Container Shipping: The Evaluation of Quality Factors in Freight Forwarding Services

Abstract:This article evaluates quality factors determined by customers of a freight forwarder operating in the Czech market, through the development of a new service quality measurement tool, TARRQUAL. Developed by the authors and based on expert discussions, TARRQUAL supplements the Delphi method. Through the application of factors derived from relevant research studies from customers in the Asian, Australian, and American markets, the research elaborates the dimensions expressed by Czech cargo beneficiaries. Using a decision-making matrix, the research findings are compared. The research key value is a holistic input for the empirical research in the forwarding services provider selection process, geographically scoped by the inland hinterland of European markets, with the Czech Republic as a showcase.