Con-way Inc. Earns Three 2013 SmartWay Excellence Awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) was honored with three SmartWay^® Excellence Awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Annual Conference in Denver.

Each of Con-way's three principal operating companies — Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide Logistics (Menlo) — were recognized as industry leaders in environmental performance and energy efficiency. Con-way is the first company to have all of its operating units honored with a SmartWay Excellence Award in the same year.

"Earning this award across all lines of business is an outstanding accomplishment that took significant commitment and teamwork across the entire enterprise," said Douglas W. Stotlar, president and chief executive officer, Con-way Inc. "Continually improving our environmental performance makes economic sense for our company and contributes to a more sustainable planet for the future. We hope our actions serve as an example for others to follow."

Con-way Freight has been a SmartWay Partner since 2005 and is a 2008 winner of the SmartWay Excellence Award. Over the past year, the less-than-truckload carrier has continued to adopt technologies and policies to reduce its carbon footprint, including updating its tractors for improved fuel economy and rolling out network efficiency initiatives to maximize equipment utilization and move more freight over fewer miles.

One hundred percent of Con-way Truckload's tractors are equipped with SmartWay-certified fuel-savings and emissions-reduction technologies, while currently 45 percent of its trailing fleet is equipped with the SmartWay-certified UT6 Trailer UnderTray aerodynamic system manufactured by SmartTruck Systems. The company's tractors also have automatic idle shutdown and both tractor and trailing equipment feature low-rolling resistance tires to increase miles per gallon and lower carbon emissions. Con-way Truckload previously won SmartWay Excellence Awards in 2006 and 2007.

As a leader in Lean logistics and 2009 SmartWay Excellence Award winner, Menlo works closely with its customers and carrier partners to improve sustainability performance via SmartWay programs. Currently, 91 percent of Menlo's network miles are with SmartWay-approved carriers. Menlo also brings a culture of reducing waste and minimizing resource intensity to all operations and has instituted programs to capture and analyze accurate and timely data to measure and monitor sustainability programs and identify areas for improvement.

"EPA is pleased to recognize the 2013 SmartWay Excellence Award recipients. I commend Con-way Inc. for its superior environmental performance and leadership in advancing freight sector efficiency," said Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator. "Their commitment is helping lead the freight industry to a more sustainable future."

EPA launched SmartWay in 2004 to help businesses improve the sustainability of their freight supply chains. Today, the program consists of more than 3,000 partners, representing a cross section of the freight supply chain industry. The SmartWay Excellence Awards, started in 2006, honor top carriers for environmental efficiency performance. Shipping and logistics partners are also recognized for efficiency, as well as their actions to reduce freight emissions through collaboration, advanced technology and operational practices, a robust system for validating and reporting their SmartWay data, communications and public outreach. Con-way was one of 55 companies to receive this distinction this year. 

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Con-way equipment images are available at www.con-way.com/en/about_con_way/newsroom 

About Con-way Inc. 

Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) is a $5.6 billion freight transportation and logistics services company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. Con-way delivers industry-leading services through its primary operating companies of Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide Logistics. These operating units provide high-performance, day-definite less-than-truckload (LTL), full truckload and multimodal freight transportation, as well as logistics, warehousing and supply chain management services. Con-way also operates Con-way Manufacturing, a trailer refurbishing and manufacturing company which supplies trailing equipment to the company's trucking fleets. Con-way Inc. and its subsidiaries operate from more than 500 locations across North America and in 20 countries.

For more information about Con-way, visit www.con-way.com.

SOURCE Con-way Inc.