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Company’s 3,500 Drivers Cut Accidents 29 Percent Since 2004, Set Milestone in 2008 for Lowest Frequency Rate in Recorded Company History
JOPLIN, Mo. - January 21, 2009
Con-way Truckload, a full truckload carrier and subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), today announced that its 3,500 drivers set a company record for safe driving in 2008, reducing its total accident frequency rate by 29 percent over the past four years to a 21-year low.
Con-way Truckload’s drivers have reduced its accident frequency every year since 2004, with 2008 coming in 10 percent below 2007 to mark the lowest rate since the company started keeping records in 1987, noted Herb Schmidt, Con-way Truckload’s president. “This is a milestone achievement that really demonstrates how much our drivers keep safety at the forefront every second, minute, hour and day they are behind the wheel.”
“When it comes to safety, our drivers are our most vocal advocates,” said Schmidt.“We set very high standards and they have proven that they are true professionals who rise to the challenge. That’s good news for our employees and customers, as well as the motoring public that we’re sharing America’s highways with every day.”
The accident frequency milestone is particularly noteworthy given the strict standards the company uses to measure safe driving performance, noted Randy Cornell, the company’s vice president of safety and recruiting. “Our drivers know that for our company, the definition of an accident is any incident where our vehicle comes in contact with another vehicle or property and causes any visible damage whatsoever — even something as small as a scratch on a bumper,” he explained. “That’s a bar that’s set much higher than what regulatory agencies define as a government-reportable accident.”
Based on the company’s definition, Con-way Truckload’s drivers in 2008 averaged 8.7 accidents per million miles driven. Measured by the U.S. Department of Transportation standard for a reportable accident, which is defined as an accident that renders a vehicle inoperable or causes an injury requiring immediate medical attention away from the scene, Con-way Truckload’s 2008 frequency rate was .65, or one accident for every 1.4 million miles driven. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration considers a carrier to be operating safely when it achieves a reportable accident frequency rate of less than 1.50.
The company’s drivers were recently honored at a special ceremony at Con-way Truckload’s Joplin headquarters during a regular monthly safety meeting attended by more than 100 drivers.
About Con-way Truckload
Joplin, Mo.-based Con-way Truckload
is an operating company of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) and a leading provider of
expedited, time-definite full-truckload transportation services across North America. Formerly Contract Freighters, Inc.(CFI),Con-way Truckload today employs 3,500 drivers with a fleet of more than 2,800
tractors and 8,600 trailers operating throughout the United States as well as internationally in Mexico and Canada. The company provides full-truckload transportation serving the transcontinental shipping needs of
commercial and industrial businesses as well as sister company Con-way Freight. For more about Con-way Truckload, visit us on the Web at www.con-way.com/truckload or call(800) 641-4747.
Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) is a $4.7 billion freight transportation and global logistics company.