2009 Quest for Quality Awards: TRUCKLOAD: Truckload method actors
By Logistics Management Staff -- Logistics Management, 8/1/2009
As our senior trucking correspondent John Schulz deftly surmised last month in our 2009 Annual Report, the truckload (TL) sector has always been cast as the engine driving innovation in the trucking industry. But, today, it’s playing the part of a shrinking giant.
In fact, TL carriers reduced capacity by an estimated 7 percent last year as the segment coped with a serious recession that has caused double-digit drops in tonnage demand. And while accounting for 87 percent of all for-hire trucking revenue, the non-union TL sector has proven to be an nimble provider whose strength has been in the ability to align capacity and resources where shippers need them to be. So, when the current trucking downturn began in August 2006, the TL sector reacted by shedding capacity and parking trucks at what normally would be considered an alarming rate.
Due to declining rates, some leading TL carriers have diversified away from their typecast roles in pure dry van freight into other transport segments.
According to the readers of LM, 29 carriers have taken to their more diversified roles nicely, meeting high service levels while juggling more demands.
In Industrial & Heavy-Haul we find Mullen Trucking leading our pack of winners for the second year in a row, posting a 37.92 weighted score. Mullen led the way in On-time Performance (12.60) and Equipment & Operations (6.60), while Landstar Carrier Group scored the highest in Value (10.17). Pacer Transport scored highest in Information Technology (3.58) and Customer Service (8.40).
Only four carriers will walk the red carpet this year in the Dry Freight carrier category, down from the seven winners we honored in 2008. Landstar Carrier Group’s performance over the past year earned the carrier top honors with a 34.78 weighted score. Landstar won three of the five attribute categories, scoring 8.92 in Value, 6.58 in Customer Service, and 5.31 in Equipment & Operations. Con-way Truckload was second in overall scoring (34.49), putting up a category-leading 3.43 in Information Technology. Heartland Express led the way in On-time Performance this year, scoring an impressive 11.00.
This year we have 10 carriers in the ever-competitive Expedited Motor Carriers’ category. FedEx Custom Critical rings in with the top weighted average for the third year in a row (36.92), but not by much. In fact, the top four winners are separated by only a few tenths of a point. FedEx Custom put a category-leading 12.40 in On-time Performance this year, and also led the way in Information Technology (3.93), Customer Service (7.11), and Equipment & Operations (5.84). Averitt Express (36.90), CRST Van Expedited (36.59), and NEMF Today (36.22) rounded out this year’s top four in one of the more hotly contested battles.
This year’s Bulk Motor Carriers category has seven carriers walking the red carpet. While Bulkmatic Transport put up the top overall score (35.40), top honors in each attribute category were spread around fairly well this year. Bulkmatic took top spot in Customer Service (7.11), while Groendyke Transport put up the best score in On-time Performance (11.25) and Value (9.33), and Miller Transporters placed best in Information Technology (3.40) and Equipment & Operations (5.43).
| On-time Performance | Value | Information Technology | Customer Service | Equipment & Operations | Weighted Score | |
| Logistics Management - 2009 Quest for Quality -Truckload and Van Lines - Reed Business Information - June 2009 | ||||||
| Mullen Trucking | 12.60 | 9.60 | 2.40 | 6.72 | 6.60 | 37.92 |
| Landstar Carrier Group | 11.53 | 10.17 | 3.43 | 6.75 | 5.55 | 37.43 |
