TORONTO, Ont. — The more things change, the more they stay the same. Since the Shipper’s Choice Awards were launched by Canadian Shipper magazine in 2002, we’ve endured a recession, and seen technology alter the transportation and logistics landscape.

But more than 15 years later, on-time performance, competitive pricing and customer service remain the Top 3 items on the wish lists ranked by shippers.

In 4,000 evaluations submitted in the program’s less-than-truckload (LTL) category, on-time performance ranked just ahead of customer service in the top two spots. In fact, the customer service expectations were higher here than any other category. But Canada’s LTL carriers appear to be delivering on that front, securing the second-highest customer service ratings across all transportation modes. They edged out their truckload counterparts here as well.

Fourteen LTL carriers surpassed the program’s Benchmark of Excellence, based on the overall average scores, with Bourassa Transport making the list for the first time.

The truckload (TL) transportation category secured the highest satisfaction scores among shipping options. The transportation mode led the way in six out of eight measured key performance indicators — on-time performance; quality of equipment and operations; competitive pricing; leadership in problem solving; ability to provide value-added services; and sustainable transportation practices.

Nearly 1,300 shippers submitted almost 2,000 carrier evaluations for that category, with 10 carriers surpassing a related Benchmark of Excellence.