Steve Rubinson, director of global trade compliance at JohnsonDiversey Inc., which markets environmentally friendly cleaning products, discusses how to manage the risk of delays related to adhering to trade regulations, and how cultural differences impact global businesses.

Smaller, regional less-than-truckload motor carriers need to leverage technology to remain competitive with larger competitors, says Rick Berryman, vice president-business development for ROADVision Systems. Using the internet to enable shippers to perform such self-service actions as making pickup and delivery appointments, requesting quotes and tracking shipments is something all carriers can do with minimum investment, he says.

Transportation brokers play an important role in the supply chain, but they often do not receive the respect they deserve, says Robert Voltmann, president and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association.

Logistics and transportation companies were hit early and hard by the economic downturn. Those that survived had to adapt operations and adopt new ideas and strategies. Many of those will remain and provide competitive benefits as the recovery takes hold.

Routing and loading optimization applications are two important technologies that trucking companies can leverage to achieve greater efficiency, says Ray Penn, consultant at Ortec. Both result in better utilization of equipment which ultimately means fewer miles driven, fewer trucks on the road and lower fuel and labor costs, he says. When enhanced by mobile communications between driver and home office, these tools become even more powerful.

Anyone doing transportation-related business in California, or planning to, must be aware of the environmental requirements imposed by the country's biggest state, says Yvonne Sanchez, air resources engineer with the California EPA Air Resources Board.

A conversation with Michael Martin, manager of global supply chain strategy at Black & Decker.