Shipping to McCormick Place at the freight price.
10 origins priced per pallet on Warp LTL as of September 15, 2026, quoted online in 10 seconds. Convention delivery, liftgate, appointment window and limited access at $0. Drayage inside McCormick Place is the show contractor's bill, and this page says what it costs.
By Troy Lester, Co-Founder & CRO
14,000+ box trucks and cargo vans · 50+ metros · Appointment delivery · Liftgate standard · 98.2% on-time
Live all-inclusive rates
Warp customers
Every show is two bills. Warp prices the first one in full and none of the second, and says so before you book.
Warp rows: LTL Tariff, Version 1.2, published in full. Legacy ranges: published tariffs from FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, XPO, Estes, SAIA, ABF and R+L. Contractor rows: The Exhibitor Advocate 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates (224 exhibitor manuals, 23 cities) and published Shepard and GES material handling terms.
Priced lanes into McCormick Place
10 origins, one pallet, all inclusive, as of September 15, 2026.
The Warp number is the invoice: convention delivery, the liftgate at the dock, the appointment window and the limited access venue add nothing, and no fuel surcharge, cubic capacity rule or linear foot rule rerates it after delivery.
Book at the row's price, or put your own origin in the quote box above; the destination is already McCormick Place.
Into 60616, one pallet, all inclusive, as of September 15, 2026. Every origin links to its full lane page.
| Origin | Warp, per pallet | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis | $218.15 | 1 day |
| Columbus | $194.25 | 1 day |
| St. Louis | $214.31 | 2 days |
| Minneapolis | $221.13 | 1 day |
| Milwaukee | $287.93 | 2 days |
| Nashville | $300.04 | 2 days |
| Dallas | $298.48 | 2 days |
| New York | $307.14 | 3 days |
| Atlanta | $330.35 | 3 days |
| Los Angeles | $407.19 | 5 days |
Adds at the dock on a legacy LTL tariff for the same delivery to McCormick Place: limited access $75 to $475, liftgate $75 to $504, delivery appointment $11 to $61, plus a variable trade show surcharge and a 24.7% to 28.5% fuel surcharge on the base rate. On Warp every one of those is $0. The named carrier head to head for each lane is on its lane page.
How McCormick Place receives freight
Trucks go to the marshaling yard first, freight before your licensed move in date is turned away, and the dock needs a pass.
McCormick Place publishes its freight and marshaling rules and its ASUV program for exhibitors unloading their own vehicles. The rules below are the ones that touch inbound freight.
Warp's driver checks in at the marshaling yard, delivers to the dock per your show's kit, and hands the freight to the show contractor for the move to the booth.
Two man crew is available for heavy crates at the dock.
- 3050 Moe Dr
- Truck marshaling yard at 31st Street and DuSable Lake Shore Drive, next to Lot B. 24 hour staff, a certified truck scale and security cameras. Entrance, overnight parking and scale use are charged.
- Licensed move in
- Freight shipped to McCormick Place or the marshaling yard before your licensed move in date will not be accepted. Early freight goes to the show contractor’s advance warehouse.
- Dock pass
- No access to the dock without a Dock Pass, issued at the Marshaling Yard Office at 3050 S. Moe Drive.
- 20 minutes
- ASUV: a registered exhibitor may unload a personal vehicle at the dock inside a 20 minute window, working as a team of at least two with one person staying with the vehicle.
- Hand carry
- Instead of driving to the dock, an exhibitor may hand carry items or use a non motorized, non hydraulic hand truck or dolly.
- 6 months
- ASUV staff must be full time employees of the exhibitor for at least six months before the show opens.
- $0
- The ASUV program is complimentary. Warp’s convention delivery to the dock is $0 too.
Source: McCormick Place, Freight and Truck Marshaling and McCormick Place, ASUV program. The show's exhibitor kit sets your dock, window and marshaling instructions and wins on anything here.
Shows at McCormick Place this season
Move in starts days before a show opens, and the receiving window in your exhibitor kit is the date that matters, not the show date.
At McCormick Place that window is enforced at the yard: freight ahead of the licensed move in date is turned away.
Quote the lane when the kit lands so the appointment is booked against the window, and book the outbound pickup at the same time against move out.
- IMTS 2026September 2026
- PACK EXPO International 2026October 2026
Dates per Choose Chicago's convention calendar. Your receiving window comes from the show's exhibitor kit, not the show dates.
What Warp does not do at McCormick Place
Booth setup, display assembly, AV installation, or material handling beyond the dock.
Warp delivers the freight per the show's receiving policy; the show's contractor handles the move from the dock to the booth and bills it as drayage.
For a full booth on a dedicated 26ft box truck, the liftgate is standard and the price is one number for the whole truck.
Frequently asked questions
Does Warp charge a convention center fee at McCormick Place?
No. Convention and trade show delivery is a $0 line on Warp's published LTL tariff (Version 1.2), and so are the liftgate at the dock, the delivery appointment window and the limited access venue.
The fuel surcharge is 0%. Legacy carriers publish $75 to $475 for limited access and $75 to $504 for liftgate on top of a variable trade show surcharge.
Can I ship freight to McCormick Place before my move in date?
No.
McCormick Place states that freight shipped to the venue or to its truck marshaling yard before your licensed move in date will not be accepted, and points early shipments to the show's general service contractor, who may have warehousing available.
Book the Warp delivery against the receiving window in your exhibitor kit, or route early freight to the contractor's advance warehouse address from that kit.
What does drayage cost at McCormick Place, and is it in the Warp quote?
