March 23, 2012

Utility's Paragould Manufacturing Facility Achieves Record Year with over 100,000 Trailers Manufactured

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., March 23, 2012 -¬ Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, the industry’s largest manufacturer of refrigerated trailers and a leading manufacturer of dry freight vans, flatbeds, and Tautliner® curtainsided trailers is pleased to announce the completion of the 100,000th trailer produced at their Paragould, Arkansas manufacturing facility.

With approximately 350,000 square feet and 600 employees producing Utility’s light weight 4000D-X Composite® Dry Van, the Paragould manufacturing facility produced a record number of units in 2011. In addition, Paragould recently celebrated the building of its 100,000th dry van since the plant first opened in 1994. The dry van was manufactured for Forward Air Corporation (NASDAQ:FWRD).

“We’re honored to be the recipient of Paragould’s 100,000th dry van. Our experience with Utility has been tremendous and they have always provided us with the industry’s most reliable, durable, and light weight trailers,” said Jeff Taylor, Vice President of Maintenance for Forward Air. “We congratulate Utility on achieving their record numbers and we look forward to continuing the partnership.” Forward Air’s operations include a network of 84 freight terminals located on or near airports throughout North America and they’re also the leading provider of time-definite surface transportation and related logistics services to the North American airfreight and expedited less-than-truckload market.
For more information about Forward Air, visit: www.forwardair.com. For more information about Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, visit: www.utilitytrailer.com.
   
About Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company
Utility Trailer Manufacturing is America’s oldest privately owned, family-operated trailer manufacturer. Founded in 1914, the company designs and manufactures dry freight vans, flatbeds, refrigerated vans, Tautliner® curtainsided trailers, and side skirts. Utility currently operates five trailer manufacturing facilities across the United States. Utility’s 3000R® and the 3000R® multi-temp refrigerated trailers are manufactured at the Marion, Virginia and Clearfield, Utah plants. The 4000D® and 4000D-X Composite® dry vans are manufactured at the Glade Spring, Virginia and Paragould, Arkansas plants. The 4000A®, 4000S®, drop deck and double flatbeds as well as the Tautliner® are all manufactured at the Enterprise, Alabama facility. Utility also has an extensive independent dealer network with over 100 locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and South America. Visit: www.utilitytrailer.com for more information.

About Forward Air Corporation
Forward Air Corporation operates two business segments, Forward Air, Inc. and Forward Air Solutions, Inc. Forward Air is publicly traded on NADQ: FWRD and has been voted One of the 200 BEST SMALL COMPANIES 9 years.

Forward Air, Inc. is a high-service-level contractor to the air cargo industry providing time-definite ground transportation services through a network of 84 terminals located on or near major airports in the United States and Canada. It provides these services as a cost-effective alternative to air transportation of cargo that must be delivered at a specific time but is relatively less time-sensitive than traditional air freight or when air transportation is not economical.

Forward Air Solutions, Inc. is a provider of pool distribution services.  Pool distribution involves the consolidation and shipment of several smaller less-than-truckload shipments to a common area or region. Once at the regional destination, the loads are deconsolidated, then grouped with other shipments with common delivery points, and delivered in a very precise, time-sensitive manner.  Our pool distribution network consists of 19 terminals within the mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and Southwestern United States.

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