Note 6. Employee Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Narrative [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

Employee Benefit Plans

In the periods presented, certain employees of Con-way and its subsidiaries in the U.S. were covered under several retirement benefit plans, including defined benefit pension plans, defined contribution retirement plans and a postretirement medical plan. See Note 9, "Employee Benefit Plans," of Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," in Con-way’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information concerning its employee benefit plans.

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

As a result of plan amendments in previous years, no additional benefits accrue under these plans and already-accrued benefits will not be adjusted for future increases in compensation. The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit expense (income) for Con-way’s domestic defined benefit pension plans:

	Qualified Pension Plans
	Three Months Ended March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)	2015			2014
Interest cost on benefit obligation	$	18,181		$	18,871
Expected return on plan assets	(21,740		)	(23,327		)
Amortization of actuarial loss	3,123			2,475
Amortization of prior-service costs	405			404
Settlement loss	60			—
Net periodic benefit expense (income)	$	29		$	(1,577	)

	Non-Qualified Pension Plan
	Three Months Ended March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)	2015		2014
Interest cost on benefit obligation	$	796	$	862
Amortization of actuarial loss	296		219
Amortization of prior-service costs	1		1
Net periodic benefit expense	$	1,093	$	1,082

Con-way expects to make contributions of approximately $30 million to its qualified pension plans in 2015, including $5.7 million contributed through March 2015.

Defined Contribution Retirement Plans

Con-way’s cost for defined contribution retirement plans was $14.4 million in the first quarter of 2015 compared to $13.6 million in the same period of 2014.

Postretirement Medical Plan

The following table summarizes the components of net periodic benefit expense (income) for the postretirement medical plan:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)	2015			2014
Service cost	$	293		$	271
Interest cost on benefit obligation	645			672
Amortization of actuarial gain	(65		)	(657		)
Amortization of prior-service credit	(614		)	(716		)
Net periodic benefit expense (income)	$	259		$	(430	)