Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis of Presentation

v3.4.0.3
Basis of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]
Basis of Presentation

Forward Air Corporation's (“the Company”, “We”, “Our”) services can be classified into four principal reportable segments: Expedited LTL, Truckload Expedited Services (“TLX”), Intermodal and Pool Distribution (See note 11).
 
In our Expedited LTL segment, we provide time-definite transportation services to the North American deferred air freight market. Our Expedited LTL service operates a comprehensive national network for the time-definite surface transportation of expedited ground freight. The Expedited LTL service offers customers local pick-up and delivery and scheduled surface transportation of cargo as a cost effective, reliable alternative to air transportation. Expedited LTL’s other services include shipment consolidation and deconsolidation, warehousing, customs brokerage, and other handling. The Expedited LTL segment primarily provides its transportation services through a network of terminals located at or near airports in the United States and Canada.

In our TLX segment, we provide expedited truckload brokerage, dedicated fleet services and maximum security and temperature-controlled logistics services. We are able to expedite this service by utilizing a dedicated fleet of team owner operators, some team company drivers as well as third party transportation providers. The TLX segment provides full truckload service in the United States and Canada.

In our Intermodal segments, we provide container and intermodal drayage services primarily within the Midwest region of the United States. Drayage is essentially the first and last mile of the movement of an intermodal container. We are providing this service both to and from ports and rail heads. Our Intermodal segment also provides dedicated contract and Container Freight Station (“CFS”) warehouse and handling services. Today Intermodal operates primarily in the Midwest but through acquisition as well as green-field start-ups we anticipate moving into other geographies within the United States.

In our Pool Distribution segment, we provide pool distribution services throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and Southwest continental United States. Pool distribution involves managing high-frequency handling and distribution of time-sensitive product to numerous destinations in specific geographic regions. Our primary customers for this service are regional and nationwide distributors and retailers, such as mall, strip mall and outlet based retail chains.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by United States generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The Company’s operating results are subject to seasonal trends when measured on a quarterly basis; therefore operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Forward Air Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company include Forward Air Corporation and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.