Judging by this year's average customer-satisfaction numbers, things are moving along quite nicely for national LTLs despite the odd and sundry roadblocks plaguing ground carriers these days. If they weren't doing their jobs, they wouldn't have been able to improve on last year's scores, right? And that they did: This year's average weighted scores were higher than last year's in the national, multiregional and interregional, and surface package carrier segments. National LTLs improved to 31.94 from 31.56; multiregional and interregional carriers were clocked at 32.62, almost a full point over last year's 31.75; and surface package carriers moved to 35.21 from 34.57. Looking at this industry segment as a whole, that's an average improvement from 32.63 to 33.25.

Scores for value, information technology, and equipment and operations also rose, in some cases by more than half a point. On the flip side, the averages for on-time performance and customer service declined slightly.

Over the past several years, the national LTL category has been dominated, naturally enough, by Roadway Express and Yellow Transportation, and this year is no different. They've repeated their 1-2 positions from last year, with Roadway taking its second straight crown with a score of 32.77—a small improvement over 2002's 32.60—and Yellow pulling in just behind at 32.37, down just a notch from its 32.46 score last year. ABF Freight System, which placed in 2002 and 2000, rounds out the national list this time with 31.95, its best score in several years.

Only one multiregional/interregional carrier made the grade this year. FedEx Freight, in its Quest for Quality debut, logged a score of 35.87. It also racked up the highest rating for customer service with a score of 6.89. (It should be noted that FedEx Freight's predecessor companies, Viking Freight and American Freightways, were frequent Quest for Quality winners in the past.)

Speaking of high scores, United Parcel Service not only took first place in the surface package realm with a score of 36.83, but it also boasted the highest scores in the entire national LTL category in all but one attribute. UPS reigned in performance (11.64), value (8.87), information technology (5.24), and equipment and operations (4.37).

We asked respondents to the national LTL survey about their use of logistics exchanges and information technology, such as transportation management software (TMS). Only 14 percent said they use an exchange to book or monitor their LTL shipments, while just 20 percent of the businesses surveyed reported using a TMS system to manage their LTL traffic.