Debt And Other Financing Arrangements (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility	$ 325,000,000
Credit facility maturity date	August 2, 2016
Letters of credit outstanding	138,500,000
Available capacity for additional letters of credit or cash borrowings	186,500,000
Credit facility, covenant terms	The revolving facility is guaranteed by certain of Con-way’s material domestic subsidiaries and contains two financial covenants: (i) a leverage ratio and (ii) a fixed-charge coverage ratio. There are also various restrictive covenants, including limitations on (i) the incurrence of liens, (ii) consolidations, mergers and asset sales, and (iii) the incurrence of additional subsidiary indebtedness.
Other credit facilities amount outstanding	17,500,000
Short-term Debt	6,982,000	14,481,000
Weighted-average interest rate on the short-term borrowings	5.50%	7.10%
Non-interest bearing borrowings	4,200,000	6,200,000
Aggregate annual maturities of long-term debt	600,000
Fair value of long-term debt	817,000,000	770,000,000
Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility fee range	0.25%
Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit facility fee range	0.45%
Six Point Seven Zero Percent Senior Debentures Due Two Thousand Thirty Four [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Rate of interest on Notes	6.70%
Debt Instrument, Frequency of Periodic Payment	semi-annually
Notes, redemption description	Con-way may redeem the Senior Debentures, in whole or in part, on not less than 30 nor more than 60-days notice, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (i) the principal amount being redeemed, or (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Senior Debentures being redeemed, discounted at the redemption date on a semi-annual basis at the rate payable on a Treasury note having a comparable maturity plus 35 basis points.
Maturity date	2034
Annual effective interest rate of Senior Notes	6.90%
Percentage of repurchase price to aggregate principal amount of the notes repurchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest	101.00%
Senior Notes	$ 300,000,000
Six Point Seven Zero Percent Senior Debentures Due Two Thousand Thirty Four [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redemption period of Senior Notes, days	30
Six Point Seven Zero Percent Senior Debentures Due Two Thousand Thirty Four [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redemption period of Senior Notes, days	60
7.25% Senior Notes Due 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Rate of interest on Notes	7.25%
Debt Instrument, Frequency of Periodic Payment	semi-annually
Notes, redemption description	Con-way may redeem the 7.25% Senior Notes, in whole or in part, on not less than 30 nor more than 60-days notice, at a redemption price equal to the greater of (i) the principal amount being redeemed, or (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the notes being redeemed, discounted at the redemption date on a semi-annual basis at the rate payable on a Treasury note having a comparable maturity plus 50 basis points. There are also various restrictive covenants, including limitations on (i) the incurrence of liens, and (ii) consolidations, mergers and asset sales. Including amortization of underwriting fees and related debt costs, interest expense on the 7.25% Senior Notes due 2018 is recognized at an annual effective interest rate of 7.37%.
Maturity date	2018
Annual effective interest rate of Senior Notes	7.37%
7.25% Senior Notes Due 2018 [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redemption period of Senior Notes, days	30
7.25% Senior Notes Due 2018 [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Redemption period of Senior Notes, days	60
Promissory Note, 2.63%, Due 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date	2016
Annual effective interest rate of Senior Notes	2.63%