Con-way Truckload Launches Short-Haul Service

Con-way Inc.’s truckload subsidiary said Monday that it has begun to offer short-haul service for shipments of less than 600 miles.

Con-way Truckload Regional is meant to complement Con-way Truckload’s existing long-haul service, the Joplin, Mo., subsidiary said in a statement. The company also plans to offer drayage as part of the new service.

“This is the ideal time for us to enter the regional, cartage and drayage business,” Herb Schmidt, president of Con-way Truckload, said in a statement. “About 70% 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.”

Con-way has been testing the regional service in an 11-state area for an 18-month pilot program, the company said, calling the test successful.

The carrier will have 325 trucks dedicated to Con-way Truckload Regional by the end of the year, with an additional 300 trucks in 2010.

Con-way is ranked No. 6 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.