Michael McComb, regional vice president of sales with the Hub Group, says there are multiple benefits - both environmental and financial - to participating in the U.S. EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership program.

Laurel Junk, vice president of supply chain with Kaiser Permanente, details the transformation that's under way in the hospital industry, driven by healthcare reform and a new focus on the ultimate "customer" - the patient.

Those specialized sectors, with their need for strict regulatory compliance and product control, have lagged other industries in the use of third-party service providers. But the picture is beginning to change, says Angela Watson, UPS's vice president of enterprise sales for the healthcare sector.

Rod Derifield, chief executive officer of Envirocooler LLC, outlines some of the new ideas and technology that providers are deploying to boost efficiencies in the movement of temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals.

There are three basic reasons why supply chain managers should pay attention to sustainability initiatives, says Kevin Smith, president and CEO of Sustainable Supply Chain Consulting.

Truckload motor carriers see demand picking up and are optimistic that 2010 will mark a strong recovery for the sector, says Kevin Burch, chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association and president of Jet Express.