National & Multi-Region LTL Quest for Quality 2019: High service despite the ups and downs

As we’ve been reporting in the pages of Logistics Management over the past six months, the less-than-truckload (LTL) sector—especially on the national and regional levels—enjoyed a bit of a renaissance over the first half of 2019, experiencing solid rate hikes. However, carriers report that much of that revenue is being eaten up by huge increases in the cost of equipment, driver salaries and other essentials.

Any while many LTL carriers are finally enjoying those higher rates, they’re also coping with bigger than usual increases in costs due to driver wages, truck and truck parts, highway tolls and pending increases in state fuel taxes to pay for badly needed infrastructure upgrades.

“And from what carrier executives are telling us, they’re certainly feeling some pushback on rates from shippers, but so far they’re still able to justify why they need the increase,” says our freight transportation editor John Schulz.

However, through all of these ups and downs in the national and regional LTL sectors, the readers of LM report that nine carriers have what it takes to manage costs and delivery world-class service across many state lines.

FedEx Freight pulled in with a healthy 46.34 weighted score to lead the way in our National LTL category this year. FedEx Freight put up high marks in On-time Performance (11.33), Information Technology (8.40) as well as Equipment & Operations (8.80). UPS Freight led the way in Value (9.08), while ABF Freight scored a category leading 8.91 in 
Customer Service.

In our Multiregional LTL category this year we find Old Dominion putting up an impressive 47.34 weighted score. Old Dominion leads the way in On-time Performance (12.16) and Customer Service (9.68) this year, while FedEx Freight put up top marks in Information Technology (8.18) and Equipment & Operations (8.62). R+L Carriers scored an impressive 9.98 in Value, leading the way in this attribute category this year.

This marks the second year in a row that UPS squeaked by FedEx Ground in the always-tight Surface Package Carriers category with a 48.57 weighted scored. UPS put up the highest marks in every attribute category except for Customer Service, where FedEx Ground scored a 9.01.