Old Dominion Freight Line has been named the top national less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier for the 17th consecutive year, while Daylight Transport captured top overall honors for the third straight year, according to a news release from Mastio & Co.. The research and consulting firm annually conducts the industry's most comprehensive survey evaluating customer value and loyalty. For shippers, the annual results serve as a data-backed benchmark of carrier performance on key service metrics such as on-time delivery and pricing, and a direct read on the service standards and customer expectations that drive carrier selection.

This year's results were based on 1,647 telephone interviews with LTL shippers conducted from June through September. Respondents provided approximately 5,300 evaluations covering 155 carriers, with 24 earning ratings sufficient to be included in the report.

Key decision makers answered open-ended questions about carriers' service offerings, competitiveness and customer retention. The rankings have historically been based on 28 service metrics, including on-time delivery, damages, transit times, pricing and technology, as well as back-end functions such as billing accuracy, claims processing, problem resolution and carrier responsiveness.

Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ: ODFL), headquartered in Thomasville, North Carolina, said it ranked No. 1 in 24 of the evaluated service categories, "including carrier trustworthiness, ease of doing business, timely customer service, and shipments delivered when promised."

"This award is very important to us because it is selected by shippers," said Marty Freeman, president and CEO of Old Dominion, in a Tuesday news release. "They count on OD to do more than just move their freight – we are an extension of their brand and true business partners."

Two other national carriers also exceeded the industry benchmark for national operators: privately held Estes and publicly traded XPO (NYSE: XPO).

Estes, based in Richmond, Virginia, was named best value provider among national carriers for a fifth consecutive year and also received the top ranking for competitive pricing and website usefulness. The carrier, like others, has been actively increasing its door count to enhance its service offering.

"These results offer a meaningful perspective on how shippers experience Estes — from the value they receive to the people and tools they interact with every day," the company said in a statement. "We're proud of this feedback and will continue to listen, improve, and find new ways to make the shipping experience even better for the people we serve."

XPO, headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, recorded the largest year-over-year increase in net promoter score and weighted performance score among all national carriers. The carrier's recent quarterly earnings report validated those improvements.

Cypress, California-based Daylight Transport was also named the top inter-regional carrier in addition to capturing top overall honors.

Repeat regional winners included Pitt Ohio (Northeast/Mid-Atlantic), Dayton Freight Lines (Great Lakes/Midwest) and Peninsula (Western). Averitt Express was the overall winner in the Southern region.

Source: FreightWaves