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Built by people who actually drive.
We're a family owned trucking holding company with main headquarters in Chicago. Six divisions, one family, one mission. We started this company because trucking deserved better: better equipment, better treatment of drivers, better partnerships with shippers. We're still building it.
Started in a garage.
We started Pavas the way most trucking companies start: with one truck, one trailer, and one founder who couldn't find a carrier worth driving for.
In 2009, I bought a used Cascadia, hung an MC number, and began running freight. The original premise was simple: build the trucking company we'd want to drive for ourselves. Newer equipment than the industry standard. Honest pay structures. Dedicated dispatchers. No tricks in the contract.
That single truck turned into three. Three turned into a small fleet. The small fleet attracted other drivers who'd been burned by mega carriers, owner operators looking for a respectful place to lease on, contract drivers tired of being treated like numbers, lease purchase candidates who'd been burned by predatory programs.
We didn't set out to build a holding company. We set out to build a place drivers actually wanted to work, and the structure followed from that.
By 2021, we had outgrown our original structure. Drivers wanted ownership paths we couldn't offer under a single carrier. Fleet customers wanted truck and trailer leasing. Owner operators wanted equipment to buy. Established fleets wanted fuel programs.
Rather than dilute the original carrier into something it wasn't, we restructured into PAVAS Holdings, a family of six related divisions each focused on doing one thing well, all sharing the same family ownership and operational standards.
Today we're still family owned. Same founders. Same philosophy. Same commitment to the original premise: build the company we'd want to drive for, lease from, or buy from, and run it the way we'd want to be treated.
Pavas founded
One Cascadia, one trailer, one founder. Original carrier authority issued. First load delivered Chicago to Dallas.
First regional lanes established
Expanded beyond the Chicago-Dallas corridor. Added dedicated lanes to the Southeast and Midwest. Second dispatcher brought on part-time.
First fleet expansion
Five trucks. First contracted shipper relationships. Hired our first full-time dispatcher.
Lease-Purchase program launched
First driver took title to her own Pavas truck under the original Lease-Purchase agreement. The program has grown every year since.
Holding company structure
Restructured into PAVAS Holdings LLC. Recruiting, leasing, and sales established as separate operating divisions.
Fuel program added
Launched Pavas Fuel Card program for fleets and owner-operators. Bulk delivery added in 2024.
Sales division opened
Used truck and trailer sales division opened to public. Began cycling fleet equipment to outside buyers. Expanded to multiple terminals across the USA.
Today
Six operating divisions. Fleet of 2027 Cascadias. Hundreds of drivers across all programs. Still family owned. Still based in Chicago.
What we actually believe.
Based in Chicago.
We chose Illinois for the same reasons every major freight company eventually ends up here: it's the rail hub of North America, the convergence point for multiple major interstates, and within a day's drive of roughly 70% of the U.S. population.
Our headquarters facility houses dispatch, recruiting, fleet operations, the sales lot, fuel program operations, and the Pavas garage. We're proud that drivers can come to one location and meet every person who'll be involved in their relationship with Pavas.
If you're considering working with us, we'd rather you come see the operation than just take our word for it.
Want to work with us?
Whether you're considering driving for us, leasing equipment, buying a truck, or partnering on freight, start with a real conversation. We'll tell you straight whether we're the right fit. Family owned still means picking up the phone.