Following up on a partnership that it formed last year with two airlines, a freight forwarder and two technology providers, national less-than-truckload carrier Roadway Express has launched an airfreight forwarding business.

Roadway Air is the first service offered in conjunction with Integres, the partnership whose members include Roadway, United Airlines, American Airlines, freight forwarder UTi Worldwide, and technology providers Unisys and G-Log. Integres, which was founded last year, announced last month that it had lined up $27 million in new funding from Technology Crossover Ventures and other investors.

Although Roadway will handle some of the ground transportation for the venture, a national network of drayage carriers will provide most of that coverage. Roadway Air will act primarily as a "virtual integrator," company officials say.

The new service targets shipments weighing more than 150 pounds. It also offers a next-flight-out service with a 70-pound limit. Integres itself aims to provide services to small and mid-sized shippers. The company plans to launch an Internet portal that will provide real-time shipping data as well as allow customers to communicate with transportation providers and execute transactions. Ferenc Relle, marketing manager for Roadway Air, says the software behind that information system will offer "the whole ball of wax" to air shippers, providing online services that otherwise are not available in the aircargo marketplace.