FORWARD AIR CORP

Current report

Market, customer and vendor perception regarding the conclusion of the strategic review process and uncertainty regarding the Board’s pursuit of other strategic initiatives could adversely affect our business and cause the price of our shares to fluctuate significantly.

Current report

In January 2025, the Board initiated a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value, exploring a range of options relative to the long-term value potential of the Company on a standalone basis. The process included extensive negotiations and discussions with multiple parties. However, due to a variety of factors no actionable proposals for a sale of the Company were ultimately received. The Board continues to be open to, and intends to consider, all opportunities to enhance shareholder value, and has determined to pursue a potential sale of non-core assets, including our Intermodal segment and two of our smaller legacy Omni businesses.

Current report

Although the Board intends to pursue other strategic initiatives, including the disposition of non-core assets, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in implementing or executing on any such initiatives or that any such initiatives will be successful or drive the expected, or any, value creation. In addition, market, customer and vendor perception regarding the conclusion of the strategic review process and uncertainty regarding the Board’s consideration, and any impact, of other opportunities could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results and cause the price of our shares to fluctuate significantly.

Current report

We experience customer concentration which could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Current report

Our top ten customers, based on revenue, accounted for approximately 26% of our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025, with one customer (the “Customer”) accounting for slightly less than 10% of consolidated operating revenues for year ended December 31, 2025, and approximately 12% of consolidated operating revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2026. These customers can impact our revenues and profitability based on factors such as: (i) industry trends related to e-commerce that may apply downward pricing pressures on the rates our customers can charge; (ii) seasonality; (iii) business combinations and the overall growth of a customer’s underlying business; and (iv) any disruptions to our customers’ businesses.

Current report

If these customers choose to divert all or a portion of their business with us to one of our competitors, demand pricing concessions for our services, require us to provide enhanced services that increase our costs, or develop their own shipping and distribution capabilities it may have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

Current report

While no formal notices of termination have been delivered, we are currently in active discussions with the Customer regarding the transition of a significant portion of the Customer’s contract logistics business with us to other suppliers for reasons related to the Customer’s operations and supplier diversification initiatives.

Current report

While there can be no assurances as to the portion of the business that will be transitioned, transition timing or transition plan, the Company’s existing agreements with the Customer contemplate a transition period in some cases of up to 24 months. Forward Air expects an orderly transition and is in the process of negotiating the scope of the transition, as well as disentanglement fees in respect of transition-related costs. Given the revenue and profitability relating to the services provided to the Customer, if the Customer transitions all or a significant portion of the business to other suppliers, our business, financial condition and/or operating results will be materially adversely affected.

Previous report

Overall economic conditions that reduce freight volumes could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and ability to achieve growth.

Previous report

We are sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that impact customer shipping volumes, industry freight demand and industry truck capacity. The transportation and supply chain industries have historically experienced cyclical fluctuations in financial results due to economic recession, downturns in business cycles of customers, interest and currency rate fluctuations, inflation, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and other economic factors beyond our control. Changes in U.S. or international trade policy could lead to “trade wars” impacting the volume of economic activity domestically and internationally, and as a result, trucking freight volumes may be materially reduced. Such reductions may materially and adversely affect our business.

Previous report

The imposition of tariffs and other trade barriers by the U.S. government, including widespread baseline and country-specific tariffs on imported goods from countries such as China and Canada, has heightened global trade tensions, resulting in China, among other countries, imposing reciprocal tariffs in response. Although negotiations with certain countries have resulted in temporary delays or adjustments to some tariffs, significant uncertainty remains regarding U.S. trade policies, treaties, and tariff enforcement. These developments and the evolving circumstances surrounding international trade negotiations may materially impact global economic conditions, disrupt the stability of international financial markets, and reduce global trade activity with U.S. trade relationships––particularly with China––being particularly vulnerable. If the impacts from the current tariff landscape on the Company’s business are more severe than expected as a result of shipments originating from tariff-impacted countries or the geopolitical or trade relationships between the U.S. and other countries, particularly China, deteriorate further, such impact could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Previous report

Additionally, deterioration in the economic environment subjects our business to various risks, including the following that may have a material and adverse impact on our operating results and cause us not to maintain previously achieved or projected levels of profitability or achieve growth:

Previous report

•A reduction in overall freight volumes reduces our revenues and opportunities for growth. In addition, a decline in the volume of freight shipped due to a downturn in customers’ business cycles or other factors (including our ability to assess dimensional and weight-based charges) generally results in decreases in freight pricing and decreases in revenue derived from various surcharges and accessorial charges. In our LTL business, these decreases typically reduce the average revenue per pound of freight, as carriers use price concession to compete for loads to maintain truck productivity.

