Winners in the Facilities category of this year’s Shipper of Choice Awards, sponsored by Transflo, were announced Wednesday morning during the FreightWaves LIVE @HOME virtual conference.
Of the nearly 400 shippers nominated, those that focused on providing driver amenities, including clean restrooms as well as break rooms with food and drink options rose to the top in the Facilities category. The category also recognized shippers with efficient (75% or greater) drop-and-hook trailer programs that tend to speed drivers’ wait times at docks.
“Oftentimes drivers, particularly of larger fleets, don’t get to choose where they actually pick up and deliver, so facilities are a very important element in that shipper and carrier relationship because it directly impacts the drivers,” said Craig Fuller, chief executive officer and founder of FreightWaves.
The nine winners of the Facilities Award are (in alphabetical order):
- Agri-Mark
- HNI Corp.
- KraftHeinz
- Nestlé Purina PetCare Co.
- Nestlé Waters
- Schreiber Foods
- Syngenta CP, LLC
- The Home Depot
- Tyson Foods
Nestlé Waters North America was recognized as a top shipper in all categories this year.
“We are honored to be selected for these awards,” Bill Trackim, vice president, head of technical & production, supply chain and procurement at Nestlé Waters North America, told FreightWaves. “We’re grateful for the drivers who work tirelessly to transport our products to store shelves across the country so they’re available for consumers looking for healthy hydration options, especially during this critical time.”
Six companies earned honorable mentions. They are:
- Costa Farms
- Ingredion Inc.
- Miller Coors
- Target Corp.
- Unilever
- Weston Foods
The winners in this category were selected prior to the pandemic, which forced many shippers to change their facilities policies to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
This year’s awards were broken down into three main categories — Availability, Efficiency and Facilities. FreightWaves also awarded Best of the Best recognition to 12 companies that outperformed their peers across all categories and Above and Beyond Awards to 13 companies nominated by drivers for providing a top-notch driver experience.
Shipper of Choice nominees were solicited from FreightWaves’ readers and fans from social media. Each company was sent a survey with questions on operational data, including dwell times, overages/shortages and damages, hours of operation, communication protocols, and facility attributes including the availability of showers, bathrooms and break rooms for drivers.
Drivers quickly took to social media to praise shippers that treated them well during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fuller said.
“Treating drivers with respect, treating them as humans and having empathy is really important in how shippers and drivers interact with one another,” he said.
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