Con-Way Transportation Services expanded its next-day and second-day less-than-truckload (LTL) delivery services last month through the use of 150 driver teams. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based motor carrier said at a press conference that this expansion initiative, dubbed "Extended Service Lanes," would result in additional time-definite delivery services to more than 6,000 U.S. cities and towns.

Con-Way Central Express, Con-Way Southern Express and Con-Way Western Express will all offer the transit-time reductions. To cut transit times, each Con-Way regional carrier will deploy sleeper teams, in which one driver operates the rig while the other rests. Truck drivers are subject to federal restrictions on the number of hours they may operate a vehicle. The use of sleeper teams extends the time a single shipment can be on the road, thus increasing the geographic range for overnight shipments.

"These operating procedures will replace two-day service with next-day service in a large number of markets," says Doug Stotlar, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Con-Way. "And the expansion of our second-day service will cover even more geography." An example of a new next-day lane is the 558-mile trip from Indianapolis to Charlotte, N.C.; a sample second-day lane would be the run from Portland, Me., to Topeka, Kan., a distance of 1,532 miles.

Con-Way says it will provide the improved service to shippers at the same prices it negotiated for previous service levels. Shippers will not have to make special arrangements for the new services.