Previous report

•Our base transportation rates are determined based on numerous factors such as length of haul, weight per shipment and freight class. During economic downturns and periods of low freight volume, we may also have to lower our base transportation rates based on competitive pricing pressures and market factors.

Previous report

•Some of our customers may face economic difficulties that affect their ability to pay us, and some may go out of business. In addition, some customers may not pay us as quickly as they have in the past, causing our working capital needs to increase.

Previous report

•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.

Previous report

•We may not be able to appropriately adjust our expenses to changing market demands as we have certain fixed expenses that we may not be able to adjust in a period of rapid change in market demand. In order to maintain high degree of cost variability in our business model, it is necessary to adjust staffing levels to changing market demands. In periods of rapid change, it is more difficult to match our staffing levels to our business needs.

Previous report

•If the domestic freight forwarder, Expedited Freight’s primary customer type, is disintermediated, and we are not able to transition effectively into servicing other customers, like third-party logistics companies and beneficial cargo owners, our business and financial results could be materially adversely affected.

Previous report

We will be required to pay Omni Holders for certain tax savings we may realize, and we expect that the payments we will be required to make may be substantial.

Previous report

In connection with the closing of the Omni Acquisition, the Company, Opco, Omni Holders and certain other parties entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement, which sets forth the agreement among the parties regarding the sharing of certain tax benefits realized by the Company as a result of the transactions. Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, we will be generally obligated to pay certain Omni Holders 83.5% of (a) the total tax benefit that we realize as a result of increases in tax basis in Opco’s assets resulting from certain actual or deemed distributions and the future exchange of units of Opco for shares of securities of the Company (or cash) pursuant to the Opco’s limited liability company agreement, (b) certain pre-existing tax attributes of certain Omni Holders that are corporate entities for tax purposes, (c) the tax benefits that we realize from certain tax allocations that correspond to items of income or gain required to be recognized by certain Omni Holders, and (d) other tax benefits attributable to payments under the tax receivable agreement. Payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement will rank pari passu with all unsecured obligations of the Company but senior to any future tax receivable or similar agreement entered into by the Company. These increases in existing tax basis and tax basis adjustments generated over time may reduce the amount of tax that the combined company would otherwise be required to pay in the future, although the IRS may challenge all or part of the validity of that tax basis, and a court could sustain such a challenge. Actual tax benefits realized by the combined company may differ from tax benefits calculated under the Tax Receivable Agreement as a result of the use of certain assumptions therein, including the use of an assumed weighted-average state and local income tax rate to calculate tax benefits.

Previous report

The payment obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement is an obligation of the Company and not of Opco. While the amount of existing tax basis, the anticipated tax basis adjustments and the actual amount and utilization of tax attributes, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of exchanges of Opco units for securities of the Company, the applicable tax rate, the price of the applicable securities of the Company at the time of exchanges, the extent to which such exchanges are taxable and the amount and timing of our income, we expect that the payments that we will be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be substantial. The payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are not conditioned on the exchanging holders of Opco units or other Omni Holders continuing to hold ownership interests in us.

Previous report

Moreover, in the case of a change of control, amounts payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated and may significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. In particular, amounts payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the case of a change control may be substantially in excess of the net present value of the payments that the Company estimated would be required to be made to fulfill all Tax Receivable Agreement payment obligations with respect to equity issuances to the Omni Holders at and as of the date of the Omni Acquisition due to, among other things, contractual provisions that require the calculation to assume that all available tax benefits are used by the Company in each tax year. We expect that the payments that we may make under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the event of a change of control will be substantial. As a result, our accelerated payment obligations and/or the assumptions adopted under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the case of a change of control may impair our ability to consummate change of control transactions or negatively impact the value received by stockholders in a change of control transaction.