ABF Freight System knows the ABCs of freight transportation. The primary subsidiary of Arkansas Best, ABF Freight System specializes in national and regional long-haul, less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation of general commodities such as apparel, appliances, chemicals, food, furniture, plastics, rubber, and textiles. (LTL carriers combine freight from multiple shippers into a single truckload.) ABF Freight System operates from a network of about 280 terminals throughout the US and Canada and in Puerto Rico. It maintains a fleet of some 4,000 tractors and 17,000 trailers. The company, which traces its origins to 1923, offers service in Mexico through arrangements with Mexican carriers.

FreightCar America, Inc., through its subsidiaries, manufactures, rebuilds, repairs, sells, and leases freight cars used for hauling coal, other bulk commodities, steel and other metals, forest products, and automobiles primarily in North America. FreightCar America, Inc. designs and manufactures aluminum-bodied and steel-bodied railcars for use in various industries. It also refurbishes and rebuilds railcars, and sells forged, cast, and fabricated parts for all of the railcars it produces, as well as those manufactured by others. Its customers primarily include financial institutions, shippers, and railroads. FreightCar America, Inc. was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Landair Transport keeps its wheels on the ground. The truckload carrier transports general commodities and provides dedicated contract services, in which drivers and equipment are assigned to customers long-term. The company primarily operates east of the Mississippi River, employing a fleet of about 850 tractors and 2,000 trailers. It acquired Summit Logistics Services in late 2008, enabling expansion to states in the west and north. In addition to freight transportation, Landair provides logistics and warehousing and distribution services. Major customers have included John Deere, Lowe's, and Sonoco. CEO Scott Niswonger and president and COO John Tweed own the company, which Niswonger helped found in 1981.

Alabama Motor Express Inc. company operates a fleet of about 200 tractors and 600 trailers. In addition to for-hire freight transportation, Alabama Motor Express offers dedicated contract carriage, in which drivers and equipment are established for customers' long-term needs. Subsidiary LTI Services offers freight brokerage services, matching shippers' cargo with carriers' capacity, and the company's WDL business provides fleet maintenance services. Company president Scott White founded Alabama Motor Express in 1988.

DF Young was founded in 1903. Daniel F. Young provides air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and logistics services to multinational businesses. The company, known as DF Young, also offers ground transportation, including full-truckload (FTL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation, door to door service, and inter-coastal barge transportation. (Freight forwarding companies purchase transportation capacity from carriers and resell it to customers; LTL carriers consolidate freight from multiple shippers into a single trailer.) It operates in five main industry areas: automotive, commercial goods, humanitarian cargo, foreign military sales, and petrochemical. Subsidiary Young Air Cargo Corporation arranges chartered transportation for high security or expedited cargoes.

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.

Hamburg Sud is part of the diversified Oetker Group. One of Germany's largest marine transportation companies, Hamburg Sud operates a fleet of about 175 vessels, including some 115 containerships with an overall capacity of about 290,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The Hamburg Sud fleet also includes dry bulk carriers and tankers. Scheduled liner services for containers make up about 85% of the company's revenues. Hamburg Sud also offers tramp shipping (nonscheduled) for other freight, including refrigerated cargo, runs its own full-service travel agency, specializing in cargo ship travel and leisure cruises, and offers cargo ship management and logistics services to outside customers.

The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad was created in 1986 with a purchase of track from Burlington Northern. The Arkansas & Missouri Railroad hauls a variety of bulk freight over about 150 miles of track in northwestern Arkansas and southwestern Missouri -- specifically, between Van Buren and Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Monett, Missouri. The company supplements its rail freight operations with transload services -- transferring cargo between railcars and trucks and vice versa. In addition to serving commercial customers, the company operates excursion trains for passengers in the scenic Boston Mountains, which are part of the Ozarks.

I.M. Skaugen SE traces its history to a shipping company founded in 1916 by Isak Martinius Skaugen, grandfather of CEO Morits Skaugen Jr. I.M. Skaugen provides marine transportation of petrochemical gases, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It also offers lightering (ship-to-ship transfer of crude oil and LNG) through Houston-based SPT. Subsidiary Norgas Carriers transports LPG and petrochemical gases. The group is widening its presence in Asia with carriers to transport LPG and petrochemical gases and products in China. I.M. Skaugen operates a fleet of about 40 vessels, including petrochemical gas carriers, Aframax-sized tankers, LPG carriers, and gas barges.

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.

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