As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 13, 2002.
                                                        Registration No. _______
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                  ------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                        UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                  ------------

                               ROADWAY CORPORATION
             (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)

                DELAWARE                                 34-1956254
    (State or Other Jurisdiction of         (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
     Incorporation or Organization)

   1077 Gorge Boulevard, Akron, Ohio                        44310
(Address of principal executive offices)                 (zip code)

                               ROADWAY CORPORATION
                  NONEMPLOYEE DIRECTORS' EQUITY OWNERSHIP PLAN
                            (FULL TITLE OF THE PLAN)

                               John J. Gasparovic
                  Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
                               Roadway Corporation
                              1077 Gorge Boulevard
                                Akron, Ohio 44310
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (330) 384-1717
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)


                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

================================================================================
                                       Proposed     Proposed
   Title of                             maximum      maximum
  securities           Amount          offering     aggregate      Amount of
    to be               to be          price per    offering      registration
  registered        registered(1)        share        price           fee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Common Stock
$.01 par value     200,000 shares      $27.77(2)   $5,554,000(2)    $510.97
================================================================================

(1)   Pursuant to Rule 416 of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"),
      this Registration Statement also covers such additional shares of Common
      Stock, $.01 par value ("Common Stock"), as may become issuable pursuant to
      the anti-dilution provisions of the Roadway Corporation Nonemployee
      Directors' Equity Ownership Plan (the "Plan") described herein.

(2)   Pursuant to Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act, this estimate is made
      solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee
      and is based on the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock
      on the Nasdaq National Market on August 8, 2002.


                                     PART II

ITEM 3.     INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

            The following documents heretofore filed by Roadway Corporation
(Commission File No. 000-32821), successor to Roadway Express, Inc., (the
"Company" or the "Registrant"), with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "Commission") are incorporated herein by reference:

            (1)   Annual Report of Roadway Corporation on Form 10-K for the year
                  ended December 31, 2001;

            (2)   Quarterly Reports of Roadway Corporation on Form 10-Q for the
                  periods ended March 23, 2002 and June 15, 2002;

            (3)   Current Reports of Roadway Corporation on Form 8-K dated
                  January 23, 2002 and May 24, 2002; and

            (4)   The description of the Common Stock contained in the
                  Registration Statement of Roadway Corporation on Form 8-A
                  filed on May 30, 2001.

            All documents that shall be filed by the Company pursuant to
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
"Exchange Act") subsequent to the filing of this registration statement and
prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment indicating that all securities
offered under the Plan have been sold or deregistering all securities then
remaining unsold thereunder shall be deemed to be incorporated herein by
reference and shall be deemed to be a part hereof from the date of filing
thereof.

ITEM 6.     INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

            Under Delaware law, a corporation may include in its certificate of
incorporation ("Certificate") a provision that eliminates or limits the personal
liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary
damages for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, but no such provision may
eliminate or limit the liability of a director (a) for any breach of duty of
loyalty, (b) for acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional
misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (c) under Section 174 of the Delaware
General Corporation Law (the "DGCL") (dealing with illegal redemptions and stock
repurchases), or (d) for any transaction from which the director derived an
improper personal benefit. The Registrant's Certificate limits personal
liability of directors to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

            Delaware law also provides that a corporation (a) must indemnify its
directors, officers, employees, and agents for all expenses of litigation when
they are successful on the merits or otherwise; (b) may indemnify such persons
for the expenses, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement of litigation
(other than a derivative suit) even if they are not successful on the merits, if
they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or
not opposed to the best interests of the corporation (and, in the case of
criminal proceedings, have no reason to believe that their conduct was
unlawful); and (c) may indemnify such persons for the expenses of a derivative
suit even if they are not successful on the merits if



                                        2

they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or
not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, provided that no such
indemnification may be made on behalf of a person adjudged to be liable in a
derivative suit, unless the Delaware Chancery Court determines that, despite
such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, such person is
entitled to indemnification. In any such case, indemnification may be made only
upon determination by (i) a majority of the disinterested directors, (ii)
independent legal counsel or (iii) the stockholders that indemnification is
proper because the applicable standard of conduct was met. The advancement of
litigation expenses to a director or officer is also authorized upon receipt by
the board of directors of an undertaking to repay such amounts if it is
ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for
them.

            The Registrant's Certificate authorizes mandatory indemnification to
the full extent permitted by Delaware law, and authorizes the Registrant to
enter into indemnification agreements with directors, officers and other persons
entitled to indemnification thereunder. The Registrant's Certificate further
authorizes the Registrant to provide by agreement for indemnification greater or
different than set forth in the Registrant's Certificate. The Registrant has
entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and certain officers
that indemnify such persons to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

            The Registrant has a directors' and officers' liability insurance
policy in place pursuant to which its directors and officers are insured against
certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act and
the Exchange Act.

