Build strong relationships with suppliers: Strong supplier partnerships can yield benefits such as better terms, reduced lead time, cost savings and a sense of security during market fluctuations.

Prioritizing this relationship helps your supplier understand your business better. A supplier compliance plan explains your requirements and penalties for mistakes such as late delivery or not following route guidelines. Such a program can reduce freight and warehouse costs, improve speed and accuracy, and increase customer satisfaction.

Use a transportation management system (TMS): This software automates, manages and optimizes freight operations. A TMS compares shipping quotes and service levels among carriers, schedules the shipment and tracks it through delivery. These details help a company reduce costs, increase efficiency and gain full visibility into its supply chain.

Use a warehouse management system (WMS): WMS software optimizes warehouse operations by streamlining receiving, putaway, inventory management, picking and more.

Combine deliveries: Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments have higher shipping costs and longer receiving times. Sometimes there are barriers to consolidating shipments, such as different handling needs (some goods need refrigeration, for example). If a business struggles to make full truckloads, a third-party logistics provider (3PL) can combine its partial loads with those of other customers.