LTL shippers increasingly want timely responses, proactiveness

Timely customer service responses and proactive communication are growing in importance for shippers in the less-than-truckload space as the freight market rebound continues, according to a benchmark study of carriers in the LTL segment of the freight market. Mastio recently issued the 22nd edition of its U.S. LTL Carrier Customer Value and Loyalty Report, and while the top five concerns for shippers are unchanged, shippers are looking for improvements in other areas of customer care. Survey respondents grade carriers on a total of 28 attributes. Some 1,647 shippers were interviewed for the latest survey. Customer service personnel responding in a timely manner rose to the No. 8 spot in the customer needs ranking from No. 10. “When you’ve got a problem, you need a response. You need to know,” Mastio President Kevin Huntsman told Transport Topics, adding that while all the new technology available was great, sometimes it doesn’t accomplish everything. “Having a resource — whether that’s your account executive and many times it’s your driver or if it’s dispatch or if it’s your customer service person — being able to resolve problems quickly has become more important,” he added. Mastio U.S. LTL Carrier Customer Value and Loyalty Report Proactive communication also rose two spots in the 2026 rankings, climbing to No. 19 among shipper concerns from No. 21. “If you’re the carrier and I’m the receiver of the freight, and you know you’re not going to make the stop at my dock today, but I’m standing on the dock waiting to go to my son’s soccer game because I…

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