Page 19 - Port of Baltimore Magazine Nov/Dec 2011

To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com November/December 2011 ■ The Port of Baltimore [17]
or years, truckers
seeking to carry
over-dimensional
“superloads” to and
from the Port of Baltimore had to
maneuver through an arduous
process that required them to
get permits from both the State
of Maryland and Baltimore
City while also arranging for
expensive police escorts on city
roadways. But, thanks to a new
web-based system and recent
changes to regulations, truckers
can now get all necessary
permits through the State, which
in turn pays the City its share of
the fees. Escort costs have been
reduced, as well. BY NANCY MENEFEE JACKSON
Photography by Kathy Bergren Smith
As a result, the Port of Baltimore
enjoys a more efficient flow of
goods.
“This effort was the result of
hearing from cargo owners that
some loads bypassed the Port of
Baltimore in favor of other ports,
due to the higher costs and longer
times it took to get these superloads
moving through Baltimore — even
though in some cases Baltimore
was over 200 miles closer,” said
Dominic Scurti, Manager, Market
Planning for the Maryland Port
Administration. “Working with the
Baltimore City Police and Baltimore
City’s Department of Transportation,
we were able to reduce some of
these costs to bring these loads
into Baltimore and allow the truck-
ing companies to operate more
efficiently.”
Dave Czorapinski, Division Chief
of the Motor Carrier Division for
the State Highway Administration,
explained that efforts to streamline
the system go back decades, but
“it was made possible by updating
the permitting system to make it a
web-based, automated system.”
Streamlined Permit Process
Results in More ‘Superload’ Service