Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Jul. 19, 2013
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	FORWARD AIR CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000912728
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		30,571,826
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2013