Forward Air Cuts Staff in Post-Merger Restructuring

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The post-Omni Logistics merger landscape at Forward Air has been turbulent to say the least, with both firm’s CEOs exiting the combined company and an activist investor calling for a board shakeup and strategic review of the business.

Now, add layoffs to Forward Air’s laundry list as the logistics services provider aims to slash costs and get back to profitability.

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Forward Air confirmed the staff reduction, which was initially reported by FreightWaves, but did not divulge the number of employees impacted by the cuts, or where the layoffs took place.

“We have made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce as part of our previously announced efforts to improve Forward’s financial performance. It was necessary to right-size the combined companies and achieve the cost reductions discussed on our first-quarter earnings call. The actions we took last week are incremental to those cost reductions previously discussed,” a Forward Air spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re committed to supporting our affected teammates during this transition by providing severance packages, access to COBRA medical coverage, outplacement services and other resources. We want to reiterate our unwavering dedication to delivering best-in-class service to our customers and creating value for all stakeholders, as this remains a top priority for us.”

As of Dec. 31, 2023, Forward Air had 4,014 full-time employees, as well as 237 part-time workers.

In the company’s May 9 earnings call, new CEO Shawn Stewart said the company was identifying opportunities to eliminate “significant costs from our structure.” Then-chief financial officer Rebecca Garbrick, who stepped down less than two weeks after the call, said Forward Air expects to deliver full run rate cost synergies of $73 million by the end of 2025.

Garbrick noted that $18 million of these cost reductions would come from areas like network optimization and facilities consolidation—both of which are areas that typically involve reshuffling or staff reductions.

“We are focused on the levers that we can pull in terms of generating profitability for the combined entity, really focusing on revenue growth, focusing on the cost structure and being able to align that cost structure,” Garbrick said at the time.

Forward Air is also performing an accelerated portfolio review to identify potential divestitures to monetize some of its non-core assets, the execs said during the call. Earlier in the year, the logistics services provider sold off its last-mile delivery business, Forward Air Final Mile (FAFM), to intermodal transportation and logistics management solutions provider Hub Group for $262 million.