Activity-based costing (ABC) is an important financial tool for trucking companies, says Paul Dugent, vice president of pricing and traffic at Estes Express Lines. The cost elements allocated to customers through ABC are used to help determine the price of services, though pricing "is more art than science."

Shippers are looking to turn over responsibility for logistics, and third parties are happy to oblige. But are they ready for what 2010 will bring?

Trucking companies today are taking a more strategic view of information technology, says Ben Wiesen, vice president-products at Carrier Logistics.

Soliciting, analyzing and awarding transportation contracts through a bid process is a complex process. To get the best outcome, transportation buyers need to conduct a thorough opportunity assessment and make sure they have the infrastructure and framework in place to effectively manage the bidding process, says Art Nourot, senior director of carrier procurement at Unyson Logistics.

The economic crisis has provided shippers a great opportunity to step back and rethink their logistics and supply chain operations to see where they can pull costs out of the system and become more efficient, says consultant Dan Goodwill. "Everyone knows that beating up on carriers to bring costs down can't go on forever."

When Intel realized it lagged behind competitors in meeting same-day delivery of its chips, it knew a drastic makeover of its supply chain was necessary, says Viju Menon, director of worldwide supply planning operations at the company. He discusses how the paradigm shift has improved customer responsiveness and inventory optimization.