company closes a Public Offering, each holder may elect to: (x) have its principal and accrued interest prepaid directly from the proceeds of the Public Offering at the prices set forth above, or (y) exchange its Q1/Q2 2020 Note at the closing of the Public Offering for the securities being issued in the Public Offering at the Public Offering prices based upon the outstanding principal, accrued interest and other charges, or (z) continue to hold its Q1/Q2 2020 Note(s). Except for a Public Offering and Q1/Q2 2020 Note Amortization Payments, in order to prepay a Q1/Q2 2020 Note, the Company must provide at least 30 days’ prior written notice to the holder thereof, during which time the holder may convert its Q1/Q2 2020 Note in whole or in part at the applicable conversion price. The Q1/Q2 2020 Note Amortization Payments are prepayments and are subject to prepayment penalties equal to 115% of the Q1/Q2 2020 Note Amortization Payment. In the event the Company consummates a Public Offering while the Q1/Q2 2020 Notes are outstanding, then 25% of the net proceeds of such offering will, within two business days of the closing of such Public Offering, be applied to reduce the outstanding obligations pursuant to the Q1/Q2 2020 Notes.

 

After the original issue date of a Q1/Q2 2020 Note until such Q1/Q2 2020 Note is no longer outstanding, such Q1/Q2 2020 Note is convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the holder. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date (as defined in the applicable Q1/Q2 2020 Note) means, as of any date of determination, $0.40 per share, subject to adjustment as provided therein and summarized in this report. If an Event of Default (as defined in the Q1/Q2 2020 Notes) has occurred, regardless of whether it has been cured or remains ongoing, the Q1/Q2 2020 Notes are convertible at the lower of: (i) $0.40 and (ii) 70% of the second lowest closing price of the common stock as reported on the Trading Market (as defined in the applicable Q1/Q2 2020 Note) during the 20 consecutive Trading Day (as defined in the applicable Q1/Q2 2020 Note) period ending and including the Trading Day immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable notice of conversion. All such Conversion Price determinations are to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock. The Q1/Q2 2020 Notes contain down-round protection under which the Q1/Q2 2020 Note conversion price was reduced on a full-ratchet basis, to $0.006 due to the adjusted conversion price of certain other convertible notes issued by the Company.

 

The Q1/Q2 2020 Warrants are exercisable at any time on or after the date of the issuance and entitle the investors to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock for a period of five years from the initial date the 2020 Warrants become exercisable. Under the terms of the Q1/Q2 2020 Warrants, the investors are entitled to exercise the Q1/Q2 2020 Warrants to purchase up to 827,200 shares of the Company’s common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.40, subject to adjustment as detailed in the respective Q1/Q2 2020 Warrants.

 

 

Due to the default of August 2019 Amortization Payments due on our August 2019 Notes and other notes, these convertible notes were deemed in default. Accordingly, the outstanding principal balance on date of default increased by 30% which amounted to approximately $620,400, default interest accrues at 18%, and the default conversion terms apply.

 

During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we issued 291,796,804 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of principal and default interest of $1,887,000 and accrued interest of $3,731.

 

At September 30, 2020, convertible notes payable and default interest due related to the Q1/Q2 2020 Notes amounted to $698,821, which consists of $801,400 of principal balance due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $102,579.

 

April 20, 2020 convertible debt

 

On April 20, 2020, we issued to an investor a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $456,500 (the “April 20 Note”). The April 20 Note contained a 10% original issue discount amounting to $41,500 for a purchase price of $415,000. The Company did not receive any proceeds from the April 20 Note because the investor converted previous notes and accrued interest due to him in the amount of $195,000 into the April 20 Note. In connection with the conversion of notes payable to the April 20 Note, we recorded a loss from debt extinguishment of $220,000. The April 20 Note bore interest at 6% per annum and becomes due and payable on April 20, 2022 (the “April 20 Note Maturity Date”). During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the April 20 Note), which includes, amongst other events, any default in the payment of principal and interest payment (including any April 20 Note Amortization Payments) under any note or any other indebtedness, interest accrues at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the thirteenth month anniversary of the April 20 Note, monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments, based on a 12 month amortization schedule, will be due and payable (each, an “April 20 Note Amortization Payment”), until the April 20 Note Maturity Date, at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable under the April 20 Note will be immediately due and payable. The April 20 Note Amortization Payments will be made in cash unless the investor requests payment in the Company’s common stock in lieu of a cash payment (each, an “April 20 Note Stock Payment”). If the investor requests an April 20 Note Stock Payment, the number of shares of common stock issued will be based on the amount of the applicable April 20 Note Amortization Payment divided by 80% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the April 20 Note) during the five Trading Day (as defined in the April 20 Note) period prior to the due date of the April 20 Note Amortization Payment.

 

The April 20 Note may be prepaid, provided that certain Equity Conditions, as defined in the April 20 Note, have been met (or any such failure to meet the Equity Conditions has been waived): (i) from April 20, 2020 until and through July 20, 2020 at an amount equal to 105% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the April 20 Note and accrued and unpaid interest, and (ii) after July 20, 2020 at an amount equal to 115% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the April 20 Note and accrued and unpaid interest. In the event that the Company closes a Public Offering, the holder may elect to: (x) have its principal and accrued interest prepaid directly from the proceeds of the Public Offering at the prices set forth above, (y) exchange its April 20 Note at the closing of the Public Offering for the securities being issued in the Public Offering at the Public Offering prices based upon the outstanding principal, accrued interest and other charges, or (z) continue to hold the April 20 Note. Except for a Public Offering and April 20 Note Amortization Payments, in order to prepay the April 20 Note, the Company must provide at least 30 days’ prior written notice to the holder, during which time the holder may convert the April 20 Note in whole or in part at the then applicable conversion price. For avoidance of doubt, the April 20 Note Amortization Payments will be prepayments and are subject to prepayment penalties equal to 115% of the April 20 Note Amortization Payment. In the event the Company consummates a Public Offering while the April 20 Note is outstanding, then 25% of the net proceeds of such offering will, within two business days of the closing of such Public Offering, be applied to reduce the outstanding obligations pursuant to the April 20 Note.

 

Until the April 20 Note is no longer outstanding, it is convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the investor. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date (as defined in the April 20 Note) means, as of any Conversion Date or other date of determination, the lower of: (i) $0.40 and (ii) 70% of the second lowest closing price of the common stock as reported on the Trading Market (as defined in the April 20 Note) during the 20 consecutive Trading Day (as defined in the April 20 Note) period ending and including the Trading Day immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable notice of conversion. All such Conversion Price determinations are to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock.

 

Due to the default of August 2019 Note Amortization Payments due on our August 2019 Notes and other notes, the April 20 Note was deemed in default. Accordingly, the outstanding principal balance on date of default increased by 30% which amounted to approximately $136,950, default interest accrues at 18%, and the default conversion terms apply.

 

During the three months ended September 30, 2020, we issued 38,500,000 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of principal and default interest of $231,000.

 

At September 30, 2020, convertible notes payable related to the April 20 Note amounted to $187,293, which consists of $362,450 of principal balance and default interest due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $175,157.

 

 

Conversions of Convertible Notes, Warrants and Convertible Preferred Stock

 

The Company’s trading price quoted on the OTC Pink market fell from $3.50 per share on January 8, 2020 to $0.01 on September 30, 2020. This drop, together with anti-dilution protection features contained in the August 2019 Notes and August 2019 Warrants that were triggered upon the issuance of convertible debt beginning in January 2020, caused the conversion prices of most of the Company’s outstanding notes and the exercise price of many of the Company’s outstanding warrants, to fall to $0.006. Beginning in February 2020, note holders began converting the outstanding principal of their notes into substantial quantities of shares of the Company’s common stock. During the period from February 25, 2020 to September 30, 2020, we issued 895,546,406 shares of our common stock in connection with the conversion of convertible notes payable and default interest of $7,060,630, accrued interest of $301,452, and fees of $9,080. The conversion price was based on contractual terms of the related debt. Additionally, the Company issued 155,914,308 shares of its common stock upon the cashless exercise of 157,297,448 warrants. Also, we issued 398,350,000 shares of common stock upon the conversion of 398,350 shares of series D preferred stock. Consequently, the total number of shares of common stock outstanding has increased from 11,832,603 on December 31, 2019, to 1,472,924,335 on September 30, 2020.

 

These anti-dilution protection features only provide for one-way adjustment, therefore, even if the Company cures any events of default, and the trading price increases, the conversion and exercise prices of the affected notes and warrants will remain a fraction of a penny. As a result, the Company has made commitments to shareholders, convertible note holders and warrant holders to issue, or keep available for issuance, large quantities of additional shares of common stock.

 

To enable the Company to meet these commitments, the Company’s Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution seeking stockholder approval to authorize the Board of Directors to amend the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 500,000,000 shares to 4,000,000,000 shares (the “Authorized Share Increase Amendment”). Stockholder approval for the Authorized Share Increase Amendment was obtained on June 26, 2020 from stockholders that held at least 51% of the voting power of the stock of the Company entitled to vote thereon, as of the record date of June 26, 2020. These consents constituted a sufficient number of votes to approve the Authorized Share Increase Amendment under the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, bylaws and Nevada law. Pursuant to applicable securities laws and Section 78.390 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, the Company prepared and mailed an Information Statement to its stockholders of record on the record date beginning on June 30, 2020. In compliance with Rule 14(c)-2(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Authorized Share Increase Amendment became effective on July 20, 2020 which was at least twenty calendar days after the Information Statement was first sent to stockholders.

 

On July 24, 2020, we issued 1,000,000 shares of our common stock upon the conversion of 1,000,000 shares of Series B preferred shares.

 

Paycheck Protection Program Promissory Notes

 

On April 15, 2020, our subsidiary, Prime EFS, entered into a Paycheck Protection promissory note (the “Prime EFS PPP Loan”) with M&T Bank in the amount of $2,941,212 under the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (the “Paycheck Protection Program”) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020 (the “CARES Act”). On April 15, 2020, the Prime EFS PPP Loan was approved and Prime EFS received the loan proceeds on April 22, 2020. Prime EFS has used and plans to continue to use the proceeds for covered payroll costs, rent and utilities in accordance with the relevant terms and conditions of the CARES Act. The Prime EFS PPP Loan has a two-year term, matures on April 16, 2022, and bears interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum. Monthly principal and interest payments, less the amount of any potential forgiveness (discussed below), will commence on November 16, 2020.

 

On April 2, 2020, our subsidiary, Shypdirect, entered into a Paycheck Protection promissory note (the “Shypdirect PPP Loan” and together with the Prime EFS PPP Loan, the “PPP Loans”) with M&T Bank in the amount of $504,940 under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act. On April 28, 2020, the Shypdirect PPP Loan was approved and Shypdirect received the Shypdirect PPP Loan proceeds on May 1, 2020. Shypdirect has used and plans to continue to use the proceeds for covered payroll costs, rent and utilities in accordance with the relevant terms and conditions of the CARES Act. The Shypdirect PPP Loan has a two-year term, matures on April 28, 2022, and bears interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum. Monthly principal and interest payments, less the amount of any potential forgiveness (discussed below), will commence on November 28, 2020.

 

Neither Prime EFS nor Shypdirect provided any collateral or guarantees for these PPP Loans, nor did they pay any facility charge to obtain the PPP Loans. These promissory notes provide for customary events of default, including, among others, those relating to failure to make payment, bankruptcy, breaches of representations and material adverse effects. Prime EFS and Shypdirect may prepay the principal of the PPP Loans at any time without incurring any prepayment charges. These PPP Loans may be forgiven partially or fully if the respective loan proceeds are used for covered payroll costs, rent and utilities, provided that such amounts are incurred during the twenty-four-week period that commenced on the date the proceeds of each loan were received and at least 60% of any forgiven amount has been used for covered payroll costs. Any forgiveness of these PPP Loans will be subject to approval by the SBA and M&T Bank and will require Prime EFS and Shypdirect to apply for such treatment in the future.

 

Amazon Logistics Delivery Service Partner Agreement and Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service

 

On June 19, 2020, Amazon notified Prime EFS by the Prime EFS Termination Notice that Amazon did not intend to renew the In-Force Agreement when it expired. In the Prime EFS Termination Notice, Amazon stated that the In-Force Agreement would expire on September 30, 2020.

 

 

Additionally, on July 17, 2020, Amazon notified Shypdirect that Amazon had elected to terminate the Program Agreement between Amazon and Shypdirect effective as of November 14, 2020 (the “Shypdirect Termination Notice”). However, on August 3, 2020, pursuant to the Aug. 3 Proposal, Amazon offered to withdraw the Shypdirect Termination Notice and extend the term of the Program Agreement to and including May 14, 2021, conditioned on Prime EFS executing, for nominal consideration, a separation agreement with Amazon under which Prime EFS would agree to cooperate in an orderly transition of its Amazon last-mile delivery business to other service providers, release any and all claims it may have against Amazon, and covenant not to sue Amazon. On August 4, 2020, the Company, Prime EFS and Shypdirect accepted the Aug. 3 Proposal.

 

Approximately 58.4% and 39.0% of the Company’s revenue of $23,503,384 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was attributable to Prime EFS’s last-mile DSP business and Shypdirect’s mid-mile and long-haul business with Amazon. respectively. The termination of the Amazon last-mile business will have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business in the 4th fiscal quarter of 2020 and thereafter. If the Amazon mid-mile and long-haul business is discontinued after May 14, 2021 it would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business in 2nd fiscal quarter of 2021 and thereafter.

 

We will continue to: (i) seek to replace its last-mile DSP Amazon business and supplement its mid-mile and long-haul Amazon business with other, non-Amazon, customers; (ii) explore other strategic relationships; and (iii) identify potential acquisition opportunities, while continuing to execute our restructuring plan, commenced in February 2020.

 

Cash Flows

 

Operating activities

 

Net cash flows used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 amounted to $2,369,261. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, net cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to a net loss of $35,506,373, adjusted for the add back (reduction) of non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization expense of $42,101, derivative expense of $31,835,642, amortization of debt discount of $4,664,605, interest expense related to debt default of $1,531,335, stock-based compensation of $1,999,749, a non-cash gain on debt extinguishment of $(7,203,589), and changes in operating assets and liabilities such as a decrease in accounts receivable of $628,378, an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $216,181, an increase in security deposit of $129,750, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $12,623, a decrease in insurance payable of $250,961, and an increase in accrued compensation and benefits of $226,415.

 

Net cash flows used in operating activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 amounted to $4,231,915. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, net cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to a net loss of $37,970,095, adjusted for the add back (reduction) of non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization expense of $873,020, derivative expense of $56,018,848, amortization of debt discount of $4,017,444, stock-based compensation of $8,445,770, a gain on debt extinguishment of $(39,316,358), impairment expense of $1,724,591, non-cash loan fees of $601,121 and changes in operating assets and liabilities such as an increase in accounts receivable of $147,696, an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $174,653, and a decrease in accrued compensation and related benefits of $148,523 offset by an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $1,626,306.

 

Investing activities

 

Net cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 amounted to $460,510 and consisted of cash paid for the purchase of five box trucks of $460,510.

 

Net cash provided by investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 amounted to $16,119 and consisted of cash received from the disposal of trucks and van of $81,000 offset by cash paid for the purchase of property and equipment of $59,256 and a reduction of cash related to the disposal of Save On of $5,625.

 

Financing activities

 

For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $3,098,101. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we received proceeds from convertible debt of $1,912,382 and proceeds from notes payable of $4,479,662, offset by the repayment of convertible notes of $257,139, the repayment of related party advances of $80,438, and the repayment of notes payable of $2,956,366.

 

For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $3,926,342. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, we received proceeds from the sale of common stock and warrants of $1,462,500, proceeds from related party convertible notes of $2,500,000, proceeds from convertible debt of $1,938,900, proceeds from notes payable of $7,791,020 and proceeds from related party notes of $755,000 offset by the repayment of convertible notes of $473,579, the repayment of related party notes of $495,000, and the repayment of notes payable of $9,584,459.

 

 

Going Concern Consideration

 

Our accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. As reflected in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, we had a net loss of $35,506,373 and $37,970,095 and net cash used in operations was $2,369,261 and $4,231,915, respectively. Additionally, we had an accumulated deficit, shareholders’ deficit, and a working capital deficit of $114,818,245, $12,272,369 and $12,974,773, respectively, at September 30, 2020. Furthermore, the Company failed to make required payments of principal and interest on certain of its convertible debt instruments and notes payable.

 

On June 19, 2020, Amazon notified Prime EFS by the Prime EFS Termination Notice that Amazon would not renew its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) Agreement with Prime EFS when the In-Force Agreement expired on September 30, 2020 and such In-Force Agreement, in fact, expired on September 30, 2020. Additionally, on July 17, 2020, pursuant to the Shypdirect Termination Notice, Amazon notified Shypdirect that Amazon had elected to terminate the Program Agreement between Amazon and Shypdirect effective as of November 14, 2020 (See Note 1). However, on August 3, 2020, Amazon offered pursuant to the Aug. 3 Proposal to withdraw the Shypdirect Termination Notice and extend the term of the Program Agreement to and including May 14, 2021, conditioned on Prime EFS executing, for nominal consideration, a separation agreement with Amazon under which Prime EFS would agree to cooperate in an orderly transition of its Amazon last-mile delivery business to other service providers, release any and all claims it may have against Amazon, and covenant not to sue Amazon. In a “Separation Agreement” dated August 23, 2020, by and among Amazon, Prime EFS and the Company, Prime EFS and the Company agreed, for nominal consideration, that the Delivery Service Partner Program Agreement between Amazon and Prime EFS would terminate effective September 30, 2020; that Prime EFS and the Company would cooperate in an orderly transition of the last-mile delivery business from Prime EFS to other service providers; that Prime EFS would return any and all vehicles leased from Element Fleet Corporation by October 7, 2020 in good repair; and that Prime EFS would dismiss the Amazon Arbitration with prejudice. Under the same Separation Agreement, Prime EFS and the Company released any and all claims they had against Amazon and covenanted not to sue Amazon. In a “Settlement and Release Agreement” dated August 21, 2020, by and among Amazon, Shypdirect, Prime EFS and the Company, Amazon withdrew the Shypdirect Termination Notice and extended the term of the Program Agreement to and including May 14, 2021. In the Settlement and Release Agreement, Shypdirect released any and all claims it had against Amazon, arising under the Program Agreement between Amazon and Shypdirect effective as of November 14, 2020, or otherwise.

 

It is management’s opinion that these factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of twelve months from the issuance date of this report. In April 2020, the Company’s subsidiaries, Prime EFS and Shypdirect, entered into Paycheck Protection Program promissory notes with M&T Bank in the aggregate amount of $3,446,152. Management cannot provide assurance that the Company will ultimately achieve profitable operations, become cash flow positive, or raise additional debt and/or equity capital.

 

We will continue to: (i) seek to replace the Company’s last-mile DSP Amazon business and supplement its mid-mile and long-haul Amazon business with other, non-Amazon, customers; (ii) explore other strategic relationships; and (iii) identify potential acquisition opportunities, while continuing to execute our restructuring plan, commenced in February 2020. We are seeking to raise capital through additional debt and/or equity financings to fund our operations in the future. Although we have historically raised capital from sales of common shares and from the issuance of convertible promissory notes and notes payable, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to do so. If we are unable to replace our Amazon business, to raise additional capital or secure additional lending in the near future, management expects that we will need to curtail our operations. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments related to the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

We have certain fixed contractual obligations and commitments that include future estimated payments. Changes in our business needs, cancellation provisions, changing interest rates, and other factors may result in actual payments differing from the estimates. We cannot provide certainty regarding the timing and amounts of payments.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.

 

Effects of Inflation

 

We do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our business, revenues, or operating results during the periods presented.

 

Recently Enacted Accounting Standards

 

For a description of accounting changes and recent accounting standards, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects, if any, on our consolidated financial statements, see “Note 2: Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in the condensed consolidated financial statements filed with this Quarterly Report.

 

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019 vs. 2018

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 include a summary of our significant accounting policies and should be read in conjunction with the discussion below.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Accounting Estimates

 

The methods, estimates, and judgments that we use in applying our accounting policies have a significant impact on the results that we report in our consolidated financial statements. Some of our accounting policies require us to make difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates regarding matters that are inherently uncertain. Significant estimates included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and footnotes include the valuation of accounts receivable, the useful life of property and equipment, the valuation of intangible assets, assumptions used in assessing impairment of long-lived assets, estimates of current and deferred income taxes and deferred tax valuation allowances, the fair value of non-cash equity transactions, the valuation of derivative liabilities, and the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the business acquisition.

 

We have identified the accounting policies below as critical to our business operation:

 

Accounts receivable

 

Accounts receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company maintains allowances for doubtful accounts for estimated losses. The Company reviews the accounts receivable on a periodic basis and makes general and specific allowances when there is doubt as to the collectability of individual balances. In evaluating the collectability of individual receivable balances, the Company considers many factors, including the age of the balance, a customer’s historical payment history, its current credit-worthiness and current economic trends. Accounts are written off after exhaustive efforts at collection.

