Midwest Cargo Systems
Midwest Cargo Systems is a privately held, family-owned Chicagoland drayage and trucking company offering intermodal container delivery, dedicated, overweight, spotting, and regional truckload services to industrial, rail, and logistics customers across the Chicago metropolitan area.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1958
- HeadquartersHopkins Park, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Midwest Cargo Systems does
Midwest Cargo Systems, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned transportation and logistics company headquartered at 9750 W. 75th Street in Hodgkins, Illinois, operating exclusively in the Chicago metropolitan area. Founded in 1958 by Bob Cunningham as Kroflite Motor Express Inc., the company is now in its second generation of family ownership under President Robert Cunningham and Executive Vice President Tomas Ciukaj. Its core offerings are intermodal drayage (covering all Chicagoland rail-yards using rail, pool, and proprietary triaxle chassis), dedicated trucking for industrial shippers (raw materials, finished goods, facility shuttles), overweight-load transport up to 21.5 metric tons without permits (via day-cab tractors and lightweight triaxle chassis), 24x7 spotting services, regional truckload, and permitted trucking. A secured yard in Hodgkins provides yard-pull capability that mitigates daily rail storage fees for drayage customers.
The company's technology stack centers on an Electronic Transportation Management System (in use for over ten years) that manages dispatch, billing, and operations, complemented by real-time GPS tracking, Electronic Logging Device compliance, AI-powered dash cameras for driver-behavior monitoring, and the Midwest Cargo Connect customer portal. Customers can transact through EDI submissions or connect directly via an Open API, reducing manual data entry and enabling integration with shipper systems.
Midwest Cargo operates a B2B, sales-led model: customers initiate engagement through a website quote form or by phone (773-847-7800), and pricing is custom and quote-based with no published rate cards, varying by service type (drayage, dedicated, overweight, spotting), distance, weight, and frequency. Revenue is earned on a transactional fee basis per shipment or per dedicated contract. The firm serves industrial/manufacturing companies, intermodal and rail shippers, and logistics/distribution customers across Chicagoland, with marketing conducted almost entirely through its own website and direct phone contact — no third-party channels, partnerships, or external investors are disclosed.
Midwest Cargo Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Midwest Cargo Systems
- Legal name
- Midwest Cargo Systems, Inc.
- Website
- https://midwestcargo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1958
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Midwest Cargo Systems is a privately held, family-owned Chicagoland drayage and trucking company offering intermodal container delivery, dedicated, overweight, spotting, and regional truckload services to industrial, rail, and logistics customers across the Chicago metropolitan area.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Midwest Cargo Systems industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trucking and Drayage Services
- NAICS
- Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)
- SIC
- Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Trucking (No Local) (4213), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Intermodal Drayage & Cartage (First/Last Mile) (TLADAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Intermodal Drayage TL Carriers (Port/Rail Ramp Drayage) (TLADADAF), Chassis / Trailer / Mafi / Genset Storage Yards (TLALAJAI), Truck & Trailer Parking/Storage Yards (TLALAKAB)
Keywords
Where Midwest Cargo Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hopkins Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Midwest Cargo Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Transportation and Logistics Services: The company generates revenue through providing drayage, dedicated trucking, overweight load transport, spotting services, and regional truckload services. Revenue is earned through service contracts and spot shipments, with pricing based on load characteristics, distance, and service requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Quote-Based Pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Midwest Cargo Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Midwest Cargo Systems provides intermodal drayage, dedicated trucking, overweight load transport, spotting services, and regional truckload services for industrial, manufacturing, logistics, and intermodal rail customers throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. The company operates a fleet of day-cab tractors with lightweight triaxle chassis from a secured terminal in Hodgkins, IL, and supports its services with an electronic TMS, a customer portal, GPS tracking, and EDI/API integration.
Product overview
Midwest Cargo Systems is a transportation and logistics company offering a portfolio of interconnected freight services. The core offerings include Drayage Services (intermodal container delivery at Chicago rail-yards), Dedicated Services (customized trucking for raw materials, finished goods, and facility shuttles), Overweight Load Services (up to 21.5MT/47,399 lbs capacity), Spotting Services (24x7 onsite spotter tractors), Regional Truckload, and Permitted Trucks. These services are unified under the Midwest Cargo Connect customer portal, an Open API, and an Electronic TMS system, enabling customers to track shipments, submit freight electronically, and integrate operations digitally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Drayage Services Chicagoland's premier drayage service for intermodal containers across all rail-yards in the Chicago metropolitan area. Midwest Cargo's fleet utilizes rail chassis, pool chassis, and its own triaxle chassis, and offers yard-pull capabilities to a secured terminal in Hodgkins, IL to mitigate daily storage fees.
- Overweight Load Services Heavy/overweight freight transportation in which Midwest Cargo secures the necessary permits for all local and state municipalities. Using day-cab tractors combined with a fleet of lightweight triaxle chassis, the company can ship up to 21.5MT / 47,399 lbs without permits.
