Central Asians Are Quietly Dominating U.S. Trucking 🇰🇿🇰🇬🇹🇯🇹🇲🇺🇿

Yesterday, we attended the 2nd annual Central Asian Business Forum (CABXPO) in Schaumburg, IL and honestly, we were blown away.

For those unfamiliar, Central Asia is made up of:
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan, 🇹🇯 Tajikistan, 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan, and 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan.

Many of their immigrant communities have quietly built some of the largest and fastest-growing trucking companies in the U.S.

Here’s what we learned:

There are a lot of serious players in the game—especially from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

We got to meet and interview some of them:

• Sultan Trans: Leased fleet of 482 tractors based in Ohio. Specializes in hazmat, reefer, and flatbed freight across 48 states.
• Aravan Cargo Inc: Based in Joliet, IL. Operates 456 trucks and employs 456 drivers. Provides dry van, stepdeck, and flatbed services nationwide.
• UGL Holding Inc: Headquartered in Montgomery, IL. Manages a fleet of 800 trucks and 700 trailers. Offers comprehensive logistics solutions with modern equipment. ​
• Globe Transportation: Operating over 300 trucks, Globe Transportation is based in Palatine, IL. Specializes in general freight and hazmat transportation.
• UZB Freight, Inc.: Located at Crest Hill, IL. Utilizes 183 tractors and 433 trailers. Transports general freight and chemicals, including hazmat services.
• Sam Express: Based in Palatine, IL. Operates 112 tractors. Provides general freight services with 24/7 dispatch support. ​
• STL Truckers: Headquartered in St. Charles, MO. Maintains a fleet of 750 trucks and 1,000 trailers. Offers nationwide freight services with a focus on major metropolitan areas.
• Linestar Group: Operates around 150 trucks. Provides dry van, reefer, flatbed, and container services.
• Delo Trans Inc.: Operating from Dayton, OH. Manages 392 tractors. Specializes in power-only trucking services across North America.

*Carrier info sourced from RoseRocket and CarrierSource.

☕ Culture at the Center

Beyond the trucking booths, CABXPO gave us a real taste of Central Asian culture.

Right in the middle of the expo floor, there was a traditional tapcha—a Central Asian tea setup with rugs, pillows, and a low table. It became the social heart of the event, where people sat down to sip tea, snack, and talk.

I ended up sitting on the tapcha and chatting in Russian with the father of the owner of Sultan Trans. Amazing guy. Incredible story.

This wasn’t just a trucking expo, it was a cultural experience.

Yesterday, I attended the 2nd annual Central Asian Business Forum (CABXPO)… | Paul-Bernard Jaroslawski

Yesterday, I attended the 2nd annual Central Asian Business Forum (CABXPO) in Schaumburg, IL and I was shocked at how impressive it was. Central Asia is made up of 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan, 🇹🇯 Tajikistan, 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan, and 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan. Many of their communities are building massive trucking companies here in the U.S. Here’s a quick recap: There are a ton of large trucking companies in the U.S. owned by Central Asians, especially from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. We met and interviewed companies like: • SultanTrans (500+ trucks, 1,000 trailers, hazmat specialists) • Aravan Cargo Inc • UGL Holding Inc • Globe Transportation • UZB Freight, Inc. • Sam Express • STL Truckers • Linestar Group • Delo Trans Inc. Aside from trucking, we connected with vendors and got a real taste of Central Asian culture. The people we met were incredibly welcoming, proud of their roots, and excited to share their stories. Right in the middle of the expo hall was a tapcha. A traditional tea setup with rugs, pillows, and a low table where guests could sit, sip tea, eat snacks, and have conversations. It brought a warm and authentic vibe to the event. I sat down on the tapcha and spoke in Russian with the father of the Sultan Trans owner. Such an amazing guy. Also huge shoutout to Angie Twardawa (CEO of Angie's Transportation, LLC. & RoadLites) and her brother Rafael for driving up from St. Louis to hang with us and learn more about the Central Asian logistics scene. 📹 We recorded over 3 hours of FreightCaviar content that we’ll be dropping soon. Just like Reed always says: go meet people in real life. And yes a FreightCaviar Uzbekistan Documentary is officially in the works. Stay tuned.

LinkedInPaul-Bernard Jaroslawski

Also want to give a big shoutout to Angie Twardawa (CEO of Angie’s Transportation, LLC & RoadLites) and her brother Rafael for driving in from St. Louis to link up with us and check out the scene.

Here is a quick spontaneous interview we did with @TruckingBrother & @AngelinaTwardawa at the convention parking lot.

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A post shared by Man, I Love Freight 🇺🇸 (@freightcaviar)

🎬 What’s Next

We filmed over 3 hours of FreightCaviar content that we’ll be dropping soon.

We also met Strong Solo Sergey in real life:

And yes—a FreightCaviar Uzbekistan documentary is officially in the works. Stay tuned.

Just like Reed always says:
Go meet people in real life.

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