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

 

In accordance with ASC Topic 360, we review long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable, or at least annually. We recognize an impairment loss when the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset. The amount of impairment is measured as the difference between the asset’s estimated fair value and its book value.

 

Derivative financial instruments

 

We have certain financial instruments that are embedded derivatives associated with capital raises. We evaluate all our financial instruments to determine if those contracts or any potential embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivatives to be separately accounted for in accordance with ASC 810-10-05-4 and 815-40. This accounting treatment requires that the carrying amount of any embedded derivatives be recorded at fair value at issuance and marked-to-market at each balance sheet date. In the event that the fair value is recorded as a liability, as is the case with the Company, the change in the fair value during the period is recorded as either other income or expense. Upon conversion, exercise or repayment, the respective derivative liability is marked to fair value at the conversion, repayment or exercise date and then the related fair value amount is reclassified to other income or expense as part of gain or loss on extinguishment.

 

In July 2017, FASB issued ASU No. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): (Part I) Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features . These amendments simplify the accounting for certain financial instruments with down-round features. The amendments require companies to disregard the down-round feature when assessing whether the instrument is indexed to its own stock, for purposes of determining liability or equity classification. The guidance was adopted as of January 1, 2019 and we elected to record the effect of this adoption retrospectively to outstanding financial instruments with a down round feature by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of the beginning of 2019, the period which the amendment is effective. In accordance with the guidance presented in ASU 2017-11, the fair value of derivative liabilities associated with certain convertible notes as of December 31, 2018 of $838,471 and the offsetting effect of reclassifying such debt to stock-settled debt for which we recorded a put premium liability of $385,385 was reclassified by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to opening accumulated deficit as of January 1, 2019 in the amount of $453,086.

 

Leases

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The updated guidance requires lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for most operating leases. In addition, the updated guidance requires that lessors separate lease and non-lease components in a contract in accordance with the new revenue guidance in ASC 606. The updated guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018.

 

On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASU No. 2016-02, applying the package of practical expedients to leases that commenced before the effective date whereby the Company elected to not reassess the following: (i) whether any expired or existing contracts contain leases and; (ii) initial direct costs for any existing leases. For contracts entered into on or after the effective date, at the inception of a contract the Company assessed whether the contract is, or contains, a lease. The Company’s assessment is based on: (1) whether the contract involves the use of a distinct identified asset, (2) whether we obtain the right to substantially all the economic benefit from the use of the asset throughout the period, and (3) whether it has the right to direct the use of the asset. We will allocate the consideration in the contract to each lease component based on its relative stand-alone price to determine the lease payments. We have elected not to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases that have a term of 12 months or less.

 

Operating lease ROU assets represents the right to use the leased asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date. As most leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the adoption date in determining the present value of future payments. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is amortized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and is included in general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

 

Revenue recognition and cost of revenue

 

On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition. This ASC is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This ASC also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer service orders, including significant judgments.

 

 

For the Company’s Prime EFS and Shypdirect business activities, we recognize revenues and the related direct costs of such revenue which generally include compensation and related benefits, gas costs, insurance, parking and tolls, truck rental fees, and maintenance fees as of the date the freight is delivered which is when the performance obligation is satisfied. In accordance with ASC Topic 606, we recognize revenue on a gross basis. Our payment terms are net seven days from acceptance of delivery. We do not incur incremental costs obtaining service orders from our Prime EFS customers, however, if we did, because all of Prime EFS and Shypdirect’s customer contracts are less than a year in duration, any contract costs incurred would be expensed rather than capitalized. The revenue that we recognize arises from deliveries of packages on behalf of the Company’s customers. Primarily, our performance obligations under these service orders correspond to each delivery of packages that we make under the service agreements. Control of the delivery transfers to the recipient upon delivery. Once this occurs, we have satisfied our performance obligation and we recognize revenue.

 

Management has reviewed the revenue disaggregation disclosure requirements pursuant to ASC 606 and determined that no further disaggregation disclosure is required to be presented.

 

Stock-based compensation

 

Stock-based compensation is accounted for based on the requirements of ASC 718 – “Compensation –Stock Compensation”, which requires recognition in the financial statements of the cost of employee, director, and non-employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments over the period the employee, director, or non-employee is required to perform the services in exchange for the award (presumptively, the vesting period). The ASC also requires measurement of the cost of employee, director, and non-employee services received in exchange for an award based on the grant-date fair value of the award. We have elected to recognize forfeitures as they occur as permitted under ASU 2016-09 Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern and, accordingly, do not include adjustments relating to the recoverability and realization of assets and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue our operation.

 

We expect we will require additional capital to meet our long-term operating requirements. We expect to raise additional capital through, among other things, the sale of equity or debt securities.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019 compared with the year ended December 31, 2018

 

The following table sets forth our revenues, expenses and net loss for the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. The financial information below is derived from our consolidated financial statements included in this Prospectus.

 

		For the Year Ended December 31,
		2019				2018
Revenues		$	31,356,251			$	13,620,160
Cost of revenues			28,752,889				12,785,425
Gross profit			2,603,362				834,735
Operating expenses			22,893,963				7,903,885
Loss from operations			(20,290,601	)			(7,069,150	)
Other (expenses) income			(23,892,435	)			(7,509,386	)
Loss from continuing operations			(44,183,036	)			(14,578,536	)
(Loss) income from discontinued operations			(681,426	)			100,379
Net loss		$	(44,864,462	)		$	(14,478,157	)

 

Results of Operations

 

Revenues

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our revenues from continuing operations were $31,356,251 as compared to $13,620,160 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $17,736,091, 130.2%. This increase was primarily a result of our acquisition of Prime EFS on June 18, 2018. Additionally, the increase is partially attributable to an increase in last-mile deliveries performed and the inclusion of revenues in the 2019 period from box truck delivery services where we transport product from a distribution center to the post office. We did not perform box truck delivery services during the 2018 period. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue attributable to the business of Prime EFS, which focuses on deliveries for online retailers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, amounted to $29,284,415 and $13,411,210, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, revenue related to our subsidiary, Shypdirect amounted to $2,071,836 and $208,950, respectively. We began generating revenues from our Shypdirect business in September 2018.

 

On May 1, 2019, we entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with Save On and Steven Yariv, whereby we returned all of the stock of Save On to Steven Yariv in exchange for Mr. Yariv conveying 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company back to us. Accordingly, for all periods presented, all revenues from Save On have been reflected as part of discontinued operations and we will not reflect any revenues from Save On in future periods.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our cost of revenues from continuing operations were $28,752,889 compared to $12,785,425 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $15,967,464, or 124.95%. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, cost of revenue attributable to the business of Prime EFS amounted to $26,227,819 and $12,456,635, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, cost of revenue related to our subsidiary, Shypdirect amounted to $2,525,070 and $328,790, respectively. Cost of revenues relating to our Prime EFS and Shypdirect segments consists of truck and van rental fees, insurance, gas, maintenance, parking and tolls, and compensation and related benefits. The increase was a direct result of our acquisition of Prime EFS on June 18, 2018 and an increase in routes serviced.

 

 

Gross Profit

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our gross profit was $2,603,362, or 8.3% of revenue, as compared to $834,735, or 6.1% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $1,768,627. The increase in gross profit primarily resulted from the acquisition of Prime EFS on June 18, 2018. For the year ended December 31, 2019, gross profit reflects a full year of operating activity for Prime EFS whereas gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2018 only reflects operating activity of Prime EFS following acquisition on June 18, 2018. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, gross profit and gross profit percentage for Prime EFS amounted to $3,056,596, or 10.4%, and $954,575, or 7.1%, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, gross (loss) and gross (loss) percentage for Shypdirect amounted to $(453,234), or (21.9)%, and $(119,840), or (57.3)%, respectively.

 

Operating Expenses

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, total operating expenses amounted to $22,893,963 as compared to $7,903,885 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $14,990,078, or 189.6%. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, operating expenses consisted of the following:

 

		For the Year Ended December 31,
		2019				2018
Compensation and related benefits		$	13,158,040			$	4,531,798
Legal and professional Fees			2,096,359				1,993,130
Rent			419,249				23,100
General and administrative expenses			2,791,272				1,355,857
Contingency loss			586,784				-
Impairment expense			3,842,259				-
Total Operating Expense		$	22,893,963			$	7,903,885

 

Compensation and related benefits

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, compensation and related benefits amounted to $13,158,040 compared to $4,531,798 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $8,626,242. Compensation and related benefits for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 included stock-based compensation of $8,200,809 and $3,090,000 respectively, an increase of $5,110,809, from the granting of shares of our common stock to employees, our former chief executive officer, and our new chief executive officer for services rendered. During the year ended December 31, 2019, compensation and related benefits attributed to the business of Prime EFS, which was acquired on June 18, 2018, were $3,528,256, compensation and related benefits attributed to the business of Shypdirect was $1,355,815, and we incurred compensation and related benefit of $8,273,969 in TLSS. During the year ended December 31, 2018, compensation and related benefits attributed to the business of Prime EFS, which was acquired on June 18, 2018, was $1,385,620, compensation and related benefits attributed to the business of Shypdirect was $56,208, and we incurred compensation expense of $3,090,000 in TLSS. The overall increase in compensation and related benefits was attributable to an increase in stock-based compensation, the acquisition of Prime EFS on June 18, 2018, an increase in compensation paid to significant employees and the hiring of additional staff.

 

Legal and professional fees

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, legal and professional fees were $2,096,359 as compared to $1,993,130 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $103,229, or 5.2%. During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we incurred stock-based consulting fees of $325,395 and $1,236,000 respectively from the issuance of our common shares to consultants for business development services rendered, a decrease of $910,605. This decrease was offset by an increase in accounting fees attributable to an increase in auditing fees and the hiring of third party accountants to assist with our accounting and financial reporting needs, an increase in legal fees attributable to an increase in financing and legal activities, an increase in consulting fees, and an increase in other professional fees incurred during 2019.

 

Rent expense

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, rent expense was $419,249 as compared to $23,100 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $396,149. This increase was attributable to a significant expansion in office, warehouse and parking spaces pursuant to short and long-term operating leases related to the Prime EFS and Shypdirect businesses.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, general and administrative expenses were $2,791,272 as compared to $1,355,857 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $1,435,415, or 105.9%. This increase is primarily attributable to an increase in general administrative expenses of $767,484 and an increase in depreciation and amortization of $305,543. For the year ended December 31, 2019, general and administrative expenses included a full year of operating activities. For the year ended December 31, 2018, general and administrative expenses included only general and administrative expenses occurring after the acquisition of Prime EFS on June 18, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense was related to an increase in amortization of intangible assets of $258,894 and an increase in depreciation expense of $46,649.

 

Contingency loss

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, contingency loss amounted to $586,784 as compared to $0 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $586,784. On or about January 10, 2020, we were named as sole defendant in a civil action captioned Elrac LLC v. Prime EFS, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, assigned Case No. 1 :20-cv-00211 (the “Elrac Action”). The complaint in the Elrac Action alleged that Prime EFS failed to pay in full for repairs allegedly required by reason of property damage to delivery vehicles leased by Prime EFS from Elrac to conduct its business. In connection with this dispute, we wrote off all remaining deposits held by Elrac and accrued any additional potential amount due to Elrac. Though we are currently exchanging information with Elrac, the matter is in a preliminary stage and it is not possible to evaluate the likelihood of a favorable or unfavorable outcome, nor is it possible to estimate the amount or range of any potential loss in the matter.

 

Impairment loss

 

During the year ended December 31, 2019, management tested the intangible asset for impairment. Based on our analysis, we recorded intangible asset impairment expense of $3,842,259 in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. Such analysis considered future cash flows and other industry factors. No impairment expense was recorded during the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

 

Loss from Operations

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, loss from operations amounted to $20,290,601 as compared to $7,069,150 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $13,221,451, or 187.0%.

 

Other Expenses (Income)

 

Total other expenses (income) include interest expense, derivative expense, loan fees, gain on debt extinguishment, and a bargain purchase gain. For the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, other expenses (income) consisted of the following:

 

		For the Year Ended December 31,
		2019				2018
Interest expense		$	6,318,122			$	1,720,075
Interest expense – related parties			222,328				193,617
Loan fees			601,121				-
Bargain purchase gain			-				(203,588	)
Gain on extinguishment of debt			(39,090,168	)			-
Derivative expense			55,841,032				5,799,282
Total Other Expense, net		$	23,892,435			$	7,509,386

 

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, aggregate interest expense was $6,540,450 and $1,913,692, respectively, an increase of $4,626,758. The increase in interest expense resulted from an increase in interest-bearing loans with high original issue discounts and high interest rates and an increase in the amortization of original issue discount.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, loan fees were $601,121. In connection with previous promissory notes payable, on June 11, 2019, we issued 55,000 warrants to purchase 55,000 shares of common at an exercise price of $1.00 per share. On June 11, 2019, the Company calculated the fair value of these warrants as $601,121 which was expensed and included in loan fees on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. We did not have such expense during the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

In connection with the acquisition of Prime EFS, for the year ended December 31, 2018, we recognized $203,588 of bargain purchase gain. The bargain purchase gain of $203,588 represents the amount by which the acquisition-date fair value of the net assets acquired exceeded the fair value of the consideration paid.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, gain on extinguishment of debt was $39,090,168. On April 9, 2019, in connection with certain debt modifications, debt repayments, share issuances and warrants cancellations, the Company recorded a gain on debt extinguishment of $43,781,016, Additionally, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of $4,690,848 related the issuance of warrants and changes in conversion prices related to the conversion of debt. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we did not record any loss or gain on debt extinguishment.

 

For the year ended December 31 2019 and 2018, derivative expense was $55,841,032 and $5,799,282, respectively, an increase of $50,041,750. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we adjusted our derivative liabilities to fair value and recorded derivative expense. This significant change was attributable to a high quoted stock price and having more financials instruments treated as derivatives, including embedded conversion options and warrants, as compared to the comparable 2018 period.

 

Loss from Continuing Operations

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, loss from continuing operations amounted to $44,183,036 as compared to $14,578,536 for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $29,604,500, or 203.1%.

 

Discontinued Operations

 

On May 1, 2019, the Company entered into a Share Exchange Agreement with Save On and Steven Yariv, whereby the Company returned all of the stock of Save On to Steven Yariv in exchange for Mr. Yariv conveying 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company back to the Company. In addition, the Company granted an aggregate of 80,000 options to certain employees of Save On. Accordingly, we reflected Save On as a discontinued operations beginning in the second quarter of 2019, the period that Save On was disposed of and retroactively for all periods presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. The businesses of Save On are considered discontinued operations because: (a) the operations and cash flows of Save On were eliminated from the Company’s operations; and (b) the Company has no interest in the divested operations. For the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, (loss) income from discontinued operations amounted to $(681,426) and $100,379, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recorded stock- based option expense related to the 80,000 options granted to Save On employees of $700,816, which is included in loss from discontinued operations.

 

Net Loss

 

Due to factors discussed above, for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, net loss amounted to $44,864,462 and $14,478,157, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, net loss attributable to common shareholders which included a deemed dividend related to price protection of $981,548 and $0, amounted to $45,846,010, or $(4.80) per basic and diluted common share, and $14,478,157, or $(5.75) per basic and diluted common share, respectively.

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

Liquidity is the ability of a company to generate funds to support its current and future operations, satisfy its obligations, and otherwise operate on an ongoing basis. At December 31, 2019, we had a cash balance of $50,026. Our working capital deficit was $13,513,502 at December 31, 2019. We reported a net decrease in cash for the year ended December 31, 2019 of $246,170.

 

We do not believe that our existing working capital and our future cash flows from operating activities will provide sufficient cash to enable us to meet our operating needs and debt requirements for the next twelve months. We are seeking to raise capital through additional debt and/or equity financings to fund our operations in the future. Although we have historically raised capital from sales of common shares and from the issuance of convertible promissory notes and notes payable, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to do so. If we are unable to raise additional capital or secure additional lending in the near future, management expects that we will need to curtail our operations.

 

 

Recent developments

 

On March 13, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Wendy Cabral, an individual, who is affiliated to the Company’s chief executive officer, in the amount of $500,000. Commencing on April 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this note of $7,500 was due and payable. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal was paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. This note was convertible by the holder at any time in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with its terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount that is being converted by $1.37. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with Ms. Cabral. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 203,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $500,000 and accrued interest payable of $7,500, and we also issued Ms. Cabral warrants to purchase 203,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.81 per share for a period of five years.

 

On April 9, 2019, we entered into an agreement with Bellridge Capital, L.P. (“Bellridge”) that modifies our existing obligations to Bellridge as follows:

 

	●	the overall principal amount of that certain Convertible Promissory Note, dated June 18, 2018, issued by the Company in favor of Bellridge (the “Bellridge Note”) was reduced from the original principal amount of $2,497,502 (principal amount of $2,223,918 at April 9, 2019) to $1,800,000, in exchange for the issuance to Bellridge of 800,000 shares of restricted common stock, which shall be delivered to Bellridge, either in whole or in part, at such time or times as when the beneficial ownership of such shares by Bellridge will not result in Bellridge’s beneficial ownership of more than the Beneficial Ownership Limitation and such shares will be issued within three business days of the date the Bellridge has represented to the Company that it is below the Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Such issuances will occur in increments of no fewer than the lesser of (i) 50,000 shares and (ii) the balance of the 800,000 shares owed. The “Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall be 4.99% of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of shares of common stock issuable pursuant to this Agreement. As of August 19, 2019, 100,000 of these shares have been issued and on August 16, 2019, the Company issued 700,000 shares of Series B Preferred shares upon settlement of 700,000 shares of issuable common shares;
	●	the maturity date of the Bellridge Note was extended to August 31, 2020;
	●	the interest rate was reduced from 10% to 5% per annum;
	●	if the Company completes an offering of equity or equity linked securities (including warrants, convertible preferred stock, convertible debentures or convertible promissory note) which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $4,000,000, then the Company shall use a portion of the proceeds thereof to repay not less than half of the obligations then outstanding pursuant to the Note;
	●	if the Company completes an offering of debt which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $3,000,000, then the Company shall use a portion of the proceeds thereof to repay any remaining obligations then outstanding pursuant to the Bellridge Note;
	●	the convertibility of the Bellridge Note will now be amended such that the Bellridge Note shall only be convertible at a conversion price to be mutually agreed upon between the Company and the holder. As of the date of this report, the Company and holder have not mutually agreed on a conversion price, Since the conversion terms are unknown, we will account for this conversion feature when the contingency is resolved;
	●	the registration rights previously granted to Bellridge have now been eliminated; and
	●	those certain Warrants, dated June 18, 2018 and December 27, 2018, respectively, issued by the Company in favor of Bellridge shall be cancelled and of no further force or effect. In exchange, the Company will issue Bellridge 360,000 shares of restricted common stock.

 

In addition, on April 9, 2019, warrant holders holding warrants exercisable into an aggregate of 4.75% of the outstanding common stock of the Company all agreed to exercise such warrants for an aggregate of 240,000 shares of common stock of the Company.

 

On April 9, 2019, we entered into agreements with another institutional investor, RedDiamond Partners LLC, holding convertible notes representing an aggregate principal amount of $510,000, and agreed with such holder to:

 

	●	extend the maturity date of the notes to December 31, 2020;
	●	remove all convertibility features of the notes; and
	●	if the Company completes an offering of equity or equity linked securities (including warrants, convertible preferred stock, convertible debentures or convertible promissory note) which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $4,000,000, then the Company shall use a portion of the proceeds thereof to repay not less than half of the obligations then outstanding pursuant to the notes.

 

 

On April 9, 2019, we entered into agreements with all holders of their Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to exchange all 4,000,000 outstanding shares of preferred stock for an aggregate of 2.6 million shares of common stock.

 

On April 11, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership, an entity affiliated with the Company’s chief executive officer in the amount of $2,000,000. Commencing on May 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this note of $30,000 was due and payable. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. This note was convertible by the holder at any time in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with the terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount of this note that is being converted by $11.81. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with this Westmount Financial Limited Partnership. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 812,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $2,000,000 and accrued interest payable of $30,000. In connection with the conversion of this convertible notes, we also issued to Westmount Financial Limited Partnership warrants to purchase 812,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share for a period of five years.

