Howard County joined the FTZ 74 service area in 2019, and that one change turned the Route 1 corridor from a good warehouse market into a duty-deferral market about 25 minutes from the pier. The county runs from Elkridge at the Baltimore County line, through Jessup and Savage on Route 1, to Columbia, the county seat and the address of several corporate headquarters. Baltimore 3PL coordinates partner warehouses, drayage carriers and cross-dock crews across all of it. We own no building in Howard County. We own the relationships that get your freight into the right one.
Getting there from the pier
Seagirt Marine Terminal, the Port of Baltimore’s container terminal, and Dundalk Marine Terminal, the ro-ro and breakbulk terminal, both sit on the east side of the harbor. A standard load for Howard County leaves either gate on I-95 south, passes under the harbor in the Fort McHenry Tunnel or the I-895 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, and exits at Route 1 for Elkridge, MD-32 for Jessup and Savage, or stays on I-95 toward Columbia. Elkridge is about 15 road miles and 25 minutes. Jessup is about 18 miles and 30 minutes. Columbia is about 22 miles and 35 minutes.
The Key Bridge carried I-695 across the outer harbor and never served this lane, so its collapse in March 2024 left standard Howard County drays unchanged. Restricted loads are different. Hazmat, loads over 14 feet 6 inches high and loads over 11 feet wide may not use either tunnel. They loop the west side of I-695, about 30 to 35 extra miles and 45 to 60 minutes. The bridge reopens in late 2030. We route those moves on the loop and price them that way before you book. Details are on the Key Bridge truck routing page.
Industrial parks and who is there
Prologis Baltimore Washington Industrial Park in Jessup, 13 buildings, is the largest single park on the corridor. Tradepoint at Savage Crossing is the newest. It is a Howard County spin-off of Tradepoint Atlantic, the private port at Sparrows Point, and its first building is due in the fourth quarter of 2026. Columbia is where the headquarters sit, and the food trade is moving toward it. Saval Foods, the foodservice distributor, is consolidating from Elkridge into a 218,000 square foot lease in Columbia by the end of 2027. Feast & Fettle is opening a 25,000 square foot production and distribution site in Elkridge. Columbia and Annapolis Junction also hold the defense and cyber integrators that serve Fort Meade across the county line, and their freight needs chain of custody more than cube.
One fact to know before you plan a data center here. Howard County paused data center applications from August 4, 2026 through November 2, 2027. Construction inbound for Maryland data centers today goes to Frederick County, and the racks and switchgear are staged from the port or from Jessup partner warehouses. See data center logistics for how that lane runs.
What we run in Howard County
FTZ and bonded warehouse programs in approved partner buildings on the Route 1 corridor. This is the service that separates Howard County from the counties south of it that sit outside the zone.
Warehousing for consumer, food and industrial inventory, ambient or temperature-controlled, with daily status by email and one invoice. Overflow for a quarter or a standing position for years.
Retail distribution for brands that ship to grocery and big-box distribution centers across the Mid-Atlantic. Our partners build the compliant pallets, label to the retailer’s routing guide and book the delivery appointments. Food shippers can read more on the food and beverage page.
FTZ 74 and duty deferral
FTZ 74 is administered by the Baltimore Development Corporation, and its service area covers Baltimore City plus Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Harford, Howard and Queen Anne’s counties. In an FTZ-approved partner building, imported goods wait with no duty paid. Duty is due when the goods leave the zone for a US buyer, and goods that are re-exported never pay. For an importer with a high tariff line and three or four turns a year, the deferral holds real cash. Customs clearance is coordinated through our licensed customs broker partners. The FTZ 74 guide explains how a site is activated and how long it takes.
What to send for a quote
- Commodity, HS code and duty rate, and whether it is food, hazmat or temperature-controlled
- Monthly containers in and pallets, cases or orders out
- Whether you need FTZ, bonded, plain storage or retail distribution
- Retail customers and their routing guides, if any
- Preferred part of the county: Elkridge, Jessup and Savage, or Columbia
- Start date
Email operations@sams3pl.com or call (419) 745-9492. The desk replies within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01Is Howard County inside FTZ 74?
Yes. Howard County joined the FTZ 74 service area in 2019. Imported goods can wait in an FTZ-approved partner building and pay duty only when they ship to a US buyer.
02How far is Howard County from the Port of Baltimore?
Elkridge is about 15 road miles from the Seagirt gate, Jessup about 18 and Columbia about 22. Plan on 25 to 35 minutes outside peak traffic.
03Do you own a warehouse in Howard County?
No. We coordinate partner warehouses on the Route 1 corridor and in Columbia. One desk, one invoice, and the building that fits the cargo.
04Can I build data center inventory in Howard County?
The county paused data center applications from August 4, 2026 through November 2, 2027. We stage data center inbound in Howard partner space for sites in Frederick County and Virginia.
05Which route does a container take from Seagirt to Howard County?
I-95 south through the Fort McHenry Tunnel, or I-895 through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, then Route 1 or MD-32. Hazmat and oversize loads loop the west side of I-695 instead.