Con-way Truckload has announced it will open a driver orientation site in Phoenix, AZ to help facilitate the addition of over 250 experienced professional truck drivers drawn from the Southwestern U.S. and to help better position the carrier for future growth.

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“The merger with Con-way has allowed us to do this,” Billy Cartright, director of recruiting for Con-way Truckload, told Fleet Owner, referring to the purchase of Contract Freight, Inc. last year by Con-way.“The opening in Phoenix will cover drivers from Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Colorado, and allow us to better attract drivers from the Southwest who don’t want to spend 10 or 15 hours on a bus getting to the location.”

According to Cartright, the company began forming its orientation site network about three years ago, and the success of the initial locations has allowed the company to add more in an effort to promote future growth. He said the carrier hopes to add a site in Denver in the near future.

The company plans on hiring the drivers over the next 12 months. The new site adds to the truckload carrier’s network of 12 orientation sites and expands the company’s customer base in the region, Con-way said.

Each hire will attend a five-day orientation program, complete paperwork and a road test, learn about policies and procedures, and take the Department of Transportation-mandated physical exam, Con-way said.

The network of sites keeps the number of people attending each orientation to a minimum, instead of trying to get all 250 in one place, Cartright said, leading to more individual attention.

The Phoenix site will be at Premier Inns, 8399 W. Lynwood St. The location is far more convenient for drivers who live in the Southwest, who previously had to travel to the closest existing sites in either El Paso or Laredo, TX.

In addition to the Laredo and El Paso sites, Con-way has orientation sites in Jacksonville, FL; Columbus, OH; Charlotte, NC; Effingham, IL; Birmingham, AL; Dallas, TX; Cookeville, TN; and at Con-way’s headquarters in Joplin, MO.

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