PECO Pallet has announced the recipients of its 2025 Carrier of the Year awards, recognizing top-performing trucking partners that support the company’s pooled rental pallet network across North America.
Based in Itasca, Illinois, PECO operates one of North America’s leading pallet pooling networks serving the food, beverage, and consumer packaged goods sectors. Each year, the company works with more than 100 trucking firms that provide truckload freight services across its network. These carriers move PECO’s red nine-block pallets between depots, customers, and distribution centers throughout the United States and Canada.
For 2025, Cowan Systems of Baltimore, Maryland, was named National Carrier of the Year. Day and Ross, headquartered in York, Pennsylvania, earned Regional Carrier of the Year honors.
“Our trucking partners are key contributors in delivering a superior service experience for our customers,” said Mike Greene, PECO’s senior vice president of network planning and transportation. “This program recognizes those who consistently demonstrate exemplary performance supporting our depots and customers. We congratulate our winners and thank all our carriers for their continued excellence.”
According to PECO, carriers are evaluated using a range of performance metrics that reflect both operational execution and long-term partnership value. These criteria include equipment reliability, on-time delivery, invoicing timeliness, safety performance, data accuracy, proactive communication, and overall service quality. The company also considers cost-reduction initiatives, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration CSA scores, and evidence of continuous improvement efforts.
With pallet pooling dependent on predictable asset movement and tight coordination between depots and customers, transportation performance plays a critical role in maintaining service standards. Reliable carriers help ensure pallets are positioned where needed, minimizing disruption and supporting consistent supply chain flow.
For readers seeking a broader overview of how pooled pallet systems operate, including rental structures, asset management, and performance considerations, see RPN’s guide to pallet rental and pooling management:
https://packagingrevolution.net/pallets/pallet-rental-pooling-management/
PECO’s pooled pallet model is designed to advance sustainability by extending pallet life through reuse and recycling. The company operates more than 90 depots and sort facilities across North America and manages approximately 23 million pallets in circulation. Its network supports customers in retail, agriculture, and consumer goods markets, providing a closed-loop solution intended to reduce waste and limit the environmental impact associated with single-use pallets.
Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, PECO Pallet delivers millions of its red block pallets to grocery and consumer goods manufacturers across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Through its pooled rental network, the company focuses on improving supply chain efficiency, reducing product damage, enhancing safety, and advancing sustainability initiatives. More information is available at www.pecopallet.com.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