 

On August 30, 2019, we issued and sold to investors convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $2,469,840 (the “August 2019 Notes”), and warrants to purchase up to 987,940 shares of our common stock (the “August 2019 Warrants”) pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “August 2019 Purchase Agreement”) with accredited investors. We received net proceeds of $295,534, which is net of a 10% original issue discounts of $246,984 and origination fees of $61,101, and is net of $1,643,367 for the repayment of notes payable, and net of $222,854 related to the conversion of existing notes payable already outstanding to these lenders into these August 2019 Notes. The August 2019 Notes bear interest at 10% per annum and become due and payable on November 30, 2020. During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the August 2019 Notes), interest accrues at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the four month anniversary of these August 2019 Notes, monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments, based on a 12 month amortization schedule (each, a “August 2019 Note Amortization Payment”), became due and payable, until the Maturity Date (as defined in the August 2019 Notes), at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable hereunder shall be immediately due and payable. The August 2019 Note Amortization Payments shall be made in cash unless the investor requests it to be issued in our common stock in lieu of a cash payment (each, an “August 2019 Note Stock Payment”). If the requests an August 2019 Note Stock Payment, the number of shares of common stock issued shall be based on the amount of the applicable August 2019 Note Amortization Payment divided by 80% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) during the five Trading Day (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) period prior to the due date of the August 2019 Note Amortization Payment. After the original issue date until the August 2019 Notes are no longer outstanding, the August 2019 Notes are convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the holder. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) means, as of any Conversion Date (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) or other date of determination, the lower of: (i) $2.50 per share and (ii) the price per share paid by investors in the contemplated equity offering of up to $1,000,000. If an Event of Default (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) has occurred, regardless of whether such Event of Default (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) has been cured or remains ongoing, these August 2019 Notes shall be convertible at the lower of: (i) $2.50 and (ii) 70% of the second lowest closing price of the common stock as reported on the Trading Market (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) during the 20 consecutive Trading Day (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) period ending and including the Trading Day (as defined in the August 2019 Notes) immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable notice of conversion (the “August 2019 Default Conversion Price”). In January 2020, we defaulted on our August 30, 2019 convertible debt due to non-payment of the required amortization payment due. Accordingly, the outstanding principal balance on date of default increased by 30% amounting to approximately $690,000, default interest shall accrue at 18%, and the default conversion terms now apply as described above. All such Conversion Price determinations are to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock. These August 2019 Notes and related August 2019 Warrants include a down-round provision under which the August 2019 Note Conversion Price and August 2019 Warrant exercise price were reduced, on a full-ratchet basis, to a fraction of a penny due to the default on the August 2019 Notes triggering the August 2019 Default Conversion Price. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.

 

 

On October 3, 2019, we issued and sold to an investor the October 3 Note, a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $166,667, and the October 3 Warrant, a warrant to purchase up to 66,401 shares of our common stock pursuant to the October 3 Purchase Agreement, a Securities Purchase Agreement with an accredited investor, dated as of October 3, 2019. Pursuant to the terms of the October 3, 2019 Purchase Agreement, we received net proceeds of $150,000, which is net of a 10% original issue discounts of $16,667. The October 3 Note bears interest at 10% per annum and becomes due and payable on January 3, 2021. During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the October 3 Note), interest shall accrue at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the four month anniversary of the October 3 Note, an October 3 Note Amortization Payment, a monthly payment of interest and monthly principal payments, based on a 12 month amortization schedule, shall be due and payable each month, until the Maturity Date (as defined in the October 3 Note), at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable hereunder shall be immediately due and payable. The October 3 Note Amortization Payments shall be made in cash unless the holder requests it to be issued as an October 3 Note Stock Payment in the Company’s common stock in lieu of a cash payment. If the holder requests an October 3 Note Stock Payment, the number of shares of common stock issued shall be based on the amount of the applicable October 3 Note Amortization Payment divided by 80% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the October 3 Note) during the five Trading Day (as defined in the October 3 Note) period prior to the due date of the October 3 Note Amortization Payment.

 

The October 3 Note may be prepaid, provided that equity conditions, as defined therein, have been met (or any such failure to meet the equity conditions have been waived): (i) from original issuance date until and through the October 3 Note 3 Month Anniversary, day that falls on the third month anniversary of the original issue date at an amount equal to 105% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the October 3 Note and accrued and unpaid interest, and (ii) after the October 3 Note 3 Month Anniversary at an amount equal to 115% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the October 3 Note and accrued and unpaid interest. In the event that the Company closes a Public Offering, which is a registered public offering of securities for its own account, the holder may elect to: (x) have its principal and accrued interest prepaid directly from the Public Offering proceeds at the prices set forth above, or (y) exchange its October 3 Note at the closing of the Public Offering for the securities being issued in the Public Offering at the Public Offering prices based upon the outstanding principal, accrued interest and other charges, or (z) continue to hold the October 3 Note. Except for a Public Offering and October 3 Note Amortization Payments, in order to prepay the October Note, the Company must provide at least 20 days’ prior written notice to the holder, during which time the holder may convert the October 3 note in whole or in part at the applicable conversion price. The October 3 Amortization Payments are considered prepayments and are subject to prepayment penalties equal to 115% of the October 3 Amortization Payment. In the event the Company consummates a Public Offering while the October 3 Note is outstanding, then 25% of the net proceeds of such offering shall, within two business days of the closing of such public offering, be applied to reduce the outstanding obligations pursuant to the October 3 Note.

 

After the original issue date until the October 3 Note is no longer outstanding, the October 3 Note is convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the holder. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date (as defined in the October 3 Note) means, as of any date of determination, the lower of: (i) $2.51 per share and (ii) the price per share paid by investors in the contemplated equity offering of up to $1,000,000. If an Event of Default (as defined in the October 3 Note) has occurred, regardless of whether such Event of Default (as defined in the October 3 Note) has been cured or remains ongoing, the October 3 Note shall be convertible at the October 3 Default Conversion Price, which is the lower of: (i) $2.51 and (ii) 70% of the second lowest closing price of the common stock as reported on the Trading Market (as defined in the October 3 Note) during the 20 consecutive Trading Day (as defined in the October 3 Note) period ending and including the Trading Day (as defined in the October 3 Note) immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable notice of conversion. All such Conversion Price determinations are to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock. This October 3 Note and the related October 3 Warrant include down-round provisions under which the October 3 Note Conversion Price and October 3 Warrant exercise price were reduced on a full-ratchet basis, to a fraction of a penny due to the adjusted conversion price of certain other convertible notes issued by the Company.

 

 

The October 3 Warrant is exercisable at any time on or after the date of the issuance and entitles the investor to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock for a period of five years from the initial date October 3 Warrant became exercisable. Under the terms of the October 3 Warrant, the holder is entitled to exercise the October 3 Warrant to purchase up to 66,401 shares of the Company’s common stock at an initial exercise price of $3.51, subject to adjustment as detailed in the October 3 Warrant.

 

In February 2020, due to the default of the February 2020 Amortization Payment, the October 3, 2019 convertible note was deemed in default. Accordingly, the outstanding principal balance on date of default increased by 30% which amounted to approximately $50,000, default interest shall accrue at 18%, and the default conversion terms shall apply as described above. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for additional details.

 

On October 14, 2019 and November 7, 2019, we entered into convertible note agreements with an accredited investor. Pursuant to the terms of these convertible note agreements, we issued and sold to an investor the Fall 2019 Notes, which are convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $500,000 and we received cash proceeds of $500,000. The Fall 2019 Notes bear interest at 10% per annum. The October 14, 2019 note of $300,000 becomes due and payable on October 14, 2020 and the November 7, 2019 becomes due and payable on November 7, 2020. Commencing on the seven-month anniversary and continuing each month thereafter through the maturity date, payments of principal and interest shall made in accordance with the respective amortization schedule. During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the Fall 2019 Notes), interest shall accrue at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the seventh month anniversary of each respective note, monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments shall be due and payable, until the Maturity Date, at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable hereunder shall be immediately due and payable.

 

The Company has the right to prepay in cash all or a portion of the outstanding principal due under the Fall 2019 Notes. The Company must provide the holder with written notice at least twenty business days prior to the date on which the Company will deliver payment of accrued interest and all or a portion, in $100,000 increments, of the principal.

 

Each Fall 2019 Note is convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the investor. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date means, as of any date of determination, the lower of: (i) $2.50 per share and (ii) the twenty day per share closing trading price of the Company’s common stock during the twenty trading days that close with the last previous trading day ended three days prior to the date of exercise. The Fall 2019 Notes do not contain anti-dilutive provisions. In May 2020, due to the default of the May 2020 Amortization Payment, this convertible note was deemed in default.

 

From August 2019 to October 2019, we issued 619,000 shares of our common stock and 619,000 five-year warrants to purchase common shares for an exercise price of $2.50 per common share to investors for cash proceeds of $1,547,500, or $2.50 per share, pursuant to unit subscription agreements. These issuances have no anti-dilution protection.

 

From November 22, 2019 to December 31, 2019, we entered into several secured Merchant Loans in the aggregate amount of $2,283,540. We received net proceeds of $1,355,986, net of original issue discounts and origination fees of $927,554. Pursuant to these several secured Merchant Loans, we were required to pay the noteholders by making daily and/or weekly payments on each business day or week until the loan amounts were paid in full. Each payment was deducted from the Company’s bank account. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we repaid an aggregate of $464,344 of the loans. At December 31, 2019, notes payable related to these secured merchant loans amounted to $1,057,074, which consists of $1,819,196 of principal balance due and is net of unamortized debt discount of $762,122. Subsequent to December 31, 2019, we settled and repaid substantially all of these notes.

 

Beginning in January 2020 and continuing through the date of this Prospectus, we have closed on the 2020 Purchase Agreements, a series of Securities Purchase Agreements with several accredited investors. Pursuant to the terms of these 2020 Purchase Agreement, we have issued and sold to investors the 2020 Notes, which are convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $2,095,500, and the 2020 Warrants, which are warrants to purchase up to 838,200 shares of the Company’s common stock. We received net proceeds of $1,905,000, which is net of a 10% original issue discounts of $190,500. The 2020 Notes bear interest at 6% per annum and becomes due and payable on the date that is the 24-month anniversary of the original issue date of the respective 2020 Note. During the existence of an Event of Default (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note), interest shall accrue at the lesser of (i) the rate of 18% per annum, or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by law. Commencing on the thirteenth month anniversary of each 2020 Note, a 2020 Note Amortization Payment, a monthly payments of interest and monthly principal payments, based on a 12 month amortization schedule, shall be due and payable each month, until the Maturity Date (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note), at which time all outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest and all other amounts due and payable hereunder shall be immediately due and payable. The 2020 Note Amortization Payments shall be made in cash unless the investor requests it to be issued as a 2020 Note Stock Payment in the Company’s common stock in lieu of a cash payment. If a holder of a 2020 Note requests a 2020 Note Stock Payment, the number of shares of common stock issued shall be based on the amount of the applicable 2020 Note Amortization Payment divided by 80% of the lowest VWAP (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note) during the five Trading Day (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note) period prior to the due date of such 2020 Note Amortization Payment.

 

The 2020 Notes may be prepaid, provided that equity conditions, as defined in the 2020 Notes, have been met (or any such failure to meet the equity conditions have been waived): (i) from each 2020 Note’s respective original issuance date until and through each 2020 Note’s respective 2020 Note 3 Month Anniversary, which is the day that falls on the third month anniversary of such 2020 Note’s original issue date at an amount equal to 105% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the 2020 Note and accrued and unpaid interest, and (ii) after the applicable 2020 Note 3 Month Anniversary at an amount equal to 115% of the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance of the 2020 Note and accrued and unpaid interest. In the event that the Company closes a Public Offering, which is a registered public offering of securities for its own account, each holder may elect to: (x) have its principal and accrued interest prepaid directly from the Public Offering Proceeds at the prices set forth above, or (y) exchange its 2020 Note at the closing of the Public Offering for the securities being issued in the Public Offering at the Public Offering prices based upon the outstanding principal, accrued interest and other charges, or (z) continue to hold its 2020 Note(s). Except for a Public Offering and 2020 Note Amortization Payments, in order to prepay a 2020 Note, the Company must provide at least 30 days’ prior written notice to the holder thereof, during which time the holder may convert its 2020 Note in whole or in part at the applicable conversion price. The 2020 Note Amortization Payments are prepayments and are subject to prepayment penalties equal to 115% of the 2020 Note Amortization Payment. In the event the Company consummates a Public Offering while the 2020 Notes are outstanding, then 25% of the net proceeds of such offering shall, within two business days of the closing of such public offering, be applied to reduce the outstanding obligations pursuant to the 2020 Notes.

 

 

After the original issue date of a 2020 Note until such 2020 Note is no longer outstanding, such 2020 Note is convertible, in whole or in part, at any time, and from time to time, into shares of common stock at the option of the holder. The “Conversion Price” in effect on any Conversion Date (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note) means, as of any Conversion Date or other date of determination, $0.40 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. If an Event of Default (as defined in the 2020 Notes) has occurred, regardless of whether such Event of Default has been cured or remains ongoing, the 2020 Notes are convertible at the 2020 Note Default Conversion Price which is the lower of: (i) $0.40 and (ii) 70% of the second lowest closing price of the common stock as reported on the Trading Market (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note) during the 20 consecutive Trading Day (as defined in the applicable 2020 Note) period ending and including the Trading Day immediately preceding the delivery or deemed delivery of the applicable notice of conversion. All such Conversion Price determinations are to be appropriately adjusted for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately. The 2020 Notes contain down-round protection under which the 2020 Note Conversion Price was reduced on a full-ratchet basis, to a fraction of a penny due to the adjusted conversion price of certain other convertible notes issued by the Company.

 

The 2020 Warrants are exercisable at any time on or after the date of the issuance and entitles the investors to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock for a period of five years from the initial date the 2020 Warrants become exercisable. Under the terms of the 2020 Warrants, the investors are entitled to exercise the 2020 Warrants to purchase up to 838,200 shares of the Company’s common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.40, subject to adjustment as detailed in the respective 2020 Warrants.

 

Due to the default of Amortization Payments due on our August 30, 2019 Notes and other Notes, these convertible notes were deemed in default. Accordingly, the outstanding principal balance on date of default increased by 30% which amounted to approximately $629,000, default interest shall accrue at 18%, and the default conversion terms shall apply.

 

Conversions of Convertible Notes

 

The Company’s trading price quoted on OTC Pink market fell from $3.50 per share on January 8, 2020 to $0.01 on April 21, 2020. This drop, together with anti-dilution protection features contained in the August 30, 2019 convertible Notes and Warrants that were triggered upon the issuance of convertible debt beginning in January 2020, the conversion prices of the notes fell to a fraction of a penny and the Warrants became exercisable at $0.40 per share. Beginning in February 2020, note holders began converting the outstanding principal of their notes into substantial quantities of shares of the Company’s common stock. During the period from February 25, 2020 to May 14, 2020, we issued 294,584,216 shares of our common stock in connection with the conversion of convertible notes payable of $2,068,131, accrued interest and default interest of $473,402, and fees of $5,000. The conversion price was based on contractual terms of the related debt. Consequently, the total number of shares of common stock outstanding has increased from 11,832,603 on December 31, 2019, to 306,416,819 on May 22, 2020.

 

These anti-dilution protection features only provide for one-way adjustment, therefore, even if the Company cures any events of default, and the trading price increases, the conversion and exercise prices of the notes and warrants will remain a fraction of a penny. As a result, the Company has made commitments to shareholders, convertible note holders and warrant holders to issue, or keep available for issuance, large quantities of additional shares of common stock. The Company does not currently have sufficient authorized common stock to satisfy all of such commitments. The Company intends to seek shareholder approval to amend its Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of common stock available for issuance and effect a reverse stock split to enable it to meet its obligations. The Company intends to file a preliminary proxy with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2020.

 

Upon completion of the amendment and resulting increase in the number of authorized shares, the Company will cause all committed shares to be issued or reserved for issuance, as applicable. After completing such issuances and reservations, the Company intends to assess its options for optimizing its capital structure so that it can pursue and secure the financing required to execute its plans to grow its business through organic means of geographic and service line expansion and through the acquisition of selected businesses or properties.

 

The Company is currently authorized to issue up to 500,000,000 shares of its common stock. As a result of anti-dilution adjustment provisions in the Company’s convertible notes and warrants and the reserve rights of certain noteholders and warrant holders, as of May 22, 2020 TLSS has 306,416,819 shares issued and outstanding, 193,583,181 shares that are reserved for conversions of specified note and warrant holders and no shares that are reserved for unspecified note and warrant holders.

 

 

Paycheck Protection Program Promissory Note

 

On April 15, 2020, our subsidiary, Prime EFS, entered into a Paycheck Protection promissory note (the “Prime EFS PPP Loan”) with M&T Bank in the amount of $2,941,212 under the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020 (the “CARES Act”). On April 15, 2020, the Prime EFS PPP Loan was approved and Prime EFS received the loan proceeds on April 22, 2020. Prime EFS has used and plans to continue to use the proceeds for covered payroll costs, rent and utilities in accordance with the relevant terms and conditions of the CARES Act. The Prime EFS PPP Loan has a two-year term, matures on April 16, 2022, and bears interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum. Monthly principal and interest payments, less the amount of any potential forgiveness (discussed below), will commence on November 16, 2020.

 

On April 2, 2020, our subsidiary, Shypdirect, entered into a Paycheck Protection promissory note (the “Shypdirect PPP Loan” and together with the Prime EFS PPP Loan, the “PPP Loans”) with M&T Bank in the amount of $504,940 under the SBA CARES Act. On April 28, 2020, the Shypdirect PPP Loan was approved and Shypdirect received the Shypdirect PPP Loan proceeds on May 1, 2020. Shypdirect has used and plans to continue to use the proceeds for covered payroll costs, rent and utilities in accordance with the relevant terms and conditions of the CARES Act. The Shypdirect PPP Loan has a two-year term, matures on April 28, 2022, and bears interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum. Monthly principal and interest payments, less the amount of any potential forgiveness (discussed below), will commence on November 28, 2020.

 

Neither Prime EFS nor Shypdirect provided any collateral or guarantees for these PPP Loans, nor did they pay any facility charge to obtain the PPP Loans. These promissory notes provides for customary events of default, including, among others, those relating to failure to make payment, bankruptcy, breaches of representations and material adverse effects. Prime EFS and Shypdirect may prepay the principal of the PPP Loans at any time without incurring any prepayment charges. These PPP Loans may be forgiven partially or fully if the respective loan proceeds are used for covered payroll costs, rent and utilities, provided that such amounts are incurred during the eight-week period that commenced on the date the proceeds of each loan were received and at least 75% of any forgiven amount has been used for covered payroll costs. Any forgiveness of these PPP Loans will be subject to approval by the SBA and M&T Bank and will require Prime EFS and Shypdirect to apply for such treatment in the future.

 

Cash Flows

 

Operating activities

 

Net cash flows used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 amounted to $5,659,094. During the year ended December 31, 2019, net cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to a net loss of $44,864,462, adjusted for the add back (reduction) of non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization expense of $969,893, derivative expense of $55,841,032, amortization of debt discount of $4,562,749, interest expense related to a put premium of $385,385, contingency loss of $586,784, stock-based compensation of $9,227,020, a gain on debt extinguishment of $(39,246,384), impairment expense of $3,842,259, non-cash loan fees of $601,121 and changes in operating assets and liabilities such as an increase in accounts receivable of $542,274, an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $1,124,879, an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $1,687,210 and an increase in insurance payable of $1,839,893.

 

 

Net cash flows used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2018 amounted to $283,678. During the year ended December 31, 2018, net cash used in operating activities was primarily attributable to a net loss of $14,478,157 adjusted for the add back (reduction) of non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization expense of $664,350, derivative expense of $5,799,282, amortization of debt discount of $1,566,847, loss of disposal of property and equipment of $14,816, stock-based compensation of $4,326,000, and a bargain purchase gain of $(203,588), and changes in operating assets and liabilities such as a decrease in accounts receivable of $789,904, an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $668,416, an increase in insurance payable of $587,945, and an increase in accrued compensation and related benefits of $182,229, offset by an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of $365,810.

 

Investing activities

 

Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 amounted to $20,649 and consisted of cash received from the disposal of trucks and van of $81,000 offset by cash paid for the purchase of property and equipment of $54,726 and a reduction of cash related to the disposal of Save On of $5,625.

 

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2018 amounted to $932,802 and consisted of cash received in the acquisition of $38,198 offset by cash paid for the acquisition of $489,174 and the purchase of property and equipment of $481,826.

 

Financing activities

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $5,392,275. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we received proceeds from the sale of common stock and warrants of $1,547,500, proceeds from related party convertible notes of $2,500,000, proceeds from convertible debt of $2,588,900, proceeds from notes payable of $9,280,655, net proceeds from related party advances of $87,745, and proceeds from related party notes of $805,000 offset by the repayment of convertible notes of $386,923, the repayment of related party notes of $545,000, and the repayment of notes payable of $10,485,502.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2018, net cash provided by financing activities totaled $1,406,100. For the year ended December 31, 2018, we received gross proceeds from convertible notes of $2,497,503, proceeds from notes payable of $2,409,898, proceeds from related party notes if $1,050,000, and net cash proceeds from related party advances of $265,768 offset by the repayment of related party notes of $930,000, the payment of debt issue costs of

$1,009,714 and the repayment of notes payable of $2,877,355.

