Freight Opportunities Seen at Ports of Baltimore, Sacramento
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OXON HILL, Md. — East and West coast economic development officials promoted trucking and multimodal logistics opportunities around the ports of Baltimore and Sacramento during the U.S. Commerce Department’s multinational deal-making SelectUSA Investment Summit held May 11-14.
Lakey Boyd, , pointed to the positive business implications of the Port of Baltimore’s speedy path to recovery after last year’s catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. “We’re trying to tell the story of a massive proof point of resilience and adaptability in Baltimore. We can respond quickly,” Boyd told Transport Topics. “We are staying on track to continue to produce, and we’re really looking forward.”
She said assessments have been taking place forecasting the Port of Baltimore coming back “faster than ever” to full operations as soon as within four months. Freight distribution and logistics are key to future economic development in the port and Baltimore area.
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Last year, the Port of Baltimore retained its national top spot for handling 848,628 tons of roll-on/roll-off farm and construction machinery. It also handled the most imported forest products and gypsum and ranked second for processing 749,799 cars and light trucks as well as cargo in salt and exported coal.
Earlier this year, the port’s annual achievements in 2024 as a national leader and important economic engine for the state. “These numbers reveal the hard work happening at the port to finish the year strong despite a challenging start. We are especially grateful to our port’s workers, whose indomitable spirit and dedication brought us to this moment,” Moore noted. “Our administration will continue to promote our great port with infrastructure investments that will help grow business and create additional jobs.”
Mark Anthony Thomas, GBC president and CEO, said in March at the one-year anniversary of the bridge collapse that the Port of Baltimore’s “closure created a national and global rediscovery of the importance of the port economy.”
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The port has experienced new changes related to this year’s tariff threats and sanctions, especially regarding its foreign trade zone (FTZ). The state has four zones in areas near U.S. Customs ports of entry where imports and exports can be held as international commerce without being subject to U.S. tariffs.
Boyd said foreign makers of agriculture machinery and vehicles have been holding back their products as FTZ stockpiles instead of paying tariffs and releasing their goods for American sales/distribution.
Despite the tariffs, the Port of Baltimore’s expansion projects continue to position it to better handle more future cargo. “We see a lot of opportunity,” Boyd said. “We are looking for companies that want to be here to expand. There are also companies wanting to take advantage of the free trade zone.”
Also seeking freight and multimodal investments was Barry Broome, president and CEO of the . He noted Sacramento is gaining traction as a strong logistics hub for companies seeking the San Francisco Bay Area market without high big-city costs. The area is also vying for business with Nevada.
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“Reno is our biggest competition,” Broome said. “When people think of California, they presume cost levels that are not always there. Our pricing in Sacramento is competitive with Austin, Seattle and Denver. We have a fraction of the San Francisco Bay Area [business] costs.”
He said trucking companies are needed in the Sacramento area to complement business growth taking place in the battery, semiconductor, agriculture, biomedical, life sciences and niche food industries. Sacramento is a multimodal hub with direct north-south truck freight routes on Interstate 5 and coast-to-coast routes through I-80 and U.S. Highway 50. Its rail freight moves via Class I carriers BNSF and Union Pacific. Also, the Port of West Sacramento has bulk cargo services and an FTZ.
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