Note 1. Principal Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]

Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Organization

Con-way Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (“Con-way”) provide transportation, logistics and supply-chain management services for a wide range of manufacturing, industrial and retail customers. Con-way’s business units operate in regional, inter-regional and transcontinental less-than-truckload and full-truckload freight transportation, contract logistics and supply-chain management, multimodal freight brokerage, and trailer manufacturing. As more fully discussed in Note 3, “Segment Reporting,” for financial reporting purposes, Con-way is divided into three reporting segments: Freight, Logistics and Truckload.

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

Basis of Presentation

These unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. for interim financial information and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X, and should be read in conjunction with Con-way’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Accordingly, significant accounting policies and other disclosures normally provided have been reduced or omitted. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly Con-way’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Results for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of annual results.

Earnings Per Share [Text Block]

Earnings per Share (“EPS”)

Basic EPS is calculated by dividing net income by the weighted-average common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS is calculated as follows:

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)	2014		2013		2014		2013
Numerator:
Net income	$	45,583	$	30,557	$	112,143	$	87,459
Denominator:
Weighted-average common shares outstanding	57,692,508		56,714,423		57,262,132		56,390,621
Stock options and nonvested stock	561,055		648,411		570,001		674,525
	58,253,563		57,362,834		57,832,133		57,065,146
Diluted EPS	$	0.78	$	0.53	$	1.94	$	1.53
Anti-dilutive stock options excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS	157,000		930,616		518,570		954,749

Property, Plant and Equipment Disclosure [Text Block]

Property, Plant and Equipment

Con-way periodically evaluates whether changes in estimated useful lives or salvage values are necessary to ensure that these estimates accurately reflect the economic use of the assets. In response to conditions in the used-trailer market, Con-way Truckload increased the estimated salvage values for certain of its trailers in the fourth quarter of 2013. The effect of the change in estimate decreased depreciation expense and increased operating income by $1.5 million and $4.9 million for the third quarter and first nine months of 2014, respectively. As a result of this change, net income in the third quarter of 2014 increased by $0.8 million and basic and diluted EPS increased $0.01 per share

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

New Accounting StandardsIn May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” This ASU, codified in the “Revenue Recognition” topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, requires revenue to be recognized upon the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard also requires disclosures sufficient to describe the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from these customer contracts. This standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2016 and can be applied either retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard recognized on the date of adoption. Con-way plans to adopt this standard in the first quarter of 2017. Con-way is currently evaluating the method of application and the potential impact on the financial statements and related disclosures.