 

Going Concern Consideration

 

Our accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. As reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had a net loss of $44,864,462 and $14,478,157 and net cash used in operations was $5,659,094 and $283,678, respectively. Additionally, we had an accumulated deficit, shareholders’ deficit, and a working capital deficit of $60,615,860, $12,886,424 and $13,513,502, respectively, at December 31, 2019. Furthermore, the Company failed to make required payments of principal and interest on certain of its convertible debt instruments and notes payable. It is management’s opinion that these factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of twelve months from the issuance date of this report. Management cannot provide assurance that the Company will ultimately achieve profitable operations, become cash flow positive, or raise additional debt and/or equity capital.

 

We are seeking to raise capital through additional debt and/or equity financings to fund the Company’s operations in the future. Although we have historically raised capital from sales of common shares and from the issuance of convertible promissory notes and notes payable, there is no assurance that the Company will be able to continue to do so. If we are unable to raise additional capital or secure additional lending in the near future, management expects that we will need to curtail our operations. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments related to the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.

 

Related Party Transactions

 

Due to related parties

 

In connection with the acquisition of Prime EFS, we acquired a balance of $14,019 that was due from Rosemary Mazzola, the former majority owner of Prime EFS. Pursuant to the terms of the SPA, we agreed to pay $489,174 in cash to Ms. Mazzola who then advanced back the $489,174 to Prime EFS. Accordingly, on June 18, 2018, the Company owed $489,174 on this obligation. During the period from acquisition date of Prime EFS (June 18, 2018) to December 31, 2018, we repaid $216,155 of this advance. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we repaid $130,000 of this advance. This advance is non- interest bearing and is due on demand. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, the amounts due to Ms. Mazzola were $129,000 and $259,000, respectively, and have been included in due to related parties on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The amount due to Ms. Mazzola was $94,000 as of May 22, 2020.

 

During the period from acquisition date of Prime EFS (June 18, 2018) to December 31, 2018, Frank Mazzola, an employee of Prime EFS who exerts significant influence over the business of Prime EFS, paid costs and expenses of $56,507 on behalf of the Company and was reimbursed $40,207 by the Company. In 2018, these advances were non-interest bearing and were due on demand. During the year ended December 31, 2019, Frank Mazzola advanced the Company $88,000. In 2019, we paid Frank Mazzola interest of $44,000 related to 2019 working capital advances made. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, amounts due to Frank Mazzola amounted to $88,000 and $16,300, respectively, and have been included in due to related parties on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2019, Performance Fleet Maintenance LLC, an entity that is controlled by Frank Mazzola, an employee of Prime EFS who exerts significant influence over the business of Prime EFS, advanced the Company $25,000. In 2019, we paid Performance Fleet Maintenance LLC interest of $12,500 related to 2019 working capital advances made. At December 31, 2019, amounts due to Performance Fleet Maintenance LLC amounted to $25,000, and has been included in due to related parties on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. This advance was repaid in January 2020.

 

 

Convertible note payable – related parties

 

On March 13, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Wendy Cabral, an individual, who is affiliated with the Company’s chief executive officer, in the amount of $500,000. Commencing on April 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this note of $7,500 were due and payable. Commencing on October 11, 2019 and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter through April 11, 2021, payments of principal and interest of $31,902 were due and payable, if the note was not sooner converted as provided in the note agreement. All or any portion of the principal and accrued interest was permitted to be paid prior to the April 11, 2021. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. All past due principal and interest on this note was to bear interest from maturity of such principal or interest (in whatever manner same may be brought about) until paid at the lesser of (i) 20% per annum, or (ii) the highest non-usurious rate allowed by applicable law. This note was convertible by the holder at any time in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with its terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount of the note that is being converted by $1.37. In connection with the issuance of the note, we determined that the note contains terms that are fixed monetary amounts at inception. Since the conversion price of $1.37 was equal to the quoted closing of the Company’s common shares on the note date, no beneficial feature conversion was recorded. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with Ms. Cabral. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 203,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $500,000 and accrued interest payable of $7,500. In connection with the conversion of this convertible note, we also issued warrants to Ms. Cabral to purchase 203,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.81 per share for a period of five years. During the year ended December 31, 2019, interest expense related to this note amounted to $30,329 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

On April 11, 2019, we entered into a convertible note agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership, an entity affiliated with the Company’s chief executive officer in the amount of $2,000,000. Commencing on May 11, 2019, and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this note of $30,000 were due and payable. Commencing on November 11, 2019 and continuing on the eleventh day of each month thereafter through April 11, 2021, payments of principal and interest of $117,611 were due, if the note was not sooner converted as provided in the convertible note agreement. All or any portion of the principal and accrued interest could be prepaid prior to April 11, 2021. Interest was to accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid or converted as provided below at a rate equal to 18% per annum compounded annually. All past due principal and interest on this note was to bear interest from maturity of such principal or interest until paid at the lesser of (i) 20% per annum, or (ii) the highest non-usurious rate allowed by applicable law. This note was convertible by the holder at any time in principal amounts of $100,000 in accordance with its terms by delivery of written notice to the Company, into that number of shares of common stock equal to the amount obtained by dividing the portion of the aggregate principal amount of the note that is being converted by $11.81. Since the conversion price of $11.81 was equal to the quoted closing of the Company’s common shares on the note date, no beneficial feature conversion was recorded. On July 12, 2019, we entered into a Note Conversion Agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership. In connection with this Note Conversion Agreement, we issued 812,000 shares of our common stock at $2.50 per share for the full conversion of convertible note payable of $2,000,000 and accrued interest payable of $30,000. In connection with the conversion of this convertible notes, we also issued warrants to Westmount Financial Limited Partnership to purchase 812,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $2.50 per share for a period of five years. During the year ended December 31, 2019, interest expense related to this note amounted to $165,616 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

In connection with the modification of the related convertible notes pursuant to the respective Note Conversion Agreements, we changed the conversion price of the notes to $2.50 per share and issued an aggregate of 1,015,000 warrants as discussed above.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2019, interest expense related to these notes amounted to $195,945 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

 

Notes payable – related parties

 

From July 25, 2018 through December 31, 2018, we entered into Promissory Notes with Steve Yariv, the Company’s former chief executive officer, and his spouse. Pursuant to these promissory notes, the Company borrowed an aggregate of $1,150,000 and received net proceeds of $1,050,000, net of original issue discounts of $100,000. Additionally, in October 2018, we issued 50,000 shares of its common stock to this related party in connection with loans made between July and October 2018. The shares were valued at $100,000, or $2.00 per share, based on the quoted trading price on the date of grant. In connection with these shares, the Company recorded interest expense – related party of $100,000. From July 25, 2018 through December 31, 2018, $930,000 of these loans were repaid. At December 31, 2018, notes payable – related party amounted to $213,617, which consisted of a note payable of $220,000 and is net of unamortized debt discount of $6,383. During January 2019, we repaid the remaining existing promissory note totaling $220,000 with the spouse of the Company’s former chief executive officer. In addition, during February 2019, the Company entered into another promissory note with the spouse of the former chief executive officer totaling $220,000, net of an original issue discount of $20,000. In April 2019, the Company repaid this promissory note. During the year ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, amortization of debt discount related to these notes amounted to $26,383 and $93,617 and is included in interest expense – related parties on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

 

On July 3, 2019, we entered into a note agreement with Westmount Financial Limited Partnership, an entity, who is affiliated to the Company’s chief executive officer, in the amount of $500,000. Commencing on September 3, 2019, and continuing on the third day of each month thereafter, payments of interest only on the outstanding principal balance of this Note shall be due and payable. Commencing on January 3, 2020 and continuing on the third day of each month thereafter through January 3, 2021, equal payments of principal and interest shall made. The principal amount of this note and all accrued, but unpaid interest hereunder shall be due and payable on the earlier to occur of (i) January 3, 2021, or (ii) an event of default. The payment of all or any portion of the principal and accrued interest may be paid prior to the maturity date. Interest shall accrue with respect to the unpaid principal sum identified above until such principal is paid at a rate equal to 18% per annum. All past due principal and interest on this note will bear interest from maturity of such principal or interest until paid at the lesser of (i) 20% per annum, or (ii) the highest rate allowed by applicable law. To date, no repayments have been made on this related party note. At December 31, 2019, interest payable to related parties amounted to $83,445 and is included in due to related parties on the accompanying balance sheets.

 

In August 2019, the Company’s chief executive officer advanced to the Company and was repaid $50,000, The advance was non-interest bearing and payable on demand.

 

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, notes payable – related parties amounted to $500,000 and $213,617, which consisted of a note payable of $500,000 and $220,000 and is net of unamortized debt discount of $0 and $6,383, respectively.

 

There are not currently any conflicts of interest by or among the Company’s current officers, directors, key employees or advisors. The Company has not yet formulated a policy for handling conflicts of interest; however, it intends to do so prior to hiring any additional employees.

 

Contractual Obligations

 

We have certain fixed contractual obligations and commitments that include future estimated payments. Changes in our business needs, cancellation provisions, changing interest rates, and other factors may result in actual payments differing from the estimates. We cannot provide certainty regarding the timing and amounts of payments.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.

 

Effects of Inflation

 

We do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our business, revenues, or operating results during the periods presented.

 

Recently Enacted Accounting Standards

 

For a description of accounting changes and recent accounting standards, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects, if any, on our consolidated financial statements, see “Note 2: Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in the financial consolidated statements filed with this Prospectus.

 

 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

Liquidity is the ability of a company to generate funds to support its current and future operations, satisfy its obligations, and otherwise operate on an ongoing basis. At September 30, 2020, we had a cash balance of $318,356. Our working capital deficit was $12,974,773 at September 30, 2020. We reported a net increase in cash for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 of $268,330 primarily as a result of net cash proceeds received from payroll protection loans and convertible debt, offset by the use of cash in operations.

 

We do not believe that our existing working capital and our future cash flows from operating activities will provide sufficient cash to enable us to meet our operating needs and debt requirements for the next twelve months. We expect cash flows to decrease significantly in the fourth quarter of 2020 due to the termination of the Amazon last-mile business. We are seeking to (i) replace its last-mile DSP business and supplement its mid-mile and long-haul business with other, non-Amazon, customers; (ii) explore other strategic relationships; and (iii) identify potential acquisition opportunities, while continuing to execute our restructuring plan, commenced in February 2020.

 

Additionally, we are seeking to raise capital through additional debt and/or equity financings to fund our operations in the future. Although we have historically raised capital from sales of shares of common stock and from the issuance of convertible promissory notes and notes payable, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to do so. If we are unable to raise additional capital or secure additional lending in the near future, management expects that we will need to curtail our operations.

 

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

 

We are not required to provide quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk because we are a smaller reporting company.

 

  

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 

 

Default by Prime EFS on June 4, 2020 Settlement with Creditors

 

On June 4, 2020, Prime EFS LLC (“Prime EFS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, agreed with two related creditors (the “Creditors”) to a payment plan (the “Payment Plan”) to settle, without interest, a total outstanding balance of $2,038,556.06 (the “Outstanding Balance”) owed by Prime EFS to the Creditors.

 

Pursuant to the Payment Plan, Prime EFS was obligated to pay $75,000.00 to the Creditors on or before June 5, 2020 and $75,000.00 to the Creditors on or before June 12, 2020.

 

Thereafter, under the Payment Plan, beginning on June 19, 2020, Prime EFS was obligated to make weekly payments of $15,000.00 to the Creditors each Friday for 125 weeks ending with a final payment of $13,556.06 on November 18, 2022.

 

Under the Payment Plan, Prime EFS also agreed that, if it fails to make a scheduled payment or otherwise defaults on its obligations, the remaining Outstanding Balance would be accelerated and due, in full, within five business days after receipt by Prime EFS of a notice of default from the Creditors.

 

Under the Payment Plan, Prime EFS also agreed that, if Prime EFS does not pay the remaining Outstanding Balance within five business days after receipt of a notice of default, then the Creditors will be entitled to 9% per annum simple interest on the remaining Outstanding Balance from the date of default and to recover attorneys’ fees and costs for enforcement.

 

Prime EFS made the $75,000 payments due on each of June 5, 2020 and June 12, 2020.

 

Prime EFS also made each of the weekly payments due through Friday, September 18, 2020. However, Prime EFS did not make the payment due Friday, September 25, 2020, did not make any further weekly payment due under the Payment Plan, and has no present plan or intention to make any further payments under the Payment Plan because it lacks the cash-on-hand to do so.

 

By letter dated October 16, 2020, attorneys for the Creditors gave Prime EFS notice of default (the “Notice of Default”) under the settlement agreement that documents the Payment Plan and related terms and conditions. The Notice of Default correctly states that Prime EFS did not make the payment due under the Payment Plan on September 25, 2020 and has not made any further weekly payments since September 25, 2020. The Notice of Default correctly demands, under the settlement agreement that documents the Payment Plan and related terms and conditions, that, as of the day of Prime EFS’s default, Prime EFS owed the Creditors $1,678,556.06, which is accrued on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance at September 30, 2020. In the Notice of Default, the Creditors reserve the right to institute legal proceedings against Prime EFS for its defaults under the Payment Plan, to seek default interest at 9% per annum and to seek the Creditors’ costs of collection.

 

To date, Prime EFS has not responded to the Notice of Default and has no present plan or intention to respond.

 

Dispute between Patrick Nicholson and Prime EFS

 

By letter dated October 9, 2020, attorneys representing Patrick Nicholson allege that Prime EFS is in default of its payment obligations under a “10% Senior Secured Demand Promissory Note” issued February 13, 2019, in the principal amount of $165,000, and under a second promissory note issued April 24, 2019 in the principal amount of $55,000.

 

In the demand, the attorneys for Mr. Nicholson allege the total balance owed, including interest, is $332,702.84 and that interest is continuing to accrue on each promissory note.

 

In the demand, the attorneys for Mr. Nicholson also contend that the Company is jointly and severally liable with Prime EFS for this balance.

 

In the demand, the attorneys for Mr. Nicholson also contend that the great bulk ($276,169) of the alleged balance due arises under the “10% Senior Secured Demand Promissory Note” issued February 13, 2019. However, this promissory note is, by its express terms, governed by New York law, and, in the opinion of Prime EFS’s counsel, such note is usurious on the face of it and unenforceable.

 

Further, in the opinion of counsel, formed after reasonable inquiry, neither promissory note is enforceable against any person or entity other than Prime EFS. If, as threatened, Mr. Nicholson files suit for nonpayment under either or both promissory notes, it is anticipated that the defendant(s) will mount a vigorous defense to the action.

 

Inter alia because Mr. Nicholson has not filed an action on this claim, it is not possible to evaluate the likelihood that he will do so, nor is it possible to evaluate the likelihood of a favorable or unfavorable outcome, nor is it possible to estimate the amount or range of any potential loss in the matter.

 

Disputes Between Prime EFS, ELRAC LLC, and Enterprise Leasing Company of Philadelphia, LLC

 

On or about January 10, 2020, Prime EFS was named as sole defendant in a civil action captioned ELRAC LLC v. Prime EFS, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, assigned Case No. 1 :20-cv-00211 (the “ELRAC Action”). The complaint in the ELRAC Action alleged that Prime EFS failed to pay in full for repairs allegedly required by reason of property damage to delivery vehicles leased by Prime EFS from ELRAC LLC (“ELRAC”) to conduct its business. The complaint sought damages of not less than $382,000 plus $58,000 in insurance claims that ELRAC believes were collected by the Company and not reimbursed to ELRAC.

 

 

ELRAC subsequently moved for a default judgment against Prime EFS. By letter to the court dated March 9, 2020, Prime EFS opposed entry of a default judgment and contended that all claims in the ELRAC Action were subject to mandatory arbitration clauses found in the individual lease agreements. On March 19, 2020, ELRAC filed a stipulation dismissing the ELRAC Action without prejudice and advised Prime EFS that it intends to file an arbitration at the American Arbitration Association alleging essentially identical claims.

 

During the period it was leasing vans and trucks from ELRAC and its affiliate, Enterprise Leasing Company of Philadelphia, LLC (“Enterprise PA” and, with ELRAC, “Enterprise”), Prime EFS transferred $387,392 in deposits required by Enterprise as security for the payment of deductibles and uninsured damage to Enterprise’s fleet. Despite due demand, Enterprise never accounted to Prime EFS’s satisfaction regarding the application of these deposits. On June 10, 2020, Prime EFS therefore initiated an arbitration (the “Arbitration”) against Enterprise at the American Arbitration Association seeking the return of not less than $327,000 of these deposits.

 

On October 9, 2020, Enterprise filed its Answer and Counterclaims in the Arbitration. In its Answer, Enterprise denies liability to Prime EFS for $327,000 or any other sum. In its Counterclaims, ELRAC seeks $382,000 in damages and Enterprise PA seeks $256,000 in damages. Enterprise also seeks $62,000 in insurance payments allegedly made by Utica to Prime EFS.

 

Prime EFS believes the Enterprise Answer and Counterclaims lack merit and intends to defend its position in the Arbitration vigorously. Nevertheless, given the amount of the Counterclaim and the documentation which Enterprise has submitted in the arbitration in support thereof, the Company continues to reflect a liability of $440,000, i.e., the amount originally claimed as damages by ELRAC in the ELRAC’s federal action, as a contingency liability on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet. Based on our knowledge of the matter, as developed to date, we continue to agree with this estimate of probable total Company liability.

 

BMF Capital v. Prime EFS LLC et al.

 

In a settlement agreement entered into as of March 6, 2020, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Prime EFS agreed to pay BMF Capital (“BMF”) $275,000 on or by March 11, 2020, inter alia to discharge a convertible note, to cancel certain warrants on 40,300 shares of TLSS common stock, and to settle certain claims made by BMF Capital under certain merchant cash advance agreements (MCAs). Prime EFS did not pay a portion of the agreed $275,000 settlement amount by March 11, 2020, but the Company has subsequently paid the $275,000 in full. As more than eleven (11) months have now passed, and BMF has not again contacted Prime EFS concerning this matter, Prime EFS believes this matter to now be closed.

 

Bellridge Capital, L.P. v. TLS, Inc. et al

 

By letter dated April 28, 2020, a prior investor in the Company, Bellridge Capital, L.P. (“Bellridge”), claimed that the Company was in breach of its obligations under an August 29, 2019 letter agreement to issue a confession of judgment and to pay Bellridge $150,000 per month against the amounts due under, inter alia, an April 2019 promissory note. In the April 28, 2020 letter, Bellridge contended that TLSS owed Bellridge $1,978,557.76 as of that date. In a purported standstill agreement subsequently proposed by Bellridge, Bellridge claimed that TLSS owed it $2,271,099.83, a figure which allegedly included default rate interest. Bellridge also claimed that a subordination agreement it signed with the Company on August 30, 2019 was void ab initio. Bellridge also demanded the conversion of approximately $20,000 in indebtedness into Common Stock, a conversion which the Company had not effectuated at the time because the parties had not come to agreement on a conversion price. Such agreement was required for Bellridge to exercise its conversion rights under an agreement dated April 9, 2019 between Bellridge and the Company.

 

In an agreement dated August 3, 2020, Bellridge and the Company resolved many of the disputes between them. Among other provisions, Bellridge and the Company agreed upon the balance of all indebtedness owed to Bellridge as of August 3, 2020 ($2,150,000), a new maturity date on the indebtedness (April 30, 2021), and a price of $0.02 for the conversion of all Bellridge indebtedness into shares of Company Common Stock. In the agreement, Bellridge also agrees to release its claims against the Company and its senior management in a definitive settlement agreement. However, the August 3 agreement did not contain a release of claims by either party.

 

On September 11, 2020, a civil action was filed against the Company, John Mercadante and Douglas Cerny in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, captioned Bellridge Capital, L.P. v. Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc., John Mercadante and Douglas Cerny. The case was assigned Case No. 20-cv-7485. The complaint alleges two separate claims (the first and second claims for relief) for purported violations of section 10(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and SEC Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company, Mr. Mercadante and/or Mr. Cerny; a claim (the third claim for relief) purportedly for control person liability under section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against Messrs. Mercadante and Cerny; a claim (the fourth claim for relief) purportedly for fraudulent inducement against the Company; a claim (the fifth claim for relief) against the Company purportedly for breach of an exchange agreement between Bellridge Capital, L.P. (“Bellridge”) and the Company allegedly dated April 13, 2019 (the “Purported Exchange Agreement”); a claim (the sixth claim for relief) against the Company purportedly for specific performance of the Purported Exchange Agreement; a claim against the Company (the seventh claim for relief) for purported nonpayment of a promissory note dated December 26, 2018 pursuant to which the Company borrowed $300,000 and committed to pay Bellridge $330,000 on or by March 15, 2019 plus 10% interest per annum (the “December 2018 Note”); a claim (the eighth claim for relief) purportedly for a declaratory judgment that the Company allegedly failed to comply with a condition precedent to the effectiveness of a subordination agreement (the “Subordination Agreement”) executed and delivered in connection with the Purported Exchange Agreement; and a claim (the ninth claim for relief) for breach of an assignment agreement, executed on or about July 20, 2018 (the “Partial Assignment Agreement”) in connection with a purchase of 50,000 shares of Company convertible preferred stock, by Bellridge, from a third party.

