Standard Forwarding, a U.S. less than truckload (LTL) carrier and subsidiary of DHL Freight, was named Great Lakes/Midwest LTL Carrier of the Year (2012) in Mastio & Company's annual Value and Loyalty Benchmarking Study. It was the fifth time in a row that Standard Forwarding won the coveted award.

'We strive every day to meet and exceed our customers' expectations, so it's very gratifying to see such an overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers', said John Ward, president of Standard Forwarding.

Standard Forwarding had the highest score among all participating carriers nationwide when customers were asked about the 'likelihood of continued usage'. They also received the second-highest 'net promoter' score nationally. Net promoter score measures a customer's 'likelihood to recommend', an indication of customer satisfaction.

The in-depth study surveys 2,000 shippers and identifies and quantifies the needs of LTL freight customers while comparing national, regional and local carriers. Standard Forwarding was selected as the winner based upon top scores in 24 service attributes determined to be most important to LTL customers.

'With 90 new tractors and 147 new trailers added to our fleet over the past year and on-board technology installed on all tractors, Standard Forwarding is continuing to invest to provide world-class service to our customers', added Stefano Arganese, CEO Central Eastern Southern Europe and Americas, Middle East, Africa DHL Freight.