UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
                     February 16, 2006 (February 12, 2006)


                             FORWARD AIR CORPORATION
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             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)




            Tennessee                   000-22490              62-1120025
   ----------------------------   ------------------------  ----------------
   (State or other jurisdiction   (Commission File Number)  (I.R.S. Employer
        of incorporation)                                   Identification No.)

            430 Airport Road
         Greeneville, Tennessee                               37745
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(Address of principal executive offices)                   (Zip Code)



       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (423) 636-7000


                                 Not Applicable
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[_]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)

[_]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
     240.14a-12)

[_]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[_]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))



SECTION 1.  REGISTRANT'S BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS.

Item 1.01.  Entry Into a Material Definitive Agreement.

     On February 12, 2006, the Compensation  Committee (the  "Committee") of the
Board of Directors of Forward Air  Corporation  (the  "Company")  authorized the
payment of annual  incentive  bonus  awards to each of the  Company's  executive
officers  for the fiscal year ended  December  31,  2005.  The annual  incentive
awards  were  made  pursuant  to and  consistent  with the  Company's  executive
compensation  philosophy.  The  award  amounts  were  based  upon the  Company's
performance during 2005, as well as individual management performance.

         The Committee awarded fiscal year 2005 bonuses as follows:

                     Name and Position                Annual Incentive Award

Bruce A. Campbell                                            $150,000
President and Chief Executive Officer

Andrew C. Clarke                                             $109,750
Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President and
Treasurer

Matthew J. Jewell                                             $87,400
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Craig A. Drum                                                 $87,400
Senior Vice President, Sales

Chris C. Ruble                                                $87,400
Senior Vice President, Operations

Rodney L. Bell                                                $87,400
Vice President and Controller

     The  Committee  also  awarded  time-based  restricted  stock to each of the
Company's executive officers under the Company's 1999 Stock Option and Incentive
Plan.  The  restricted  stock shares vest equally in one-third  increments  over
three years  commencing  on February 12, 2007 and fully  vesting on February 12,
2009.  Upon  vesting,  the  restricted  stock will be issued to the holder in an
equal number of shares of the Company's $0.01 par value common stock. During the
vesting  period,  the holder of  restricted  stock is entitled to receive a cash
amount equal to any dividend  declared  and paid on the  Company's  common stock
multiplied by the number of restricted stock then held.

     The restricted stock awarded to each executive officer is as follows:

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                     Name and Position               Restricted Stock Award

Bruce A. Campbell                                            15,080
President and Chief Executive Officer

Andrew C. Clarke                                             12,000
Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President and
Treasurer

Matthew J. Jewell                                            11,000
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Craig A. Drum                                                10,000
Senior Vice President, Sales

Chris C. Ruble                                               10,500
Senior Vice President, Operations

Rodney L. Bell                                               10,000
Vice President and Controller

     In addition,  on February 12, 2006, the Committee  established  fiscal 2006
base  salaries for the Company's  executive  officers.  The  Committee  annually
evaluates the  performance  and  determines  the  compensation  of the Company's
officers based on the  Committee's  assessment of the individual  performance of
the executive officers, their achievement of corporate goals and compensation at
comparable  companies.  The 2006 base salaries for the executive officers are as
follows:

                     Name and Position                          Base Salary

Bruce A. Campbell                                            $400,000 minimum
President and Chief Executive Officer                    (Mr. Campbell's fiscal
                                                         2006 salary was
                                                         previously disclosed in
                                                         a Report on Form 8-K
                                                         filed with the
                                                         Securities and Exchange
                                                         Commission on January
                                                         26, 2006.)

Andrew C. Clarke                                                 $260,000
Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President and
Treasurer

Matthew J. Jewell                                                $240,000
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Craig A. Drum                                                    $210,000
Senior Vice President, Sales

Chris C. Ruble                                                   $225,000
Senior Vice President, Operations

Rodney L. Bell                                                   $210,000
Vice President and Controller

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     The information in this report may contain "forward-looking statements," as
defined in Section 27A of the  Securities  Act of 1933, as amended,  and Section
21E  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934,  as  amended.  Forward-looking
statements are  statements  other than  historical  information or statements of
current   condition  and  relate  to  future  events  or  our  future  financial
performance.  Some  forward-looking  statements may be identified by use of such
terms as "believes,"  "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "projects"
or "expects." Such  forward-looking  statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties  and other factors that may cause our actual results,  performance
or achievements to be materially different from any future results,  performance
or achievements  expressed or implied by such  forward-looking  statements.  The
following is a list of factors, among others, that could cause actual results to
differ  materially from those  contemplated by the  forward-looking  statements:
economic  factors  such as  recessions,  inflation,  higher  interest  rates and
downturns in customer business cycles,  our inability to maintain our historical
growth rate because of a decreased  volume of freight moving through our network
or decreased  average  revenue per pound of freight  moving through our network,
increasing  competition and pricing  pressure,  surplus  inventories,  loss of a
major customer,  the  creditworthiness of our customers and their ability to pay
for services  rendered,  our ability to secure terminal  facilities in desirable
locations at  reasonable  rates,  the  inability of our  information  systems to
handle an increased  volume of freight  moving  through our network,  changes in
fuel  prices,  claims  for  property  damage,   personal  injuries  or  workers'
compensation, employment matters including rising health care costs, enforcement
of and changes in governmental  regulations,  environmental and tax matters, the
handling of hazardous materials,  the availability and compensation of qualified
independent   owner-operators   and  freight   handlers   needed  to  serve  our
transportation needs and our inability to successfully  integrate  acquisitions.
As a result of the foregoing,  no assurance can be given as to future  financial
condition,  cash flows or results of  operations.  We undertake no obligation to
update or revise  any  forward-looking  statements,  whether  as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.

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                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.



                             FORWARD AIR CORPORATION

Date: February 16, 2006      By:  /s/ Matthew J. Jewell
                                  ---------------------------------------------
                                  Matthew J. Jewell
                                  Senior Vice President, General Counsel and
                                  Secretary





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