Highway Transport Chicago Ribbon Cutting
The 17,730-square-foot service center located on nearly 23 acres doubles the size of Highway Transport’s previous leased facility in Joliet where it operated for two decades. The new facility, which includes a tank wash and maintenance shop services, is one of more than 20 Highway Transport Service Centers in the United States, serving 49 states and Canada.
Highway Transport opened the $11 million service center in Channahon, Illinois to serve the needs of its current and growing customers across Chicago, the Midwest and beyond, and lead to the creation of 70 local jobs.
Highway Transport currently is hiring for positions based at the Chicago Service Center, including drivers, mechanics, tank wash positions and office staff. The new service center, located in Clarius Business Park in Channahon, Illinois, will employ on-site team members and professional truck drivers and is expected to add approximately 70 new employees in the coming years.
“Our new chemical tanker truck facility marks our commitment to both the greater Chicago area and to our customers and team members across the U.S.,” Highway Transport President and CFO Marshall Franklin said. “With the expanded Chicago service center, we are better positioned to serve many chemical companies in Illinois, the Midwest and beyond. This is an important investment for our company. We remain committed to providing award-winning safety and service to our customers, as well as the community, which is reflected by the environmental safety measures we took in expanding the facility and setting up our safety and cleaning protocols on-site.”
The Chicago Service Center will continue to serve as a central hub for Highway Transport tanker trucks and professional tanker drivers as they safely transport chemicals for companies across the country. Team members and drivers located there will coordinate logistics, technology, cleaning processes and other critical operations on-site. The facility includes parking for tanker trucks from the company’s fleet of more than 465 trucks and 900-plus stainless-steel tanker trailers.
The opening of the new Chicago facility is one example of how Highway Transport currently is in “expansion mode,” and the company also is scheduled to receive 170 additional trailers and 52 more tractors this year.
To celebrate the grand opening, Highway Transport team members participated in a community volunteer day through the company’s Highway Helping Hands program. More than 30 team members visited Chicago’s Ronald McDonald House to prepare nourishing snack boxes for families so they don’t have to eat fast food while staying there as their child receives care and The Bridge Teen Center in Orland Park to fold clothing being sold at the thrift store that raises money the organization to provide a safe space for teens.
The company also hosted a grand opening celebration at the new facility on June 22, welcoming area elected officials and community leaders, customers and business owners, vendors and partners to tour the Chicago Service Center.
“Highway Transport has invested in a state-of-the-art service center, including the latest systems and technology to ensure a safe and worker-friendly environment,” said Kyle Lukwinski, Highway Transport’s service center manager in Chicago.
“We care about our tanker drivers and employees, and this facility is designed with their safety and convenience in mind. When we take care of our team and our drivers, they are best equipped to fulfill our commitment to providing award-winning safety and service to our customers. Our expanded Chicago Service Center is a critical component in delivering on our promise .”
The facility includes a maintenance shop, tank wash, multiple offices and a conference room. It also provides full amenities for Highway Transport professional drivers, including a comfortable break room to watch television and movies, Wi-Fi access, showers and more within the secure, gated facility. The Highway Transport Chicago Service Center project was led by Principle Construction and Partners in Design.
“With our new Service Center open, it will support our company and team members to continue to serve clients with a more than 98 percent on-time rate, while maintaining our commitment to quality and safety,” Franklin said. “As we grow in Chicago and beyond, the elite drivers joining our team are on time, well presented at delivery and committed to the highest-level safety protocols that our customers know and trust.”