 

 

The damages sought under the first, second and third claims for relief are not specified in the complaint. The fourth claim for relief seeks $128,394 in damages exclusive of interest and costs. The fifth claim for relief seeks $582,847 in damages exclusive of interest and costs. The sixth claim for relief demands that the Company honor allegedly outstanding stock conversions served by Bellridge at a price of $0.00545 per share. The seventh claim for relief seeks $267,970 in damages exclusive of interest and costs. The eighth claim for relief seeks a declaration that the Subordination Agreement is null and void. The ninth claim for relief seeks the difference between the conversion price of the shares at the time of the originally requested conversion and the price on the actual date of conversion, plus liquidated damages of $57,960.

 

Briefly, the complaint in this action alleges, among other things, that the Company failed to make payments required under two promissory notes, namely the December 2018 Note and a convertible promissory note issued June 18, 2018 as amended by the Purported Exchange Agreement (the “June 2018 Note”). The complaint also alleges that the Company and its senior officer gave false assurances about a potential PIPE transaction in order to induce Bellridge to execute and deliver the Purported Exchange Agreement and the Subordination Agreement. The complaint also alleges that the Company failed to honor certain conversion notices issued by Bellridge and/or failed to negotiate an exercise price in good faith, allegedly as required by the Partial Assignment Agreement and/or the Purported Exchange Agreement. The forgoing discussion does no more than summarize certain of the major allegations of a complaint running 25 pages. Readers wishing additional information should review the complaint and/or discuss same with management. The Company believes it has substantial defenses to some or all claims in the complaint, including without limitation the defense of usury. Both the Company and Mr. Mercadante intend to defend this case vigorously.

 

On November 6, 2020, TLSS filed an answer in this matter, denying liability for all matters alleged in the complaint. On November 26, Mr. Mercadante filed an answer in this matter, denying liability for all matters alleged in the complaint.

 

The initial case conference in this matter was held on February 5, 2021. At the conference, the assigned judge expressed doubt as to whether the court has subject matter jurisdiction over the dispute. The Court ordered Bellbridge to file an amended complaint, properly alleging subject matter jurisdiction, if it can, by February 17, 2021 and, if Bellridge files such an amended complaint, directed the defendants, by February 24, 2021, to answer the amended complaint or move to dismiss it.

 

The Company believes it has substantial defenses to some or all claims in the complaint, including without limitation the defense of usury. Both the Company and Mr. Mercadante intend to defend this case vigorously.

 

Based on the early stage of this matter, it is not possible to evaluate the likelihood of a favorable or unfavorable outcome, nor is it possible to estimate the amount or range of any potential loss in the matter.

 

SCS, LLC v. Transport and Logistics Systems, Inc. et al

 

On May 26, 2020, a civil action was filed against the Company in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, captioned SCS, LLC v. Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc. The case was assigned Index No. 154433/2020.

 

The plaintiff in this action, SCS, LLC (“SCS”) alleges it is a limited liability company that entered into a renewable six-month consulting agreement with the Company dated September 5, 2019 and that the Company failed to make certain monthly payments due thereunder for the months of October 2019 through March 2020, summing to $42,000. The complaint alleges claims for breach of contract, quantum meruit, unjust enrichment and account stated.

 

On July 22, 2020, the Company filed its answer, defenses and counterclaims in this action. Among other allegations, the Company avers in its answer that SCS’s claims are barred by its unclean hands and other inequitable conduct, including breach of its duties (i) to maintain the confidentiality of information provided to SCS on a confidential basis and (ii) to work only in furtherance of the Company’s interests, not in furtherance of SCS’s own, and conflicting, interests. The Company also avers that SCS’s alleged damages must be reduced by the compensation and other benefits received by Lawrence Sands, founder of SCS, as a W-2 employee of the Company. The Company also avers that the New York Supreme Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction of the action because SCS concedes it is a Florida LLC based in Florida and that the Company is a Nevada corporation based in Florida.

 

On July 31, 2020, SCS moved for summary judgment in this action. On August 18, 2020, the Company moved to dismiss this action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In its motion, among other arguments, the Company asserted that the New York court lacks subject matter jurisdiction because neither party was formed under New York law; neither party maintains an office in the State of New York; consulting agreement between the parties dated September 5, 2019 was not performed in the State of New York; and the parties anticipated, at the time of contracting, that the bulk of SCS’s consulting services thereunder would be rendered in Florida, not New York.

 

On November 4, 2020, Supreme Court, New York County, heard argument on the Company’s motion to dismiss, granted the motion, and denied SCS’s motion summary judgment as moot (the “Decision”). SCS did not seek reconsideration and/or appeal from the Decision within the prescribed time periods. However, on or about January 14, 2021, SCS refiled this action the state court in Florida, seeking the same $42,000 in damages. The Company must file an answer to the Florida complaint by February 9, 2021.

 

The Company believes it has substantial defenses to some or all claims in the complaint, including without limitation breaches of the consulting agreement by SCS. The Company therefore intends to defend this case vigorously.

 

Shareholder Derivative Action

 

On June 25, 2020, the Company was served with a putative shareholder derivative action filed in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida (the “Court”) captioned SCS, LLC, derivatively on behalf of Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc. v. John Mercadante, Jr., Douglas Cerny, Sebastian Giordano, Ascentaur LLC and Transportation and Logistics Systems, Inc. The action has been assigned Case No. 2020-CA-006581.

 

The plaintiff in this action, SCS, alleges it is a limited liability company formed by a former chief executive officer and director of the Company, Lawrence Sands. The complaint alleges that between April 2019 and June 2020, the current chairman and chief executive officer of the Company, the current chief development officer of the Company and, since February 2020, the Company’s restructuring consultant, breached fiduciary duties owed to the Company. The Company’s restructuring consultant, defendant Sebastian Giordano, renders his services through another defendant in the action, Ascentaur LLC.

 

 

Briefly, the complaint alleges that the Company’s chief executive officer breached duties to the Company by, among other actions, requesting, in mid-2019, that certain preferred equity holders, including SCS, convert their preferred shares into Company Common Stock in order to facilitate an equity offering by the Company and then not consummating an equity offering. The complaint also alleges that current management caused the Company to engage in purportedly wasteful and unnecessary transactions such as taking merchant cash advances (MCA) on disadvantageous terms. The complaint further alleges that current management “issued themselves over two million shares of common stock without consideration.” The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of the Company for breach of fiduciary duty, negligent breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud, and civil conspiracy and the appointment of a receiver or custodian for the Company.

 

The Company’s current management has tendered the complaint to its directors’ and officers’ liability carrier for defense and indemnity purposes, which coverage is subject to a $250,000 self-insured retention or “deductible.” Company management, Mr. Giordano and Ascentaur LLC each advises that he or it deny each and every allegation of wrongdoing alleged in the complaint. Among other points, current management asserts that it made every effort to consummate an equity offering in late 2019 and early 2020 and could not do so solely because of the Company’s precarious financial condition. Current management also asserts it made clear to SCS and other preferred equity holders, before they converted their shares into Common Stock, that the Company could not guarantee that it would be able to consummate an equity offering in late 2019 or early 2020. In addition, current management asserts that it received equity in the Company on terms that were entirely fair to the Company and entered into MCA transactions solely because no other financing was available to the Company.

 

On August 5, 2020, all defendants in this action moved to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Among other allegations, all defendants allege in their motion that, through this lawsuit, SCS is improperly attempting to second-guess business decisions made by the Company’s Board of Directors, based solely on hindsight (as opposed to any well-pleaded facts demonstrating a lack of care or good faith). All defendants also assert that the majority of the claims are governed by Nevada law because they concern the internal affairs of the Company. Defendants further assert that, under Nevada law, each of the business decisions challenged by SCS is protected by the business judgment rule. Defendants further assert that, even if SCS could rebut the presumption that the business judgment rule applies to all such transactions, SCS has failed to allege facts demonstrating that intentional misconduct, fraud, or a knowing violation of the law occurred—a requirement under Nevada law in order for director or officer liability to arise. Defendants further assert that, because SCS’s constructive fraud claim simply repackages Plaintiff’s claims for breach of fiduciary duty, it too must fail. In the absence of an adequately-alleged independent cause of action—let alone an unlawful agreement between the defendants entered into for the purpose of harming the Company, SCS’s claim for civil conspiracy must also be dismissed. Finally, defendants contend that SCS’s extraordinary request that a receiver or custodian be appointed to manage and supervise the Company’s activities and affairs throughout the duration of this unfounded action is without merit because SCS does not allege the Company is subject to loss so serious and significant that the appointment of a receiver or custodian is “absolutely necessary to do complete justice.”

 

SCS has a right to file court papers opposing the above motion and thereafter the defendants have a right to file reply papers in further support of the motion (the “MTD”). To date, the court has not entered an order scheduling these filings or a hearing on the MTD.

 

In the interim, SCS has propounded certain discovery requests to Mr. Giordano concerning his personal jurisdiction and de facto officer defenses to which Mr. Giordano responded in timely fashion, to the extent required by Florida court rules.

 

While they hope to prevail on the motion, win or lose, current Company management, Mr. Giordano and Ascentaur LLC advise that they intend to mount a vigorous defense to this action, as they believe the action to be entirely bereft of merit.

 

It is not possible to evaluate the likelihood of a favorable or unfavorable outcome, nor is it possible to estimate the amount or range of any potential loss in the matter.

 

Frank Mazzola v. TLSI and Prime EFS, et al.

 

On July 24, 2020, Prime EFS terminated the employment of Frank Mazzola effective that day. On July 27, 2020, Mr. Mazzola filed a Complaint and Jury Demand in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in which he named as defendants Prime EFS, the Company, John Mercadante and Douglas Cerny. The case was assigned # 1:20-CV-5788-VM. In this action, Mr. Mazzola alleges that he had an employment agreement with Prime EFS and that Prime EFS breached the alleged employment agreement through two alleged pay reductions and by terminating his employment. The Complaint contains eight counts: (1) breach of contract against Prime EFS; (2) breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing against Prime EFS; (3) intentional misrepresentation against Prime EFS, the Company and Mr. Mercadante; (4) negligent misrepresentation against Prime EFS, the Company and Mr. Mercadante; (5) tortious interference with contract against the Company, Mr. Mercadante and Mr. Cerny; (6) tortious interference with prospective economic advantage against the Company, Mr. Mercadante and Mr. Cerny; (7) conversion against all defendants; and (8) unjust enrichment against all defendants. Mr. Mazzola seeks specific performance of the alleged employment agreement and damages of not less than $3 million.

 

Without answering the Complaint, on August 14, 2020, the defendants objected to the Complaint on the grounds of lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue and because the Complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. On August 25, 2020, the Court ordered Mr. Mazzola to respond to the defendants’ objections within three days. On August 28, 2020, Mr. Mazzola voluntarily withdrew the action.

 

 

On September 1, 2020, Mr. Mazzola served the defendants with a Complaint and Jury Demand that Mr. Mazzola filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Bergen County, docket number BER-L-004967-20. The Complaint alleged the same claims as those set forth in the Complaint that Mr. Mazzola had filed in the now withdrawn New York federal lawsuit. On September 28, 2020, the defendants removed the New Jersey state court lawsuit to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, which has been assigned civil action number 2:20-cv-13387-BRM-ESK. On October 5, 2020, all defendants filed a motion to dismiss each and every claim asserted against them in the New Jersey federal action.

 

By letter dated November 18, 2020, Mr. Mazzola, by counsel, sought leave of court to file an amended complaint in this matter. On November 25, 2020, the Court granted plaintiff leave to file an amended complaint on or by December 7, 2020, and granted defendants an extension to January 11, 2021 to file an answer or to move against the amended complaint.

 

On December 7, 2020, Mr. Mazzola filed an amended complaint in this action (the “AC”) alleging three (3) claims for relief: one for Breach of Contract against Prime EFS; one for “Piercing the Corporate Veil” against the Company; and one for “Fraudulent Inducement” against Messrs. Mercadante and Cerny.

 

The damages sought by each claim are identical: “approximately $2,000,000, representing $1,040,000 in [alleged] severance”; $759,038.41 in alleged “accrued but unpaid salary”; and non-cash benefits under the alleged executive employment agreement.

 

On January 11, 2021, Prime EFS filed an answer to the AC, denying, under the faithless servant doctrine and otherwise, that it has any liability to Mr. Mazzola for any of the amounts sought. Prime EFS also filed counterclaims against Mr. Mazzola seeking recoupment of not less than $925,492 in W-2 compensation paid to Mr. Mazzola; damages in the amount of $168,750 which Mr. Mazzola paid to his mother for a no-show job; and damages of not less than $500,000 for usurpation of corporate opportunities belonging to Prime EFS. Also on January 11, 2021, the Company, Mr. Mercadante and Mr. Cerny filed motions to dismiss the AC insofar as pled against them for failure to state a claim and for lack of personal jurisdiction.

 

On January 27, 2021, Prime EFS filed an amended answer to the AC, increasing the amount sought on its counterclaim for recoupment of income paid to Mr. Mazzola from $925,492 to $1,111,833.73 and adding a claim for indemnification for amounts paid by Prime EFS to resolve certain litigation against it such as the Valesky case (see below).

 

Owing to the early stage of this matter, it is not possible to evaluate the likelihood of a favorable or unfavorable outcome, nor is it possible to estimate the amount or range of any potential loss in the matter.

 

Rosemary Mazzola v. TLSS and Prime EFS

 

On September 19, 2020, attorneys for Frank Mazzola’s mother, Rosemary Mazzola, filed an action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Company and Douglas Cerny. The case was assigned docket number 1:20-cv-7582 and assigned to USDJ Gregory H. Woods. In this action, Ms. Mazzola claims that the Company entered into and breached an unspecified contract by failing to pay her $94,000. In addition, the complaint claims that, although he was not a party to the unspecified contract, Mr. Cerny falsely represented that the Company intended to “repay” Ms. Mazzola $94,000 plus interest. The complaint seeks $94,000 from each defendant, plus late fees, costs, prejudgment interest and attorneys’ fees and, from Mr. Cerny, punitive damages in an unspecified amount. The complaint also alleges claims for account stated and breach of implied warranty of good faith and fair dealing, allegedly premised on the same indebtedness.

 

On October 26, 2020, in lieu of filing an answer, all defendants, by counsel, submitted timely a letter motion (the “Oct. 26 Letter Motion”) for leave to file a motion to dismiss the complaint, which filing pointed out numerous alleged deficiencies with the complaint. Among other things, in the Oct. 26 Letter Motion, defendants pointed out (a) that Mr. Cerny is not a proper defendant and that, in any event, the Court lacks personal jurisdiction over him; (b) that the only conceivable contract on which the complaint could be based is the Amended and Restated Stock Purchase Agreement, dated September 30, 2018, pursuant to which Mrs. Mazzola and others sold their membership interests in Prime EFS to the Company; (c) that pursuant to that contract, “[i]n lieu of the receipt of cash by Rosemary Mazzola at Closing, Rosemary Mazzola has agreed to loan such cash amount [$489,174] to the Company” — defined to be Prime EFS, not the Company; and (d) therefore, that the only entity with an obligation to pay any amounts allegedly due to Mrs. Mazzola under the 2018 agreement is Prime EFS, not the Company.

 

In addition, in the Oct. 26 Letter Motion, defendants assert that, at least at this juncture, a claim against Prime EFS under the 2018 agreement would be improper. As noted above, in the 2018 agreement, it is merely agreed that, “[i]n lieu of the receipt of cash by Rosemary Mazzola at Closing, Rosemary Mazzola has agreed to loan such cash amount to the Company [Prime EFS] to be used for working capital.” No terms and conditions of the loan were specified. Hence, defendants assert, a suit against Prime EFS on the loan today would be at least premature.

 

By order entered November 5, 2020, the Court gave new counsel for Mrs. Mazzola, the 80-year-old mother of Frank Mazzola, until November 23, 2020, to file an amended complaint in this action.

 

On November 23, 2020, counsel for Ms. Mazzola filed an Amended Complaint in this action, dropping Mr. Cerny and adding Prime EFS, LLC as a party. The new pleading demands $209,000 rather than the $94,000 in damages previously alleged. The new complaint alleges three claims: breach of contract against Prime EFS, alter ego liability against the company, and unjust enrichment against both the Company and Prime EFS. Ms. Mazzola also demands legal fees and expenses under a prevailing-party provision in the Amended Stock Purchase Agreement. 

 

 

On January 29, 2021, both TLSI and Prime EFS, LLC timely moved to the dismiss the Amended Complaint. Opposition and reply papers on this motion are due in February 2021.

 

As of September 30, 2020, a $94,000 liability is included in due to related parties on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as of such date.

 

Owing to the early stage of this matter, it is not possible for us to evaluate the likelihood of a favorable or unfavorable outcome, nor is it possible to estimate the amount or range of any potential loss in the matter.

 

Prime EFS v. Amazon Logistics, Inc.

 

On June 19, 2020, Amazon Logistics, Inc. (“Amazon”) notified Prime EFS that Amazon did not intend to renew the Delivery Service Partner Program Agreement between Prime EFS and Amazon when it expired. In the Prime EFS Termination Notice, Amazon stated that the Delivery Service Partner Program Agreement between Prime EFS and Amazon expired on September 30, 2020. Prime EFS believed on advice of counsel that Amazon’s position misconstrued the expiration date under the Delivery Service Partner Program Agreement between Prime EFS and Amazon. Prime EFS therefore filed an arbitration at the American Arbitration Association (the “AAA”) seeking temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunctive relief prohibiting Amazon from terminating the Delivery Service Partner Program Agreement between Prime EFS and Amazon prior to March 31, 2021 (the “Amazon Arbitration”).

 

In a ruling issued July 30, 2020, the arbitrator appointed by the AAA on an emergency basis affirmed the validity of Amazon’s construction of the Delivery Service Partner Program Agreement between Prime EFS and Amazon and notice terminating that agreement effective September 30, 2020. The Company concluded, on advice of counsel, that no court would suspend, vacate or modify the July 30, 2020, ruling.

 

On July 17, 2020, Amazon notified Shypdirect by the Shypdirect Termination Notice that Amazon had elected to terminate the Program Agreement between Amazon and Shypdirect effective as of November 14, 2020.

 

Amazon did not state a reason for the Shypdirect Termination Notice. Under the Program Agreement, Amazon can terminate the agreement without a reason and solely for convenience on 120 days’ notice.

 

In a “Separation Agreement” dated August 23, 2020, by and among Amazon, Prime EFS and the Company, Prime EFS and the Company agreed, for nominal consideration, that the Delivery Service Partner Program Agreement between Amazon and Prime EFS would terminate effective September 30, 2020; that Prime EFS and the Company would cooperate in an orderly transition of the last-mile delivery business from Prime EFS to other service providers; that Prime EFS would return any and all vehicles leased from Element Fleet Corporation by October 7, 2020 in good repair; and that Prime EFS would dismiss the Amazon Arbitration with prejudice. Under the same Separation Agreement, Prime EFS and the Company released any and all claims they had against Amazon and promised not to sue Amazon. In a “Settlement and Release Agreement” dated August 21, 2020, by and among Amazon, Shypdirect, Prime EFS and the Company, Amazon withdrew the Shypdirect Termination Notice and extended the term of the Program Agreement to and including May 14, 2021. In the Settlement and Release Agreement, Shypdirect released any and all claims it had against Amazon, arising under the Program Agreement between Amazon and Shypdirect effective as of November 14, 2020, or otherwise.

 

Jose R. Mercedes-Mejia v. Shypdirect LLC, Prime EFS LLC et al.

 

On August 4, 2020, an action was filed against Shypdirect, Prime EFS and others in the Superior Court of New Jersey for Bergen County captioned Jose R. Mercedes-Mejia v. Shypdirect LLC, Prime EFS LLC et al. The case was assigned docket number BER-L-004534-20. In this action, the plaintiff seeks reimbursement of his medical expenses and damages for personal injuries following an accident with a box truck leased by Prime EFS and being driven by a Prime EFS employee, in which the plaintiff’s ankle was injured. Plaintiff has thus far transmitted medical bills exceeding $789,000. Prime EFS and Shypdirect have demanded their vehicle liability carrier assume the defense of this action. To date, the carrier has not done so, allegedly inter alia because the box truck was not on the list of insured vehicles at the time of the accident.

 

On November 9, 2020, Prime EFS and Shypdirect filed their answer to the complaint in this action and also filed a third-party action against the insurance company in an effort to obtain defense and indemnity for this action. We intend to vigorously defend against this claim and to pursue the coverage action. However, we cannot evaluate the likelihood of an adverse outcome or estimate our liability, if any, in connection with this claim.

 

Valesky v. Prime EFS, ShypDirect and TLSI

 

Plaintiff, an ex-dispatcher for Prime EFS, brought this action in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Plaintiff alleges he was fired while still in a neck brace. On December 22, 2020, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint in this action adding the Company and ShypDirect as defendants on joint employer and/or alter ego theories. On January 11, 2021, the Company and ShypDirect filed an answer to the amended complaint, denying liability as to all theories of relief. On January 28, 2021, at a court conference, we settled this case, subject to standard documentation, for a payment of $35,000.

