Be a smart (freight) shopper

If your job involves buying freight service, you're no doubt always under pressure to cut costs while maintaining service levels. You're probably always on the lookout for new ways to do that as well. If so, a special program from the University of Denver's Intermodal Transportation Institute (ITI) may offer some help.

The two-day program, developed in cooperation with the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), will teach attendees how to develop the optimal mix of freight modes—one that will allow them to move their goods in the most efficient and cost-effective way. Topics to be discussed include intermodal network processes, economic trends in the intermodal freight market, and how to integrate intermodal into the supply chain and then analyze its success.

The program will be held Nov. 13-14 in Anaheim, Calif., in conjunction with the IANA Intermodal Expo. The instructors are two well-known and respected academics in the supply chain field: Chris Norek, Ph.D., of the ITI Executive Masters Program, and Brian Gibson, Ph.D., a faculty member at Auburn University.

The program registration fee is $800, which includes two days of instruction as well as a reception and dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 13, and lunch on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Representatives from freight transportation companies will attend the reception and dinner, providing opportunities for networking and for gathering information on intermodal services.