Since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, every hazmat truck leaving the Port of Baltimore faces the same choice: the I-695 west loop or a citation. Hazmat loads may not use the I-95 Fort McHenry Tunnel or the I-895 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. With I-695 cut across the Patapsco, the only legal route between the east side of the port and the south side loops the west side of the Beltway, about 30 to 35 extra miles and 45 to 60 extra minutes. The rebuild is estimated at $4.3B to $5.2B and opens in late 2030. Baltimore 3PL runs hazmat storage and transport with that detour built into the plan, not discovered at the tunnel mouth.
How it runs at the Port of Baltimore
Hazmat arrives in Baltimore as containerized chemicals and batteries at Seagirt, the container terminal, and as drummed, bulk or project cargo at Dundalk Marine Terminal, the ro-ro and breakbulk terminal. Some of it is bound for partner warehouses on the east side, at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point or along Broening Highway in Dundalk. Some of it goes south to Curtis Bay, Glen Burnie and Anne Arundel County, or north to Harford County.
The geography decides the route. Seagirt and Dundalk to Sparrows Point is a short surface-road hop that never needed the bridge. Seagirt to Curtis Bay or to the BWI corridor is the problem move. Without the bridge, a hazmat truck cannot use either tunnel and must loop the west side of I-695 to reach I-97 or I-95 south.
The desk plans each move in three steps. First, the shipping papers: the proper shipping name, class, UN number, packing group and placards, checked against the SDS before dispatch. Second, the carrier partner: one whose permits and driver endorsements fit the class. Third, the route and the clock: the I-695 loop, the receiver’s window and the chassis free time, so the detour does not turn into a detention bill.
What the partner network brings
Baltimore 3PL is a service-area logistics company. We do not own a warehouse or a fleet, and we do not hold hazmat registrations ourselves. We place freight only with partners whose permits fit the cargo. Our partners hold the registrations a program needs. For fifty years we have curated a Baltimore partner network that includes hazmat-endorsed drayage carriers, flatbed and tank carriers, and partner warehouses with the storage permits, segregation and fire protection a given class requires.
That matters because hazmat is not one thing. Class 9 lithium batteries need a different building from Class 3 flammables or Class 8 corrosives. The desk matches the class to the partner, and you get one phone number. For over-dimensional project cargo that shares the same tunnel bans, see project cargo and breakbulk. For standard container moves, see container drayage.
What it costs and what moves the price
Hazmat drayage and truckload are priced per move by lane, with a hazmat surcharge and the detour mileage stated as separate lines. Hazmat storage is priced per pallet per month at a rate set by the class and the building. Paperwork, placarding and labeling are priced per shipment.
What moves the price:
- Class and quantity. Some classes need dedicated trailers, segregation or limited-quantity handling.
- Route. A move that crosses the harbor adds the I-695 loop in miles and driver hours.
- Equipment. Tanks, reefers for temperature-sensitive chemicals and heavy-haul for battery containers cost more than dry vans.
- Storage building. Permitted hazmat space is scarce and priced above standard dry storage.
- Documentation. Missing or inconsistent shipping papers delay dispatch, and a hazmat truck waiting is an expensive truck.
Batteries, BESS and the tunnel bans
Maryland targets 800 MW of transmission-connected storage under the Next Generation Energy Act of 2025. Lithium-ion battery energy storage systems ship as Class 9 hazmat: UN3536 for containerized units and UN3480 for cells. They cannot use the harbor tunnels. A BESS container landing at Seagirt and bound for a substation site south or west of the city takes the I-695 west loop, as does a battery cabinet bound for a data center campus in Frederick County.
The desk plans those moves as project freight: a heavy-haul carrier partner with the right endorsements, a route survey for the loop, a laydown plan at the site and a storage partner with Class 9 permits if the site is not ready. Read the battery and energy storage page for the full program, and the Key Bridge truck routing guide for the current tunnel limits, which also bar loads over 14 ft 6 in tall or 11 ft wide. For the routing playbook with maps and timing, see hazmat and over-height routing until 2030.
What to send for a quote
- Safety data sheet for each product, with UN number, class and packing group
- Package type and quantity per shipment, and monthly shipment count
- Origin terminal or dock and the delivery address
- Whether you need storage, and for how long
- Container dimensions and weight for BESS or project units
- Required delivery window and any site access rules
- Any temperature or segregation requirement
Send it to operations@sams3pl.com or call (419) 745-9492. Or start at request a quote. You get a written quote within one business day.
Questions shippers ask
01Can a hazmat truck use the Baltimore tunnels?
No. Hazmat loads may not use the I-95 Fort McHenry or I-895 Harbor tunnels. Until the Key Bridge reopens in late 2030, a cross-harbor hazmat move loops the west side of I-695, about 30 to 35 extra miles.
02Do you hold hazmat registrations?
No. We place freight only with partners whose permits fit the cargo. Our drayage, trucking and warehouse partners hold the registrations a program needs.
03Can you store lithium batteries?
Yes, through partner warehouses permitted for Class 9. Tell us the UN number, the quantity and the handling rules in your SDS, and the desk matches the building.
04How much does the detour add to a drayage move?
About 30 to 35 miles and 45 to 60 minutes each way for a move that crosses the harbor. We state it as a separate line. Moves between Seagirt, Dundalk and Sparrows Point do not cross the harbor and carry no detour.
05What do you need before dispatch?
The safety data sheet, the proper shipping name, class, UN number and packing group, the package count and the delivery window. The desk checks the papers against the SDS before the carrier partner is booked.