Standard Forwarding specializes in less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation services. (LTL carriers consolidate freight from multiple shippers into a single trailer.) The company operates a fleet of about 300 tractors and 790 trailers from a network of more than a dozen terminals in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The company also offers freight transportation in Canada through partnerships. Farm equipment manufacturer Deere is a major customer, as it has been since Standard Forwarding was founded in 1934. As a result of experiencing higher-than-market operating costs in the midst of the recession, the company voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2009.

Staying cool is a must for Stevens Transport. An irregular-route, refrigerated truckload carrier (or reefer), Stevens hauls temperature-controlled cargo throughout the US, covering the 48 contiguous states. Through alliances Stevens also covers every province in Canada and every state in Mexico. The company operates a fleet of about 1,850 tractors and 3,100 refrigerated trailers from a network of more than a dozen service centers. Partnerships with railroads allow Stevens to arrange intermodal transport of temperature-controlled cargo. The company also provides third-party logistics services. Chairman and CEO Steven Aaron owns Stevens Transport, which he founded in 1980.

UK drivers know they can get a honk and a wave from the eye-catching green lorries of the Stobart Group. Once a family-owned trucking company bearing the name Eddie Stobart, the group is now a major transportation and logistics operation offering storage, rail, and port service, in addition to its fleet of 1,850 trucks and 3,000 trailers. Stobart Group owns and operates more than 6 million sq. ft. of warehouse space. Its port service is available in Widnes, in northwest England, and its rail service is operated primarily for the UK's #1 retailer, Tesco. Stobart Group formed in 2007 from a merger between Stobart Holdings Limited and Westbury Property Fund. One-fourth of the company's stock is owned by Invesco.

Sunset Pacific Transportation (formerly Charles L. King & Associates) provides a wide range of freight-hauling services. The company offers truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) services from terminals in California and South Carolina. (LTL carriers consolidate freight from multiple shippers into a single trailer.) Sunset Pacific Transportation carries freight such as manufactured goods, market fixtures, paper products, and textiles. The company also offers logistics, through subsidiary Sunset Pacific Logistics, and warehousing and distribution services.

Swift, but within the speed limit: Truckload carrier Swift Holdings hauls freight, such as building materials, paper products, and retail merchandise, throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company operates a fleet of some 16,200 tractors (about 75% of which are company-owned), and 49,400 trailers, via a network of 35 terminals. Its services include dedicated contract carriage, in which drivers and equipment are assigned to a customer long-term. Besides standard dry vans, Swift's fleet includes refrigerated, flatbed, and specialized trailers, and about 4,300 intermodal containers. Founder and CEO Jerry Moyes took the company private in 2007. In mid-2010 Swift filed to once again become public.

It just takes two -- a shipper and some freight, an origin and a destination -- and then it's Tango time. Truckload carrier Tango Transport uses a fleet of more than 1,000 trucks and some 2,000 trailers to move freight all across the US. Its fleet includes dry van and flatbed trailers. In addition to for-hire truckload service, Tango offers dedicated contract carriage, in which drivers and equipment are assigned to a customer long-term. It also provides regional and expedited transportation, as well as logistics and supply chain management services. Chairman and CEO Robert E. Gorman and his son, company president B.J. Gorman, founded Tango Transport in 1991.

Not only do the trucking subsidiaries of The Kenan Advantage Group (KAG) burn diesel fuel, but they also haul it. The group transports gasoline, diesel fuel, other petroleum and petrochemical products, and food throughout the US. The company operates a fleet of some 3,300 tractors and 4,300 tank trailers from a network of about 100 terminals in more than 35 states, mainly in the eastern half of the US. Customers include major oil companies and other petroleum marketers, along with food manufacturers. In addition to trucking, KAG provides fuel-related logistics services. Investment firm Littlejohn & Co. owns the company.

With a clear focus on transportation, The Shevell Group is far from disheveled. Headed by Myron "Mike" Shevell, the group consists of a number of companies in the real estate, warehousing, and LTL and TL (less-than-truckload and truckload) transportation and logistics industries. Subsidiaries include New England Motor Freight, Eastern Freightways, Carrier Industries, and Apex Logistics. The Shevell Group's various subsidiaries offer transportation services across the northeastern US and Canada, parts of the Midwest, and Puerto Rico. Its fleet consists of 10,000 vehicles. Myron Shevell founded the group in 1977 and is the principal shareholder in the family-owned and -managed company.

No throwback to horse-and-buggy days, these Waggoners transport horseless carriages. The Waggoners Trucking gets most of its revenue from hauling automobiles; much of the company's business comes from auto assembly plants in the southeastern US. Customers have included BMW, General Motors, and Honda. In addition, Waggoners Trucking uses flatbed trailers to provide specialized less-than-truckload transportation of freight such as oil field equipment. Waggoners Trucking operates throughout the US and in Canada from a network of more than 30 terminals. It maintains a fleet of about 1,100 tractor-trailer rigs. The company, which was founded in 1951, is owned by the Waggoner family.

For Total Transportation of Mississippi, total transportation means trucking, but not just within in the Magnolia State. The truckload carrier provides service throughout the eastern half of the US. It operates a fleet of about 650 tractors and 1,200 trailers from two terminals in Mississippi, two in Tennessee, and one apiece in Georgia and North Carolina. Total transports general commodities on regional and medium-length routes (800-1,200 miles); it also offers dedicated contract carriage, in which drivers and equipment are assigned to customers long-term. Truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises owns 90% of Total; company managers own the rest.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.