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How Technology and Expertise Play a Vital Role in Global Supply Chain Management
Successfully managing your international transportation in a world where freight transportation management on the global scale is a competitive necessity. Discover why global TMS technology combined with the expertise of TMS power users is central to achieving an optimized global supply chain. Read this white paper to find out how best-in-class companies are preparing for and deploying these solutions.

Truckload Fuel Surcharges: How They Work and What They Cost
To reduce overall costs, shippers often modify their fuel surcharges by changing the index, raising the peg, or raising the escalator. But which of these methods actually can achieve the goal? Using the latest research on fuel surcharges, this paper explains how fuel surcharge works, what actually happens to costs as shippers employ three common tactics to modify fuel surcharges, and which of these three tactics can lower costs.

Preset Delivery Appointments: Simple, Profound Impact
When streamlining supply chain processes, effective shippers discover that looking through a lens of simplicity, rather than complexity, can often unearth solutions that deliver time and cost savings results. One simple solution to increase visibility, improve load planning, raise service standards, and lighten carrier workloads is to manage freight delivery appointments. Overall, a well-run, centralized preset delivery appointment process that streamlines procedures and sets specific expectations delivers substantial supply chain benefits. Read how preset delivery appointment scheduling can effectively deliver products to receivers, keep costs down, and uphold brand reputation.

New Ideas to Strengthen the Chemical Supply Chain
Chemical manufacturers face unique supply chain requirements. The way a chemical company responds to supply chain risks can ultimately determine their success. Research shows leading chemical companies possess the right supply chain skills to consistently meet customer requirements at high speeds and low costs.

Choosing a TMS Plus Managed Services Provider: Making the Most of Your RFP
When the time is right for your business to issue a request for proposal (RFP), there are several key considerations that can determine the difference between achieving your goals and spinning your wheels. We've boiled them down to a few important factors to help ensure you choose the provider that best fits your organizational strategy.

Live Loading: Developing Effective Transportation Strategies
Shippers with large volumes of freight may be more apt to depend on a drop trailer program, but live loading can add elasticity in capacity and can be an effective way to accommodate changing business conditions. When used together, these complementary strategies can deliver the greatest advantages to a shipper's logistics operations Discover how you can add elasticity in capacity to your supply chain by considering such factors as how you operate your dock, how much space you have for staging, the flexibility of loading times, and number of shifts.

Stale Rates Research: Benefits of Frequent Transportation Bids
Do regular procurement events help control transportation costs, or are frequent rebids a waste of time? To answer the question, Iowa State University examined how carriers adjust and honor contract rates between procurement events. This white paper explains that a freight transportation procurement strategy based on regular procurement events can deliver substantial cost savings and network efficiencies.

Collaborative Outsourcing: Preparing for a Successful Logistics Outsource
Many companies are responding to increased global competition and challenging economic conditions by outsourcing their logistics. The shipper's level of preparation before outsourcing and the role they play after the strategy begins are crucial to the success of the engagement. This white paper outlines the steps and considerations that need to be addressed by the shipper in order to achieve a high level of success through logistics outsourcing.

Get Ready for a Customs Audit: Why Shipper Audits Are Increasing, and How You Can Prepare
As U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) steps up enforcement of customs regulatory compliance, more companies are facing a customs audit. This white paper explains the factors that increase the risk of being audited, how companies can develop an audit team, and how a customs audit can improve processes and lead to better communications with CBP.

10 Tips to Prepare for a Tight Capacity Market
Preparing an ongoing strategy for truckload procurement can help you gain access to capacity, regardless of economic and market conditions. This white paper explains how you can align your business goals and outcomes with carriers' for better rates and exceptional service over time.

Going Global: Building a Sustainable Logistics Model in the Age of Globalization
Globalization puts forward opportunities to companies of any size who can effectively provide or source products and services in dynamic markets. Gain a competitive advantage through global transportation logistics by reading this white paper, where you’ll discover the five characteristics of a global TMS technology and the factors that influence international shipments.

How to Source, Implement, and Manage a Transportation Management Solution
With so many transportation solutions available in the market today, how do you know which one is right for your business? This white paper acts as your guide and demonstrates how to evaluate, implement, and maintain an ideal outsource relationship.

Benefits of Managing Inbound Transportation
Learn how taking control of your inbound freight can help you drive performance and identify deeper supply chain savings.

Best Practices in Transportation Management
We've created a checklist of our top transportation management best practices and techniques to help you capture savings and discover opportunities for improvement.

Aggregate Low Volume Lanes, Lower Transportation Costs
When RFPs ask carriers for point-to-point pricing on long haul loads, many lanes are classified as "low volume," subject to more costly spot market pricing. By aggregating low volume lanes—defining origin and destination sizes more broadly—you can increase the total shipments moving in a lane and obtain more favorable contract pricing, saving up to 15 percent over spot market rates.

CSA: Shipper Challenges and Opportunities
(Updated and Revised December 2010)
CSA remains a work in progress. As the FMCSA prepares to implement the SMS portion of CSA in December 2010, read this updated white paper. Find out what CSA is, what it’s designed to do, how CSA tracks for SMS and SFD differ, and what you can do now to prepare your supply chain for implementation.

Increase Lead Time, Decrease Costs
C.H. Robinson, TMC, and graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) conducted research that shows how giving carriers more lead time can lead to significant savings in transportation costs.

Supply Chains: Where to Find the Biggest, Fastest Transportation Savings
How can you achieve the greatest transportation savings with the least amount of effort? Discover ten ways to cut transportation costs and find out what kind of ROI you can achieve as a result.

Considering China's Warehousing Options
Pursuing warehouse solutions in China is a strategic move for companies hoping to cut costs by shipping directly to end customers. Learn more about the benefits of overseas warehousing, potential challenges, and implementation strategies to help you determine if a China warehouse solution is right for you.

Deriving Strategic Advantage from Truckload Procurement
Published by CSCMP Explores
Your truckload procurement strategy can lead to excellent customer service and significant savings—if you can avoid common pitfalls. Read this white paper to learn more about the dynamics that influence the truckload market and how shipper and carrier networks can be aligned for optimal performance. You’ll also discover what tools you will need to execute a strategic procurement plan.

Carrier Procurement Insights: Trucking Company Volume, Cost, and Pricing Tradeoffs
by Armstrong & Associates, Inc.
In today's trucking industry, shippers must understand how their freight complements an individual carrier's network. Since not all freight is attractive to carriers, this white paper introduces the primary influencers to their price and volume commitments, which could help you reduce costs for both your carriers and customers.

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