Rukert Terminals Corporation: Running like clockwork

Import and export freight is a driving factor in the economy and a force that wouldn’t be possible without intermodal carriers. For the past 102 years, one of those companies, Rukert Terminals Corporation, has been at the center of that activity at the Port of Baltimore.

Following the Key Bridge collapse, Rukert is still operating and has been working on pulling permits to begin pulling containers out of the port in Newark.

More FSK Bridge coverage from EBM

FleetOwner affiliates within Endeavor Business Media are covering the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse from various business standpoints. Here is a roundup of coverage from EBM, the largest B2B publisher in the U.S.

Port Baltimore Disrupts Equipment Supply: Imports of construction equipment and parts are being affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore
—Construction Equipment

Supply Chain Implications of Baltimore Bridge Collapse: The Port of Baltimore is the ninth biggest port for international cargo in the U.S.
—Material Handling & Logistics

President Biden to Visit Key Bridge Site Friday: President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Baltimore on Friday to get “on the ground look.”
—Roads & Bridges

Crews Work to Open Port Baltimore: Bridge cleanup could create a temporary channel and allow continued search efforts
—Roads & Bridges

After Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse–What are Safety Implications?: ARTBA notes that about one in three bridges need replacement
—EHS Today

Timeline of Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse: A minute-by-minute account of the collapse
—Firehouse

Local Marina Open 24/7 to Support Baltimore Bridge Collapse Responders: Anchor Bay East is located a mile away from the FSK Bridge collapse and is being used by workers for breaks and to fuel boats
—Firehouse

Divers Find Two Bodies in Truck Amid Tangled MD Bridge Debris: The remaining victims will be extricated via salvage operation
—Firehouse

NTSB Investigating Key Bridge Collapse: Structure was "fully up to code."
—Roads & Bridges

Key Bridge Collapse Leads to Long Commutes in Baltimore: I-695 is a major transportation artery
—Roads & Bridges

Port Blocked by Baltimore Bridge Collapse is Key Hub for U.S. Shipping: The Port of Baltimore's vehicles terminals moved over 750,000 vehicles in 2022
—Industry Week

How the Baltimore bridge collapse impacts trucking: Trucking operations are forced to navigate travel restrictions around a major East Coast traffic area
—FleetOwner

Listen: Cargo Ship Collapses Baltimore Bridge, Sending 7 Vehicles into Water: The Maryland Transportation Authority Police dispatch and response to the Key Bridge Collapse
—Officer

The Port of Baltimore handles more than 30 million tons of cargo annually. The facility also uses more roll-on/roll-off equipment than any other port in the United States.

Through its 130-acre terminal at the port, Rukert provides transloading, drayage, and warehousing services for East Coast companies in the agriculture, automotive, and construction industries. It hauls goods to the port and delivers to customer locations within a 150-mile radius, often making three to four runs each day.

Scott Damasiewicz, Rukert’s trucking manager, has been a mainstay at the company for the past 30 years. “When I started here, we were a small operation in the trucking side of our business,” he related. “We had just two owner-operators.

“Then we began to grow and started buying used trucks, but we ran into downtime issues,” Damasiewicz continued. “Our mechanics were spending more time on the trucks, which meant they couldn’t spend time on our other equipment.”

That’s when Damasiewicz started looking at full-service leasing as an alternative to buying used or new trucks for the Rukert fleet. A cost comparison he conducted found that ownership costs about the same as leasing. “But with leasing, we wouldn’t have to worry about maintenance and could run much better equipment,” he said. “It was a no-brainer.”

Now in its third leasing renewal with PacLease in the past six years, the Rukert fleet includes 26 Peterbilt Model 567 day cab tractors, including 18 2024-model year units. The carrier also owns most of its container chassis, including 20-foot triaxles and sliders, and 40- and 45-foot combos.

“We buy chassis from Utility Keystone Semi-Trailers and Cheetah Chassis Corporation and lease some units from Direct Chassis Link Inc. (DCLI),” Damasiewicz related. “By using good quality equipment to start, the chassis have a very long service life in our operation. Some of the units we’re still operating are 2015 models.”

“Our equipment is reliable, and uptime has never been better,” Damasiewicz said. “Under our full-service lease, PacLease provides a meticulous maintenance program and quick response times if there’s an issue. Their mobile maintenance program offered by the local PacLease franchise saves us a lot of time because we don’t have to shuttle equipment and drivers to a maintenance facility. We need our trucks to be available because there are many variables in the container business, and we need to be able to pick up and drop off in a timely manner.”

Damasiewicz also gives high marks to Picorp Inc., Baltimore’s in-house and mobile service for chassis. Along with its nearby facility, the company fields fully equipped vans for on-site maintenance and repairs, and emergency road service if the need arises.

When it comes to spec’ing trucks, Damasiewicz takes driver preferences into account. “Some of our loads can reach up to 90,000 pounds so things like 500-horsepower engines for pulling power are important,” he said. “Recently, we transitioned from the Peterbilt long-hood Model 389 to the Model 567 for comfort and ride, plus maneuverability, and drivers like the sloped hood for visibility in tight places."

“Before I came to work at Rukert, I was an owner-operator and a company driver,” Damasiewicz continued. “I wouldn’t want our drivers to operate equipment I wouldn’t want to drive myself. The combination of the equipment we run and how we understand drivers has contributed greatly to our very low turnover. We have some drivers who have been with us their entire careers. While it can be hard to find new drivers, very few drivers leave here for other jobs.”

Damasiewicz is also proud to point out that Rukert has had some customers who have been with the company for more than the 30 years he’s been with the company. Today, as he starts training his own replacement and is looking forward to retirement in the not-too-distant future, he quickly pointed out that longevity is a hallmark of Rukert Terminals Corporation, which has been family owned and operated since 1921 and continues to run like clockwork.