Everything you need to know about overseas car shipping

RoRo car shipping

RoRo car shipping, or roll on roll off car shipping, is when a car is driven onto and off a cargo ship during transport. The cargo ship will lower part of one side of its hull to create an opening into the cargo bay large enough for vehicles to be driven through but simultaneously for use as a ramp or shipping slip that vehicles can safely drive over to get from the dock onto the ship. The only other way for a car to be placed on a boat or ferry is for it to be placed in a shipping container which is then picked up by a crane and placed on the top deck, which is much less efficient than RoRo auto transport. Regarding modern overseas car shipping, RoRo auto transport is used much more frequently than container shipping.

The duration and cost of shipping a car overseas

How long overseas car shipping takes

Shipping a car overseas will take considerable time compared to shipping your car on the ground within the contiguous US. Overseas car shipping will usually take between 10 and 28 days, depending on where you are shipping the vehicle.

The cost of shipping a car overseas

Overseas car shipping cost will vary depending on multiple factors, including where your car is being picked up from and delivered to, when during the year you are shipping it, how far ahead of your shipping date you scheduled your shipment, the method of ground transport you selected and more. The cost to ship a car overseas will normally fall between $1,300 and $4,500. Remember that the factors mentioned above can impact the price considerably at any time.

Overseas car shipping requirements

There are requirements for shipping a car overseas that are slightly different than if you were just shipping a car within the continental United States. These requirements might differ depending on where you ship a vehicle overseas. For example, Puerto Rico has what is known as an excise tax which is essentially a tax on anything imported into the country to encourage people to buy locally within Puerto Rico. This, unfortunately, also applies to cars, so you will not be able to have your car released from the port at San Juan until you pay this tax. However, this is only the case in Puerto Rico.

In general, the requirements for shipping a car overseas are:

• Do not fill your gas tank over one quarter – Any vehicles that are being shipped aboard a cargo ship for overseas transport must have only a quarter tank of gas. This is due to fire regulations to ensure safety. However, your car will still need to be driven several times during shipping, including on and off the car carrier truck, on and off the cargo ship, and then home from the port after you pick it up. This is why it is also recommended not to have too much less than a quarter tank of gas either.




• Personal info – There will be some basic personal documentation required when you are transporting a vehicle overseas. This includes but is not necessarily limited to your license and passport.




• Vehicle info – You will need to provide the make, model, year, vehicle identification number, and official approximate current value of the car you are shipping.




• Location-specific requirements may apply – As we mentioned earlier, some ports at overseas locations may require different things. Payment of Puerto Rico’s excise tax is one such example. Other ports might have applicable storage fees. It is best to call ahead and ask the port about everything you will need to have your car released after it has been delivered.

Overseas car shipping to US states

RoadRunner Auto Transport offers car shipping to Hawaii and Alaska and all 48 states in the continental United States. If you are shipping to or from either Alaska or Hawaii, your vehicle will make part of the trip on the ground and part of it aboard a cargo ship.

Alaska

Shipping a car to Alaska will generally cost between $1,600 and $3,900. The price you end up paying for Alaska vehicle transport can be impacted by the total number of miles in your shipment, whether you selected upgraded shipping options for the ground transport portion of your shipment, how much notice you gave your shipping company, and whether or not you chose to ship during a busier time of the year for auto transport companies.

The time it takes to ship a car to Alaska will also vary. Typically, the transit time for an Alaskan car shipment will be in the range of 6 to 21 days. This can be affected by weather and traffic along your shipping route but is primarily determined by the origin location of your shipment.

Why not just ship the cars on an auto carrier truck through Canada?

You might be wondering why shipping a car to Alaska occurs on a cargo ship overseas rather than being driven through Canada on a car carrier truck. Well, there are three main reasons for this. First, the car shipping coverage that an auto transport company provides you in case damage occurs might not technically cover your vehicle in Canada. In contrast, it will typically cover damage if it occurs on the cargo ship.

Also, when cargo is shipped across a border, there is a significant delay due to the need to pass through customs. These delays are much longer than if it was a regular passenger car driving through because customs might need to look through each car in the shipment which will usually be 8 to 10. The shipment must cross two borders when shipping to Alaska, so the already long delays are potentially doubled. Shipping vehicles overseas circumvents these delays.

Finally, like most other businesses, car shipping companies aim to keep costs as low as possible. Cargo ships can haul multiple car carrier trucks worth of cars at once. This saves money over having four or five different auto carriers driving all the way to Alaska. As a result of the company’s lowered cost, your price for Alaska car transport is also lowered.

The port in Alaska

When you ship a car to Alaska, you will need to pick it up at the corresponding port. You must drop a car off at the corresponding port when you ship it from Alaska. Door-to-door car shipping is unfortunately not available for Alaska auto transport. This is because the network of available car carrier trucks in Alaska is not nearly as robust as it needs to be to guarantee timely delivery from the port in Alaska. However, you can have your car picked up from or dropped off at your door in the continental United States whether you are shipping a car to or from Alaska.

