Celebrating National Illinois Day in the Heartland of Logistics

While Illinois has a rich history, we are proud of its link to the supply chain industry. In fact, the most iconic public highway originated in Chicago to help transport goods across the country.

Established in 1926, U.S. Route 66 stretched from Illinois to California. It had a significant impact on long-distance trucking and on the eventual construction of our interstate highway system. (The Federal Aid Highway Act was signed by President Eisenhower on June 29, 1956.) While decommissioned in 1985, parts of Route 66 can still be traveled today.

Of course, now Chicago boasts seven major interstate highways. Well-maintained and well-planned highways in Illinois lead to faster transit times. This is essential for time-sensitive shipments and just-in-time inventory management, ensuring that products—especially those traveling on pallets—reach their destinations promptly. According to the Federal Highway Administration, nearly 20 billion tons of freight, valued at $19 trillion dollars, are shipped to and from sites in the U.S., most of which are loaded on pallets and transported via trucks.

Illinois also hosts numerous distribution centers and warehousing facilities that take advantage of its highway network. These centers act as critical nodes in the logistics supply chain, facilitating the consolidation and distribution of goods to various destinations.

Indeed, highways are the backbone of the shipping and logistics industry, serving as a critical component in the transportation of goods and materials. They enable logistics companies like ours to maintain cost-effective, efficient, and timely delivery of pallets to our customers.

So, on December 7^th, let’s celebrate the great state of Illinois and its highways that keep the economy (and the pallets that move the world’s goods) moving.

Want to continue the history lesson? Contact our pallet pros at Rose Pallet. We love pallets and our life’s work.