Watco Companies, Inc. was founded in 1983 by Dick Webb, and is led by his son, Rick. Watco's world of railcar services is a wide one. Watco Companies operates 20 short-line railroads, primarily in the midwestern and southern US but also in the Pacific Northwest and in Appalachia. In addition, Watco offers industrial contract switching services, in which the company operates some two dozen railcar switching facilities located on the sites of manufacturers and other companies that ship freight by rail. Watco also leases and repairs railcars, locomotives, and other equipment; provides warehousing and distribution services, including temperature-controlled storage; and offers transloading of cargo between trucks and trains.

Cardinal Transport operates through a network of more than 6,800 trucking companies, enabling the truckload carrier to offer freight transportation across the US by a group of truck owner-operators. In addition to general freight, the company hauls heavyweight loads. The Cardinal Transport companies comprise an owner/operator fleet of more than 400 power units, including primarily flatbeds, hotshots, and specialized equipment. Cardinal Transport, no relation to North Carolina-based Cardinal Logistics Management, was founded in 1976.

Arkansas Best puts its best efforts on the road to provide freight transportation services in its home state and the rest of North America. Specializing in long-haul, less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments of general commodities (no hazardous waste or dangerous explosives), subsidiary ABF Freight System accounts for over 90% of the company's sales. (LTL carriers combine freight from multiple shippers into a single truckload.) ABF Freight System operates a fleet of about 2,500 tractors and 17,000 trailers from about 280 terminals in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico; it offers service into Mexico via alliances. Freight carried by the company includes chemicals, food, textiles, apparel, appliances, and furniture.

Kintetsu World Express and its affiliates operate from more than 280 offices in about 185 cities in 30 countries around the world. The company was spun off from Kintetsu Corp., the operator of Kinki Nippon Railway, in 1970. Kintetsu still owns about 41% of the company. Kintetsu World Express specializes in international airfreight forwarding. The company also offers ocean freight forwarding and arranges ground transportation of its customers' goods. Key subsidiaries include Kintetsu World Express Sales, which handles the transportation and installment of exhibition or event shipments, and Kintetsu World Express Shikoku, which focuses on freight shipment within the Shikoku region of Japan.

Tube Lines Ltd.'s business has gone down the tube -- just where it is supposed to be. Through its 30-year contract with London Underground, the company maintains and improves London's larger underground rail lines (Jubilee, Northern, and Piccadilly). In addition to maintenance operations, the company provides distribution, emergency services, and training programs to London Underground; it has also upgraded about 100 of its rail stations. Transport for London, the government agency that runs the London Underground, bought the Tube Lines shares owned by construction and rail specialists Amey and Bechtel in 2010 for about £400 million (about $580 million), returning Tube Lines to public ownership.

MC Shipping is owned by an investment fund managed by Irving Place Capital, an affiliate of private equity firm Bear Stearns Merchant Banking. MC Shipping knows the rap when it comes to ocean freight transportation. The company's fleet of more than 20 vessels consists mainly of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) carriers; it also includes containerships. MC Shipping leases its vessels on time charters, bareboat charters (in which the lessee provides its own crew), and spot charters. Day-to-day operation of the company's fleet is overseen by independent ship-management companies. It has offices in Indonesia, London, Monaco, and Singapore.

State-owned China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, known as COSCO Group, is one of the world's leading marine transportation companies. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, COSCO Group operates a fleet of about 800 containerships, bulk carriers and other vessels with an overall capacity of 50 million deadweight tons. In addition, the company is engaged in freight forwarding, logistics, real estate, ship building and repairing, container manufacturing, and terminal operations. It maintains facilities in more than 160 countries around the world. COSCO Group should not be confused with a rival state-owned marine transportation enterprise with a similar name, China Shipping (Group) Company.

Towne Air Freight helps move goods from town to town. The company specializes in providing ground connections between customers and airports for cargo that is imported or exported. Along with airport-to-airport transportation, Towne Air Freight also provides less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation services to customers other than freight forwarders. (LTL carriers consolidate freight from multiple shippers into a single truckload.) Towne Air Freight operates from more than 60 terminals; it supplements its LTL offerings via partnerships. The company also offers border and customs assistance into Mexico. Investment firm Charterhouse Group owns the company, which was founded in 1963 by Gary Downey.

The well-known black cat logo of express delivery giant Yamato Holdings crosses paths throughout Japan. The holding company's flagship unit, Yamato Transport, delivers nearly 2 million parcels and another 2 million pieces of mail yearly from a network of some 3,600 delivery centers throughout Japan. Besides Yamato Transport and its signature next-day Takkyubin (door-to-door parcel delivery) and Kuroneko Mail (document delivery) businesses, Yamato Holdings' operations include logistics, financial transaction processing, and household moving services. Yamato Transport accounts for the bulk of the holding company's annual revenue.

NORDEN, which was established in 1871, has offices in Denmark, China, Singapore, the US, Brazil, and India. Dampskibsselskabet "NORDEN" (in English, Steamship Company NORDEN) steers a steady course in global shipping. The company operates crude oil tankers and vessels that transport dry bulk commodities such as coal, grain, and steel. Its fleet consists of 200 bulk carriers and 30 tankers, and it has a newbuild program that includes 67 bulk carriers and 15 tankers. NORDEN is one of the world's leading operators of Handymax bulk carriers, as well as a top operator of Capesize and Panamax vessels for its dry cargo transport and of Aframax oil tankers. Its large fleet consists primarily of chartered vessels.

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