XPO announces the opening of a new Chicago-area LTL hub

Greenwich, Conn.-based freight transportation services provider XPO Logistics said this week that it formally opened its new Chicago-area less-than-truckload (LTL) service center.

Located in Chicago Heights, XPO said that the new 150,000 square-foot facility is comprised of 264 dock doors, in order to accommodate high volumes and ongoing growth.

An XPO official told LM that the demand for LTL services has never been higher, which is why now is the perfect time to open this state-of-the-art hub in one of the most strategically important markets in the country. And she added that as one of the largest LTL providers in North America, XPO is poised to grow as a transportation leader.

“We’re delighted to celebrate the completion of our Chicago Heights service center, following eight months of new construction,” said Mario Harik, acting president, less-than-truckload, XPO Logistics, in a statement. “This strategic hub will have a positive impact on customer service throughout our LTL network, as well as the Illinois economy.”

XPO pointed to various highlights of this new facility, including:

• a jobs base of over 200 employees at the site, including professional drivers, dockworkers, shop technicians, supervisors and customer sales representatives;
• a comprehensive commitment to employee satisfaction, including competitive pay and healthcare, progressive pregnancy care, short- and long-term disability coverage, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, free mental health counseling, technological support and more;
• safety-focused operations that reflect XPO’s company culture—six drivers based at the site have driven more than two million miles accident-free, and an additional 19 drivers have driven more than one million miles accident-free; and
• high customer service standards and a drive for continuous improvement, with an inclusive workplace that encourages employees to contribute suggestions

XPO said this is the company’s 14th facility in Illinois. In Illinois, which are comprised of more than 1,680 doors and 782,000 square feet. The new Chicago Heights service center and shop cover 140 acres and are more than 150,000 square feet, combined, according to XPO.

In a recent interview with LM, XPO Chief Strategy Officer Matt Fassler noted that LTL is benefiting from a few different transcendent tailwinds.

“One of them…is the outsourcing of transportation broadly,” he said. “In a tight market visibility through technology helped to drive our business, and that is true in brokerage and it is true in LTL. LTL deals more so with the industrial economy than with the consumer economy, and the consumer piece is growing within LTL. And the industrial economy is recovering. It was sluggish for a while, really, even before Covid. With Covid, the industrial shutdown was more dramatic than the consumer shutdown. The industrial economy slowed down, and it has now been revving up, which is also a good thing for XPO LTL and will continue to be, I think, into next year. I think the recovery in the industrial economy really has legs.”