LTL on-time rates fall again

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 11/1/1998

Less-than-truckload carriers' transit-time performance for the second quarter dropped to 65.9 percent. According to an analysis of 40 key lanes across the country by Strategic Technologies Inc., LTL carriers met their own standards for on-time delivery less than two-thirds of the time during the three-month period that ended June 30.

STI examined a total of 22,743 shipments weighing under 10,000 pounds that moved in those lanes. As in previous reports, performance varied widely among the lanes measured. On 11 of the lanes, carriers exceeded 90 percent on-time performance. At the other extreme, on-time performance fell below 50 percent on a dozen lanes. On the four worst-performing lanes, fewer than 10 percent of shipments arrived on schedule. On nine of those lanes, shipments averaged more than a day late--the same figure as the March-to-May report.

As always, it's important to note that the STI figures look at overall performance of LTL carriers. Individual carriers can and do operate at far higher on-time rates.

The on-time performance is measured against the carriers' own published transit times. The table above includes a sampling of performance on particular lanes nationwide.

Transit Times

Origin Destination Published Actual % on-time

Mira Loma, Calif. Las Vegas, Nev. 1.39 1.45 95.4

Atlanta, Ga. Orlando, Fla. 1.08 2.85 24.2

Melrose Park, Ill. Jessup, Md. 2.00 3.30 33.8

Dallas, Texas San Antonio, Texas 1.11 1.39 81.1

Jackson, Miss. New Orleans, La. 1.00 1.10 92.5

Santa Fe Spgs, Cal. Fullerton, Calif. 2.31 2.74 66.3

Springfield, Mo. Little Rock, Ark. 2.00 1.35 92.7

Atlanta, Ga. Memphis, Tenn. 1.05 2.44 36.4

Mascot, Tenn. Nashville,Tenn. 1.07 1.15 91.1

Hendersonville, N.C. High Point, N.C. 1.00 2.20 48.8

Total sample (22,743 shipments) 65.9%

"Published" represents carriers' average published projected transit time in working days. "Actual" represents average actual transit time.

Source: Strategic Technologies Inc. (STI provides freight rating, payment, and reporting services and acts as a network for communication of electronic load tenders and shipment-status messages for shippers and carriers.)