| Melton Truck Lines | 11.52 | 9.28 | 3.46 | 6.77 | 5.37 | 36.39 |
| Pacer Transport | 9.35 | 9.54 | 3.58 | 8.40 | 4.91 | 35.77 |
| AVERAGE | 11.08 | 9.07 | 3.29 | 6.33 | 5.24 | 35.01 |
| On-time Performance | Value | Information Technology | Customer Service | Equipment & Operations | Weighted Score | |
| Logistics Management - 2009 Quest for Quality - Truckload and Van Lines - Reed Business Information - June 2009 | ||||||
| Landstar Carrier Group | 10.76 | 8.92 | 3.22 | 6.58 | 5.31 | 34.78 |
| Con-way Truckload | 10.59 | 8.82 | 3.43 | 6.42 | 5.23 | 34.49 |
| Heartland Express | 11.00 | 8.08 | 3.12 | 6.37 | 5.22 | 33.78 |
| Schneider National | 10.24 | 8.90 | 3.38 | 6.01 | 5.12 | 33.64 |
| AVERAGE | 10.16 | 8.53 | 3.18 | 6.11 | 5.06 | 33.03 |
| On-time Performance | Value | Information Technology | Customer Service | Equipment & Operations | Weighted Score | |
| All scores are weighted. Weighted scores are determined by multiplying the average raw scores by the average importance of each attribute (1= least important; 5= most important). To find the attributed weights for this category, see the introduction to the Quest for Quality report. Logistics Management - 2009 Quest for Quality - Truckload and Van Lines - Reed Business Information - June 2009 |
||||||
| FedEx Custom Critical | 12.40 | 7.64 | 3.93 | 7.11 | 5.84 | 36.92 |
| Averitt Express | 11.20 | 9.48 | 3.60 | 7.00 | 5.62 | 36.90 |
| CRST Van Expedited | 12.15 | 9.00 | 3.56 | 6.65 | 5.23 | 36.59 |
| NEMF Today | 11.37 | 10.11 | 2.92 | 6.84 | 4.98 | 36.22 |
| Pitt Ohio Express | 11.35 | 9.30 | 3.45 | 6.56 | 5.20 | 35.86 |
| USF Holland | 11.08 | 9.52 | 3.51 | 6.53 | 5.21 | 35.85 |
| UPS | 11.19 | 8.85 | 3.82 | 6.24 | 5.49 | 35.60 |
| Landstar Express America | 10.98 | 8.92 | 3.63 | 6.78 | 5.10 | 35.42 |
| ABF Freight System | 10.85 | 8.61 | 3.51 | 6.72 | 5.29 | 34.98 |
| New Penn | 11.14 | 9.27 | 3.20 | 6.36 | 4.90 | 34.88 |
| AVERAGE | 10.82 | 8.75 | 3.51 | 6.42 | 5.23 | 34.72 |
| On-time Performance | Value | Information Technology | Customer Service | Equipment & Operations | Weighted Score | |
| Logistics Management - 2009 Quest for Quality - Truckload and Van Lines - Reed Business Information - June 2009 | ||||||
| Bulkmatic Transport | 10.61 | 8.92 | 3.35 | 7.11 | 5.42 | 35.40 |
| Miller Transporters, Inc. | 10.69 | 9.07 | 3.40 | 6.53 | 5.43 | 35.11 |
| Groendyke Transport, Inc. | 11.25 | 9.33 | 3.00 | 6.53 | 4.89 | 35.01 |
| Prime, Inc. | 10.43 | 8.72 | 3.38 | 6.53 | 5.42 | 34.48 |
| Schneider National Bulk Carriers | 10.11 | 9.15 | 3.29 | 6.08 | 5.09 | 33.73 |
| Superior Carriers | 10.42 | 8.94 | 2.91 | 6.13 | 5.23 | 33.62 |
| Ruan Transport | 9.75 | 8.73 | 3.00 | 6.87 | 5.20 | 33.55 |
| AVERAGE | 10.16 | 8.82 | 3.16 | 6.26 | 5.10 | 33.50 |
| On-time Performance | Value | Information Technology | Customer Service | Equipment & Operations | Weighted Score | |
| All scores are weighted. Weighted scores are determined by multiplying the average raw scores by the average importance of each attribute (1= least important; 5= most important). To find the attributed weights for this category, see the introduction to the Quest for Quality report. Logistics Management - 2009 Quest for Quality - Truckload and Van Lines - Reed Business Information - June 2009 |
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| Paul Arpin Van Lines | 10.50 | 10.67 | 4.00 | 6.53 | 5.13 | 36.83 |
| Allied Van Lines | 11.25 | 9.33 | 3.31 | 7.12 | 5.50 | 36.51 |
| Graebel Van Lines | 10.69 | 9.50 | 2.81 | 6.80 | 5.66 | 35.46 |
| United Van Lines | 10.38 | 8.17 | 3.00 | 6.38 | 4.93 | 32.86 |
| AVERAGE | 10.27 | 8.36 | 2.94 | 6.14 | 4.79 | 32.51 |
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