Carrier Profiles

Con-Way NOW: Carrier Profile Of A Growing Company

Headquartered in the university town of Ann Arbor, MI, Con-Way NOW is the focus of this edition of Carrier Profile.

Founded in August 1996, Con-Way NOW is a wholly owned corporation of Con-Way and CNF. Con-Way is the most profitable and successful trucking company in America and the CNF family of companies has continued to be voted the best trucking company to work for by Forbes magazine.

Con-Way NOW specializes in the transportation of general commodity, automotive and other time-sensitive freight, but the company does highlight the fact that their extremely high growth rate has been accomplished with less than 30% of the loads being supplied by the automotive industry.

Con-Way NOW is proud that the company is a leader in the ground-expedite industry and has accomplished this feat in five years.

Because of the full-size trucking parentage, Con-Way NOW states that they have access to one of the largest customer bases in expediting which results in low empty miles for their contractors.

The company's area of operation includes the entire US and Canada, however their recruiting focus is in the Eastern half of the US and the Province of Ontario.

Con-Way NOW utilizes a 100% independent contractor fleet consisting of cargo vans, straight trucks and tractor-trailers. Fleet size ranges between 300-400 units, depending on time of year and freight needs.

Con-Way NOW says they will accept Cargo Vans that are five model years old or less and Straight Trucks that are five model years old or less.

Ed Conaway, President of Con-Way NOW, states, "Some of the keys to success for an independent contractor with our company would include understanding how to run a small business, understanding the true fundamentals of customer service and maintaining high levels of availability. Expediting is largely a 24/7 type of business."

"I feel that our company offers everything the independent contractor needs to be successful and the support we provide our independent business people is second-to-none."

Lori Blaney, Manager of Recruiting for Con-Way NOW adds, "The key to success for our owner operators is for them to be in service and ready to run all loads. If they are ready to run - we will run them!"

Addressing the prospective contractors' concerns about fleet size, she states, "We do not overstaff - we bring on owner operators to meet our current business levels."

A Commercial Drivers License with Hazardous Materials Endorsement is required for contractors leased to Con-Way NOW. Sleeper cabs are required for the larger trucks, except for their regional fleet which operates within the upper Midwest.

Communication between dispatch and the fleet is provided by satellite, cellular phones and pagers and the company utilizes a "First-In, First-Out" and "Closest to the Load" method of dispatching their fleet. Con-Way NOW states that 99% of their loads are "no touch freight."

Lori Blaney says, "Something that makes our company unique in the expediting business is our business relationship with our contractors. We offer a true open-door policy to anyone in the company."

"Our contractors have freedom of movement that is not found in many companies; we regard them as truly independent business people who are partnered with us in growing our company."

"We have received comments from our contractors who have come to Con-Way NOW after leasing with other expedited carriers and they tell us that our company has more of a sense of "family."

Con-Way NOW Contractors Talk About Their Company:

"We're most concerned with keeping freight on the back of the truck and Con-Way NOW is very good at that." - Jim Jagelski, Con-Way NOW straight truck contractor.

"They try to get us home when we request it, and they've even come up with runs taking us home. The settlements are virtually always on time, and any issues we've ever had have always been resolved to our satisfaction." Larry Steinfeld - Con-Way NOW straight truck contractor.

Lori Blaney says, "Con-Way NOW is having a record breaking year. We are currently at 32% above where we were last year at this time. We anticipate a strong finish to a phenomenal year!"

Con-Way NOW is currently recruiting all unit types including cargo vans, straight trucks and tractor trailers.

Ed Conaway:: "We're actively growing and we expect to enlarge our fleet by 30%-40% by November. Fortunately, we have the freight available to support that growth."

Interested parties can call the Con-Way NOW recruiting department at 888-679-7091.

Web Information
Con-Way NOW Online Application
Con-Way Homepage