Truck dispatch in Baltimore, MD

Baltimore road weather right now

Freight in Baltimore

The Port of Baltimore handled about 50 million tons of cargo in 2025, its second-best year. It led U.S. ports again in roll-on/roll-off farm and construction equipment (887,513 tons) and in forest products (1.1 million tons of rolled paper and wood pulp), ranked second for autos and light trucks (728,225), and second for exported coal and imported aluminum, gypsum, salt and sugar. It also set records with 1.1 million twenty-foot containers and 2,223 ship calls. The $518 million CSX Howard Street Tunnel project, due to finish in 2026, opens the port to double-stacked container trains.

Beyond the port, Maryland Commerce lists Amazon (about 4,500 workers at its fulfillment center in the city and 9,000 in Baltimore County), H&S Bakery, Under Armour's headquarters and McCormick & Company's spice operations among the area's major employers. Tradepoint Atlantic is a 3,300-acre logistics center at Sparrows Point with CSX and Norfolk Southern rail and a 50-foot channel, and BWI Marshall Airport's 395,000-square-foot air cargo center serves five scheduled cargo airlines.

Major shippers and freight hubs

Listed for context from official sources. Fleetorica isn't affiliated with these companies, and we don't claim them as customers. Employee counts are from Maryland Commerce's 2023–2024 major employer lists.

Main routes and truck traffic

The highways most loads in and out of Baltimore run on: I-95, I-695 (Beltway), I-895, I-70, I-83, I-97, I-395, US 40, MD 295.

I-95 runs southwest to Washington and Richmond and northeast through Delaware to Philadelphia and New Jersey, crossing the harbor in the Fort McHenry Tunnel. I-895 crosses in the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. I-695 circles the city, but the Key Bridge stretch is closed between exit 1 (MD 173) and exit 42 (MD 151). I-70 heads west to Frederick and Hagerstown, where it meets I-81, I-83 runs north to York and Harrisburg, and I-97 runs south to Annapolis.

Maryland's 2022 freight plan, using 2020 counts, puts the state's two busiest truck spots in the Baltimore area: about 28,300 trucks a day on I-95 north of I-695, and about 17,000 on I-695 west of Greenspring Avenue. Trucks carrying hazmat can't use either harbor tunnel and must take the western side of I-695, and the I-895 tunnel also bans tandem trailers and anything over 13 ft 6 in tall or 96 inches wide, so standard 102-inch trailers use I-95.

Lane planner: what a load out of Baltimore really pays

Pick a lane, type the broker's offer, and see your miles, driving time, fuel and what's left after dispatch.

Miles are estimates (straight-line distance × 1.13). Check your truck GPS before you accept a load. Driving days assume the 11-hour driving limit.

Who hauls out of Baltimore

About two out of three for-hire carriers based in Baltimore run a single truck or less. That's who we work for: owner-operators and small fleets who want a dispatcher handling the load boards, broker calls and paperwork. The truck count above also includes private, utility and leasing fleets.

Largest for-hire carriers based in Baltimore

By trucks reported to FMCSA, from the Company Census File for companies with a physical address in Baltimore, MD, as of October 10, 2026. Listed for reference only; Fleetorica isn't affiliated with these companies. Check any carrier or broker with our carrier and broker lookup.

Truck parking and weigh stations

Truck space counts are from MDOT's 2020 Statewide Truck Parking Study, the newest site-by-site count. The same study counted private truck stops on I-95: TA Baltimore South in Jessup (436 spaces) and TA Baltimore (181). Source

The study found trucks parked off-site at the I-95 welcome center ramps in Laurel (the state's top-priority spot), on streets around the port and industrial areas, near Jessup warehouses on US 1 and MD 175, at the Maryland House ramps and on I-83 shoulders near Cockeysville. Source

In snowstorms, MDOT opens emergency truck parking at commuter lots and park-and-rides near major highways. Source

Weigh stations

MDOT lists 14 truck weigh and inspection stations statewide. The closest to Baltimore are on I-95 at Perryville (both directions), I-70 westbound at West Friendship, I-70 eastbound at New Market, I-270 at Hyattstown (both directions), US 1 at Conowingo and US 40 eastbound at Foy Hill near Perryville. Source

Oversize and overweight loads (over 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in tall, 55 ft long or 80,000 lbs) need an MDOT SHA permit and route, and the tunnels have their own limits. Source

Freight calendar for Baltimore and Maryland

When freight picks up in and around Baltimore. Bars show the months; each line links its official source.

What we book, by truck type

Dry van

Import containers, e-commerce and warehouse freight along I-95 keep dry vans busy all year. We look for reloads near Baltimore so you're not deadheading out to Philadelphia or Washington.

Reefer

Seagirt has 350 reefer outlets for refrigerated containers, and bakery and food plants ship year-round. We confirm the temperature and appointment before we book.

Flatbed

Farm and construction equipment, steel and project cargo cross Dundalk Marine Terminal. We check permits, securement and tunnel limits before we book.

Power only

Warehouses at Tradepoint Atlantic, Jessup and along I-95 put preloaded trailers on the market. We confirm the trailer, the pickup number and the gate rules before you go.

Box truck

Retail, food and parcel distribution across the Baltimore–Washington corridor means steady box truck work, including final-mile deliveries.

How we dispatch here

• For hazmat loads we route on the western side of I-695, never through the Fort McHenry or Harbor tunnels
• Standard 102-inch trailers can't use the I-895 Harbor Tunnel, so we route them through the Fort McHenry Tunnel on I-95
• Before a port load, we confirm you're registered with eModal and Trucker Check, have a SCAC code and carry a TWIC card, because the gates turn away anyone who isn't
• MDOT found trucks parked on ramps at the Laurel welcome center, around the port and near Jessup warehouses, so we lock in your overnight stop before you roll
• Maryland requires a USDOT number even for carriers that only run inside the state

State rules, permits and taxes are on our Maryland dispatch page.

Pricing

a percentage of the load's gross, quoted for your truck and lanes, charged only on loads we book. No contract, and your first load is free.

Questions carriers ask