The history and achievements of the department “Cargo and Commercial Management” are closely connected with the study of one of the most important for the railway transport special subjects – commercial operation, the study of which began back in 1918, when, at the suggestion of some railway researchers and engineers (such as M.I. Srebnitsky, M.S. Glikman, P.M. Suprunenko, A.N. Shcheglovaty) the first in the country faculty “Railway Operation” and the Department of the same name were established in Kiev Institute of National Economy at which the subjects of technical and commercial operation of railways were studied.
In 1927, the Department “Railway Operation” was transferred from Kiev Institute of National Economy to Kiev Polytechnical Institute.</p>

The stages of formation and development of the department include:
1929 – the newly established Kiev Institute of Railways included the department “Transportation Operation” (head of the department M.G. Golembinovsky);
1934 – according to the resolution of the government, the department, which at that time was named “Traffic Organization and Cargo Management”, was transferred to Kharkiv Institute of Railway Transport Engineers;
1937 – the department “Traffic Organization and Cargo Management” was reorganized and an independent department “Organization of Cargo Management” headed by associate professor V.V. Povorozhenko was established. In the same year the departments “Organization of Cargo Management” and “Traffic and Cargo Management” were merged, and in 1938 they were divided into two separate ones – “Organization of Railway Traffic” and “Organization of Railway Cargo Management”
In 1939, associate professor V.V. Povorozhenko was approved the acting head of the department “Organization of Railway Cargo Management”. During the war from 1941 to 1943, the Department was headed by associate professor M.D. Gordon.
In the first post-war years, the united department “Railway Operation” which included the section “Freight and Commercial Management”, was headed by professor N.V. Orlov, associate professor I.R. Weber, and then from 1950 to 1968 – by professor M.Ya. Stefanov.
From 1943 till 1970, the section “Freight and Commercial Management” was headed pro bono by associate professor S. Zakrevsky, and from 1971 till 1991 – by associate professor A.O.Polyakov.
In 1992, an independent department “Freight and Commercial Management” was created, which was headed by associate professor V.M. Grytsenko.
In 1994, professor V.K. Mironenko was appointed the head of the department.
In 1996, the Department “Freight and Commercial Management” was merged with the department “Railway Stations and Junctions”. The department “Railway Stations and Junctions and Freight and Commercial Management” was headed by professor E.V. Nagorniy.

In December 2000, professor A.M. Kotenko was appointed the head of the independent department “Freight and Commercial Management”.

In April 2006, Professor V.M. Zapara was appointed as the head of the department.
In September 2011, Professor D.V. Lomotko was appointed as the head of the department.
Since August 2013, the head of the department is Professor O.V. Lavrukhin.