Hawaii

Shipping a car to Hawaii will always need to occur at least partially on a cargo ship unless you choose to ship the car on a plane which will cost you more than double the price. This is because there is no way for an auto carrier truck to drive to Hawaii from the contiguous 48 states. Your only other options for having a vehicle in Hawaii will be to rent a car or to buy a new or used car when you arrive there. Both options are not cost-effective at all in comparison to Hawaii car shipping.

The cost of shipping a car to Hawaii will run somewhere between $1,500 and $3,000. This is determined by the effect of several variables, including when you are shipping your car, the total number of miles in your transport route, the cost of fuel at the time of your shipment, and more. The duration of a car shipment to Hawaii will usually fall between 12 and 28 days. Although the distance of your shipment will be the biggest determining factor of your car’s transit time to Hawaii, it can also be affected by the amount of traffic between pickup and arrival at the departure port and the weather.

The port in Hawaii

Your car can be picked up from or delivered to your door in the continental US, but in Hawaii, you will always need to pick it up from or drop it off at the port. Too much red tape is involved with a car carrier truck picking up or dropping off multiple vehicles at the port, and the number of auto carrier trucks available on the Hawaiian Islands is typically quite limited.

Overseas car shipping to US territories

RoadRunner Auto Transport also offers car shipping to several US territories. US territories are pieces of land owned by the United States Government that are not US states, although they could become states one day. People living in these territories do not have the right to vote in US elections but are considered US citizens. The US territories that RoadRunner covers are Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas and Saint Croix, both of which are parts of the US Virgin Islands.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a popular location for shipping vehicles to and from. This is because shipping your car is the only way to get it there and the trip aboard the cargo ship is quite quick because the cargo ship only has to travel from the port in Florida to the port at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The cost of shipping a car to Puerto Rico will range between $1,500 and $3,000. This does not factor in any additional costs related to shipping, including applicable storage fees and the excise tax. Transit times for Puerto Rico car transport typically fall between 7 and 21 days. This is affected by traffic and weather along your shipping route and where your car is being picked up from.

The Caribbean

In addition to having vehicles shipped overseas to Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, RoadRunner Auto Transport also currently can have cars shipped to a couple of locations in the Caribbean. Both are parts of the US Virgin Islands.

Saint Thomas

Located just east of Puerto Rico, the island of St. Thomas is another overseas location where RoadRunner Auto Transport can have cars shipped to. Shipping a car to Saint Thomas will typically cost between $1,700 and $3,750, depending on where you need your car picked up from in the United States. If you were to ship a car to Saint Thomas from Seattle, Washington, the shipment would likely cost over $3,000. However, if you were shipping a car from somewhere in Florida to Saint Thomas, the shipment would likely cost less than $2,000.

Typical transit times for Saint Thomas car shipping range between 8 days and 21 days, depending on the pickup location for the vehicle, the traffic along the ground route, and the weather across the shipping route as a whole. Once your car arrives at the port and is processed, you or somebody you trust will need to pick it up there.

Saint Croix

Located to the southeast of Puerto Rico, Saint Croix is another island where you can easily ship a vehicle. The cost of shipping a car to Saint Croix from the United States will usually fall somewhere between $1,500 and $3,800. Much like St. Thomas, your pickup location will determine exactly where your specific shipping cost will fall in that range.

St. Croix car shipping transit times typically fall between 9 and 22 days. In addition to the total distance of your vehicle shipment, your overall transit time also depends on weather conditions along your shipping route and the amount of traffic along the ground portion. You will need to pick your vehicle up at the port at Saint Croix once it has been delivered and processed.

Conclusion

Although RoadRunner currently can only have vehicles shipped to a specific couple of overseas destinations, rest assured that we have completed thousands of car shipments to these destinations safely and within the quoted timeframes. We can have all types of vehicles shipped to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas, and Saint Croix, not just passenger cars. This includes motorcycles, trucks, RVs, and more. Our overseas car shipping services are available all year round. You can always get a free vehicle shipping quote online or by calling us at (888)777-2123!

FAQ

How are cars loaded onto the cargo ship when you ship a vehicle overseas?

When shipping a car overseas, it will be loaded onto the cargo ship in one of two ways. One method is that it will be driven directly into the cargo hold via a ramp, known as RoRo shipping. It could also be placed onto the deck of the cargo ship in a shipping container via a special crane known as a gantry crane.

How much does it cost to ship a car overseas?

Most overseas car shipments will cost between $1,300 and $4,500. Your overall overseas car shipping cost is entirely dependent on the specific details of your overseas car shipment, including but not limited to the total distance of your shipment, how far ahead you booked your shipment, and the time of year during which you are shipping.

Is there any extra preparation involved when you ship a car overseas?

When you ship a car overseas, you will need to take additional steps of preparation, which include ensuring there is not more than a quarter tank of fuel in the car and being ready to pick your car up at the port at its destination. However, you will still need to take the typical steps involved in shipping a car, including cleaning the exterior, removing personal belongings, and being prepared to be present with a valid driver’s license for the pickup of your car.