Con-way Truckload, a full truckload carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., announced today, Sept. 14, the launch of Con-way Truckload Regional, designed to complement Con-way Truckload’s existing long-haul, solo and team services. Con-way Truckload Regional will deliver short-haul truckload shipments of less than 600 miles, including cartage service for truckload shipments of less than 100 miles. The company also plans to offer drayage services as part of Con-way Truckload Regional.
Con-way Truckload says it will access a select group of sister company Con-way Freight’s network of nearly 300 North American facilities. Additionally, Con-way Truckload says its more than 2,600-truck fleet is available to support regional service via dispatch through the company’s centralized operation in Joplin, Mo.
“This is the ideal time for us to enter the regional, cartage and drayage business,” says Herb Schmidt, president of Con-way Truckload. “About 70 percent of the freight in the transportation market travels less than 550 miles, and it’s a segment that tends to stay healthy even during challenging economic conditions. Between those factors, our access to secure state-of-the-art facilities and our ability to take on the business without building additional infrastructure, this is a strategic growth opportunity with tremendous potential.”
According to the company, regional service also allows Con-way Truckload to offer expanded customized solutions for shippers with diverse truckload shipping requirements, and to scale those services according to business needs; for example, retail and manufacturing customers with seasonal surges will benefit from the company’s capacity and flexibility of resources.
Con-way Truckload says it has been providing regional service successfully in an 11-state region through an 18-month pilot program. By the end of 2009, it plans to have 325 trucks dedicated to the new offering, and will add an additional 300 trucks in 2010. By 2011, the company’s goal is to have 1,000 trucks dedicated to nationwide regional service.
