2020 Quest for Quality: Regional LTL

While COVID-19 was a shock to the system and no mode or carrier has been immune, LM has reported that many Regional LTL carriers have held their own financially during the downturn in freight demand.

Analysts point to newfound pricing discipline, more accurate rates due to precise dimensional pricing, and more reliance on home deliveries in the surging e-commerce market as the reasons that many in the Regional LTL sector are faring better than the larger, $340 billion truckload sector.

According to statistics compiled for LM by Satish Jindel, president of SJ Consulting, while carriers in both segments have seen volume declines, LTL carriers have done a better job of expanding services while maintaining profitability.

“One thing helping the LTL guys is that they’re benefiting from the growth of e-commerce,” Jindel says. “Some of the largest e-commerce retailers are now very large LTL shippers, and that’s contributing to pricing discipline.”

And according to LM readers, the 12 Regional LTL carriers taking home Quest for Quality gold this year have done a terrific job of balancing service, capacity and cost in the face of some of the most trying times the industry has witnessed.

In the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic category this year, Pitt Ohio pulls in with an impressive 49.33 weighted score. Pitt Ohio put up high marks in Information Technology (8.56), Customer Service (9.97) and Equipment & Operations (8.90). A. Duie Pyle had top marks in On-time Performance (12.14), while Ward Transport had the highest average in Value (9.97)

Again this year, Southeastern Freight Lines put up the top weighted average in the South/South Central region with a 49.54. Southeastern led the way in On-time Performance (11.88), Value (10.18), Customer Service (10.29), and Equipment & Operations (9.03).

Dayton Freight Lines was the only carrier to score above the weighted average this year in Midwest/North Central region. And, Dayton’s impressive 50.45 was the highest weighted score in the entire Regional LTL category this year.

In the always competitive Western region, Peninsula Truck Lines put up the top weighted score this year (48.15). Peninsula earned that score by putting up top marks in On-time Performance (11.81), Customer Service (10.18), and Equipment & Operations (9.03).