Environmental scanning practices among LTL carriers of general freight

In this article, environmental scanning ("...gathering and interpreting pertinent information and introducing the results into the organizational decision process.") is examined in the motor carrier industry with a specific focus on LTL general freight carriers. Possible differences between carriers who conduct scanning activities and those who do not is the first topic to be investigated. This article then provides a more in-depth analysis on those carriers who conduct environmental scanning. Scanning practices such as the departments responsible for scanning, overall satisfaction with scanning information, and the most reliable source of scanning information are examined. It concludes by investigating if there are relationships between scanning activities and either firm size or firm profitability.