If excellence in the logistics industry could be quantified, Logistics Management magazine's "Quest for Quality" awards would represent its most precise measurement. After 38 years of refinement, this evaluation has become the gold standard for assessing customer satisfaction and operational excellence. The 2021 results reveal 142 transportation and logistics service providers that have earned exceptional customer recognition, setting the benchmark for industry leadership.
A Data-Driven Evaluation Framework
The distinctive feature of the "Quest for Quality" awards lies in their exclusive reliance on authentic customer feedback. Logistics Management collaborates with Peerless Research Group (PRG) to survey qualified buyers of logistics and transportation services, collecting their evaluations of service providers. This year's survey yielded over 4,100 valid responses, ensuring representative and reliable results. To maintain impartiality, only companies receiving at least 5% of category votes qualify as winners.
The evaluation system encompasses all critical logistics service domains:
Transportation Providers
For carriers across road, rail, ocean, air, and freight forwarding modes, five core metrics apply: on-time performance, value, information technology, customer service, and equipment/operations.
Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Providers
Given 3PL services' unique nature, evaluation criteria include: carrier selection/negotiation, order fulfillment, transportation/distribution, inventory management, and logistics IT. Partnering with Armstrong & Associates Inc., Logistics Management assesses 3PL providers through categorized evaluations.
Port Operations
As critical logistics nodes, ports are evaluated on five metrics: ease of doing business, value, ocean network, intermodal network, and equipment/operations.
Weighted Scoring: Capturing Customer Priorities
The awards employ weighted scoring that reflects customer priorities. Annually, readers rank category criteria using a five-point scale (5=highest value). PRG researchers then assign weights accordingly. In 2021, on-time performance remained the paramount factor across all transportation categories, scoring between 4.64 and 4.78, followed closely by value.
After establishing weights, readers rate their service providers on each criterion using a three-point scale (1=poor, 2=average, 3=excellent). Researchers calculate weighted scores by multiplying average ratings by criterion weights, then summing these for a total score. Providers exceeding their category's average weighted score qualify for awards—provided they meet the 5% response threshold.
2021 Quest for Quality Award Winners
- National Auto Transport
- American Auto Transport
- United Road
- Landstar System
- Maverick Transportation
- J.B. Hunt Transport Services
- Pamela Transport
- Warner Enterprises
- ArcBest
- Canadian Pacific Kansas City
- FedEx Freight
- DHL Global Forwarding
- Old Dominion Freight Line
- UPS
- XPO Logistics
- FedEx
- UPS
- U.S. Postal Service
- Canadian National Railway
- Canadian Pacific Kansas City
- CSX Transportation
- Kansas City Southern Railway
- Norfolk Southern
- Union Pacific Railroad
The Value of Excellence
Beyond recognition, the "Quest for Quality" awards serve as a practical industry reference, helping buyers identify optimal partners while motivating providers toward continuous improvement. This competitive dynamic ultimately elevates industry standards, driving innovation and operational efficiency across logistics networks.
Through its rigorous methodology and customer-centric approach, Logistics Management's evaluation has established itself as the definitive assessment of logistics service quality—not merely celebrating excellence, but actively shaping the industry's trajectory.