Human trafficking and slavery in global supply chains would appear to be an intractable problem. But progress toward their elimination is being made.

Getting from point A to point B in today's supply chain is no longer as simple as a straight line. Instead, in today's global environment businesses are adapting their supply chains in order to compete profitably. Rates, capacity, competition, warehousing and other supply chain components are evolving while the pace of business moves faster than ever before. As a result, ongoing supply chain analysis is critical in order for a business to adapt and compete. -Brian Broadhurst, Vice President of Transportation Solutions, Spend Management Experts

Sales and operations planning. So important, yet success is so elusive. While many companies approach S&OP as a technology implementation, success requires a focus on 60 percent culture, 30 percent process and 10 percent technology. Companies cannot get to success without technology, but it cannot be the primary focus. A successful implementation can improve agility by 25 percent to 35 percent. -Lora Cecere, Founder, Supply Chain Insights

110 people in 1996. Two pilots in 2010. Eight warehouse workers in a sort facility in 2014. 239 people in 2014. Each case, dangerous goods were or may have been involved. The value lost, immeasurable. Shipping dangerous goods is more than kicking boxes and licking labels. With over a million shipments of dangerous goods everyday in the United States, it is critical for organizations to recognize when they have dangerous goods and to provide training to employees. -Joe Tillman, Founder, TSquared Logistics

During the past few years, rail cargo transportation service prices have been on a slippery decline. Despite increasing demand, tanking fuel prices have laid the track for cheaper rail transportation during the past three years. While falling prices have been a welcome relief to shippers, carrier profitability has still been increasing due to steady demand and absent competition for many routes. However, service prices rebounded in 2017 and look to keep pushing higher over the next few years as oil prices recover further. -Connor DiGregorio, Research Analyst, IBISWorld Inc.

The drive for cost cuts and higher margins at U.S. trucking and railroad operators is pinching their biggest customers, forcing the likes of General Mills Inc and Hormel Foods Corp to spend more on deliveries and consider raising their own prices as a way to pass along the costs.