Expedited LTL, contracts & customer concentration
Forward Air retains a significant share of a major customer under two-year agreement
· Source: Forward Air / SEC / FreightWaves
Forward Air signed a definitive two-year agreement to retain a significant portion of services for one of its largest customers while transitioning other work away between November 2026 and March 2027. The company expects annual revenue from the retained services in 2026–2028 to exceed that customer's total 2025 contribution, but it did not disclose the customer, pricing or exact retained share.
Summary and practical context by RoadHouse Recruiting · Reviewed
The agreement preserves business while allowing a partial transition
The unidentified customer agreed to continue using Forward Air for a significant portion of current services through 2028. Other services are scheduled to transition away between November 2026 and March 2027. Forward Air says that transition should not materially affect 2026 revenue, but the filing does not quantify the volume, lanes or facilities moving to other providers.
The revenue comparison is broader than a simple retention percentage
Forward Air says revenue from the retained services has grown during 2026 and is expected to keep growing in 2027. It therefore expects each contract year's revenue from the retained work to exceed the customer's entire 2025 contribution, even though some services will leave. That is a company forecast based on retained-service growth, not a disclosed guarantee or a statement that every prior service was saved.
Customer concentration still matters
Prior company disclosures described the account as roughly 10% of annual revenue, or about $250 million, according to FreightWaves. A multi-year agreement improves visibility, but the undisclosed retained percentage, transition execution and reliance on one large account remain important risks for terminals, employees, contractors and investors.
The network spans more than expedited LTL
Forward Air provides expedited LTL, pickup and delivery, consolidation, warehousing and customs brokerage, along with truckload brokerage, intermodal, drayage, first- and last-mile and container-freight-station services. Because the announcement does not identify which service lines are retained or transitioning, customers and capacity partners should not assume an equal effect across the network.
What customers and capacity partners should verify
RoadHouse perspective: confirm whether specific lanes, terminals, pickup windows, interchange points, carrier awards or billing workflows are changing during the November-to-March transition. Preserve service baselines and escalation contacts, and avoid treating the companywide revenue forecast as a lane-level volume commitment.
Understanding the update
Forward Air's October 28 release and SEC filing establish the definitive agreement and transition period. FreightWaves independently provides the prior account-concentration context. The customer identity, retained percentage, pricing and service-line allocation were not disclosed, and 2027–2028 revenue statements are forward-looking.
What it means for drivers and carriers
Forward Air reduced the immediate risk of losing a major account, but the partial transition and undisclosed service mix still require lane- and facility-level verification.
Questions to consider
- Which specific services, facilities and lanes are retained versus transitioning?
- What operational milestones govern the November-to-March handoff?
- How much capacity or staffing depends on the retained volume forecast?
Read the original reporting
This page provides an original summary and practical commentary. The linked source contains the full reporting. Older stories reflect information available on their published dates.
Read the source at Forward Air / SEC / FreightWaves ↗ (opens in a new tab)