Watkins Associated Industries does business over the road, on the ground, and by the sea. Its trucking businesses include Highway Transport (liquid bulk cargo, such as chemicals and petroleum), Land Span (general cargo), Sunco Carriers (refrigerated cargo), and Watson Truckload Services (regional general cargo). Other units engage in real estate development (apartment complexes and shopping centers), door and window manufacturing (Tucker Door and Trim Corp.), property and casualty insurance, and seafood processing (Tampa Maid Foods). Bill Watkins founded the family-owned company in 1932 with a $300 pickup truck.

DHL Express (USA) is the US arm of express delivery giant DHL, which itself is a subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Post. The operations of DHL Express (USA) are coordinated with those of other DHL express delivery units; overall, DHL serves some 120,000 locations in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. Besides its express delivery operations, DHL offers supply chain management and freight forwarding services. In order to cut costs and improve DHL Express (USA)'s operating efficiency, in early 2009 Deutsche Post ceased all of its air and ground services within the US. DHL Express (USA) still offers international shipping services to and from the US.

Crete Carrier Corporation's flagship business, Crete Carrier, provides dry van truckload freight transportation services in the 48 contiguous states. It operates from some two dozen terminals, mainly in the midwestern and southeastern US. The company's Shaffer Trucking unit transports temperature-controlled cargo, and Hunt Transportation (no relation to J.B. Hunt Transport Services) hauls heavy equipment and other cargo on flatbed trailers. Overall, the companies operate more than 5,300 tractors and more than 12,400 trailers. Family-owned Crete Carrier was founded in 1966 by chairman Duane Acklie; president and CEO Tonn Ostergard is his son-in-law.

Throughout our history, American Steamship Company (ASC) has been a pioneer in Great Lakes vessel transportation. Founded in Buffalo, New York in 1907, American Steamship Company has witnessed and responded to dramatic changes in Great Lakes shipping and the industries it serves, many times leading the way with innovative solutions that have had a positive impact on lakes shipping throughout the years. Our Great Lakes fleet consists of self-unloading vessels that range in length from 635-feet to 1,000-feet. The diversity of our asset base enables us to transport a variety of dry bulk commodities including iron ore pellets, coal and limestone aggregates. Our single trip vessel carrying capacity ranges from 24,000 to 70,000 net tons. During the navigation season, our vessels operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and require no onshore assistance to unload cargo. Unloading speeds range from 7,000 to 10,000 net tons per hour. Today, under the ownership of GATX Corporation, ASC continues to provide safe, efficient and environmentally responsible waterborne transportation. We are dedicated to continuously building value for GATX, our customers, our employees and the communities in which we live and operate.

The US market is the one and only concern for US 1 Industries, which partners with its subsidiaries to provide truckload transportation services in the 48 contiguous states. The company doesn't have trucks of its own; instead, it does business through a network of independent sales agents, who arrange freight transportation via independent truck owner-operators. Approximately 160 commission-based agents operate facilities that monitor shipments. US 1's contractors provide transportation of freight in temperature-controlled trailers and flatbeds, as well as in standard dry vans. One of its specialties is the hauling of intermodal shipping containers, which can be transported by trucks, trains, and ships.

One of the regional less-than-truckload (LTL) freight haulers operated by YRC Regional Transportation, USF Reddaway does business in the western US and in western Canada. (LTL carriers consolidate freight from multiple shippers into a single truckload.) The carrier operates a fleet of some 2,300 tractors and 7,700 trailers from a network of about 70 terminals. It serves about a dozen states and two Canadian provinces. USF Reddaway extends its service into additional regions of the US through connections with other YRC Regional Transportation carriers, including USF Holland.

Covenant Transportation Group promises its customers speedy service on long-haul and regional routes. The company operates a fleet of about 3,100 tractors and 8,000 trailers, including both dry vans and temperature-controlled units (through its Southern Refrigerated Transport subsidiary). In addition to for-hire transportation, Covenant offers dedicated contract carriage, in which drivers and equipment are assigned long-term to a customer or route, and freight brokerage services. Averaging about 800 miles per length of haul, the company gets business from manufacturers, retailers, and other transportation companies; among its top customers are Georgia-Pacific, Wal-Mart, and UPS.

Matson Navigation, the main subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, transports freight primarily between the continental US and ports in Hawaii, Guam, Alaska, and Puerto Rico; it also offers service between the US and China. Containerships account for the majority of the company's fleet of more than 15 vessels. Besides containerized freight, cargo carried by Matson vessels includes automobiles and building materials. Subsidiary Matson Integrated Logistics provides logistics and multimodal transportation services (arrangement of freight transportation by combinations of road, rail, and air). Matson Terminals provides container stevedoring and related services for Matson and other carriers in Honolulu.

Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) is up there in the pantheon of the world's largest container shipping and logistics companies. Through its APL subsidiary, NOL provides container transportation on the world's major ocean trade routes with a fleet of about 140 vessels. Container shipping services account for about 80% of the company's sales. Its APL Logistics unit provides supply chain management services, primarily in the Americas but also in the Asia/Pacific region and Europe. A third business, APL Terminals, operates container terminals in the Americas and the Asia/Pacific region. Through various entities, the government of Singapore controls about two-thirds of NOL.

Clarke has Canada covered coast-to-coast. Through Clarke Transport and Clarke Road Transport, the firm provides truckload and less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation. (LTL carriers consolidate loads from multiple shippers into a single trailer.) Clarke hauls a variety of goods, including building materials, beverages, metals, pharmaceuticals, and retail products. Its CIS Shipping International runs a time charter vessel transporting goods between Florida and Grand Cayman. Founded in 1921, Clarke operates primarily in Canada, but also in Mexico and the US.

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.