FORWARD AIR CORP

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

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Preliminary Proxy Statement

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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

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Definitive Proxy Statement

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Definitive Additional Materials

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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

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3200 Olympus Boulevard, Suite 300

Dallas, Texas 75019

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD JUNE 17, 2026

To the Stockholders of Forward Air Corporation:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2026 Annual Meeting”) of Forward Air Corporation (the “Company”) to be held on June 17, 2026, beginning at 8:00 a.m. CDT, at the Hilton Dallas/Southlake Town Square Hotel, 1400 Plaza Place, Southlake, TX 76092.

The purposes of this meeting are to:

Proposal 1 — Elect five directors to serve until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their respective successors are elected and qualified;

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Proposal 2 — Approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the named executive officers;

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Proposal 3 — Ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2026 fiscal year; and

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Proposal 4 — Approve an amendment to the 2025 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance thereunder.

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Other business will be transacted as may properly come before the 2026 Annual Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement thereof.

We will make available a list of stockholders of record as of April 21, 2026, the record date (the “Record Date”) for the 2026 Annual Meeting, for inspection by stockholders during normal business hours until June 16, 2026, at the Company’s principal place of business, 3200 Olympus Boulevard, Suite 300, Dallas, Texas 75019.

Only holders of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Company Common Stock”), or fractional units of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock (“Company Series B Preferred Stock”), in each case, at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to notice of and to vote at the 2026 Annual Meeting. Our Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR”each of the director nominees in Proposal 1 and a vote “FOR”Proposals 2, 3 and 4.

It is important that your shares be represented at the 2026 Annual Meeting. Whether or not you expect to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting, please vote and submit your proxy over the Internet, by telephone or by mail. Please refer to the enclosed proxy card for specific voting instructions.

Under Securities and Exchange Commission rules that allow companies to furnish proxy materials to stockholders over the Internet, we have elected to make our proxy materials available to all of our stockholders over the Internet. We will be able to provide stockholders with the information they need, while at the same time lowering the cost of delivery. On or about April 29, 2026, we will commence sending to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”), containing instructions on how to access our proxy statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 11, 2026. The Notice also provides instructions on how to vote online or vote by phone and includes instructions on how to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail.​

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE 2026 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JUNE 17, 2026.