Drayage

By Mia Johnson

Edited by Siyana Randolph

Description

Drayage is a transportation method that uses vehicles to transfer goods to warehouses or

other local locations. From these locations, the goods are transported to end users. Without drayage services, the supply chain would break down, and freight would not reach its destination. If drayage were removed from the port’s operations, it would have immediate effects in the city, the state, and the rest of the country. Store shelves would rapidly empty, and people would not have the items they need daily.

Belts Intermodal Truck (Courtesy of Belts Intermodal Corporation)

Description of Locations Researched

This article features the Transportation Services division of Belts Logistics. A third-party logistics company that helps people with transportation, warehousing, fulfilment, and value-added services, Belts is located only a little over a mile from the Seagirt Terminal. The corporate office building is located at 1820 Portal Street, in an industrial area near the port within the Port of Baltimore.

Within Belts Logistics, there is also Belts Intermodal Corporation. It is part of the larger Belts organization and offers transportation services for customers, enabling their freight to be transported directly from container ships that stop at the port’s terminals. Belts Intermodal is minutes from the port's terminals and provides rapid and cost-effective transportation to and from the port. Belts Logistics operates within a highly competitive field. A quick review of the Web reveals more than 115 companies that advertise drayage services at the port. Of those, eighty-three are port and rail, while thirty-four are port-only. Both Belts Logistics and Belts Transportation Services are port and rail.

Belts Corporate Headquarters (Courtesy of Belts Logistics Services)

History

Belt’s activities began in historic Fell’s Point in 1845. The company’s original name was Belt’s

Wharf until it adopted its current name in 1918. The company originally served as an unloading

and loading place for ships on the waterfront. In 1976, the company began to expand

throughout Baltimore, creating more warehousing and transportation services. The company

also enforced third-party distribution operations and distribution facilities that have helped to

create easier access and more storage for the port.

Drayage Drivers

Belts Drayage Services Truck (Courtesy of Belts Logistics)

Drayage drivers play a key role in moving freight from the Port of Baltimore to nearby warehouses and distribution centers. After cargo is unloaded from ships at the marine terminal, drayage drivers transport the containers to their designated warehouses. According to BELTS Logistics’ Peggy Zulkowski, unloading freight from containers at warehouses can take several hours. Floor-loaded freight, which is packed directly into the container without pallets, can take up to three hours to unload. This is longer than palletized freight or goods placed on wooden flats, which can be removed more quickly using forklifts. Although drayage drivers play an active role in transporting containers to and from marine terminals, a significant portion of their work involves coordinating with terminal operations. Upon arrival, drivers pass through the terminal gate and join the line for container assignment and loading. Depending on terminal activity levels, equipment availability, and overall port volume, this process may take between 30 minutes and several hours. This coordination helps ensure the safe, orderly, and efficient movement of cargo through the port.

Response to Key Bridge Collapse

On March 26, 2024, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after the cargo ship called the DALI

crashed into it. When the bridge first collapsed, it shut down the Port of Baltimore.

Shutting down the port affected everything within the port including Belts. However, once

the port was up and running, Belts had little trouble with drayage and managing the

company. According to Peggy Zulkowski, because they have three distribution centers throughout the city of Baltimore, it is easier for them to move freight to other warehousing. Alternative routes that bypassed the bridge allowed their drayage drivers to transport freight across the city.