Companies wonder how often they should meet in order to achieve maximum information-sharing within the organization, as part of an effective sales and operations planning (S&OP) process. "As often as they need," advises Sanjiv Sharma, head of sales and operations planning with Rolls-Royce Energy Systems. "As little as they can get away with."

APQC, a member-based nonprofit specializing in benchmarking, knowledge management, measurement, and process improvement, wants to know whether you think third-party logistics services providers and 4PLs are meeting their customers' needs.

The number of "active, for-hire carriers" registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is 166,810, an increase of 8 percent, or 11,570 since February 2011, according to the State of the DOT report released by QualifiedCarriers.