FreightWaves announces Shipper of Choice winners

Kellogg's takes first place

Kellogg's took first place in the first-ever Shipper of Choice Awards.

For the first time, FreightWaves and its partner Convoy have recognized the manufacturers, distributers and retailers who do the best job of keeping the American economy moving by fighting driver detention, providing accessible facilities, and understanding what it takes to remove inefficiencies from the supply chain.

Kellogg’s took home the first-place trophy in the awards after voting that was managed by Katz, Sapper & Miller to ensure a credible and independent process.

Nestle took home second place, followed by Walmart, Conagra and Home Depot.

Carrier members of the Truckload Carriers Association, along with members of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, voted on the winners.

“Shippers who embrace best practices don’t just benefit carriers, they drive down costs across the market for all participants,” said Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of FreightWaves.

The Shipper of Choice is determined by a simple points system based on how each voter ranks the industry’s most innovative and/or disruptive companies. A company receives 25 points for each first place vote, 24 for second and so on through to the 25th company, which receives one point. The rankings are set by listing each company’s point totals from highest to lowest. The mathematical formula is the same as the one used for the Amway College Football Coaches Poll, the AP Pro32 rankings and the AP Top 25 rankings for men’s and women’s college basketball.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Convoy co-founder and chief technology officer Grant Goodale announces that Kellogg Company won the inaugural Shipper of Choice award. (Photo: FreightWaves)
  • Kellogg Company – 1st
  • Nestlé – 2nd
  • Walmart – 3rd
  • Conagra Brands– 4th
  • Home Depot – 5th
  • Schreiber Foods – 6th
  • The Campbell Soup Company – 7th
  • The Kraft Heinz Company – 8th
  • UPS Freight – 9th
  • General Mills, Inc. – 10th
  • Land O’ Lakes, Inc. – 11th
  • PepsiCo, Inc. – 12th
  • Niagara Bottling, LLC – 13th
  • McCormick & Company – 14th (tie
  • TreeHouse Foods, Inc. – 14th (tie)
  • The CocaCola Company – 16th
  • The Hershey Company – 17th (tie)
  • Shaw Industries – 17th (tie)
  • Georgia Pacific – 19th (tie)
  • Morton Salt, Inc. – 19th (tie)
  • Target Corporation – 21st
  • Smithfield Foods, Inc. – 22nd (tie)
  • Unilever, USA. – 22nd (tie)
  • American Foods Group – 24th
  • The J.M. Smucker Company – 25th

Grant Goodale, co-founder and chief technology officer of Convoy, remarked on why having shippers of choice as customers is so important to Convoy.

“The big reason for us is that we’ve seen the impact that shipper of choice can have on our shipper partners,” Goodale said. “The difference between being a shipper of choice and not is material, even when the market isn’t tight.”

Goodale said that shippers that have worked with Convoy’s Innovation Lab to remove waste and inefficiencies from their networks have seen significant reductions in their transportation costs. Waiakea, a high-growth beverage company based in Hawaii, cut its freight costs by 40%.

“Carriers have long memories, they talk to each other, they know who treats them well and who does not,” Goodale said. “Our goal is endless capacity and zero waste, and the only way we get to that goal is if everyone has respect for each other and everyone’s needs are being met.”

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Fraud & Security

Freight Fraud Symposium

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

May 20, 2026
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH
Register Now
AI & Technology

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL
Register Now
Rail & Policy

Future of Rail Symposium

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

July 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Fraud & Security Freight Fraud Symposium May 20 • Cleveland, OH

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH Register Now
AI & Technology Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL Register Now
Rail & Policy Future of Rail Symposium Jul 28 • Chattanooga, TN

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now