My assumption always was that standard cargo containers (and most all non-standard ones) contained a grav module, thus anyone capable of pushing a button could then maneuver around the container like a huge floating balloon. As you would want the containers to be stackable, it would be a simple matter to lift them up and into place with a couple of people. My presumption too was that large cargo ships that would have a desire to stack the containers 3-4 high or so would have robots that did that sort of work.
Where it gets interesting is if the grav module fails. Assuming we don't have a few tons of stuff falling from 50 feet in the air, and the darn thing just wouldn't turn on, a tech (bot during the 3rd Imperium) would be able to troubleshoot it. Worst case, all ships would have portable, detachable grav modules that could be slapped on the sides of the container so that it can be moved.
Cranes would be a pre-grav module thing, though I could see where they might be useful in very large warehouses and in starports. As tech increases, they would become increasingly automated, such that at some point the warehouse would be a giant robot, with a number of smaller robots for reaching those places the giant robot can't. New Era RC would have them too, though probably with a couple of humans in the loops to make sure nothing goes "squirrely" (being inside an automated warehouse that has been taken over by Virus would be a very dangerous place...). Regency would likely be similar, though perhaps the humans in the loop aren't necessarily on site. Within the Terran setting, the degree of automation would differ depending upon the world you're on. Kagukans would be more likely to trust the machines, Prometheans less likely, Terrans somewhere in between.
Where it gets interesting is if the grav module fails. Assuming we don't have a few tons of stuff falling from 50 feet in the air, and the darn thing just wouldn't turn on, a tech (bot during the 3rd Imperium) would be able to troubleshoot it. Worst case, all ships would have portable, detachable grav modules that could be slapped on the sides of the container so that it can be moved.
Cranes would be a pre-grav module thing, though I could see where they might be useful in very large warehouses and in starports. As tech increases, they would become increasingly automated, such that at some point the warehouse would be a giant robot, with a number of smaller robots for reaching those places the giant robot can't. New Era RC would have them too, though probably with a couple of humans in the loops to make sure nothing goes "squirrely" (being inside an automated warehouse that has been taken over by Virus would be a very dangerous place...). Regency would likely be similar, though perhaps the humans in the loop aren't necessarily on site. Within the Terran setting, the degree of automation would differ depending upon the world you're on. Kagukans would be more likely to trust the machines, Prometheans less likely, Terrans somewhere in between.