Con-way, Inc.
was an American
multinational freight transportation and
logistics
Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...
company headquartered in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
, United States. With annual revenues of $5.5 billion,
Con-way was the second largest less-than-truckload transport provider in North America, with additional operations for global contract logistics, managed transportation, truckload and freight brokerage. The company's services were sold through its primary operating companies of
Con-way Freight,
Con-way Truckload and
Menlo Worldwide. These operating units provided
less-than-truckload (LTL),
full truckload and
multimodal freight transportation, as well as logistics, warehousing and supply chain management services. Con-way, Inc. and its subsidiaries operated from more than 500 locations across North America and in 20 countries.
The company was known as Consolidated Freightways, Inc. until 1996 when it spun off its long-haul trucking subsidiaries, CF MotorFreight and four others, into a separate, independent company which took the name
Consolidated Freightways Corporation. The parent company was renamed CNF Transportation Inc. at the time of the split and retained a set of LTL subsidiaries which had been operating under the name
Con-way
Con-way, Inc. was an American multinational corporation, multinational freight transportation and logistics company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. With annual revenues of $5.5 billion, Con-way was the second largest less-t ...
as well as its other logistics and freight forwarding subsidiaries.
The spinoff long-haul business, Consolidated Freightways Corporation, filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
on September 3, 2002, and ceased operations.
In 2006, CNF rebranded itself Con-way, Inc.
On September 9, 2015, it announced it was being acquired by
XPO, Inc.. The sale was completed on October 30, 2015
and the Con-way brand had been retired by May 9, 2017.
History
Con-way's heritage dated from 1929, when industry pioneer Leland James founded an intercity trucking company in
Portland, Oregon
Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
. Initially named Consolidated Truck Lines, the company grew from a one-truck operation into one of the largest long-haul carriers in the United States by the early 1980s, and became one of the few freight transportation firms to originate in the West and successfully expand eastward. Consolidated headquarters were moved to the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
in the 1950s.
In 1996, Consolidated's unionized long-haul trucking company, CF MotorFreight, was spun off as
Consolidated Freightways, Inc., creating two separate publicly traded companies. Consolidated Freightways, Inc. was renamed CNF Transportation, Inc., reflecting the familiar stock ticker symbol of the company (CNF).
Consolidated Freightways Corporation filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
on September 3, 2002, and ceased operations.
In 2006, the CNF Transportation changed its name to Con-way, Inc, and the company's NYSE stock ticker was changed from CNF to CNW.
In 2007, Con-way acquired Contract Freighters, Inc. (CFI), a privately held North American truckload carrier based in
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...
, in a transaction valued at $750 million. Founded in 1951, CFI operated more than 2,600 tractors and more than 7,000 trailers, with more than 3,000 employees including approximately 2,500 drivers that serve customers throughout North America.
Con-way moved its headquarters from
San Mateo, California
San Mateo ( ) is the most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan region, and is located about south of San Francisco. San Mateo border ...
to
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
in 2011.
On September 9, 2015, Con-way announced it was being acquired by
XPO, Inc., and the sale was completed on October 30, 2015.
Company structure
Con-way, Inc. was the parent company for five wholly owned subsidiaries:
Con-way Freight
Con-way freight provided less-than-truckload service across North America.
Con-way Truckload
Con-way Truckload, since acquired by
TFI International in 2016 renamed
Contract Freighters, Inc. (CFI), provided full truckload shipping across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Con-way Enterprise Services
Con-way Enterprise Services was the administrative and information technology division of Con-way, Inc., and was based in Portland, Oregon.
Menlo Worldwide Logistics
Menlo Worldwide Logistics designed and implemented logistics solutions across the globe.
Con-way Manufacturing
Con-way Manufacturing, formerly Road Systems, Inc., was a trailer refurbishing and manufacturing company that supplied trailing equipment to the company’s trucking fleets.
References
Further reading
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External links
Official website
{{Trucking industry in the United States
Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Former components in the Dow Jones Transportation Average
Trucking companies of the United States
Companies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan
2015 mergers and acquisitions
Transport companies established in 1929
1929 establishments in Oregon
Transportation companies based in Oregon
Transportation companies based in Michigan