Forward Air has announced that it will open a regional sorting center in Chicago on Jan. 14. This will be the company’s 12th regional hub and will provide direct overnight service between Chicago and 20 cities in the Midwest and Southeast. This enhanced service will reduce transit time for customers in these markets and increase the service options available to the air cargo industry from one of the world’s largest freight gateways, Forward Air says.
“Combined with our recent integration of five new terminals in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska with the acquisition of Black Hawk Freight Services, our Midwest customers will experience the benefits of our next-day direct service to all 20 cities within a 600-mile radius of our new Chicago hub,” says Bruce A. Campbell, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Forward Air, based in Greeneville, Tenn. “This represents a significant improvement in transit time while reducing handling on our direct trucks throughout the Midwest.”
Forward Air says it laid the groundwork for the creation of its Chicago hub in March with the opening of a 126,000-square-foot crossdock terminal near O’Hare International Airport. The company says the 108-dock/door facility has substantial capacity to provide fast handling for customers while loading and unloading the new trucks, providing next-morning arrivals between Chicago and the markets of Atlanta, Burlington (Iowa), Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus (Ohio), Dayton (Ohio), Des Moines (Iowa), Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City (Mo.), Louisville (Ky.), Memphis (Tenn.), Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Moline (Ill.), Nashville (Tenn.), Omaha (Neb.), Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