 

Ynes Accilien v. Prime EFS

 

This action was brought on April 27, 2020 in the Superior Court of New Jersey for Bergen County by the plaintiff alleging injuries from a May 12, 2019 collision with a van leased by Prime EFS and operated by Prime EFS employees. The plaintiff has also filed a workers’ compensation claim. Prime EFS’s insurer has been defending this matter without charging Prime EFS, and the Company and Prime EFS expect that the insurer will ultimately indemnify Prime EFS for any damages assessed. 

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

The Company has entered into Securities Purchase Agreements, on October 8, 2020, December 28, 2020, December 31, 2020, January 7, 2021, and January 27, 2021, with the Selling Stockholders pursuant to which the Selling Stockholders agreed to purchase, severally and not jointly, an aggregate of (i) 219,320 shares of Series E Stock and (ii) the Warrants to purchase 252,559,929 shares of Common Stock (the “Series E Offering”). The gross proceeds to the Company are $2,640,000.

 

In the October sale, investors paid $640,000 to purchase units at a price of $13.34 each, comprising one share of Series E Stock and a warrant to purchase 500 shares of Common Stock at $0.04 per share. In each of the December and January sales, investors paid an aggregate of $2,000,000 to purchase units at a price of $11.67 each, comprising one share of Series E Stock and a warrant to purchase 1,334 shares of Common Stock at $0.01 per share.

 

In connection with the Series E Offering, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreements pursuant to which the Company agreed to file, and to bear expenses of, a registration statement on Form S-1 to register the resale of the shares of Common Stock issuable to the Selling Stockholders upon conversion of the Series E Stock and exercise of the Warrants. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, if the Company’s registration fails to remain continuously effective, or the Selling Stockholders are unable to utilize this prospectus to resell registrable shares for a longer than 30-day period during any 12-month period, then the Company shall pay to the Selling Stockholder who is unable to resell an amount equal to 1% of such Selling Stockholder’s investment amount for each month in which such Selling Stockholder is unable to resell.

 

The initial exercise price of 23,988,500 of the Warrants is $0.04 per share and of 228,571,429 of the Warrants is $0.01 per share, subject to adjustment as provided therein, including, but not limited to, an “anti-dilution” adjustment that would require the Company to reduce the exercise price of Warrants previously issued to the Selling Stockholders if the Company issues (or is deemed to have issued) any additional Warrants, Options or Convertible Securities that could convert to Common Stock at a per-share price less than the initial exercise price of the Warrants.

 

To consummate the Series E Offering, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) created the Series E Stock pursuant to the authority vested in the Board by the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share, of which 3,737,750 are unissued and undesignated. The Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation explicitly authorize the Board to issue any or all of such shares of preferred stock in one (1) or more classes or series and to fix the designations, powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, redemption prices, liquidation preferences and the number of shares constituting any class or series, without further vote or action by the Company’s stockholders.

 

On October 6, 2020, the Board filed the Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series E COD”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada designating 562,250 shares of preferred stock as Series E Stock. On December 28, 2020, the Board filed an Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock for the Series E COD with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada. Each holder of Series E Stock has the right to cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of Common Stock into which the shares of Series E Stock held by such holder are convertible as of the applicable record date.

 

The Series E Stock has a stated value of $13.34 per share (the “Series E Stated Value”).

 

On a pari passu basis with the holders of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock that is currently issued and outstanding, upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the business of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the Series E Stock is entitled to receive an amount per share equal to the Stated Value and then receive a pro-rata portion of the remaining assets available for distribution to the holders of Common Stock on an as-converted to Common Stock basis. Until October 8, 2021, the holders of Series E Stock have the right, with certain specified exceptions, to participate, pro rata, in each subsequent financing in an amount up to 40% of the total proceeds of such financing on the same terms, conditions and price otherwise available in such subsequent financing.

 

Subject to a Beneficial Ownership Limitation (as defined below), certain triggering events as described below, anti-dilution protection as described below and customary adjustments for stock dividends and stock splits, each share of Series E Stock is initially convertible into a number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock calculated by dividing $13.34 (the “Stated Value”) of each share being converted by the Conversion Price. The initial Conversion Price shall be $0.01. In addition, the Corporation shall issue to a holder converting all or any portion of Series E Stock an additional sum (the “Make Good Amount”) equal to $210 for each $1,000 of Stated Value of the Series E Stock converted pro rated for amounts more or less than $1,000 (the “Extra Amount”). Subject to the beneficial ownership limitation, the Make Good Amount shall be paid in shares of Common Stock, as follows: The number of shares of Common Stock issuable as the Make Good Amount shall be calculated by dividing the Extra Amount by the product of 80% times the average prevailing market for the five trading days prior to the date a holder delivered a notice of conversion to the Company. A holder of Series E Stock may not convert any shares of Series E Stock into Common Stock if the holder (together with the holder’s affiliates and any persons acting as a group together with the holder or any of the holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the conversion (“Beneficial Ownership Limitation”), as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Series E COD. However, upon notice from the holder to the Company, the holder may decrease or increase the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, which may not exceed 9.99% of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the Series E COD, provided that any such increase or decrease in the beneficial ownership limitation will not take effect until 61 days following notice to the Company.

 

 

Triggering Events

 

Upon the occurrence of certain triggering events and until such triggering event is cured, each share of Series E Stock will be convertible into shares of Common Stock at the option of the holder, and subject to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation at a Conversion Price of $0.006 and at 125% of the Stated Value. In addition, the Make Good Amount shall equal $310 for each $1,000 of Stated Value of the Series E Stock converted pro rated for amounts more or less than $1,000 (the “Triggering Event Extra Amount”). Subject to the beneficial ownership limitation, the Make Good Amount shall be paid in shares of Common Stock, as follows: The number of shares of Common Stock issuable as the Make Good Amount shall be calculated by dividing the Triggering Event Extra Amount by the product of 70% times the average prevailing market for the five trading days prior to the date a holder shall have delivered a notice of conversion to the Company. Triggering events include, but are not limited to, (1) failure to satisfy Rule 144 current public information requirements; (2) ceasing to be a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or failing to comply with the reporting requirements of a reporting company under the Exchange Act; (3) suspension from or termination of trading on a public market; (4) failure to reserve a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the lesser of (a) 200% of all shares issuable upon the conversion of all Series E Stock or (b) 200,000,000 shares (after cure periods and subject to certain extensions); (5) various insolvency proceedings (subject to certain carveouts); (6) material breach of the Series E Offering transaction documents; (7) the Company’s written notice (including publicly) of its intention not to comply with any conversion request with respect to the Series E Stock (other than pursuant to the Beneficial Ownership Limitation or as otherwise permitted by the Series E COD); (8) the Company’s failure to pay, on the dividend date, any declared dividend to any holder of the Series E Stock; (9) the rendering of a final judgment in excess of $50,000 against the Company, which judgment is not bonded, stayed, settled, or discharged within 10 days thereof; and (10) failure of the Company to redeem any Series E Stock as provided in the Series E COD. If the Company becomes aware that a Triggering Event has occurred, it will notify the Selling Stockholders in accordance with the notice provisions in the applicable Securities Purchase Agreement.

 

Anti-Dilution

 

If the Company issues or sells (or is deemed to have issued or sold) additional shares of Common Stock for a price-per-share that is less than the price equal to the conversion price of the Series E Stock held by the holders of the Series E Stock immediately prior to such issuance, then the conversion price of the Series E Stock will be reduced to the price per share of such dilutive issuance. In addition to the foregoing, for as long as any shares of Series E Stock remain outstanding, if the Company sells any Common Stock (or Common Stock equivalent) on terms that a Selling Stockholder reasonably believes to be more favorable than the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, then the Company shall amend the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement with respect to such Selling Stockholder so as to match such more favorable terms; provided however, that the foregoing will not apply to the first $7,500,000 of sales.

 

Approval of at least a majority of the outstanding Series E Stock is required to: (a) amend or repeal any provision of, or add any provision to, the Company’s Articles of Incorporation or bylaws, or file any Certificate of Designation (however such document is named) or articles of amendment to create any class or any series of preferred stock, if such action would adversely alter or change in any respect the preferences, rights, privileges or powers, or restrictions provided for the benefit, of the Series E Stock, regardless of whether any such action shall be by means of amendment to the Articles of Incorporation or bylaws or by merger, consolidation or otherwise or filing any Certificate of Designation, it being understood that the creation of a new security having rights, preferences or privileges senior to or on parity with the Series E Stock in a future financing will not constitute an amendment, addition, alteration, filing, waiver or repeal for these purposes; (b) increase or decrease (other than by conversion) the authorized number of Series E Stock; (c) issue any Series D Convertible Preferred Stock; (d) issue any Series E Stock in excess of 562,250 or (e) without limiting any provision hereunder, whether or not prohibited by the terms of the Series E Stock, circumvent a right of the Series E Stock.

 

As of the date of this prospectus, as a result of the Series E Offering, there is outstanding:

 

	1.	219,320 shares of Series E Convertible Preferred Stock; and
	2.	Warrants to purchase 23,988,500 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.04 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth in the warrant agreement; and
	3.	Warrants to purchase 228,571,429 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.01 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth in the warrant agreement.

 

 

The Offering

 

Common Stock being offered by the selling stockholders assuming no Triggering Event (as defined in the Series E COD)		606,572,952 shares including (i) 354,013,023 issuable upon exercise of conversion rights pursuant to the Series E Stock outstanding, (ii) 23,988,500 shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants that have an exercise price of $0.04 per share, subject to adjustment and (iii) 228,571,429 shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants that have an exercise price of $0.01 per share, subject to adjustment.
Common Stock being offered by the selling stockholders assuming the occurrence and continuance of a Triggering Event (as defined in the Series E COD)		952,784,036 shares including (i) 700,224,107 issuable upon exercise of conversion rights pursuant to the Series E Stock outstanding, (ii) 23,988,500 shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants that have an exercise price of $0.04 per share, subject to adjustment and (iii) 228,571,429 shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants that have an exercise price of $0.01 per share, subject to adjustment.
Common Stock outstanding prior to the Offering(1)		1,749,302,040.(1)
Common Stock outstanding after the Offering assuming full conversion of all outstanding Series E Stock, full exercise of all outstanding Warrants and no Triggering Event (as defined in the Series E COD) (1)		2,355,879,992.(1)
Terms of Offering		The Selling Stockholders will determine when and how they will sell the shares of our common stock offered hereby, as described in “Plan of Distribution” herein below.
Use of proceeds		The Selling Stockholders will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of the shares offered under this prospectus. We will not receive proceeds from the sale of the shares by the Selling Stockholders. However, to the extent the Warrants are exercised for cash, we will receive up to an aggregate of $3,245,254.29 in gross proceeds. We expect to use the proceeds from the exercise of such warrants, if any, for working capital and general corporate purposes.
OTC Pink Symbol		TLSS
Risk Factors		Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully review and consider the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock.

 

 

(1)	This amount does not include:

 

●	an aggregate of 80,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock purchase options that are exercisable for a purchase price of $8.85 per share and expire in April 2024;
●	an aggregate of 114,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock purchase warrants that are exercisable for a purchase price of $1.00 per share and expire in June 2024;

 

●	an aggregate of 696,111 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding common stock warrants for a purchase price of $0.006 per share, subject to adjustment, and expire in August 30, 2024;
●	an aggregate of 827,200 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding common stock warrants for a purchase price of $0.40 per share, issued between January 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020, each for a term of five years;
●	an aggregate of 1,298,078 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant warrants to purchase at an exercise price of $2.50 currently outstanding (Pursuant to the terms of these warrants, the exercise price of these warrants is subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock combinations or the like of our Common Stock). These warrants were issued between July 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019 and have terms of five years;
●	an aggregate of 203,000 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to a warrant to purchase at an exercise price of $1.81 currently outstanding (Pursuant to the terms of this warrant, the exercise price of these warrants is subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock combinations or the like of our Common Stock. This warrant wase issued on July 12, 2019 and have a term of five years.);

 

●	an aggregate of 28,100,000 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding common stock warrants for a purchase price of $0.006 per share, subject to adjustment, and which expire on June 16, 2025; and
	●	an aggregate of 457,142,857 shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant warrants to purchase at an exercise price of $0.01 currently outstanding (Pursuant to the terms of these warrants, the exercise price of these warrants is subject to adjustment in the event of stock splits, stock combinations or the like of our Common Stock.) These warrants were issued between December 28,2020 and January 27, 2021 and have terms of five years.

 

 

RISK FACTORS

 

You should carefully consider and evaluate all of the information in this prospectus. If any of these risks occurs, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed, the price of our common stock could decline, and future events and circumstances could differ significantly from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus. The risks described below are not the only ones we face, but are considered to be the most material. Other unknown or unpredictable economic, business, competitive, regulatory or other factors could have material adverse effects on our future results. If any such adverse effect occurs, the price of our Common Stock could decline materially, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods.

 

Risks Associated with Our Business and Industry

 

We lack an established operating history on which to evaluate our business and determine if we will be able to execute our business plan and can give no assurance that operations will result in profits.

 

We have been engaged in our current continuing and proposed business operations since June 2018. As a result, we have a limited operating history upon which you may evaluate our proposed business and prospects. Our proposed business operations are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties associated with early-stage enterprises. You should consider an investment in our Company in light of these risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties. Such risks include:

 

	●	the absence of an operating history at our current scale;
	●	our ability to raise capital to develop our business and fund our operations;
	●	expected continual losses for the foreseeable future;
	●	our ability to anticipate and adapt to a developing market(s);
	●	acceptance by customers;
	●	limited marketing experience;
	●	competition from internet-based logistics and freight companies;
	●	competitors with substantially greater financial resources and assets;
	●	the ability to identify, attract and retain qualified personnel;
	●	our ability to provide superior customer service; and
	●	reliance on key personnel.

 

Because we are subject to these risks, you may have a difficult time evaluating our business and your investment in our Company. We may be unable to successfully overcome these risks which could harm our business.

 

Our business strategy may be unsuccessful, and we may be unable to address the risks we face in a cost-effective manner, if at all. If we are unable to successfully address these risks our business will be harmed.

 

We may not successfully manage our growth.

 

We hope to grow, including by expanding our internal resources, making acquisitions, and entering into new markets, and we intend to continue to focus on rapid growth, including organic growth and additional acquisitions. We may experience difficulties and higher- than-expected expenses in executing this strategy as a result of unfamiliarity with new markets, changes in revenue and business models, entering into new geographic areas and increased pressure on our existing infrastructure and information technology systems.

 

Our growth will place a significant strain on our management, operational, financial and information technology resources. We will need to continually improve existing procedures and controls, as well as implement new transaction processing, operational and financial systems, and procedures and controls to expand, train and manage our employee base. Our working capital needs will continue to increase as our operations grow. Failure to manage our growth effectively, or obtain necessary working capital, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, stock price and financial condition.

 

Economic recessions and other factors that reduce freight volumes could have a material adverse impact on our business.

 

The transportation industry historically has experienced cyclical fluctuations in financial results due to economic recession, downturns in business cycles of our customers, increases in prices charged by third-party carriers, interest rate fluctuations and other U.S. and global economic factors beyond our control. During economic downturns, reduced overall demand for transportation services will likely reduce demand for our services and exert downward pressures on rates and margins. In periods of strong economic growth, demand for limited transportation resources can result in increased network congestion and resulting operating inefficiencies. In addition, deterioration in the economic environment subjects our business to various risks that may have a material impact on our operating results and cause us to not reach our long-term growth goals. These risks may include the following:

 

● A reduction in overall freight volumes in the marketplace reduces our opportunities for growth.

● A downturn in our customers’ business cycles causes a reduction in the volume of freight shipped by those customers.

● Some of our customers may face economic difficulties and may not be able to pay us, and some may go out of business.

● Some of our customers may not pay us as quickly as they have in the past, causing our working capital needs to increase.

● A significant number of our transportation providers may go out of business and we may be unable to secure sufficient equipment or other transportation services to meet our commitments to our customers.

● We may not be able to appropriately adjust our expenses to changing market demands.

 

 

We have ongoing capital requirements that necessitate sufficient cash flow from operations and/or obtaining financing on favorable terms.

 

We have depended primarily on short term borrowings and cash from operations to expand the size of our operations and upgrade and expand the size of our delivery fleet. In the future, we may be unable to generate sufficient cash from operations to support or grow our operations or to obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms for such purposes. If any of these events occur, then we may face liquidity constraints or be forced to enter into less than favorable financing arrangements. Additionally, such events could adversely impact our ability to provide services to our customers.

 

We may not be profitable.

 

There can be no assurance that we will be able to implement our business plan, generate sustainable revenue or ever achieve consistently profitable operations. We cannot assure you that we can achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis in the future.

 

Changes in our relationships with our significant customers, including the loss or reduction in business from one or more of them, could have an adverse impact on us.

 

For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, one customer, Amazon, represented 98.7% and 99.0%, respectively, of our total net revenues from continuing operations. Until such time, if ever, that we are able to diversify our customer base and add additional significant customers, the loss of Amazon as a customer will materially impair our overall consolidated financial condition and our consolidated results of operations. Our contractual relationships with customers, including Amazon, generally are terminable at will by the customers on short notice and do not require the customer to provide any minimum commitment. Our customers could choose to divert all or a portion of their business with us to one of our competitors, demand rate reductions for our services, require us to assume greater liability that increases our costs, or develop their own logistics capabilities. Failure to retain our existing customers or enter into relationships with new customers could materially impact the growth in our business and the ability to meet our current and long-term financial forecasts.

 

We depend on third parties in the operation of our business.

 

We do not own or control all of the transportation assets that deliver our customers’ freight. Accordingly, we are dependent on third parties to provide truck and other transportation services and to report certain events to us, including delivery information and claims. This reliance could cause delays in reporting certain events, including recognizing revenue and claims. Our inability to maintain positive relationships with our vendors could significantly limit our ability to serve our customers on competitive terms. If we are unable to secure sufficient equipment or other transportation services to meet our commitments to our customers or provide our services on competitive terms, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected, and our customers could switch to our competitors temporarily or permanently. Many of these risks are beyond our control, including the following:

 

● equipment shortages in the transportation industry, particularly among contracted truckload carriers and truck leasing companies;

● interruptions in service or stoppages in transportation as a result of labor disputes, network congestion, weather-related issues, “Acts of God,” or acts of terrorism;

● changes in regulations impacting transportation;

● increases in operating expenses for carriers, such as fuel costs, insurance premiums and licensing expenses, that result in a reduction in available carriers; and

● changes in transportation rates.

 

In our businesses, we primarily rent, lease, and lease-to-own delivery vans and trucks on a daily, weekly or monthly basis from approximately five vendors, as needed. Any shortage of supply of vehicles available to the Company could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Increases in independent contractor driver compensation or other difficulties attracting and retaining qualified independent contractor drivers could adversely affect our profitability and ability to maintain or grow our independent contractor driver fleet.

 

Our businesses operate with a combination of employed drivers and through fleets of vehicles that are owned and operated by independent contractors. In the case of independent contractors, they are responsible for maintaining and operating their own equipment and paying their own fuel, insurance, licenses and other operating costs. Turnover and bankruptcy among independent contractor drivers often limit the pool of qualified independent contractor drivers and increase competition for their services. In addition, regulations such as the FMCSA Compliance Safety Accountability program may further reduce the pool of qualified independent contractor drivers. Thus, our continued reliance on independent contractor drivers could limit our ability to grow our ground transportation fleet.

 

In the future, we may experience difficulty in attracting and retaining sufficient numbers of qualified independent contractor drivers. Additionally, our agreements with independent contractor drivers are terminable by either party upon short notice and without penalty. Consequently, we regularly need to recruit qualified independent contractor drivers to replace those who have left our fleet. If we are unable to retain our existing independent contractor drivers or recruit new independent contractor drivers, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

 

The compensation we offer our independent contractor drivers is subject to market conditions and we may find it necessary to continue to increase independent contractor drivers’ compensation in future periods. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain a sufficient number of independent contractor drivers, we could be required to increase our mileage rates and accessorial pay or operate with fewer trucks and face difficulty meeting shipper demands, all of which would adversely affect our profitability and ability to maintain our size or to pursue our growth strategy.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic may negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our financial condition and results of operations for fiscal year 2020 and beyond may be materially adversely affected by COVID-19. The full extent to which COVID-19 will impact our financial condition and operating results will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted, including new medical and other information that may emerge concerning COVID-19 and the actions by governmental entities or others to address it, contain it or treat its impact.

 

COVID-19 poses the risk that we or our employees, suppliers, professional advisors, customers and others may be restricted or prevented from conducting business activities for indefinite or intermittent periods of time, including as a result of employee health and safety concerns, shutdowns, travel restrictions and other actions and restrictions that may be prudent or required by governmental authorities. Even after governmental entities lift restrictions, there is a risk that such orders will be reinstated in jurisdictions in the short and long term, making it difficult to predict the longer-term financial impact of this virus on the Company.

