By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Abigail Summerville

NEW YORK, July 23 (Reuters) - A handful of private equity firms, including Clearlake Capital, Platinum Equity and EQT, have submitted bids to buy Forward Air FWRD.O, three sources familiar with the matter said, as the process to sell the U.S. trucker picks up speed.

Forward Air, which specializes in moving hauls which do not take up a full truckload, signaled to investors it wants the strategic alternatives review it announced in January to be wrapped up in a few weeks, possibly around the time the company is expected to release earnings on August 11.

Sources said buyout firms Apollo Global Management APO.N and AIP have also made bids to buy Forward Air. It could not be immediately learned what the bidders were offering to pay, the sources said.

Representatives for Forward Air and AIP declined to comment. Clearlake, Apollo, Platinum and EQT did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks, and cautioned no deal is guaranteed and other bidders could still emerge.

In June, Reuters reported that Apollo and Blackstone BX.N, as well as Platinum and Clearlake, had expressed interest in bidding for the company, signing confidentiality agreements in order to review documents that would help inform their decisions.

Greeneville, Tennessee-based Forward Air's share price has tumbled roughly 75% since the company said two years ago it would acquire Omni Logistics, a deal that closed in early 2024. But it has jumped 27% over the last month, pushed by expectations the company will eventually be sold.

It traded at $28.14 on Wednesday.

The company is currently valued at $855 million, but on a fully diluted basis, including net debt, analysts said the company's enterprise value is closer to $3 billion.

Frustrated by the unpopular acquisition, several investors last year began pushing for a sale of the company, which was officially announced in January.

Ancora Holdings, which owns 4% of the company, in May sought to speed up the process by pushing for the removal of three long-serving directors it blamed for signing off on the Omni deal and stalling the sales process. The directors resigned soon after the company's annual meeting.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Abigail Summerville; Editing by Chris Reese)

((svea.herbst@thomsonreuters.com; +617 233 2138; Reuters Messaging: svea.herbst.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net/))