Shipper group honors LTL, parcel carriers

NASSTRAC members select recipients of the group's 2000 Carrier of the Year awards.

By -- Logistics Management, 5/1/2000

Four carriers have been honored with Carrier of the Year awards by NASSTRAC, the shipper group whose members manage their companies' less-than-truckload and parcel shipping. That's one more than in previous years. The group decided to expand the number of categories in the awards program in order to reflect what members see as the shape of the LTL and parcel industries.

This marks the fourth time since the program was established in 1987 that the group has rearranged the categories. In the latest change, the association divided the national/super-regional category into two separately judged categories: national and multiregional carriers, after a one-year experiment that combined the two. John DuBiel, vice president of global transportation for Revlon Consumer Products Co. and chairman of NASSTRAC's Provider Relations Committee, says, "The multiregional carriers truly offer another option to the traditional national carriers..That's the reason we put it back in."

Even with the changes, most of the winners are in familiar territory. For the 11th year in a row, the group's members selected Roadway Express as the National LTL Carrier of the Year. American Freightways was declared the Multiregional Carrier of the Year, an award it had won three times previously. Viking Freight Inc. was named Regional Carrier of the Year, a title it had claimed four times previously.

A newcomer to the awards, United Parcel Service, was named Parcel/Express Carrier of the Year. That category was initiated in 1999.

The awards are based on a survey of NASSTRAC members. To be considered for the award, carriers must nominate themselves. A screening committee then distributes the survey form, which includes a list of finalists, to the group's members. The members rate carriers on a scale of one to 10 on service to NASSTRAC and on several service and performance criteria. They are:

• Aggressive pricing programs

• Aggressive transit times

• Billing systems/accuracy

• Competitive operating ratiofor last five years

• EDI initiatives

• Low claims frequency

• Maintaining strategic long-term

• partnerships

• Manageable debt load

• New product development/product offering

• Online tracking

• Quality programs (measurable)

• Software

• Simplified pricing structure

• Simplified rules tariffs

• Timely and efficient claims processing

• Training of employees

• Transactions on line (proof of delivery, bill of lading, routing, etc.).

The Carrier of the Year awards are co-sponsored by NASSTRAC and Logistics Management & Distribution Report. The awards were presented to representatives of the winning carriers by Logistics' chief editor, Peter Bradley, during NASSTRAC's spring conference in Naples, Fla., last month.

Editor's note: The process of selecting 2001 Carriers of the Year is already under way. Carriers are encouraged to nominate themselves. For more information, call NASSTRAC at (202) 484-9188.