back to basics

With trucks in short supply and costs on the rise, now may be a good time to revisit some transportation management basics. And the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin in Madison is ready. The school offers back-to-back programs in transportation management next month. "Today's Buying, Selling, and Pricing of Transportation Services" is offered Sept. 19-20, followed by "Industrial Transportation Management and Quality Performance" on Sept. 21-22.

Participants in the first course discuss approaches to determining and negotiating rates for transportation services, review how carrier costs and economics affect pricing, and examine the competitive economic environment and antitrust concerns. The school says the seminar is designed for personnel from shipper companies, carriers, and third-party logistics service providers involved in motor, rail, air and intermodal transportation, including bulk, truckload, LTL, rail, package and parcel shipments.

The follow-up course is designed to help participants set departmental performance goals, to use computers as tools in performance management, and integrate quality process improvement into the industrial transportation budgeting and management process.

The fee for each program is $1,095. For information, visit www.uwexeced.com/transportation.