Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

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Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation Description of Business and Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

Forward Air Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Forward Air” or the “Company) is a leading asset-light freight and logistics company. The Company has three reportable segments: Expedited Freight, Intermodal and Omni Logistics. The Company conducts business in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

The Expedited Freight segment provides expedited regional, inter-regional and national less-than-truckload (“LTL) and truckload services. Expedited Freight also offers customers local pick-up and delivery and other services including shipment consolidation and deconsolidation, warehousing, customs brokerage and other handling services.

The Intermodal segment provides first- and last-mile high value intermodal container drayage services both to and from seaports and railheads. Intermodal also offers dedicated contract and container freight station (“CFS) warehouse and handling services.

The Omni Logistics segment provides a full suite of global logistics services. Services include air and ocean freight consolidation and forwarding, custom brokerage, warehousing and distribution, time-definite transportation services and other supply chain solutions.

The Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements include Forward Air Corporation and its wholly-owned and majority owned domestic and foreign subsidiaries. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. A noncontrolling interest in a consolidated subsidiary represents the portion of equity (net assets) in a subsidiary, attributable, directly or indirectly, to the Company. Noncontrolling interests are presented as a separate component of equity in the consolidated balance sheet and the presentation of net loss presents losses attributable to controlling and noncontrolling interests.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company held interests in two wholly-owned subsidiaries of Omni Newco, LLC (“Omni”), GN Bondco, LLC and GN Loanco, LLC, that were considered Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”). VIEs are legal entities in which equity investors do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to independently finance its activities, or as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk lack the power through voting or similar rights to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact its economic performance, or do not have the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity or the right to receive expected residual returns of the entity. Consolidation of a VIE is required if a reporting entity is the primary beneficiary of the VIE.

Interests in these VIEs are evaluated to determine if the Company is the primary beneficiary. This evaluation gives appropriate consideration to the design of the entity and the variability that the entity was designed to create and pass along, the relative power of each party, and to the Company’s obligation to absorb losses or receive residual returns of the entity. The Company concluded that the VIEs should be consolidated as of December 31, 2023 because the Company had (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits, which could potentially be significant. On January 25, 2024 (“the Closing”), the Company completed the acquisition of Omni (“the Omni Acquisition”) pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 10, 2023 (the “Merger Agreement”) and amended by Amendment No. 1, dated as of January 22, 2024 (the “Amended Merger Agreement”). The VIEs were acquired as part of the Omni Acquisition and assumed into the Company's consolidated subsidiaries as of January 25, 2024. Refer to Note 4, Acquisitions, for additional disclosures regarding the Company’s previously held VIEs.
The condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. Results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results for the year.

Foreign Currency

Foreign currency amounts attributable to foreign operations have been translated into United States dollars. Assets and liabilities are translated to United States dollars at period-end exchange rates and income and expense items are translated at average rates of exchange prevailing during the period. Translation adjustments are included in “Accumulated other comprehensive loss” in stockholders’ equity within the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and gains and losses, which result from foreign currency transactions, are included in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income.

Restricted Cash

As of September 30, 2024, the Company had restricted cash in the amount of $1,540 related to a letter of credit, which guarantee the Company’s obligations for potential claims exposure for insurance coverage.

Immaterial Correction of Previously Issued Consolidated Financial Statements

Subsequent to the issuance of the Company's fiscal year 2023 consolidated financial statements, the Company identified errors in the application of Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 835, "Debt Issuance Costs" and in the cut-off of certain payables. In connection with debt issued in the prior year for the Omni Acquisition, approximately $8,200 of debt issuance costs were expensed and not capitalized. The correction of this error resulted in an out of period adjustment to reduce Other operating expense by $8,200, with an offset of $7,400 to debt issuance costs (a reduction of Long-term debt) and approximately $800 of Interest expense, net in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. Additionally, the nine months ended September 30, 2024 also includes $3,200 of out-of-period adjustments to increase Other operating expense related to incremental payables for services incurred prior to December 31, 2023 that were not accrued at December 31, 2023.

Also, approximately $47,400 of year-to-date incurred losses were allocated to the noncontrolling interest associated with the goodwill impairment recorded in the previous three-month period ended June 30, 2024. A correction resulted in approximately net $38,000 of income to noncontrolling interest during the three-month period ended September 30, 2024. Refer to the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income.

The Company has evaluated the effects of the corrections described above, in accordance with guidance in ASC 250, "Accounting Change and Error Correction". The Company concluded such corrections to be immaterial to previously issued financial statements and for the three months ended September 30, 2024.