Intermodal Service Scorecard : Spring 2024 September | 31
What We Heard — Other IMCs
Positive-Neutral Negative
“ Our asset-based partners are strong out of California and out of Chicago . But if we look at other origins , that ’ s where we start to get value from someone like Cornerstone , Uber Freight ( Celtic ) or somebody like that . It ’ s service in oddball lanes , or what you would not consider a core lane for intermodal .”
“ For a company like Cornerstone Systems , the customer service is just phenomenal . It ’ s like going into a locally owned Ace Hardware instead of going to Home Depot . There is a place for both depending on your needs .”
“ Alliance Shippers is refreshingly humble . They do not care about being right , only serving our account . I use them as an example with my team . It ’ s an attitude we try to emulate .”
“ I can always count on Alliance to do right by our company . They ’ ve never hung us out to dry , which I cannot say of the other IMCs we work with .”
“ It ’ s all about trust , and Alliance has never let us down when it really mattered . Alliance has unmatched customer service and follow through .”
“ Alliance ’ s pricing is not as competitive as that of asset-based providers , but we ’ re happy to pay a premium given the high level of service we receive from them .”
“ Very particular with accessorial charges and how they are handled . Specific equipment requirements per lanes necessitates additional work at DCs .”
“ Not price competitive , reluctant to acknowledge changes in the market in terms of pricing and available capacity . Reliable , but so are many others these days with operations with ample available capacity in the market . They ’ ve lost a significant amount of our business in the past few months due to not being reactive or receptive to rate changes .”
“ We struggle with Uber ( Celtic ) on the accessorial side . Their charges far outweigh asset-based IMCs . They have also struggled early in the year with equipment availability , although that is not currently an issue .”
“ Great customer service , great service for on time , but their pricing limits their volume from me . They always lag industry trends .”
“ Cargo theft has not been managed the best , but that is due to the railroad ’ s less-than-favorable response since it ’ s their equipment .”
“ Like everyone else , Alliance has occasional service failures . The difference with Alliance is they ’ re proactive , responsive and always follow through .”
“ Matson provides impeccable customer service and is very reliable to ensure pickup and delivery on time .”
“ Rates are great if you have westbound freight and don ’ t have a lot of tracking / tracing needs ( or need to ship hazmat ). Pickups / deliveries run smoothly ; rail-owned equipment is in good condition .”
“ Uber Freight ( Celtic ) has the best customer service , on-time delivery and tender acceptance of all our IMCs . They score exceedingly high on our performance-based scorecards .”
“ Our [ non-asset ] IMC is not perfect , but they prioritize communication more than any other transporter we work with , which is our only true requirement .”
“ Very responsive and attentive . Rates are competitive enough . Professional organization through and through ... very well put together . From what I can tell , they care more than anyone else . Or at least the people I work with do .”
“ They ’ re the cream of the crop . No one executes better or gives our company more attention . It is why they win all the other service accolades .”
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