English: Cargo transport riverboat carrying laden trucks in the Three Gorges area of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). Photo taken late September 2002 by Mike Martin. As riverside roads in this area are winding, narrow, and extremely dangerous, all intercity truck transport is moved on the river. As the major rivers are mostly east-west, railroad transport is typically north-south.

Similar but smaller craft are called self-propelled barges, capable of operation in low velocity waters and then pushed with a towboat through regions of high current.

Photo by Mike Martin., uploaded by User:Leonard G.