Collaborative Transportation Management (CTM) was conceived by Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards (VICS) organization to represent the logical next step after the Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment®(CPFR®) process.
 
Today, the CPFR process along with some derivations are causing a revolutionary effect on supply chain processes, enabling all participants in the value chain to create and share the benefits of collaboration such as reductions in inventory, increases in revenue, and reduced out-of-stocks. VICS created a CTM sub-committee to define and explore the opportunity for applying the concepts and practices of collaborative relationships to the order fulfillment and delivery business processes that occur after CPFR with an emphasis on the carrier relationship.
 
Originally a follow-on process to CPFR, Collaborative Transportation Management has evolved to become a standalone process that uses the collaborative principals of CPFR. The objective of CTM is to reduce or eliminate inefficiencies in the transportation process through collaboration and bring benefits, increased visibility, reduced costs, and better customer service to all trading partners. This paper outlines the opportunities available using collaboration in transportation planning and execution operations.