Staying ahead of the technology curve has been a major factor in taking Yellow Transportation Systems from three years of losses in the mid 1990s to a company that today is ranked by Fortune magazine as the top firm in its field. Yellow spends $80 million dollars each year on technology, according to William Zollars, president and CEO. Zollars was a featured speaker at this year's WERC (Warehousing Education and Research Council) conference. Zollars says 60% of his company's annual investment in technology goes to new products, while the remaining 40% enhances Yellow's legacy systems.

"Technology is the only sustainable competitive advantage you can have for your company," he adds.