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.

Crosby Trucking Service hauls truckload containers of general commodities, primarily along the east coast and between the coast and Ohio, Indiana, and the city of Chicago. The company operates from terminals in Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Virginia. It maintains a fleet of about 130 tractors and more than 600 trailers. In addition to freight transportation, Crosby Trucking subsidiaries Crosby Leasing, Crosby Brokerage, and Crosco provide truck leasing and freight brokerage services and manage the company's real estate holdings, respectively. Crosby Trucking Service was founded in 1947 to haul milk to a local creamery.

Diana Shipping Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in Athens, Greece. Diana Shipping Inc. provides shipping transportation services worldwide. Diana Shipping transports dry bulk cargoes that include commodities, such as iron ore, coal, grain, and other materials along worldwide shipping routes. As of December 31, 2009, its fleet consisted of 13 Panamax dry bulk carriers and 7 Capesize dry bulk carriers that had a combined carrying capacity of approximately 2.2 million deadweight tonnage. Its customers include national, regional, and international companies. The company was formerly known as Diana Shipping Investments Corp. and changed its name to Diana Shipping Inc. in February 2005.

Annett Holdings hauls freight such as steel and building materials throughout the US on flatbed trailers. The company's fleet includes some 2,900 trucks and tractors. TMC offers both regional and long-haul service and also provides logistics services, such as freight transportation arrangement, and dedicated fleet services, in which drivers and equipment are assigned to a customer long-term. Chairman and CEO Harrold Annett founded the company in 1972.

The unit was established in 1982. COSCO Americas, Inc. (CAI) represents the interests of its parent, marine transportation giant China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, known as COSCO, in North and South America. In addition to serving as a shipping agent, CAI provides services related to sales, fuel supply, and technical consulting, as well as inland transportation of freight -- in other words, whatever is necessary to facilitate the movement of containerized and bulk cargo by the parent company. Overall, CAI operates from about 80 offices in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and the US.

Stolt-Nielsen is in its element in seawater. Through Stolt Tankers & Terminals and Stolt Tank Containers (STC) units, the company provides integrated parcel tanker, tank container, and marine terminal services, as well as logistics, for the worldwide transport of bulk liquids, such as chemicals, edible oils, and acids. It operates a fleet of about 160 vessels with an overall capacity of more than 2 million deadweight tons (DWT). Transportation-related operations account for more than 95% of the company's sales. Its Stolt Sea Farm business unit produces and sells turbot, sturgeon, sole, and caviar. Chairman Jacob Stolt-Nielsen and his family own a controlling stake in the company.

Precious Shipping hauls valuable, if not glamorous, cargo. The company hauls not diamonds or pearls but agricultural products, steel, ore, fertilizers, and other basic goods that keep the world's economies humming. Precious Shipping operates a fleet of about 50 ships navigating the shallow waters of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Latin America that hamper traffic from larger vessels. The company is among the largest of its kind in Thailand and moves goods primarily from Asia to ports throughout the world. The company's operations consist of ship owning, chartering, and management in addition to port development.

Like a little acorn, Oak Harbor Freight Lines has grown -- into a mighty interstate less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier. (LTL carriers consolidate cargo from multiple shippers into a single truckload.) The company operates from about 35 terminals in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington; it maintains a fleet of some 500 tractors and 1,800 trailers. It serves the rest of the US through partnerships with LTL carriers such as Dayton Freight, Honolulu Freight Service, New England Motor Freight, and Southeastern Freight Lines. Oak Harbor is owned and run by brothers David and Edward Vander Pol. The company was founded in 1916 and acquired by the Vander Pol family in 1936.

Dairy state-based Marten Transport hauls more than cheese. The long-haul truckload carrier uses refrigerated and insulated trailers to convey a variety of food products and other temperature-sensitive materials; it also hauls dry freight. Marten Transport operates throughout the US and in parts of Canada; its average haul is about 760 miles. The company's fleet includes about 2,300 tractors and 4,000 trailers. In addition to freight transportation, the company provides logistics services. Among Marten Transport's largest customers are food giants General Mills and Kraft, which collectively account for about 30% of its total revenue each year.

As far as bulk carriers go, Quality Distribution (QDI) is the bulkiest: It's the largest tank truck operator in North America. Its main subsidiary, Quality Carriers (QCI), transports bulk chemical products in the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company's fleet consists of about 2,800 tractors and 6,400 tank trailers. Major customers include Dow Chemical, DuPont, Procter & Gamble, and PPG Industries. QDI also provides dry bulk hauling, transloading, tank cleaning, intermodal transport, container and depot services, and logistics services through its subsidiaries Quality Transload & Terminals and Boasso America. Affiliates of investment firm Apollo Advisors hold more than 50% of the company.

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.