Full container load (FCL)
Dedicated container options for commercial inventory, equipment, vehicles and larger household shipments. Share cargo dimensions, weight and loading needs.
Illinois • Chicago • Chicagoland • Statewide
Ocean freight for Chicago and Illinois customers.
Ship commercial goods, industrial equipment, vehicles and personal cargo to or from Illinois. Smiles Logistics Group coordinates the inland plan, ocean service and export arrangements based on your shipment.
Serving Chicago and major Illinois cities
We welcome ocean freight requests from Chicago, Aurora, Naperville, Joliet, Rockford, Elgin, Peoria, Springfield, Champaign, Bloomington and nearby communities. Send your origin or delivery ZIP code so we can confirm the inland service available at your location.
The inland pickup or delivery plan, rail or truck connection and ocean gateway depend on the shipment origin, destination, cargo, equipment and carrier availability. We review the route and included services before confirming the booking.
Illinois shipment process
How Illinois ocean freight is coordinated
For Chicago-area and other Illinois bookings, we coordinate the container, inland movement, export preparation and tracking. The route is confirmed for each shipment.
Step 1
Request the booking
Share your pickup city and ZIP code, destination, cargo, equipment needs and timing.
Step 2
Plan the container pickup
When trucking is included, Smiles coordinates empty-container pickup and delivery to the customer loading location, subject to confirmed route and equipment availability.
Step 3
Coordinate inland movement
After loading, staff arrange the available truck or rail connection to the selected ocean gateway. The routing depends on the origin, carrier and destination.
Step 4
Prepare export documents
Our team prepares the required export declaration and shipment documents before the applicable carrier and port cutoffs.
Step 5
Track shipment progress
Customers can follow updates through the Smiles customer portal and mobile apps.
Ocean services for your cargo
Less than container load (LCL)
Consolidated ocean freight for cargo that does not need a full container. Package count, size, weight and destination help us review available options.
Vehicles and project cargo
Ask about containerized vehicle shipping, RoRo where available, and machinery or oversized cargo. Carrier acceptance and destination requirements determine the service.
Chicago and Illinois drayage trucking
Need a container moved between a Chicago-area rail ramp or intermodal facility, warehouse, business or customer location? Request drayage with the facility names, both addresses, container size and ready date. We confirm the route, equipment and return instructions for each load.
See Chicago drayage serviceChicago is our Midwest hub
From Chicago, our team can coordinate ocean freight, air freight and container drayage requests with routes confirmed for each shipment.
Chicago ocean freight to West Africa
From Chicago and other Illinois origins, ask about ocean shipping to Nigeria (Lagos), Ghana (Tema), Sierra Leone (Freetown), Guinea (Conakry), Senegal (Dakar), Togo (Lomé) and Liberia (Monrovia). We review the inland movement, carrier and destination details before confirming the booking.
FCL, LCL, containerized vehicles and RoRo vehicle shipping where available can be reviewed alongside machinery, equipment and household cargo.
What to include in your quote request
- Pickup city and ZIP code, destination country and delivery point.
- Cargo description, package count, dimensions and weight.
- Container size or vehicle details, plus loading and handling needs.
- Ready date and whether inland trucking, empty pickup or consolidation is needed.