Expect shipper-carrier relations in 2009 to take a more shipper-centric shape with the shippers dictating the terms. While this is probably not the best long-term strategy, short-term cost pressures will drive many shippers to behave as if this is 1999 and not 2009.

Multi-enterprise supply chain management solutions are successful when companies are able to achieve large-scale, global adoption with their trading partners, overcoming both technical and business change management challenges. Software as a service solutions play an important role in enabling multi-enterprise business networks.

The green imperative is expanding into virtually all walks of life and all facets of the economy. Demonstrating green credentials is increasingly a minimal stakeholder expectation and business risk management factor, and is shifting from an order-winning to an order-qualifying attribute. Swallow that carbon pill! A whole swath of additional environmental expectations may well be just around the corner, as well as a whole new way of looking at "green" and the environment.

Despite an ongoing freight recession in 2008, third-party logistics service provider revenues grew an estimated 5.5 percent to $128.7bn.

In these tough economic times with revenues likely coming up short of expectations, logistics service providers will increasingly be pressured to help lower costs for customers, but not just by squeezing existing rates. Customers need help with lowering network inventories and reducing the total cost to serve by executing demand-driven strategies, enhancing trading partner collaboration, and revisiting the network flows for optimal configuration.

Today's Best-in-Class logistics executives are looking to third-party logistics providers as a value-add extension of their organization that can help deliver value to the customer at lower costs.