Con-way Freight, TNT Add U.S. Gateways

Con-way Freight is expanding its international partnership with TNT to bring trans-Atlantic freight to Miami and Los Angeles. The new airport gateways will cut transit times for shippers in the Southeast and Southwest whose European freight previously was routed through New York's JFK International Airport.

The expansion is not only a healthy sign for the nascent recovery but an indication of the growing importance of international freight for ground transporters such as Con-way Freight in the United States. Con-way also has a trans-Pacific less-than-containerload partnership with APL Logistics.

"The two new gateways will enable importers to reach deeper into the Con-way Freight network," said John G. Labrie, president of the $2.6 billion less-than-truckload carrier. The network expansion comes two months after the companies made their partnership a two-way street across the Atlantic.

TNT and Con-way began shipping freight weighing more than 150 pounds from Liege, Belgium, to New York in April 2009. In March they added a U.S.-to-Europe service. Con-way also restructured its LTL network this year to reduce transit times by one day to more than 460 U.S. destinations.

The carriers move freight five days a week between the Dutch express carrier's 414 depots in 39 European countries and Con-way's 300 North American service centers using a TNT 767 200F plane. With three U.S. gateways, the service is poised for further international expansion, the companies said.

-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com.