Federal employees and tourists who might otherwise have to bring their cars into downtown Washington, DC, can thank the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority for saving them stress and shoeleather. The Metro provides rail and bus transportation services throughout the nation's capital and in its Maryland and Virginia suburbs, a 1,500-sq.-mi. area -- the second largest rail transit system and sixth largest bus network in the US. Overall, passengers take about 350 million rail and bus trips on the Metro annually. The agency's rail system includes about 85 stations served by more than 105 miles of track, both underground and aboveground. Metro operates a fleet of more than 1,500 buses.

SEACOR Holdings Inc. owns, operates, invests in, and markets equipment for the offshore oil and gas, industrial aviation, and marine transportation industries worldwide. Its Offshore Marine Services segment operates support vessels to deliver cargo and personnel to offshore installations; handle anchors for drilling rigs and marine equipment; support offshore construction and maintenance work; and provide standby safety support and emergency response services. The company also offers logistics services, including shorebased, marine transport, and various supply chain management services; and supports projects, such as well stimulation, seismic data gathering, and offshore accommodation. Its Marine Transportation Services segment provides transportation services through tankers for petroleum products and chemicals in the United States. The company’s Inland River Services segment provides dry and liquid cargo transportation of agricultural, industrial, chemical, and petrochemical products on the Mississippi River, Illinois River, Tennessee River, and Ohio River, as well as on the Gulf Intracoastal waterways. Its Aviation Services segment offers transportation services to the offshore oil and gas exploration, development, and production industry, as well as leasing and transportation services to hospitals and flight seeing tours. This segment also sells fuel, and provides other services to corporate aircraft; offers aircraft and flight crews under contracts; provides flight training services; and manages customer-owned aircraft. The company’s Environmental Services segment offers emergency preparedness and response services to oil, chemical, industrial, and marine transportation clients. Its Commodity Trading and Logistics segment involves in the purchase, storage, transportation, and sale of agricultural and energy commodities. The company’s Other segment provides harbor and offshore towing services. SEACOR was founded in 1989 and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Heartland Express stays close to home as a short- to medium-haul truckload carrier -- its average trip is just over 500 miles. With the exception of traffic from its Phoenix hub, the company mainly operates east of the Rockies; it also offers service in the southwestern US. Although most of its loads go directly from origin to destination, Heartland also operates from about 10 regional distribution hubs, which are located near major customers.Heartland Express company regional hubs focus on short-haul freight movements (less than 500 miles). Heartland transports general commodities, including appliances, auto parts, consumer products, food, and paper products.

Universal Truckload Services hasn't hauled freight beyond its own galaxy, but the company does cover the US and parts of Canada (Ontario and Quebec). As an "asset-light" provider of truckload freight transportation, the company operates through a network of truck owner-operators rather than employing drivers and investing heavily in equipment. It can call upon a fleet of some 3,400 tractors and 3,400 trailers, including standard dry vans and flatbeds; the majority of its tractors and trailers are owned by others. The company generates business primarily through about 770 sales agents. Trucking magnates Matthew Moroun and his father, Manuel Moroun, control Universal Truckload Services (UTSI).

One of Germany's largest family-owned enterprises, Dr. August Oetker is the holding company for the diversified Oetker Group, which has interests in shipping (Hamburg Sud), food (frozen pizza and baking mixes), beer and nonalcoholic beverages, and wine, sparkling wine, and spirits. The company's shipping division, its largest, has operations worldwide; Oetker Group's food and spirits businesses are concentrated in Europe. Other Oetker Group activities include banking and insurance, book publishing, chemical manufacturing, and luxury hotels. Not only are beer and pizza staples of many a college student's diet, they are also key elements of Dr. August Oetker's business portfolio.

Sinotrans Group controls about 60% of Sinotrans Limited, which debuted in 2002. The wave of trade between China and other countries is proving a near unlimited boon to Sinotrans Limited. The company provides air, ocean, road and rail freight forwarding, primarily in China's coastal regions. Freight forwarding services account for about 75% of the company's sales. In addition, Sinotrans offers marine transportation, shipping agency and express delivery, as well as storage and terminal services. Its Sino-foreign venture partners include DHL. Sinotrans is a subsidiary of logistics giant China National Foreign Trade Transportation (Group) Corporation, known as Sinotrans Group, owned by the Chinese government.

Dayton Freight Lines is a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier operating in 11 states in the North-Central US. (LTL carriers consolidate freight from multiple shippers into a single truckload.) The company operates a fleet of about 900 tractors and 2,100 trailers from a network of more than 40 terminals. Outside its home territory, Dayton Freight offers service in the rest of the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Guam through alliances with other carriers, including A. Duie Pyle, Oak Harbor Freight Lines, and Southeastern Freight Lines. Founded in 1981, Dayton Freight is owned by the Cronin family, which includes President and CEO Thomas L. Cronin Jr. and EVP Michael D. Cronin.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines if you send your freight over the ocean. Known as MOL, the company is one of the world's largest marine transportation companies and operates a fleet of about 900 vessels with an overall capacity of more than 64 million deadweight tons (DWT). The company's fleet includes containerships, bulk cargo carriers, car carriers, tankers, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. MOL also operates cruise ships, tugboats, and domestic ferries. In addition, the company provides logistics services such as warehousing and freight forwarding, operates marine terminals, and holds stakes in finance and real estate businesses.

APL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines, a global transportation and logistics company engaged in shipping and related businesses. We help customers grow their business – whether that is venturing into new territories, exploring new business opportunities, or growing in already developed markets. With more than 150 years’ experience, APL has the knowledge and the expertise to help you negotiate the increasingly complex and ever-changing global marketplace. Our partnership with some of the world’s best-known brands and success in fostering trade in emerging markets has helped defined global trade, setting new benchmarks in service innovation and excellence in every market we serve.

Boyd Bros. Transportation Inc. company transports steel products and building materials, mainly in the eastern two-thirds of the US, on flatbed trailers. Boyd Bros. operates through two trucking units: Boyd and WTI Transport, which provides regional service in the southeastern US. Overall, the company maintains a fleet of some 1,050 tractors and 1,670 trailers. Boyd Bros. also offers freight brokerage services. The company was founded in 1956 by Dempsey Boyd, the father of CEO Gail Cooper. Boyd Bros. was taken private in 2004 and is owned by members of the Boyd family.

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.