National Champs

Quest for Quality - National LTL

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 8/1/2006

Amid all the buyouts and mergers, record-high fuel costs, tight capacity, and cutthroat competition, it’s refreshing to see how many carriers in this category have managed to keep their sights set on delivering world-class service. In fact, there are four more winners in the Multiregional category than there were in 2005, indicating that carriers have made a notable improvement in satisfying shippers.

This year we find FedEx Freight putting up some inspiring numbers. FedEx was the only national LTL averaging above the composite average of 32.15, allowing it to dethrone last year’s champion, Yellow Transportation. FedEx Freight’s weighted On-time Performance score came in at an impressive 11.63, by far the best score among the National and Multiregional & Interregional LTL categories.

Judging from some of the feedback we received from respondents, that’s not surprising. “FedEx Freight consistently delivers over 98 percent on-time, and our freight is JIT, very time-sensitive,” remarked one respondent. “At times, FedEx Freight performs like a ground expedited carrier, tackling on-time demands with ease,” said another.

Satisfied readers voted in five new winners in the Multiregional & Interregional LTL category in 2006. Estes Express, UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation), Old Dominion Freight Line, Jevic Transportation, and Saia all step up to the podium this year to claim their prizes. Even though the weighted average dropped by nearly 4 points in the category compared to 2005, it’s refreshing to see some new faces on the podium. While Estes took the prize in On-time Performance, Customer Service, and Equipment & Operations, Saia took first place in Value, and UPS Freight was top dog when it came to Information Technology.

We have repeat winners in the category for surface package carriers, with UPS coming out on top with a weighted score of 37.62 and FedEx Ground rolling up a 35.44. While UPS and FedEx Ground ran neck-and-neck in the five attribute scores, UPS did pull out an impressive 12.24 in On-time Performance. This comment from one respondent might explain why: “Our company is located in a small community, and the UPS driver knows everyone. We told him the day before that we were expecting a very important package overnight that we had to have ASAP, and he made sure we were his first stop.”
 
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