Shipper Satisfaction Ratings by Mode

Shippers are most satisfied with trucking services

Last issue we examined what shippers looked for when selecting carriers. Our annual Shipper’s Choice Survey asks more than 2,000 transportation buyers across Canada to rate the importance (on a scale of 1 to 5) of seven key performance indicators in their carrier selection process. The survey showed that on-time performance was the important criterion among shippers using both TL and LTL transport. Competitive pricing ranked second for those buying TL services and third for those buying LTL services, just behind customer service. This issue we’ll refer again to our survey to examine how TL and LTL trucking compare to other modes in satisfying shipper needs on competitive pricing and other key performance indicators. Despite the considerable rise in truck freight rates since 2003, shippers still rank both TL and LTL trucking best on competitive pricing; they are least satisfied with rail pricing. Trucking, TL operations in particular, do very well against other modes on most counts. TL trucking gets the highest performance marks for on-time performance, quality of equipment and operations, customer service and problem solving. In fact, TL trucking is the highest ranked mode. The major couriers have invested heavily in technology and traditionally received the highest satisfaction levels on that indicator.