Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ: ODFL) captured the top national less-than-truckload carrier ranking for a 17th straight year in Mastio & Co.'s 2024 customer value and loyalty survey, while Daylight Transport claimed overall honors for the third consecutive year.

The results rest on 1,647 telephone interviews with LTL shippers conducted between June and September. Respondents delivered roughly 5,300 evaluations across 155 carriers, 24 of which earned ratings sufficient to make the report.

What did Old Dominion lead on?

Thomasville, North Carolina-based Old Dominion placed first in 24 of 28 evaluated service categories, spanning carrier trustworthiness, ease of doing business, timely customer service and shipments delivered when promised.

"This award is very important to us because it is selected by shippers," Marty Freeman, Old Dominion's president and CEO, said in a Tuesday release. "They count on OD to do more than just move their freight – we are an extension of their brand and true business partners."

The streak carries commercial weight. Procurement teams that benchmark carriers on customer-perceived service now have 17 years of consistent top ranking for ODFL — a track record that supports premium pricing and preferential freight allocation in contract renewals.

How did the other nationals perform?

Richmond, Virginia-based Estes Express took the best-value-provider crown among national carriers for a fifth consecutive year, also earning top marks for competitive pricing and website usefulness. Estes continues to scale its terminal network, with plans to surpass 14,000 doors in 2026.

"These results offer a meaningful perspective on how shippers experience Estes — from the value they receive to the people and tools they interact with every day," the privately held carrier said in a statement.

Greenwich, Connecticut-based XPO (NYSE: XPO) recorded the largest year-over-year increase in net promoter score and weighted performance score among all national carriers — momentum that mirrors improvements flagged in its recent quarterly earnings beat.

Who won the regional races?

Daylight Transport, based in Cypress, California, repeated as both overall champion and top inter-regional carrier. Other repeat regional winners:

• Pitt Ohio — Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
• Dayton Freight Lines — Great Lakes/Midwest
• Peninsula — Western
• Averitt Express — Southern

Why does the survey matter to shippers and carriers?

Mastio's methodology pairs 28 service metrics — on-time delivery, damages, transit times, pricing, technology, billing accuracy, claims processing, problem resolution and carrier responsiveness — with open-ended questioning of key decision makers on service offerings, competitiveness and customer retention.

That structure gives shippers a benchmark that goes beyond published tariffs, capturing the back-office performance that often decides long-term volume commitments. For carriers, the rankings function as a public scorecard that shapes RFP shortlists in a segment where capacity is tightening and service scrutiny is rising.

What comes next?

With 24 carriers qualifying and LTL capacity continuing to tighten, Mastio's 2025 survey will test whether Old Dominion's 17-year run, XPO's accelerating NPS gains, and Estes' expanding door count translate into measurable service advantages for shippers heading into next year's contract cycle.