This research applied both direct questioning and conjoint analysis to determine relative importance of trucking service attributes as perceived by shippers while selecting motor carriers. The analysis of importance and satisfaction scores indicated that service attributes that needed immediate attention from carriers engaging in the distribution of automotive parts included 1) reliability of on-time delivery, 2) damage/loss rate, 3) shipping cost, and 4) transit time. This same set of attributes plus the "promptness in returning delivery receipts" represented the most potential for service improvements in the delivery of consumer goods.
Both direct questioning and conjoint analysis methods agreed that the "reliability of on-time delivery" was the most important criteria in purchasing trucking services. However, there existed a difference in the relative importance of shipping cost as derived by both techniques. In comparing with other attributes, the derived importance of shipping cost was greater in the conjoint analysis data than in the direct questioning.
Shippers are presently not quite satisfied with the carriers’ performances with respect to on-time delivery. According to the scores of shippers’ satisfaction obtained in the second-stage survey, among the 48 service attributes being studied the “reliability of on-time delivery” was ranked 31st and 29th in the delivery of automotive parts and consumer goods respectively. Given these results, trucking companies actively engaging in the delivery of automotive parts and consumer goods should seek effective ways to enhance the reliability of delivery service while keeping the costs down at the competitive level. Our experience with major trucking companies in Thailand has indicated that local motor carriers lag far behind their oversea counterparts and other parties in the logistics chain in the adoption of innovative business practices. Carriers, attempting to build up the capability to provide reliable delivery service in the sustainable fashion, should devote serious attention to the implementation of formal quality improvement programs and decent computer-based system to continuously monitor and control the service quality. To better manage and control service cost, carriers must put in-place a cost management system that enables them to thoroughly understand the location and nature of the costs incurred, and develop an adequate planning system for optimizing resource utilization decisions.
Finally, it is noteworthy that care should be exercised in interpreting our analysis results as they were based on a relatively small sample. Future studies are certainly warranted to better our findings and all possible measures must be
executed to maximize participation from the shippers