Transport for the North (TfN) has started to develop a new pan-regional freight and logistics strategy.
This is expected to deliver an integrated transport network in the north - and the group comprises representatives from the major northern cities in the UK.
Specialists such as Mott MacDonald and MDS Transmodal will collaborate with TfN to determine the size, role and growth potential of the region's logistics industry.
This work is likely to make up part of an updated Northern Transport Strategy, which is expected to be presented by chancellor George Osborne in the 2016 Budget.
David Brown, an executive board member for TfN, said the public and private sectors will work together to boost its freight and logistics potential.
"Despite the fact that up to 60 per cent of containers entering the UK are destined for the midlands and the north, 90 per cent arrive through southern ports," he commented, adding: "This needs to be rebalanced."