Few Injuries, No Fatalities at Con-way Truckload

Three Joplin, Mo., employees of Con-way Truckload and the spouse of one employee were injured in Sunday's tornado, the trucking firm said.

The carrier was able to account for all but one of its 500 local employees Tuesday, and no fatalities were reported, said President Herb Schmidt.

However, about 35 percent of the employees lost their homes in the storm, which destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and killed at least 117 people.

“While it has been an unbelievable tragedy for the city, Con-way is very fortunate that most of its people so far have survived this disaster with their health and families intact,” Schmidt said.

The company restored operations quickly after the storm and has been working to locate its employees in Joplin and keep drivers and customers informed.

Con-way Truckload’s headquarters were on the edge of the tornado’s path and suffered minor damage. The building is being repaired.

“From an operations perspective, 80 percent of the operations team has been able to report to work and is functioning normally,” said Schmidt.

“We continue to communicate with our drivers, update them on status, and are working with customers to book loads and schedule pickups,” he said.

-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @wbcassidy_joc.