In today's fiercely competitive market, how can businesses accurately identify truly reliable logistics partners? More importantly, how can they measure service quality to ensure stable and efficient supply chain operations? The annual Quest for Quality awards may provide the clarity and direction needed.
As the benchmark for measuring customer satisfaction and service excellence in logistics and transportation, the Quest for Quality awards have maintained their reputation for 36 years. Unlike popularity contests or click-driven rankings, these awards stand out through their rigorous evaluation process. This isn't a simple beauty pageant - qualified shippers are invited to vote on service providers they regularly use, ranking their current carriers and vendors.
To ensure accuracy and fairness, voters must have had actual working experience with evaluated suppliers within the past 12 months. This experience-based evaluation mechanism makes Quest for Quality results more valuable as market references.
Methodical Research Creates Authoritative Rankings
In 2019, the internal research department Peerless Research Group (PRG) processed over 4,500 responses to select 117 winners. These transportation and logistics service providers received top scores across all critical service criteria.
"We again applied our proven methodology for the 2019 Quest for Quality awards," explained Judd Aschenbrand, PRG's research director. "Carriers and service providers consequently value this honor above all other industry awards. The true worth of Quest for Quality lies in measuring service performance rather than mere popularity - the most important metric in successful partnerships."
Challenging Market Conditions Highlight Service Value
John Schulz, transportation editor at Logistics Management, noted that given 2018's market conditions, shippers demonstrated higher-than-usual confidence levels in winning carriers when casting votes. He observed that shippers completing 2019 ballots faced the most challenging year logistics managers had experienced in decades.
"Amid economic expansion, rate increases and capacity constraints, they needed rapid adaptation and partners willing to collaborate and innovate," Schulz added. "This year's winners represent companies that not only met these challenges but exceeded expectations."
Understanding the Quest for Quality Evaluation Criteria
The awards assess logistics providers across multiple critical service dimensions:
- On-time Performance: The fundamental logistics metric that directly impacts supply chain efficiency and customer satisfaction.
- Value: Evaluating cost-effectiveness and tangible benefits beyond simple pricing.
- Equipment & Operations: Assessing infrastructure quality, operational efficiency, and cargo security.
- Customer Service: Measuring responsiveness, professionalism, and problem-resolution capabilities.
- Information Technology: Examining technological capabilities including real-time tracking and data analytics.
The Significance of Quest for Quality Recognition
Beyond being an award, Quest for Quality serves as an industry standard that helps shippers select partners while motivating providers toward continuous improvement.
For shippers, the awards help:
- Identify top-performing suppliers through vetted rankings
- Mitigate supply chain risks by choosing market-validated partners
- Enhance supply chain efficiency through premium service providers
For logistics providers, recognition delivers:
- Enhanced brand reputation through independent validation
- New customer acquisition via award credibility
- Performance benchmarking for continuous improvement
Future Outlook: Digital Transformation and Evolving Standards
As digital technologies reshape logistics through IoT, AI, and advanced analytics, Quest for Quality criteria will evolve to assess digital capabilities including:
- Adoption of advanced management systems (TMS/WMS)
- Real-time data analytics and predictive capabilities
- AI-powered route and inventory optimization
- E-commerce fulfillment and customer experience innovations
The awards will continue serving as an industry compass, promoting service excellence while adapting to technological advancements and changing market demands.