New website lets shippers rate their 3PLs

You're probably familiar with websites like TripAdvisor, where travelers post reviews of hotels, restaurants, and so forth, or Angie's List, where subscribers give the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to contractors, doctors, and other service providers they've used. Well, now there's something similar for the third-party logistics community.

The market research and consulting firm Armstrong & Associates Inc. has launched a new site called 3PLAdvisor.com that will give shippers a platform for sharing their experiences with third-party logistics service providers (3PLs).

The website will offer benefits to both customers and service providers, according to Evan Armstrong, president of Armstrong & Associates. Customers can anonymously rate their current 3PLs and send "request for information" forms to 3PLs they're interested in working with. At the same time, 3PLs can receive feedback from customers at no cost. Each customer review and 3PL profile submission will be vetted for accuracy before it's posted online, Armstrong noted.

As customer reviews are submitted, 3PLAdvisor.com automatically generates lists of "top ranked" providers by criteria like region and specialty (for example, the top-rated North American 3PLs or the top-rated European air/ocean 3PLs). At launch, the profiles in the database include basic company contact information, the names of top executives, services provided, market area, business roots, total logistics revenue, number of employees, service-specific revenues, and number of warehouses.

Armstrong & Associates, which specializes in third-party logistics, is best known for its annual Who's Who in Logistics and Supply Chain Management guidebooks and 3PL market analyses. For more information, go to www.3pladvisor.com.