Standard Forwarding Freight, the less-than-truckload carrier previously known as Standard Forwarding, is ceasing operations less than a year after DHL Freight sold it.
Some of the company’s drivers said they were notified on Sunday that the carrier would close on Wednesday. A recorded message on the company’s main phone line says it is “no longer scheduling pickups” and to send an email to customer service to inquire about shipments in progress.
The East Moline, Illinois-based carrier was acquired by a subsidiary of Sakaem Holdings in January 2025. Sakaem is connected to the family behind now-defunct car hauler Jack Cooper. Jack Cooper ceased operations in February after losing contracts with its two largest customers: Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and General Motors (NYSE: GM).
Standard Forwarding Freight was operating 14 terminals throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It specialized in next-day and second-day delivery across the Midwest and partnered with other carriers to provide national service.
The 91-year-old Teamsters-staffed carrier had over 350 drivers at one point, but Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data currently lists its driver count at 230. It was under the ownership of DHL Freight from 2011 until the acquisition by Sakaem.
Sarah Riggs Amico, who ran Jack Cooper before it closed, led unsuccessful efforts to buy a portion of bankrupt Yellow Corp. after it shut down in 2023. Jack Cooper assembled a group of former Yellow executives under a new entity, Jack Cooper Freight, in an effort to acquire an LTL operation. That leadership group ended up running Standard Forwarding Freight after Riggs-backed Sakaem bought the assets.
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