20th Annual Rodeo Helps Train The Best At The Port of Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—More than 200 newly hired workers at the Port of Baltimore operate gigantic, multi-ton pieces of farm and construction equipment on Wednesday during training exercises for the 20th annual Ro/Ro Rodeo.

Amy Yensi has more.

The Port of Baltimore has no shortage of cargo and it takes special skill to make sure it gets to its destination quickly and in good shape.

"It's a big responsibility. You're a piece of something that's not just here, it's worldwide," said Shawn Fleming, longshore worker at the Port.

That sense of responsibility may be behind the Port's record-breaking performance in 2015.

"We had a record year for containers and we were also ranked as the most efficient port in the country for containers," said Matthew Scales, who works at the Port of Baltimore.

The Port of Baltimore's location makes it easier to move machinery in a quicker and cheaper way.

"The idea of an hour and half of transportation from our trucking facility in Pennsylvania, makes this an ideal location," said Jim Menteer, with JLG Industries.

The Port also ranks number one in the country for handling automobiles and "ro-ro" equipment.

That's farming equipment that's rolled on and off the ships and distributed across the country.

"When you are putting pieces on the ship, you need to know how they move," said Susan Dehn, who also works at the Port.

The Ro-Ro Rodeo is a training exercise that pairs nearly 200 longshore workers with the makers of the equipment.

These monster machines cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and need to be handled with care.

Extra knowledge, may help keep this Port,  in the top-spot.

The success of the Port also helps the state.

The Port of Baltimore is responsible for nearly 34,000 jobs in Maryland.