Railroads: Fan favorites

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 8/1/2005

If the results of the Quest for Quality are any gauge of progress, railroads may be starting to get back on track when it comes to service. The overall scores for standard rail service jumped this past year, rising from 28.60 to 31.51, and numbers posted higher for all attribute categories. The on-time performance score chugged ahead from 8.56 to 9.05, while the rating for value climbed from 6.90 to 7.78. The grade for information technology rolled forward as well, advancing from 3.44 to 3.83. Customer service displayed momentum, traveling from 5.16 to 5.71. Finally, the tally for equipment and operations jumped from 4.54 to 5.14.

This year, readers handed out pennants to three railroads: Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway, and BNSF Railway. Two of them—Canadian National and BNSF—also took top honors last year.

The overall weighted score for intermodal service providers improved from last year, moving up from 31.21 to 31.91, as numbers rose in four rating categories. The performance ranking slid forward from 9.34 to 9.42, value inched ahead from 7.61 to 7.66, information technology moved up from 3.44 to 3.84, and equipment and operations sped forward from 4.92 to 5.32. Only customer service slipped, from 5.78 to 5.66.

For more information on Quest for Quality, click here.

Three intermodal service providers picked up quality banners this year, compared to two last year. Earning awards were Triple Crown Services, BNSF Railway, and Pacer Stacktrain. Both Pacer and BNSF were winners last year.

Intermodal marketing companies recognized for distinguished service were Alliance Shippers, J.B. Hunt International, Exel, Dart International, C.H. Robinson, Hub Group, and Matson Integrated Logistics. C.H. Robinson and Matson Integrated Logistics also earned awards last year.

Unlike the other rail categories, the overall weighted score for intermodal marketing companies skidded off track as the weighted score for that category fell from 33.84 to 32.69. Attribute numbers fell in three categories. On-time performance dropped from 10.54 to 9.64, value slowed from 8.11 to 7.85, and customer service braked from 6.42 to 6.10. On the other hand, the rating for equipment and operations went up just a notch, from 5.22 to 5.23, while information technology also rose, from 3.64 to 3.88.

Rail/Intermodal

	On-time Performance	Value	Information Technology	Customer Service	Equipment & Operations	Weighted Score
Standard Rail Service
Canadian Pacific Railway	9.67	7.89	3.96	6.30	5.44	33.27
Canadian National Railway	9.71	7.81	3.88	6.16	5.38	32.93
BNSF Railway	9.13	8.00	4.28	5.68	5.40	32.48
Average	9.05	7.78	3.83	5.71	5.14	31.51
Intermodal Service Providers
Triple Crown Services	10.44	7.93	3.73	5.98	6.17	34.25
BNSF Railway	10.10	7.40	4.17	5.75	5.35	32.77
Pacer Stacktrain	8.87	8.72	3.60	5.59	5.14	31.93
Average	9.42	7.66	3.84	5.66	5.32	31.91
Intermodal Marketing Companies
Alliance Shippers	10.92	9.11	4.02	6.65	5.17	35.85
J.B. Hunt Intermodal	10.32	7.77	4.14	6.48	5.52	34.23
Exel	9.83	8.46	3.99	6.56	5.31	34.14
Dart International	10.03	8.63	4.20	6.30	4.80	33.97
C.H. Robinson	10.42	7.74	4.04	6.22	5.47	33.89
Hub Group	9.59	7.97	4.10	6.59	5.45	33.70
Matson Integrated Logistics	9.83	8.46	3.60	6.17	5.14	33.20
Average	9.64	7.85	3.88	6.10	5.23	32.69
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. Source: Logistics Management, Reed Research Group