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CON-WAY Regional Carriers Qualify 46 Drivers to Compete in Championship

27 July 1999

CON-WAY Regional Carriers Qualify 46 Drivers to Compete in National Truck Driving Championships; Company Leads Industry in Number of Drivers Competing in Skills Event

    ANN ARBOR, Mich.--July 26, 1999--Con-Way Transportation Services announced today that 46 of its driver sales representatives will compete against the nation's top professional truck drivers in the 62nd National Truck Driving Championships.
    CON-WAY will send more state champions to this "World Series" of trucking than any other company in the United States. CON-WAY's driving champions have accumulated over 58 million accident-free miles in their careers.
    The national competition, sponsored by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), is held annually in August, following each state's qualifying championships. This year the event will be held in Tampa, FL between August 18-21.
    Each of the 46 CON-WAY drivers won their state championships to advance to the finals, and they are among 350 competitors vying for the title of "Grand Champion". The CON-WAY competitors come from cities in 31 states and represent all three of the company's regional less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers- Con-Way Central Express, Con-Way Southern Express and Con-Way Western Express. Combined, the company's regional carriers annually move about 12 million shipments weighing more that 13 billion pounds for 200,000 businesses.
    "Our participants this year represent the safest and most skilled professional drivers in America," said Gerald L. Detter, president and chief executive officer of Con-Way Transportation Services. "All 17,000 CON-WAY employees nationwide are extremely proud of their accomplishments and wish them success at the competition."
    "The 46 state champions from CON-WAY further reflect the daily commitment to safety, service excellence and doing the right thing that's embedded in our culture and in every one of our employees," Detter emphasized. The company recently received recognition by the ATA and a number of state trucking associations for its safety record.
    To qualify as a participant in the national competition, drivers first must capture their state title in one of nine equipment categories: straight truck; three-axle and four-axle tractor/semi-trailer; five-axle van; five-axle flatbed; sleeper berth; semi-trailer tanker; twin-trailer combination; and auto transporter. The winners are those who compiled the most points in a written exam covering trucking regulations and safety procedures, a pre-trip equipment safety inspection, and a driving skills test under road conditions that simulate a trucker's daily routine.

    This year's state champions from CON-WAY's three companies and their home states are: 

--   Con-Way Central Express: Larry Akers, WV; Ken Bailey, WV; Scott
     Barton, NH; Darren Beard, SD; Thomas Clayton, RI; Bob Coderre,
     NH; Jerry Dahlen, ND; Kenneth Darling, SD; Ralph Dotson, DE;
     Bruce Early, OH; Donny Grace, KY; Gary Hood, WV; James Horsman,
     Jr., DE; David James, IL; Robert Kleinschmidt, MI; Dale Knox, PA;
     Ron Looks, MI; Alan Lothen, ND; Gary Loveday, MD; David May, NY;
     Leonard Neeley, MO; Morris O'Keefe, MA; Brent Quire, IN; Dave
     Schraub, IN; Joe Trifiletti, KS; and Gary Wilkinson, PA.
--   Con-Way Southern Express: Samuel Aker, MS; Jason Anderson, TN;
     Marco Becerra, LA; Dennis Day, GA; Donald Elliot, AL; Michael
     Galbraith, TN; Dennis Jackson, SC; Preston Lindler, SC; Mike
     Umphrey, AL and Tony Wright, VA.
--   Con-Way Western Express: Frank Adorno, NV; Ina Daly, AZ; Dale
     Duncan, CA; Robert Gromley, AZ; Andrew Kelly, WY; Jose Orozco,
     AZ; Steven Shearer, ID; Lawrence Torrez, NM; Bob White, NV and
     Bret Wright, OR.


    National champions are determined the same way as state champions in each of the nine categories through a point system involving written, safety check and driving tests. The driver achieving the highest point total from all classes is named "Grand Champion" and earns the title of "best truck driver in the nation."
    The "Grand Champion" will win a diamond ring and a plaque from the ATA. Each of the equipment category champions will receive a trophy, a $1,000 cash award, and a gold belt buckle.
    The National Truck Driving Championships are held to recognize and demonstrate the safe driving practices and skills of professional truck drivers. The goal of the annual event is to promote safer highways and a greater awareness of safety issues between truck drivers and the motoring public.
    Con-Way Transportation Services is a $1.7-billion transportation company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, providing time-definite and day-definite freight delivery services for commercial and industrial businesses. Within the CON-WAY family are regional less-than-truckload carriers Con-Way Central Express, Con-Way Southern Express and Con-Way Western Express; Con-Way Truckload Services, providing multi-modal, full-truckload shipping; Con-Way NOW, an expedited carrier specializing in emergency shipment service; and Con-Way Integrated Services, a contract supply chain execution service provider.
    CON-WAY is a subsidiary of Palo Alto, Calif.-based CNF Transportation Inc., a $5-billion diversified transportation company with operations worldwide.

Further information about CON-WAY and additional press releases are available via the Internet at www.con-way.com