 

We have modified our business practices for the continued health and safety of our employees - including, among other things, implementing a work- from-home policy to the fullest extent possible, a limited travel policy and a social distancing policy - and we may take further actions, or be required to take further actions, that are in the best interests of our employees. Our suppliers, professional advisors and customers have also implemented such measures, which has resulted in, and we expect will continue to result in, disruptions or delays and higher costs. The implementation of health and safety practices could impact customer demand, supplier deliveries, our productivity, and costs, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

 

Further, the impacts of COVID-19 have caused significant uncertainty and volatility in the credit markets. If our liquidity or access to capital becomes further constrained, or if costs of capital increase significantly due to the impact of COVID-19 as a result of volatility in the capital markets or other factors, then our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

 

Our management of the impact of COVID-19 has and will continue to require significant investment of time from our management and employees, as well as resources across the Company. The focus on managing and mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on our business may cause us to divert or delay the application of our resources toward existing or new initiatives or investments, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

 

Termination of Principal Subsidiary Prime EFS’s Business Effective September 30, 2020

 

Between June 18, 2018 and September 30, 2020, we operated through two New Jersey-based subsidiaries, Prime EFS and Shypdirect. Prime EFS conducted our last-mile business, focusing on deliveries to retail consumers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania (the Tri-State Area). Shypdirect conducted and still conducts our long-haul and mid-mile delivery businesses in five specific markets, including the Tri-State Area.

 

Revenues under the Prime EFS DSP Program agreement were approximately 67.8% of total revenues in 2019 and 97.0% of total revenues for the period from June 18, 2018 (acquisition date of Prime EFS) to December 31, 2018. Revenues for Shypdirect under the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service Agreement were approximately 30.9% of total revenues in 2019 and 1.5% of total revenues for the period from June 18, 2018 (acquisition date of Prime EFS) to December 31, 2018.

 

Revenues under the Prime EFS DSP Program for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 were $13,732,513, or 58.5% of total Company revenues. Revenues for Shypdirect under the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service Agreement were $9,175,769, or 39.0% of total Company revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.

 

The great bulk of Prime EFS’s business prior to September 30, 2020, was conducted pursuant to the Delivery Service Provider program (“the DSP Program”) of Amazon Logistics, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (“Amazon”). In June 2020, Amazon gave notice to Prime EFS that Amazon would not be renewing Prime EFS’s DSP Program agreement when that agreement terminated effective September 30, 2020. As a result of the termination of Prime EFS’s participation in Amazon’s DSP Program, effective September 30, 2020, and Prime EFS’s inability to replace the lost revenues, on or about October 20, 2020, Prime EFS gave notice to its vendors and other creditors that Prime EFS will be going out of business.

 

Prime EFS projects that it will suffer a virtual 100% loss of revenues from the DSP Program in the fourth quarter of 2020 as compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. We can make no assurance that we will be able to replace any of the lost Prime EFS revenues in 2021 or thereafter. Prime EFS is also in default of certain material payments due under financing indebtedness with certain creditors (see “Litigation”). The Company is currently considering placing Prime EFS in voluntary bankruptcy and/or dissolving Prime EFS.

 

 

Unless and until the Company, whether by acquisition or otherwise, finds new “last-mile” business, and/or enters into new line(s) of business, the Company’s Shypdirect subsidiary will be the major source of the Company’s revenues through May 14, 2021, the date that the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service is currently set to expire. Such revenues will be substantially less than the Company’s historical revenues, which will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s profitability and will increase its losses for this year. If the Company is not able to adapt to such adverse effects, it may be forced to close its business entirely.

 

Risk of Termination of Shypdirect Business Effective May 14, 2021

 

Shypdirect, as noted, has conducted and still conducts our long-haul and mid-mile delivery businesses. Like Prime EFS, a single customer – Amazon – accounts for virtually all of Shypdirect’s business. Shypdirect conducts its business as a carrier under a relay program service agreement with Amazon Logistics, Inc., last amended on August 24, 2020 (the “Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service”). Under that agreement, Shypdirect provides transportation services, including receiving, loading, storing, transporting, delivering, unloading and related services, for Amazon and its customers.

 

Although Amazon recently extended the term of the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service, the contract, at present, expires May 14, 2021. While the Company hopes to be able to extend the term of the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service beyond May 14, 2021, there can be no assurance that Shypdirect will be successful in doing so.

 

Shypdirect is attempting the grow its business in other markets, but can give no assurance that it will be successful. If it is not and if Amazon chooses not to renew the Amazon Relay Carrier Terms of Service, when it expires May 14, 2021, the Company will lose this line of business and may be forced to cease operations.

 

We have incurred indebtedness under the CARES Act which will be subject to review, may not be forgivable in whole or in part, and may eventually have to be repaid, potentially with interest, fines, and/or other penalties.

 

Our subsidiaries Shypdirect and Prime EFS applied to M&T Bank for funds under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program of the CARES Act on April 2, 2020 and April 15, 2020, respectively, in the amounts of $504,940 and $2,941,212, respectively. The application for these funds required Prime EFS and Shypdirect to, in good faith, certify that the current economic uncertainty made the loan requests necessary to support their ongoing operations. This certification further required Prime EFS and Shypdirect to take into account their current business activity and their ability to access other sources of liquidity sufficient to support ongoing operations in a manner that is not significantly detrimental to the business. The receipt of these funds, and the forgiveness of the loan attendant to these funds, is dependent on Prime EFS and Shypdirect having initially qualified for the loan and qualifying for the forgiveness of such loan based on our future adherence to the forgiveness criteria.

 

Prime EFS received the loan proceeds on April 22, 2020 and Shypdirect received the loan proceeds on May 1, 2020. Under the terms of the CARES Act and the corresponding promissory note, the use of the proceeds of each loan is restricted to payroll costs (as defined in the CARES Act), covered rent, covered utility payments and certain other expenditures that, while permitted, would not result in forgiveness of a corresponding portion of the loan. Following recent amendments to the Paycheck Protection Program, after an eight- or twenty-four-week period starting with the disbursement of the respective loan proceeds, Prime EFS and Shypdirect may apply for forgiveness of some or all of their loans, with the amount which may be forgiven equal to the sum of eligible payroll costs, covered rent, and covered utility payments, in each case incurred during the eight- or twenty-four-week period following the date of first disbursement. Certain reductions in the Prime EFS’ or Shypdirect’s payroll costs or full-time equivalent employees (when compared against the applicable measurement period) may reduce the amount of their loan eligible for forgiveness.

 

The U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) and the SBA have announced that they will review all Paycheck Protection Program loans that equal or exceed $2.0 million. Guidance from Treasury and SBA has been slow to develop and occasionally unclear. At the same time, the Paycheck Protection Program has been amended twice with the latest series of amendments significantly altering the timeline associated with the Paycheck Protection Program spending and loan forgiveness. Moreover, the lack of clarity regarding loan eligibility under the Paycheck Protection Program has resulted in significant media coverage and controversy with respect to public companies applying for and receiving loans, including an article about the Company and its subsidiaries. While the Company and its subsidiaries believe that they acted in good faith and have complied with all requirements of the Paycheck Protection Program, if Treasury or SBA determined that Prime EFS’ and/or Shypdirect’s loan applications were not made in good faith or that the Company, Prime EFS and/or Shypdirect did not otherwise meet the eligibility requirements of the Paycheck Protection Program, Prime EFS and/or Shypdirect may not receive forgiveness of the loan (in whole or in part) and Prime EFS and/or Shypdirect could be subject to penalties, including significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, and could be required to return the loans or a portion thereof. Further, there is no guarantee that Prime EFS and/or Shypdirect will receive forgiveness for any amount, and forgiveness will be subject to Prime EFS’ and Shypdirect’s submissions to their lender of information and documentation as required by SBA and the lender.

 

A failure to obtain forgiveness of the Paycheck Protection Program loans may adversely impact loan covenants under our senior debt securities. In the event that our Paycheck Protection Program loan was not forgiven in whole or in part, we may need to seek an amendment to our senior debt securities, a waiver from the holders of our senior debt securities, utilize cash to repay the Paycheck Protection Program debt and/or refinance or restructure our outstanding debt. There can be no assurance that we could obtain future amendments or waivers of our senior debt securities, or refinance or restructure our debt, in each case on commercially reasonably terms or at all. Our failure to maintain compliance with the covenants under our senior debt securities could result in an event of default, subject to applicable notice and cure provisions. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under our senior debt securities, holders of our senior debt securities could elect to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be immediately due and payable. If we were unable to repay all outstanding amounts in full, our lenders could exercise various remedies including instituting foreclosure proceedings against our assets pledged to them as collateral to secure that debt. In addition, our receipt of the PPP Loans may result in adverse publicity and damage to our reputation, and a review or audit by the SBA or other government entity or claims under the False Claims Act could consume significant financial and management resources.

 

 

General Operating Risk

 

We will incur significant costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management may be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.

 

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC, have imposed various requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls as well as mandating certain corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will devote a substantial amount of time and financial resources to these compliance initiatives.

 

If we fail to staff our accounting and finance function adequately, or maintain internal control systems adequate to meet the demands that are placed upon us as a public company, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately or in a timely manner and our business and stock price, assuming that a market for our stock develops, may suffer. The costs of being a public company, as well as diversion of management’s time and attention, may have a material adverse effect on our future business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We have insufficient funds to develop our business, which may adversely affect our future growth.

 

Until we can generate a sufficient amount of revenue, if ever, we expect to finance our anticipated future growth and possibly future strategic acquisitions through public or private equity offerings or debt financings. Additional funds may not be available when we need them on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, our plans to grow our revenues or to consummate one or more strategic acquisitions or otherwise to scale back our business plans. In addition, we could be forced to reduce or forego attractive business opportunities. To the extent that we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience significant dilution. In addition, debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. We may seek to access the public or private capital markets whenever conditions are favorable, even if we do not have an immediate need for additional capital at that time. Our access to the financial markets and the pricing and terms we receive in the financial markets could be adversely impacted by various factors, including changes in financial markets and interest rates.

 

Our forecasts regarding the sufficiency of our financial resources to support our current and planned operations are forward-looking statements and involve significant risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors, including the factors discussed elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Our future capital requirements may be substantial and will depend on many factors including:

 

	●	marketing and developing expenses;
	●	revenue received from sales and operations, if any, in the future;
	●	the expenses needed to attract and retain skilled personnel; and
	●	the costs associated with being a public company.

 

Raising capital in the future could cause dilution to our existing shareholders, and may restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights.

 

In the future, we may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations and strategic and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a shareholder. Debt financing, if available, would result in increased fixed payment obligations and may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions such as incurring debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaboration or strategic alliance arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our future revenue streams or product candidates on terms that are not favorable to us.

 

Our operating results may fluctuate due to factors that are difficult to forecast and not within our control.

 

Our past operating results may not be accurate indicators of future performance, and you should not rely on such results to predict our future performance. Our operating results have fluctuated significantly in the past, and could fluctuate in the future. Factors that may contribute to fluctuations include:

 

● changes in aggregate capital spending, cyclicality and other economic conditions, or domestic and international demand for the products we deliver;

● our ability to effectively manage our working capital;

● our ability to satisfy consumer demands in a timely and cost-effective manner;

 

 

● pricing and availability of labor and delivery equipment;

● our inability to adjust certain fixed costs and expenses for changes in demand;

● shifts in geographic concentration of customers, supplies and labor pools; and

● seasonal fluctuations in demand and our revenue.

 

If we are unable to attract and retain qualified executive officers and managers, we will be unable to operate efficiently, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

 

We depend on the continued efforts and abilities of our executive officers, particularly John Mercadante, our Chief Executive Officer, and Doug Cerny, our Chief Development Officer, as well as the senior management of our subsidiaries to establish and maintain our customer relationships and identify strategic opportunities. The loss of any one of them could negatively affect our ability to execute our business strategy and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Competition for managerial talent with significant industry experience is high and we may lose access to executive officers for a variety of reasons, including more attractive compensation packages offered by our competitors. Although we have entered into an employment agreement with a key employee, we cannot guarantee that any of our officers or other key management personnel will remain employed by us for any length of time. Our inability to adequately fill vacancies in our senior executive positions on a timely basis could negatively affect our ability to implement our business strategy, which could adversely impact our results of operations and prospects.

 

Risks Related to Our Financial Results and Financing Plans

 

We have a history of losses and may continue to incur losses in the future, raising substantial doubts about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

We have a history of losses and may continue to incur losses in the future, which could negatively impact the trading value of our common stock. We incurred losses from continuing operations of $44.2 million and $14.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We incurred a net loss of $44.9 million and $14.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We may continue to incur losses in future periods. These losses may increase, and we may never achieve profitability for a variety of reasons, including increased competition, decreased growth in the e-commerce and the transportation and logistics industries and other factors described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. These factors raise substantial doubt that we will be able to continue operations as a going concern, and our independent registered public accountants included an explanatory paragraph regarding this uncertainty in their reports on our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our generating cash flow sufficient to fund operations and reducing operating expenses.

 

We may never achieve profitability, and if we do, we may not be able to sustain such profitability. Further, we may incur significant losses in the future due to the other risks described in this prospectus, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays and other unknown events. If we cannot continue as a going concern, our stockholders may lose their entire investment.

 

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies will not occur in the future. If our internal control over financial reporting or our disclosure controls and procedures are not effective, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, which may cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and may lead to a decline in our stock price.

 

We have historically had a small internal accounting and finance staff with limited experience in public reporting. This lack of adequate accounting resources has resulted in the identification of material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting. A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In connection with the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, our management team identified material weaknesses relating to, among other matters:

 

● Our lack of a functioning audit committee due to a lack of a majority of independent members and a lack of a majority of outside directors on our board of directors, resulting in ineffective oversight in the establishment and monitoring of required internal controls and procedures;

 

● Our overall lack of segregation of duties among our management team and our lack of segregation of duties and monitoring controls regarding our accounting staff because we have a limited staff of accountants maintaining our books and records;

 

● Our Chief Executive Officer does not have significant financial experience resulting in our use of outside consultants to assist in financial matters;

 

● We do not have adequate controls over pre-closing legal and accounting review of loan transactions;

 

● We did not have adequate controls over accounting systems that would prohibit unauthorized changes to historical accounting records. Recently, the Company implemented controls to address this situation;

 

 

● We lacked supervision of outside consultants who may negotiate transactions on behalf of our company;

 

● We never implemented any internal controls over financial reporting at our recently-closed Prime EFS subsidiary; and

 

● We lacked control over who was granted authorization to bind our company or its subsidiaries to legal contracts.

 

We have taken steps, including implementing a plan to improve the segregation of the duties of our accounting staff, and plan to continue to take additional steps, to seek to remediate these material weaknesses and to improve our financial reporting systems and implement new policies, procedures and controls. If we do not successfully remediate the material weaknesses described above, or if other material weaknesses or other deficiencies arise in the future, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated and require restatement which could result in the loss of investor confidence, delisting and/or cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

 

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and our ability to meet our payment obligations.

 

As of December 31, 2020, we had total indebtedness of approximately $7.8 million, consisting of $1.1 million of convertible notes payable, $4.9 million of notes payable, and $1.8 million of lease liabilities relating to our office leases. Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences to our stockholders. For example, it could:

 

● require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund acquisitions, working capital, capital expenditures, research and development efforts and other general corporate purposes;

● increase our vulnerability to and limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business;

● place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt;

● limit our ability to borrow additional funds, dispose of assets, pay dividends and make certain investments; and

● make us more vulnerable to a general economic downturn than a company that is less leveraged.

 

On October 3, 2019, the Company issued and sold to an investor a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $166,667. The Company is in default under this note.

 

On October 14, 2019 and November 7, 2019, we entered into convertible note agreements with an accredited investor. Pursuant to the terms of these convertible note agreements, we issued and sold to an investor convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $500,000, and we received cash proceeds of $500,000. The Company is in default under these notes.

 

During the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company issued and sold to investors convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $2,068,000. The Company is in default under these notes.

 

On April 20, 2020, the Company issued and sold to an investor a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $456,500. The Company is in default under this note.

 

Depending on the actions taken by the lenders under the defaulted notes, such lenders could elect to declare all amounts borrowed, together with accrued interest, to be due and payable. An event of default under any of the notes may also create an event of default under other the notes and other convertible notes and promissory notes. If following an event of default we are unable to repay the borrowings or interest then due under our outstanding promissory notes, the lenders could proceed against their collateral. Further, if the indebtedness under any or all of our promissory notes were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full.

 

We have a term loan pursuant to an Original Issue Discount Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Note dated June 18, 2018 and amended on April 9, 2019 (the “Bellridge Note”) from our company to Bellridge Capital, L.P (“Bellridge”). The Bellridge Note originally was scheduled to mature on August 31, 2020. In an agreement dated August 3, 2020, Bellridge and the Company resolved a number of disputes between them. Among other things, Bellridge and the Company agreed upon the balance of all indebtedness owed to Bellridge as of August 3, 2020 ($2,150,000), a new maturity date on the indebtedness (April 30, 2021), and a price of $0.02 for the conversion of all Bellridge indebtedness into shares of Company common stock. On July 27, 2020, Bellridge converted $620,671.24 of the amount owed into 31,033,352 shares of common stock and on August 4, Bellridge converted $621,575.34 of the Pre-Conversion Balance into 31,078,767 shares of common stock. Following these conversions, the outstanding balance owed to Bellridge was reduced to $907,753.42. Subsequently, between August 6 and 10, 2020, Bellridge converted $450,000 owed into 22,500,000 shares of common stock. On August 13, 2020, Bellridge converted $250,000 of the amount owed into 12,500,000 shares of common stock upon conversion.

 

Our ability to meet our debt obligations and to reduce our level of indebtedness will depend on our future performance. General economic conditions and financial, business and other factors affect our operations and our future performance. Many of these factors are beyond our control. We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to pay the interest on our debt and future working capital, borrowings or equity financing may not be available to pay or refinance such debt. Factors that will affect our ability to raise cash through an offering of our capital stock or a refinancing of our debt include financial market conditions, the value of our assets and our performance at the time we need capital.

 

 

Our loan agreements impose restrictions on us that may prevent us from engaging in beneficial transactions.

 

We have entered into other convertible notes and promissory notes that contain covenants that restrict our ability to, among other things:

 

	●	make certain payments, including the payment of dividends;
	●	redeem or repurchase our capital stock;
	●	incur additional indebtedness and issue preferred stock;
	●	make investments or create liens;
	●	merge or consolidate with another entity;
	●	sell certain assets; and
	●	enter into transactions with affiliates.

 

Actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions that we use to prepare our consolidated financial statements.

 

To prepare consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP, management is required to make estimates and assumptions as of the date of the consolidated financial statements that affect the reported values of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Areas requiring significant estimates by our management include:

 

	●	the valuation of accounts receivable;
	●	the useful life of property and equipment; the valuation of intangible assets;
	●	the valuation of right of use asset and related liability;
	●	assumptions used in assessing impairment of long-lived assets;
	●	estimates of current and deferred income taxes and deferred tax valuation allowances;
	●	the fair value of non-cash equity transactions;
	●	the valuation of derivative liabilities; and
	●	the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business acquisitions.

 

At the time the estimates and assumptions are made, we believe they are accurate based on the information available. However, our actual results could differ from, and could require adjustments to, those estimates.

 

Risks Related To Our Industry

 

The transportation industry in which we compete is affected by general economic and business risks that are largely beyond our control.

 

The point-to-point transportation industry is highly cyclical, and our business is dependent on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. We believe that some of the most significant of these factors are economic changes that affect supply and demand in transportation markets in general, such as:

 

	●	downturns in customers’ business cycles;
	●	recessionary economic cycles;
	●	changes in customers’ inventory levels and in the availability of funding for their working capital;
	●	commercial driver shortages and increases in driver compensation;
	●	industry compliance with a constantly changing regulatory environment;
	●	excess delivery vehicle capacity in comparison with shipping demand; and
	●	changes in government policies, tariffs and taxes.

 

The risks associated with these factors are heightened when the United States and/or global economy is weakened. Some of the principal risks during such times are as follows:

 

● we may experience low overall freight levels, which may impair our asset utilization, because our customers’ demand for our services generally correlate with the strength of the United States and, to a lesser extent, global economy;

 

● certain of our customers may face credit issues and cash flow problems, particularly if they encounter increased financing costs or decreased access to the capital markets, and such issues and problems may affect their ability to pay for our services;

 

● freight patterns may change as supply chains are redesigned, resulting in an imbalance between our capacity and our customers’ demands; and

 

● customers may bid out freight or select competitors that offer lower rates from among existing choices in an attempt to lower their costs, and we might be forced to lower our rates or lose freight.

