Book excerpt: The proper management of transportation processes and issues is critical to fulfilling customer demand, and to the ultimate success of a supply chain. Now, there's an authoritative and comprehensive guide to managing transportation processes and operations in any supply chain. Authored by leading expert Thomas Goldsby alongside the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), this text focuses on the key principles, strategies, and decisions required for the cost-efficient, effective flow of goods between sellers and buyers. Coverage includes: Basic transportation management concepts and their essential roles in demand fulfillment, including transportation links, efficiency, and aligning capabilities with customer requirements Key elements, processes, and interactions of transportation operations management, including transportation modes, execution, and control Design principles and strategies for establishing efficient, effective, and sustainable transportation operations, including functional control, terms of sale, outsourcing, modal and carrier selection, rate negotiation, contracting, consolidation, 3PLs, sustainability, and overcoming barriers to success The critical role of technology in managing transportation operations and product flows, including the latest TMS tools for routing, scheduling, load planning, carrier selection, load tendering, status tracking, appointment scheduling, performance reporting, scorecarding, and auditing Requirements and challenges of planning and moving goods between countries, including freight flows, intermodal options, planning/execution, ocean shipping and international air services; customs; global challenges, and regulation Best practices for assessing performance using standard metrics and frameworks, including KPIs, tradeoff analysis, and more