Chicago Roots. People Who Know the Work.
Cushing Transportation moves containers off Chicago's rail ramps: across town to another railroad, or out to the dock that is waiting for them. Owner operators based in Chicago and Joliet drive the work, one dispatch desk in Orland Park runs it around the clock, and the Pacella family owns it, as it has since one of its drivers bought the company in the late 1960s.
- 1867 The Cushing name The Chicago city directory lists John Cushing, drayman.
- Late 1960s The Pacella family John R. Pacella, one of the company's own drivers, buys the business.
- 1992 Cushing Transportation, Inc. Chicago Intermodal Cartage, Inc., the corporation the family formed in 1984, takes the name it carries today.
- 2017 Orland Park The office moves to 13301 Southwest Highway.
The Name on the Door
The name on the door belongs to John J. Cushing, a drayman hauling freight with horse and wagon in Chicago by 1867. The business kept his name through his sons and a later owner. In the 1940s it hired a young driver, John R. Pacella, Big John, and in the late 1960s he bought it. The Pacella family has owned it ever since.
Who runs it today
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Jim Pacella, Big Jim President
Big John's son started at the company as a young man, served in the U.S. Army, came back to work alongside his father, dispatched, and became president. He is still at the company he grew up in, and the details still matter to him: the paperwork, the drivers, the load that has to be where it was promised.
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Dominic and Joseph Pacella
Jim's sons, Big John's grandsons, oversee the day to day. Dominic began driving at 17, drove as an owner operator in 1998, and came into the office as operations manager in July 2012; he is an executive of the company today and leads its IT and security.
Big John was known as a family man and a charitable one. In 1995 the Italian American Executives of Transportation named him their Professional Man of the Year, for his career in trucking and his contributions to the Italian American community. Cushing still believes in giving back to the community and helping those in need.
What Accountable Service Means Here
Our mission is to support customers through capable people, accurate coordination and dependable transportation service. On a move, that comes down to four habits.
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One desk, every load
Dispatch is one desk in Orland Park, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with every load we are running in front of it. Call or text 708.656.5050 with the container number or your reference.
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The details settled with you
Send the load by EDI, API, email or phone: the container, the pickup ramp, the delivery address, the weight and the dates. Dispatch confirms capacity, pricing and the appointment with you.
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The dates watched
Dispatch holds the delivery appointment and watches the last free day. A drayage move ends with the empty back at the ramp and the paperwork in order.
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Drivers kept informed
Our drivers are owner operators and the drivers who run for them. We keep them informed and expect care on every move, because a container delivered right, on time, with the paperwork in order, is the whole job.
Safety Is Our Top Priority.
Our dedicated safety team supports safe operations through established best practices, continuing education and current safety protocols. Here is what that covers.
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Dedicated safety oversight
A safety team of our own watches how the work is done and keeps our safety protocols current.
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Thorough contractor screening
Owner operators are vetted against our standards for training, experience and safety before they haul for Cushing.
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Continuing education and training
Education does not stop after the first day: our team and our contractors keep training as safety practice changes.
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Consistent operating practices
The same established practices on every move, whichever ramp it starts at and whichever dock it ends at.
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Our own chassis, our own shop
The containers we haul ride on Cushing chassis, and the company keeps its own shop at the Orland Park office.
Company Information
The office
Cushing Transportation, Inc.
13301 Southwest Highway
Orland Park, Illinois 60462
The office and the one dispatch desk for both terminals; dispatch answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Where the work runs
Owner operators and the drivers who run for them, based at our terminals in Chicago and Joliet. Drive With Cushing
They pull containers from 15 Chicago area rail ramps on six railroads: the railroads' terminals, not ours. The terminals and the ramp map
Services and registration
Crosstown Services and Intermodal Drayage. All services
Formerly Chicago Intermodal Cartage, Inc. (1984 to 1992).
USDOT 528388
MC 192491
DUNS 130870546
ILCC 68492 MC
Member of the Intermodal Association of Chicago, and a UIIA motor carrier participant (the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement).
Talk With Dispatch About Your Move.
Send the pickup, the destination, the container and the dates, and dispatch will follow up with you.