Drayage, the show contractor moving your freight from the dock to the booth, is billed after the show per hundred pounds with a minimum per piece: $2.28 per pound on average in 2025 across 224 exhibitor manuals, per The Exhibitor Advocate, with a 200 lb minimum and a 50% surcharge on uncrated freight in published contractor terms.
It isn't in the Warp quote and no carrier can include it. Warp's price is the freight leg to the dock, and it's the invoice.
About the Warp freight network
More about the Warp freight network
Warp is a technology-driven freight network that combines cargo van, box truck, LTL, and FTL capacity under one operating system. Shippers get instant rates, real-time tracking, and access to 70+ cross-dock facilities and 14,000+ cargo vans and box trucks — with 80%+ US LTL zip-to-zip coverage and nationwide FTL, box truck, and cargo van.
The network is supported by 24,000+ vetted FTL carriers.
Unlike traditional brokers, Warp uses AI to match the right vehicle to every load based on weight, dimensions, urgency, and cost targets. Cross-dock operations reduce transit time by eliminating unnecessary terminal transfers.
Pool distribution and zone-skipping programs help enterprise shippers lower per-unit delivery costs while maintaining tight appointment windows.
Self-serve shippers can quote, compare, and book freight online in under two minutes. Enterprise accounts get dedicated capacity planning, committed rate programs, and a named operations team. Every shipment includes scan-level visibility from pickup through final delivery.
Warp operates across the contiguous United States with regional density in the Southeast, Texas, Midwest, and Northeast corridors, and West Coast and Southwest coverage from Los Angeles, Seattle and Phoenix.
Warp operates 70+ cross-dock facilities across the US, with named markets including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, New York, Savannah, Orlando, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Columbus, Denver, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Los Angeles. They support faster transfers and fewer touches on recurring lanes.
Freight modes and vehicle types
| Mode | Max payload | Max cube | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo van | 3,500 lbs | 400 cu ft | Time-sensitive, last-mile, light pallets |
| Box truck | 10,000 lbs | 1,500 cu ft | Regional distribution, no dock required |
| LTL | Per-pallet | Shared trailer | Lower per-pallet cost via cross-dock routing |
| Dry van / FTL | 42,000+ lbs | Full 53-ft trailer | High-volume lanes, recurring programs |
Cargo vans handle loads up to 3,500 pounds and 400 cubic feet, ideal for time-sensitive deliveries, last-mile retail replenishment, and lightweight palletized freight.
Box trucks carry up to 10,000 pounds and 1,500 cubic feet, fitting most regional distribution and store delivery needs without requiring a loading dock.
Dry vans and full truckloads move 42,000+ pounds for high-volume lanes and recurring programs. LTL shipments share trailer space on optimized routes through Warp cross-docks, reducing per-pallet cost by consolidating multiple shippers on the same vehicle.
Warp does not default every shipment to a 53-foot trailer. The AI engine evaluates load weight, cube, delivery window, and cost to recommend the right vehicle. Shippers see all available mode options with live pricing in one comparison screen before booking.
Cross-dock operations
Cross-docking at Warp facilities keeps freight moving instead of storing it: inbound freight is sorted and transferred directly to outbound vehicles, typically within hours. When inventory does need to sit, Warp's fulfillment centers in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and New Jersey hold it inside the same network, with same day delivery within 30 miles of each.
This reduces dwell time, lowers damage risk, and compresses delivery windows. Warp cross-docks support pallet-in, pallet-out operations with scan-level tracking at every handoff point.
- Atlanta — Southeast retail flow
- Chicago — Midwest manufacturing and replenishment
- Houston — Texas industrial distribution
- New York — dense Northeast delivery
Facility locations are selected for corridor density: Atlanta handles Southeast retail flow, Chicago serves Midwest manufacturing and replenishment, Houston covers Texas industrial distribution, and New York supports dense Northeast delivery. Each facility operates on appointment-based scheduling to prevent congestion and maintain throughput consistency.
Enterprise freight programs
Enterprise shippers get committed rate programs, dedicated account management, and custom SLA design. Warp builds lane-by-lane rate structures that account for volume commitments, seasonal variation, and mode flexibility. Operations teams monitor shipment execution daily and intervene proactively when exceptions occur.
Self-serve freight quoting
Shippers enter origin and destination, load details, and delivery requirements to see live rates across all available modes. Quotes include estimated transit time, vehicle type, and total cost.
Booking takes one click. After booking, shippers track every shipment with real-time GPS location, milestone updates, and proof of delivery documentation.
Industries and use cases
Retail shippers use Warp for store replenishment programs that deliver to hundreds of locations per week on tight appointment windows. Apparel brands use zone skipping to bypass regional parcel sortation and reduce per-unit delivery cost.
Food and beverage companies rely on time-definite delivery for perishable goods. Manufacturing operations use Warp for inbound vendor consolidation, combining multiple supplier shipments into fewer, fuller loads through cross-dock facilities.
Distribution companies use pool distribution to serve multiple delivery points from a single origin, splitting full truckloads at cross-docks into smaller last-mile vehicles.
Urgent freight recovery covers emergency capacity needs when primary carriers fail or demand spikes unexpectedly. Middle-mile optimization reduces cost and transit time on the longest segment of multi-leg shipments.
Get a rate into McCormick Place.
Put your origin ZIP in the quote box; the destination is already McCormick Place. Convention delivery, liftgate and the appointment window are $0, and the quoted price is the invoiced price.
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14,000+ box trucks and cargo vans · 50+ metros · Appointment delivery · Liftgate standard · 98.2% on-time
Performance figures are computed from Warp network data. See our methodology.
By Troy Lester