Roadway Express, Akron, Ohio, is cutting transit times on more than 20,000 freight lanes.

The less-than-truckload company announced these changes are the first phase in a comprehensive re-engineering effort to speed up its freight network.
In the largest single reduction in the company's history, the service standard reductions have resulted in additional two- and three-day lanes between more than 350,000 locations across the country.
The first of these changes involves service from 18 key metro areas throughout the country, leading to reduced service standards on over 8,000 lanes. These key metro areas will now offer two- and three-day service to most destinations in the U.S. Service improvements are not limited to just metro-to-metro lanes, but include all destinations. As a result of these reductions, over 3,300 new two-day lanes have been created.
In addition to these changes, Roadway is also speeding up its network by reducing service standards at its smaller, non-metro facilities. These reductions will result in faster service on over 12,000 additional lanes.
Each terminal in Roadway's North American network will be affected by these changes. Some terminals will have as much as 40% of their lanes' transit times reduced by one day or greater.
Company officials pointed to customer input, shifting distribution patterns, accelerated supply chain needs and constant technological innovation and improvements as the principal reasons why these realignment efforts are under way.
The changes will be accomplished by using and adjusting sleeper and relay scheduling to optimize linehaul operations, re-engineering loading plans to reduce cycle times at freight handling centers, and using technology to manage freight movement.