ANY marketing firms face sharply higher costs of operation, due in part to the service costs and other problems of owning a truck fleet. Relief from these headaches is a strong selling point of the truckleasing companies. Large-truck maintenance now surpasses 3.8 billion dollars annually, and delivery expenses in the urban environment are approaching $9 per hour. Profit-seeking managers are looking for ways to control transport as they control other production expenses. Because transportation is not their primary business, many agribusinesses have limited management knowledge and capability in this field. Transportation expenses cannot be avoided entirely, yet few marketing firms know what it costs to own, operate, and maintain company trucks. Fleet records, if they exist, are usually incomplete, lack timeliness, and are too general for use in planning and effective decision making. Furthermore, many agribusinesses need help as they search for more efficient assembly and delivery operations. Severe traffic congestion, restrictive unloading hours, small orders, frequent repeat deliveries, duplication of services, and cross hauling can become a managerial nightmare. Given the tools to work with, Extension marketing specialists can increase their contribution to improved food marketing in the area of transportation economics and management.