Pick a point on the compass -- Western Express Holdings isn't limited to a single direction when it comes to hauling customers' freight. The company's main subsidiary, truckload carrier Western Express, will go west, but it does most of its business in the eastern and midwestern US, concentrating on short to medium-length hauls of between 500 and 1,000 miles. The Western Express fleet consists of about 2,500 tractors and 4,500 trailers, including dry vans and flatbeds, which haul cargo for a diverse customer base. President and CEO Wayne Wise and his wife, Donna Wise, own a controlling stake in Western Express Holdings.

CTI transports commodities by truck all over the Southwest. The company's dry bulk division transports freight such as cement, fly ash, and lime, and its flatbed unit specializes in hauling block and roof tile. The company also owns a fleet of tank, clam, and pneumatic trailers. CTI's Chemical Transportation unit hauls containerized and bulk chemical waste, both solid and liquid. Overall the company owns 10 terminals and more than 400 trucks. Company president Gregg Gibbons owns CTI, which was founded by his father, G. L. "Rusty" Gibbons, in 1930.

The largest subsidiary of FedEx (about 60% of sales), FedEx Express is responsible for its parent's namesake express delivery business, the world's largest. FedEx Express delivers about 3.5 million packages per day throughout the US and to some 220 countries and territories worldwide. Packages (from envelopes to boxes weighing up to 150 pounds) account for most of the company's sales; FedEx Express also delivers pallets of freight weighing from 151 pounds to 2,200 pounds. The company operates a fleet of about 665 aircraft and about 41,000 motor vehicles and trailers.

As the postal service for the low-lying Netherlands, Royal TNT Post doesn't mind getting its feet wet to deliver the mail. The company, a subsidiary of global posting services giant TNT, collects, sorts, and delivers direct mail, letters, and packages; it handles some 5 billion items annually. Other TNT units provide business mail services in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, and the UK. Royal TNT Post also participates in Spring, a global mail services joint venture with Singapore Post and the UK's Royal Mail. In addition, its Cendris unit offers database marketing and document management services.

EagleOne is privately owned by founder and company president Greg Hasley. No mere carrier pigeon, EagleOne provides scheduled and route delivery and distribution services to more than two dozen cities in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and east Texas. The company primarily transports goods for businesses in the pharmaceutical, hospital, and retail sectors; its fleet, driven by independent contractors, includes tractor-trailers, small and large straight trucks, vans, and pickup trucks. Headquartered in Fort Smith, the same-day regional courier operates branch offices in cities dotting the southeast. EagleOne company also offers warehousing and logistics management services.

Russian Railways has about 130 subsidiaries and offices in North Korea, Poland, China, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Iran. It was created in 1842 as The Department of Railroads. A big country needs a big railroad and Russia's got it. The government-owned Rossiiskie Zheleznye Dorogi, better known as RZD or Russian Railways, covers more than 53,000 miles of track (second only to the US) across 11 time zones from Sovetskaya on the Sea of Japan to St. Petersburg on the Baltic. It also runs trains to international cities including Helsinki, Beijing, and Budapest. Rossiiskie Zheleznye Dorogi OAO handles nearly 80% of the freight transported in Russia and accounts for about 4% of GDP.

Helping its customers keep food products cool, Petit Forestier provides refrigerated trucks and trailers to food suppliers and food processors all over France and in several European countries. The company maintains a fleet of about 21,000 vehicles from some 80 domestic facilities and more than 20 agent locations in Europe. An investment group controlled by the founding Forestier family took the company private in 2007. Petit Forestier was established in 1906.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. was established in 1919. From Kansas City to Kobe, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (the "K" Line) carries freight to and from ports worldwide. One of Japan's largest marine transportation companies, the company operates a fleet of more than 480 vessels that transport coal, grain, iron ore, and lumber, in addition to automobiles, crude oil, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Its fleet includes containerships, bulk carriers, car carriers, and tankers and has a carrying capacity of nearly 30 million deadweight tons (DWT). The "K" Line also operates marine and rail terminals and offers logistics, freight forwarding, and warehousing services.

Express-1 Expedited Solutions specializes in arranging expedited ground transportation. Customers' freight is transported throughout the US by independent contractors, who give the company's Express-1 unit access to a fleet of vehicles that includes cargo vans, trucks, and tractor-trailers. Express-1 Expedited offers domestic and international freight forwarding through Concert Group Logistics, as well as truckload freight brokerage services through Bounce Logistics. With operations centers in the Midwest and in Florida, Express-1 Expedited provides services to more than 2,000 customers across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

ASTAR Air Cargo helps DHL take on delivery giants FedEx and UPS on their own turf. Hiring the carrier's fleet of about 40 aircraft enables DHL and other customers, including the US Department of Defense and the United States Postal Service, to achieve overnight delivery of virtually any kind of cargo. ASTAR's service includes scheduled as well as chartered flights. In January 2009, ASTAR suffered a blow when -- in order to cut down on costs -- DHL was forced to shut down its express operations within the US. (Through ASTAR and other carriers, DHL still offers international shipping services to and from the US). An investment group led by CEO John Dasburg controls ASTAR.

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.