Transportation Services, NEC

According to 2009 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, there were just over 600 establishments engaged in the miscellaneous transportation services industry, which employed about 9,600 people. The workforce earned more than $231.5 million in wages while generating more than $867 million in revenue in 2007.

Reflecting the multifaceted operations in this industry were two of the leading companies, Rescar Inc., of Downers Grove, Illinois, which had $133 million in revenue, and Hulcher Services Inc., of Denton, Texas, with $132 million in revenue. Rescar is a privately held company that offers maintenance services to companies that own and/or lease rail rolling stock. Services include mechanical repair, exterior painting, interior coating, and cleaning. These are provided from a nationwide network of more than 100 locations in the United States and Canada, at site facilities or from a field services group. Hulcher Services provides railroad service maintenance and repair, as well as environmental and disaster-response services.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture generally controls the rail stockyards industry. The USDA administers the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, which contains various financial protections for the industry and serves as the policing law to control unfair, deceptive, or anti-competitive practices. The Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is the specific USDA agency overseeing stockyards. GIPSA had an annual appropriation of $38 million in 2006, with $19.5 million for its Packers and Stockyards Programs and $17.5 million for its Food Safety and Inspection Service. Under both programs, GIPSA ensures standards for quality assessments, regulates handling practices, and manages a network of federal, state, and private laboratories that provide impartial, user-fee-funded official inspection and weighing services.