- Dedicated Services Dedicated trucking service for industrial customers, including transport of raw materials to production plants, finished products to warehouses, truckloads of orders to rail, shuttles between facilities, and maintenance of a dry-van pool.
- Spotting Services Onsite spotter tractors and drivers available 24x7 at customer facilities, working with several different trailer tracking systems to move trailers within yards.
- Regional Truckload Regional truckload transportation service providing capacity for shippers needing full-truckload moves across the Chicagoland region.
- Permitted Trucks Truck service offered with the necessary permits secured for local and state municipalities, enabling legal transport of loads requiring special routing or weight authorization.
Companies that use Midwest Cargo Systems
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Midwest Cargo Systems technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature7 records
Midwest Cargo Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Midwest Cargo Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hub Group: Oak Brook, IL-based intermodal and logistics provider and one of the largest drayage operators in North America. Directly comparable to Midwest Cargo given overlapping Chicago-area drayage, intermodal, and dedicated services, though at significantly larger scale.
- STG Logistics: Asset-light intermodal drayage and containerized logistics specialist serving major U.S. ports and rail markets. Directly comparable drayage/rail-ramp service mix; competing for the same intermodal shipper wallet in overlapping geographies.
- ITS ConGlobal: Provider of drayage, terminal, and depot services to intermodal customers, including chassis management and yard operations. Closely comparable to Midwest Cargo's combination of drayage, terminal, and chassis/triaxle services.
- Echo Global Logistics: Chicago-based technology-enabled freight broker and 3PL arranging truckload and intermodal services. Comparable Chicago footprint and intermodal/dedicated customer base; primarily non-asset while Midwest Cargo is asset-based.
- Drayage.com / ContainerPort Group: Intermodal drayage and container services provider operating across multiple U.S. rail and port markets. Most directly comparable peer in service mix and customer type (intermodal shippers needing ramp-to-door container transport).
Broad incumbents
- NFI Industries: Family-owned national trucking and logistics provider with dedicated, drayage, and intermodal services. Comparable in family-ownership culture and drayage/dedicated offering, but operates across multiple regions with a far larger fleet.
- J.B. Hunt Transport Services: One of the largest U.S. intermodal and dedicated trucking operators. Overlaps with Midwest Cargo on drayage and dedicated services but at vastly larger national scale with major Class I rail partnerships.
- Schneider National: Publicly-traded national trucking, intermodal, and logistics provider. Comparable intermodal and dedicated offerings, though Schneider operates nationwide and at far larger scale than Midwest Cargo's regional Chicagoland footprint.
- Werner Enterprises: National carrier with dedicated and logistics services including intermodal exposure. Comparable dedicated transportation offering; competes for similar enterprise dedicated contracts though at much larger scale.
- Maersk Logistics & Services (North America inland): Global ocean carrier that has built out inland drayage and intermodal services in major U.S. rail markets including Chicago. Competes with Midwest Cargo for intermodal container drayage and yard services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Midwest Cargo Systems social profiles
Digital presenceMidwest Cargo Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Midwest Cargo Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Midwest Cargo Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Midwest Cargo Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Midwest Cargo Systems
What does Midwest Cargo Systems do?
Midwest Cargo Systems provides intermodal drayage, dedicated trucking, overweight load transport, spotting services, and regional truckload services for industrial, manufacturing, logistics, and intermodal rail customers throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. The company operates a fleet of day-cab tractors with lightweight triaxle chassis from a secured terminal in Hodgkins, IL, and supports its services with an electronic TMS, a customer portal, GPS tracking, and EDI/API integration.
Is Midwest Cargo Systems a public or private company?
Midwest Cargo Systems is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Midwest Cargo Systems founded?
Midwest Cargo Systems was founded in 1958. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Midwest Cargo Systems based?
Midwest Cargo Systems is headquartered in Hopkins Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Midwest Cargo Systems make money?
One revenue line is on record: transportation and Logistics Services.
Who are Midwest Cargo Systems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hub Group, STG Logistics, ITS ConGlobal, Echo Global Logistics and Drayage.com / ContainerPort Group. Broad incumbents are NFI Industries, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Schneider National, Werner Enterprises and Maersk Logistics & Services (North America inland).
Does Midwest Cargo Systems have an API?
Yes. Midwest Cargo offers an Open API that enables customers to electronically integrate with their systems, reducing the need for phone calls and duplicate data entry. Customers can submit freight moves electronically and integrate their operations with Midwest Cargo's platform.
What industry is Midwest Cargo Systems in?
Midwest Cargo Systems's product category is Trucking and Drayage Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAFAC, Intermodal Drayage & Cartage (First/Last Mile), with a secondary code of TLADADAF, Intermodal Drayage TL Carriers (Port/Rail Ramp Drayage). Its NAICS code is 4842 and its SIC code is 4210.