Global and regional trade flows require appropriate transport networks to allow
efficient freight movement by sea, in the air and over land. Transport operators
such as shipping lines, rail operators, barge operators, trucking companies, and
10 Containerized Freight Distribution in North America and Europe 221cargo handling companies aim at providing transport and handling services that
meet the requirements of their customers. At the same time, those operators must
take into account the possibilities and limitations linked to the infrastructural
capacities at nodes (seaports, airports, intermodal terminals) and links (rail
corridors, waterways) in the transport networks. The networks are shaped by a
complex interaction between trade flows, the geography of consumption and
production centers, government policy and the regulatory framework. Characteristics
and capacity of nodes and links, the freight distribution strategies of global
logistics service providers and transport operators, and competition between them,
also have great impact on those networks.