 

We also are subject to cost increases outside of our control that could materially reduce our profitability if we are unable to increase our rates sufficiently. Such cost increases include, but are not limited to, increases in fuel prices, driver wages, owner-operator contracted rates, interest rates, taxes, tolls, license and registration fees, insurance, trucks and other transportation equipment and healthcare for our employees.

 

 

Our suppliers’ business levels also may be negatively affected by adverse economic conditions or financial constraints, which could lead to disruptions in the supply and availability of equipment, parts and services critical to our operations. A significant interruption in our normal supply chain could disrupt our operations, increase our costs and negatively impact our ability to serve our customers.

 

In addition, events outside our control, such as strikes or other work stoppages at our facilities or at customer, port, border or other shipping locations, or actual or threatened armed conflicts or terrorist attacks, efforts to combat terrorism, military action against a foreign state or group located in a foreign state, heightened security requirements, outbreaks of contagious disease including COVID-19 or other adverse public health developments could lead to reduced economic demand, reduced availability of credit or temporary closing of the shipping locations or United States borders. Such events or enhanced security measures in connection with such events could impair our operating efficiency and productivity and result in higher operating costs.

 

Our industry is highly competitive and fragmented, and our business and results of operations may suffer if we are unable to adequately address downward pricing and other competitive pressures.

 

We compete with many carriers of varying sizes, including some that may have greater access to equipment, a wider range of services, greater capital resources, less indebtedness or other competitive advantages and including smaller, regional service providers that cover specific shipping lanes with specific customers or that offer niche services. We also compete, to a lesser extent, with some less-than-truckload carriers, railroads, and third-party logistics, brokerage, freight forwarding and other transportation companies. Numerous competitive factors could impair our ability to maintain or improve our profitability. These factors include the following:

 

● many of our competitors periodically reduce their freight rates to gain business, especially during times of reduced growth or a downturn in the economy, which may limit our ability to maintain or increase freight rates, may require us to reduce our freight rates or may limit our ability to maintain or expand our business;

● some shippers have reduced or may reduce the number of carriers they use by selecting core carriers as approved service providers and in some instances, we may not be selected;

● many customers periodically solicit bids from multiple carriers for their shipping needs, which may depress freight rates or result in a loss of business to competitors;

● the continuing trend toward consolidation in the trucking industry may result in more large carriers with greater financial resources and other competitive advantages, and we may have difficulty competing with them;

● advances in technology may require us to increase investments in order to remain competitive, and our customers may not be willing to accept higher freight rates to cover the cost of these investments;

● higher fuel prices and, in turn, higher fuel surcharges to our customers may cause some of our customers to consider freight transportation alternatives, including rail transportation;

● competition from freight logistics and brokerage companies may negatively impact our customer relationships and freight rates;

● we may have higher exposure to litigation risks as compared to other carriers; and

● smaller carriers may build economies of scale with procurement aggregation providers, which may improve the smaller carriers’ abilities to compete with us.

 

Driver shortages and increases in driver compensation or owner-operator contracted rates could adversely affect our profitability and ability to maintain or grow our business.

 

Driver shortages in our industry have required, and could continue to require, us to spend more money to locate and retain company and owner-operator drivers. Our challenge with attracting and retaining qualified drivers primarily stems from intense market competition, which may subject us to increased payments for driver compensation and owner-operator contracted rates. Also, because of the intense competition for drivers, we may face difficulty maintaining or increasing our number of company and owner-operator drivers. Compliance and enforcement with initiatives included in the CSA program implemented by the FMCSA and regulations adopted by the DOT relating to driver time and safety and fitness could also reduce the availability of qualified drivers. In addition, like most in our industry, we suffer from a high turnover rate of drivers, especially, with respect to company drivers, in the first 180 days of employment. The high turnover rate requires us to continually recruit a substantial number of drivers in order to operate existing delivery vehicles. Further, with respect to owner- operator drivers, shortages can result from contractual terms or company policies that make contracting with us less desirable to certain owner-operator drivers. Due to the absence of long-term personal services contracts, owner-operators can quickly terminate their business relationships with us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain a sufficient number of company and owner-operator drivers, we could be required to operate with fewer trucks and face difficulty meeting shipper demands or be forced to forego business that would otherwise be available to us, which developments could adversely affect our profitability and ability to maintain or grow our business.

 

Seasonality and the impact of weather and other catastrophic events adversely affect our operations and profitability.

 

Our operations are affected by the winter season because inclement weather impedes operations and some shippers reduce their shipments during winter. At the same time, operating expenses increase due to, among other things, a decline in fuel efficiency because of engine idling and harsh weather that creates higher accident frequency, increased claims and higher equipment repair expenditures. We also may suffer from weather-related or other events, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, floods, fires, earthquakes and explosions, which may disrupt fuel supplies, increase fuel costs, disrupt freight shipments or routes, affect regional economies, destroy our assets or the assets of our customers or otherwise adversely affect the business or financial condition of our customers, any of which developments could adversely affect our results or make our results more volatile.

 

 

We may be adversely affected by fluctuations in the price or availability of diesel fuel.

 

Fuel is one of our largest operating expenses. Diesel fuel prices fluctuate greatly due to factors beyond our control, such as political events, price and supply decisions by oil producing countries and cartels, terrorist activities, environmental laws and regulations, armed conflicts, depreciation of the dollar against other currencies, world supply and demand imbalances or imposition of tariffs, and hurricanes and other natural or man-made disasters, each of which may lead to an increase in the cost of fuel. Such events may lead not only to increases in fuel prices, but also to fuel shortages and disruptions in the fuel supply chain. Because our operations are dependent upon diesel fuel, significant diesel fuel cost increases, shortages or supply disruptions could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. We have not used derivatives as a hedge against higher fuel costs in the past but continue to evaluate this possibility.

 

Increases in fuel costs, to the extent not offset by rate per mile increases or fuel surcharges, have an adverse effect on our operations and profitability. We incur certain fuel costs that cannot be recovered even with respect to customers with which we maintain fuel surcharge programs, such as those associated with empty miles or the time when our engines are idling. Because our fuel surcharge recovery lags behind changes in fuel prices, our fuel surcharge recovery may not capture in any particular period the increased costs we pay for fuel, especially when prices are rising. Further, during periods of low freight volumes, shippers can use their negotiating leverage to impose less compensatory fuel surcharge policies. There can be no assurance that our fuel surcharge program will be maintained indefinitely or will be sufficiently effective.

 

Increased prices for, or decreases in the availability of, new trucks and delivery vehicles and decreases in the value of used trucks and delivery vehicles could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

 

Investment in new equipment is a significant part of our annual capital expenditures, and we require an available supply of trucks and other delivery vehicles from equipment manufacturers to operate and grow our business. In recent years, manufacturers have raised the prices of new trucks and other vehicles and equipment significantly due to increased costs of materials and, in part, to offset their costs of compliance with new tractor engine and emission system design requirements mandated by the EPA and various state agencies, which are intended to reduce emissions. For example, more restrictive EPA engine and emissions system design requirements became effective for engines built on or after January 1, 2010. In 2011, the EPA and the NHTSA established Phase 1 of a national program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and establish new fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles beginning for model year 2014 and extending through model year 2018. In October 2016, the EPA and NHTSA jointly published final Phase 2 standards for improving fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from new on-road medium- and heavy-duty vehicles beginning for model year 2019 and extending to model year 2027. The Phase 2 standards build upon the Phase 1 standards, encouraging wider application of currently available technologies and the development of new and advanced cost-effective technologies through model year 2027. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions limits and fuel efficiency standards will be imposed on new trailers. Greenhouse gas emissions regulations are likely to affect equipment design and cost. More recently, in November 2018, the EPA announced the Cleaner Trucks Initiative (CTI), pursuant to which it plans to propose and finalize a rulemaking updating standards for nitrogen oxide emissions from highway heavy-duty trucks and engines. The EPA is expected to issue a proposed rulemaking to implement the CTI program in 2020. Notwithstanding the federal standards, a number of states have mandated, and states may continue to individually mandate, additional emission-control requirements for equipment that could increase equipment or other costs for entire fleets. Further equipment price increases may result from these federal and state requirements. If new equipment prices increase more than anticipated, we could incur higher depreciation and rental expenses than anticipated. If we are unable to fully offset any such increases in expenses with freight rate increases and/or improved fuel economy, our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

 

We may face difficulty in purchasing or leasing new equipment due to decreased supply. From time to time, some original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of tractors, trailers and other delivery vehicles may reduce their manufacturing output due to lower demand for their products in economic downturns or a shortage of component parts. Uncertainty as to future federal emission standards or possible future inconsistencies between federal and state emission standards may also serve to decrease such manufacturing output. Component suppliers may either reduce production or be unable to increase production to meet OEM demand, creating periodic difficulty for OEMs to react in a timely manner to increased demand for new equipment and/or increased demand for replacement components as economic conditions change. At times, market forces may create market situations in which demand outstrips supply. In those situations, we may face reduced supply levels and/or increased acquisition or lease costs. An inability to continue to obtain an adequate supply of new tractors or trailers for our operations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

During prolonged periods of decreased tonnage levels, we and other trucking companies may make strategic fleet reductions, which could result in an increase in the supply of used equipment. When the supply exceeds the demand for used trucks or other delivery vehicles, the general market value of such used equipment decreases. Used equipment prices are also subject to substantial fluctuations based on availability of financing and commodity prices for scrap metal. A depressed market for used equipment could require us to trade our truck or other delivery vehicles at depressed values or to record losses on disposal or an impairment of the carrying values of our equipment that is not protected by residual value arrangements. Trades at depressed values and decreases in proceeds under equipment disposals and impairment of the carrying values of our equipment could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

 

We operate in a highly-regulated industry, and changes in existing laws or regulations, or liability under existing or future laws or regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and profitability.

 

We operate in the United States pursuant to operating authority granted by the DOT. We, as well as our Company and owner-operator drivers, must also comply with governmental regulations regarding safety, equipment, environmental protection and operating methods. Examples include regulation of equipment weight, equipment dimensions, fuel emissions, driver hours-of-service, driver eligibility requirements, on-board reporting of operations and ergonomics. We may become subject to new, or amendment of existing, laws and regulations, reinterpretation of legal requirements or increased governmental enforcement that may impose more restrictive regulations relating to such matters that may require changes in our operating practices, influence the demand for transportation services or require us to incur significant additional costs. Possible changes to laws and regulations include:

 

● increasingly stringent environmental laws and regulations, including changes intended to address NOx emissions as well as fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions that are attributed to climate change;

● restrictions, taxes or other controls on emissions;

● regulation specific to the energy market and logistics providers to the industry;

● changes in the hours-of-service regulations, which govern the amount of time a driver may drive in any specific period;

● driver and vehicle ELD requirements;

● requirements leading to accelerated purchases of new trailers;

● mandatory limits on vehicle weight and size;

● driver hiring or retention restrictions;

● increased bonding or insurance requirements; and

● security requirements imposed by the DHS.

 

From time to time, various legislative proposals are introduced, including proposals to increase federal, state or local taxes, including taxes on motor fuels and emissions, which may increase our or our independent affiliates’ operating costs, require capital expenditures or adversely impact the recruitment of drivers.

 

Restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions or climate change laws or regulations could also affect our customers that use significant amounts of energy or burn fossil fuels in producing or delivering the products we carry, which, in turn, could adversely impact the demand for our services as well as our operations. Additionally, recent activism directed at shifting funding away from companies with energy-related assets could result in limitations or restrictions on certain sources of funding for the energy sector, which also could adversely impact the demand for our services and our operations. We also could lose revenue if our customers divert business from us because we have not complied with customer sustainability requirements. See “Our Company - Regulation” for information regarding several governmental regulations that could significantly impact our business and operations.

 

Safety-related evaluations and rankings under the CSA program could adversely impact our relationships with our customers and our ability to maintain or grow our fleet, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and profitability.

 

The CSA includes compliance and enforcement initiatives designed to monitor and improve commercial motor vehicle safety by measuring the safety record of both the motor carrier and the driver. These measurements are scored and used by the FMCSA to identify potential safety risks and to direct enforcement action. Certain measurements and scores collected by the CSA from transportation companies are available to the general public on the FMCSA’s website.

 

Our CSA scores are dependent upon our safety and compliance experience, which could change at any time. In addition, the safety standards prescribed in the CSA program or the underlying methodology used by the FMCSA to determine a carrier’s safety rating could change and, as a result, our ability to maintain an acceptable score could be adversely impacted. For example, pursuant to a 2015 federal statutory mandate, the FMCSA commissioned the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a study and report upon the CSA program and its underlying Safety Measurement System (SMS), which is the FMCSA’s process for identifying patterns of non-compliance and issuing safety-fitness determinations for motor carriers. In June 2017, the NAS published a report on the subject providing specific recommendations and concluding, among other things, that the FMCSA should explore a more formal statistical model to replace the current SMS process. In June 2018, the FMCSA posted its response to the NAS study in a report to Congress, concluding, among other things, that it would develop and test a new model, the Item Response Theory (IRT), which would replace the SMS process currently used. The FMCSA was expected to commence small scale testing of the IRT model as early as September 2018, with full-scale testing expected to occur in April 2019 and possible program roll-out expected to occur in late 2019 but the testing schedule has been delayed. The FMCSA’s June 2018 response is under audit by the DOT Inspector General to assess consistency with the NAS recommendations, and the audit findings will guide the agency’s actions and timing with respect to testing of the IRT model as a potential replacement for the SMS. In the event and to the extent that the FMCSA adopts the IRT model in replacement of the SMS or otherwise pursues rulemakings in the future that revise the methodology used to determine a carrier’s safety rating in a manner that incorporates more stringent standards, then it is possible that we and other motor carriers could be adversely affected, as compared to consideration of the current standards. If we receive an unacceptable CSA score, whether under the current SMS process, the IRT model, should it be finalized and adopted, or as a result of some other safety-fitness determination, our relationships with customers could be damaged, which could result in a loss of business.

 

Additionally, the requirements of CSA could shrink the industry’s pool of drivers as those with unfavorable scores could leave the industry. As a result, the costs to attract, train and retain qualified drivers could increase. In addition, a shortage of qualified drivers could increase driver turnover, decrease asset utilization, limit growth and adversely impact our results of operations and profitability.

 

 

We are subject to environmental and worker health and safety laws and regulations that may expose us to significant costs and liabilities and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, competitive position and financial condition.

 

We are subject to stringent and comprehensive federal, state and local environmental and worker health and safety laws and regulations governing, among other matters, the operation of fuel storage tanks, release of emissions from our vehicles (including engine idling) and facilities, the health and safety of our workers in conducting operations, and adverse impacts to the environment. Under certain environmental laws, we could be subject to strict joint and several liability, without regard to fault or legality of conduct, for costs relating to contamination at facilities we own or operate or previously owned or operated and at third-party sites where we disposed of waste, as well as costs associated with the clean-up of releases arising from accidents involving our vehicles. We often operate in industrial areas, where truck terminals and other industrial activities are located, and where soil, groundwater or other forms of environmental contamination have occurred from historical or recent releases and for which we have incurred and may, in the future, incur remedial or other environmental liabilities. We also maintain above-ground and underground bulk fuel storage tanks and fueling islands at some of our facilities and vehicle maintenance operations at certain of our facilities. Our operations involve the risks of fuel spillage or seepage into the environment, environmental damage and unauthorized hazardous material spills, releases or disposal actions, among others.

 

Increasing efforts to control air emissions, including greenhouse gases, may have an adverse effect on us. Federal and state lawmakers have implemented, and are considering, a variety of new climate-change initiatives and greenhouse gas regulations that could increase the cost of new tractors, impair productivity and increase our operating expenses. For example, in 2011, the NHTSA and the EPA adopted final Phase 1 rules that established the first- ever fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including certain combination tractors’ model years 2014 to 2018 and, in October 2016, the EPA and NHTSA jointly published final Phase 2 standards for improving fuel efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from new on-road medium- and heavy-duty vehicles beginning for model year 2019 through model year 2027. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions limits and fuel efficiency standards will be imposed on new trailers. More recently, in November 2018, the EPA announced the CTI, pursuant to which it plans to propose and finalize a rulemaking updating standards for nitrogen oxide emissions from highway heavy-duty trucks and engines. The EPA is expected to issue a proposed rulemaking to implement the CTI program in 2020.

 

Compliance with environmental laws and regulations may also increase the price of our delivery equipment and otherwise affect the economics of our industry by requiring changes in operating practices or by influencing the demand for, or the costs of providing, transportation services. For example, regulations issued by the EPA and various state agencies that require progressive reductions in exhaust emissions from diesel engines have resulted in higher prices for tractors and diesel engines and increased operating and maintenance costs. Also, in order to reduce exhaust emissions, some states and municipalities have begun to restrict the locations and amount of time where diesel-powered tractors, such as ours, may idle. These restrictions could force us to alter our drivers’ behavior, purchase on-board power units that do not require the engine to idle and/or face a decrease in productivity. We are also subject to potentially stringent rulemaking related to sustainability practices, including conservation of resources by decreasing fuel consumption. This increased focus on sustainability practices may result in new regulations and/or customer requirements that could adversely impact our business.

 

If we have operational spills or accidents or if we are found to be in violation of, or otherwise liable under, environmental or worker health or safety laws or regulations, we could incur significant costs and liabilities. Those costs and liabilities may include the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of investigatory, remedial or corrective action obligations, the occurrence of delays in permitting or performance of projects, and the issuance of orders enjoining performance of some or all of our operations in a particular area. The occurrence of any one or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, competitive position and financial condition. Environmental and worker health and safety laws are becoming increasingly more stringent and there can be no assurances that compliance with, or liabilities under, existing or future environmental and worker health or safety laws or regulations will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects. See “Our Company - Regulation” for information regarding several governmental regulations that could significantly affect our business and operations.

 

Our contractual agreements with our owner-operators expose us to risks that we do not face with our company drivers.

 

From time to time we have relied upon independent contractor owner-operators to perform the services for which we contract with customers. While our use of independent contractors has to date been limited, we may increase our usage of independent contractor owner-operators if we are unable to meet demand for our transportation services with our own delivery vehicles and drivers. Our reliance on independent contractor owner-operators creates numerous risks for our business. For example, if our independent contractor owner-operators fail to meet our contractual obligations or otherwise fail to perform in a manner consistent with our requirements, we may be required to utilize alternative service providers at potentially higher prices or with some degree of disruption of the services that we provide to customers. If we fail to deliver on time, if our contractual obligations are not otherwise met, or if the costs of our services increase, then our profitability and customer relationships could be harmed.

 

The financial condition and operating costs of our independent contractor owner-operators are affected by conditions and events that are beyond our control and may also be beyond their control. Adverse changes in the financial condition of our independent contractor owner-operators or increases in their equipment or operating costs could cause them to seek higher revenues or to cease their business relationships with our company. The prices we charge our customers could be impacted by such issues, which may in turn limit pricing flexibility with customers, resulting in fewer customer contracts and decreasing our revenues.

 

Independent contractor owner-operators may use tractors, trailers and other equipment bearing our trade names and trademarks. If one of our independent contractor owner-operators is subject to negative publicity, it could reflect on us and have a material adverse effect on our business, brand and financial performance. Under certain laws, we could also be subject to allegations of liability for the activities of our independent contractor owner-operators.

 

 

Owner-operators are third-party service providers, as compared to company drivers who are employed by us. As independent business owners, our owner-operators may make business or personal decisions that conflict with our best interests. For example, if a load is unprofitable, route distance is too far from home or personal scheduling conflicts arise, an owner-operator may deny loads of freight from time to time. In these circumstances, we must be able to timely deliver the freight in order to maintain relationships with customers.

 

If our owner-operators are deemed by regulators or judicial process to be employees, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

Tax and other regulatory authorities have in the past sought to assert that owner-operators in the trucking industry are employees rather than independent contractors. Taxing and other regulatory authorities and courts apply a variety of standards in their determination of independent contractor status. If our owner-operators are determined to be its employees, we would incur additional exposure under federal and state tax, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, labor, employment, and tort laws, including for prior periods, as well as potential liability for employee benefits and tax withholdings.

 

We depend on third parties in our brokerage business, and service instability from these providers could increase our operating costs or reduce our ability to offer brokerage services, which could adversely affect our revenue, results of operations and customer relationships.

 

Our brokerage business is dependent upon the services of third-party capacity providers, including other truckload carriers. These third-party providers may seek other freight opportunities and may require increased compensation during times of improved freight demand or tight trucking capacity. Our inability to maintain positive relationships with, and secure the services of, these third parties, or increases in the prices we must pay to secure such services, could have an adverse effect on our revenue, results of operations and customer relationships. Our ability to secure the services of these third-party providers on competitive terms is subject to a number of risks, including the following, many of which are beyond our control:

 

● equipment shortages in the transportation industry, particularly among contracted truckload carriers and railroads;

● interruptions in service or stoppages in transportation as a result of labor disputes, seaport strikes, network congestion, weather-related issues, acts of God or acts of terrorism;

● changes in regulations impacting transportation;

● increases in operating expenses for carriers, such as fuel costs, insurance premiums and licensing expenses, that result in a reduction in available carriers; and</