ITEM 8.     EXHIBITS.

            4.1   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the
                  Company (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the
                  Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Roadway Express, Inc. on
                  May 30, 2001).

            4.2   Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (Incorporated by
                  reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K
                  filed by Roadway Express, Inc. on May 30, 2001).

            4.3   Roadway Corporation Nonemployee Directors' Equity Ownership
                  Plan.*

            5.1   Opinion of Counsel.*

            23.1  Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.*

            23.2  Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.*

            23.3  Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1).*

            24.1  Power of Attorney.*

      * Filed herewith.



                                        3

ITEM 9.     UNDERTAKINGS.

      The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

           (a)(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
                  made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
                  statement:

                  (i)   To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3)
                        of the Securities Act;

                  (ii)  To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                        after the effective date of the registration statement
                        (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof)
                        which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a
                        fundamental change in the information set forth in the
                        registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
                        any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered
                        (if the total dollar value of securities offered would
                        not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation
                        from the low or high end of the estimated maximum
                        offering range may be reflected in the form of
                        prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
                        424(b), if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and
                        price represent no more than 20 percent change in the
                        maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the
                        "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective
                        registration statement; and

                  (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
                        plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the
                        registration statement or any material change to such
                        information in the registration statement; provided,
                        however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not
                        apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3, Form
                        S-8 or Form F-3, and the information required to be
                        included in a post-effective amendment by those
                        paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with
                        or furnished to the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or
                        Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated
                        by reference in the registration statement.

            (2)   That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
                  Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be
                  deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
                  securities offered therein, and the offering of such
                  securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
                  fide offering thereof.

            (3)   To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
                  amendment any of the securities being registered which remain
                  unsold at the termination of the offering.

            (b)   That, for purposes of determining any liability under the
                  Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant's annual report
                  pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act
                  (and, where applicable, each filing of


                                        4

                  an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section
                  15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference
                  in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new
                  registration statement relating to the securities offered
                  therein, and the offering of such securities at that time
                  shall be deemed to be in the initial bona fide offering
                  thereof.

            (c)   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
                  Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and
                  controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the
                  foregoing provisions or otherwise, the Registrant has been
                  advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
                  Commission such indemnification is against public policy as
                  expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
                  unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
                  against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
                  Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer
                  or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful
                  defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
                  director, officer or controlling person in connection with the
                  securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in
                  the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by
                  controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
                  jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by
                  it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act
                  and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                                   SIGNATURES

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing this registration statement on Form S-8 and has
duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Akron, State of Ohio, on
this 13th day of August 2002.

                                       ROADWAY CORPORATION


                                       By: /s/ John J. Gasparovic
                                           ----------------------------------
                                           John J. Gasparovic
                                           Vice President, General Counsel
                                           and Secretary



                                        5

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.



        Signature             Title                               Date
        ---------             -----                               ----
                                                            

/s/         *                 Chairman and Chief                  August 13, 2002
-------------------------     Executive Officer
Michael W. Wickham            (Principal Executive Officer)


/s/         *                 Executive Vice President and        August 13, 2002
-------------------------     Chief Financial Officer
J. Dawson Cunningham          (Principal Financial Officer)

/s/         *                 Controller                          August 13, 2002
-------------------------     (Principal Accounting Officer)
John G. Coleman

                              Director                            August __, 2002
-------------------------
Dale F. Frey

/s/         *                 Director                            August 13, 2002
-------------------------
Phillip J. Meek

/s/         *                 Director                            August 13, 2002
-------------------------
Frank P. Doyle

/s/         *                 Director                            August 13, 2002
-------------------------
John F. Fiedler

/s/         *                 Director                            August 13, 2002
-------------------------
Carl W. Schafer

/s/         *                 Director                            August 13, 2002
-------------------------
Sarah Roush Werner


*     The undersigned by signing his name hereto, does sign and execute the
      Registration Statement on Form S-8 pursuant to a Power of Attorney
      executed on behalf of the above-indicated officers and directors of
      Roadway Corporation filed herewith as Exhibit 24.1 on behalf of Roadway
      Corporation and each such person.

                                         By: /s/ John J. Gasparovic
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            John J. Gasparovic, Attorney-in-fact


                                       6

                                  Exhibit Index

      4.1   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company
            (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on
            Form 8-K filed by Roadway Express, Inc. on May 30, 2001).

      4.2   Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (Incorporated by
            reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by
            Roadway Express, Inc. on May 30, 2001).

      4.3   Roadway Corporation Nonemployee Directors' Equity Ownership Plan.*

      5.1   Opinion of Counsel.*

      23.1  Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.*

      23.2  Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.*

      23.3  Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1).*

      24.1  Power of Attorney.*

* Filed herewith.