There are usually two costs that need to be considered with having your vehicle shipped to Hawaii, that is, the cost of getting your car to and from the two ports, as well as the cost of shipping your car across the ocean to Hawaii. Car The cost of shipping your car across the ocean to Hawaii. A car shipped to Hawaii from New York, for instance, would be much more expensive to transport than one shipped from Los Angeles. For instance, shipping a car to Hawaii from the east coast will cost more, since this car has to travel all the way up across the country in a vehicle transporter, before getting onto the boat in the port.
You will likely need land transportation as well as ocean transportation, and the cost of shipping a car to Hawaii is calculated a little differently from that of shipping a car cross-country. Just like shipping your car to Hawaii, the cost of shipping your car from Hawaii will be affected by a combination of factors mentioned above, as well as whether or not you decide to pick your car up at a port or get it delivered to your door. Shipping your car to Hawaii is not exactly like shipping your vehicle anywhere else in the United States, you cannot simply take your vehicle from mainland United States to Hawaii. It helps to understand what makes shipping a car to Hawaii different than shipping your car across the U.S. mainland.
When shipping a vehicle to Hawaii or back for the first time, there are some things that you need to be aware of before booking a delivery to ensure the vehicle transportation experience goes as smoothly as possible.
How long it takes for your shipment to arrive will depend on where you are shipping from when shipping to Hawaii, or where you are shipping to if transporting a vehicle on the mainland. So, it is easy to understand why a lot of car shipping to Hawaii ends up taking anywhere between two to three weeks depending on where you are shipping from. For instance, getting your car shipped from Miami to Honolulu would take 13 to 20 days, from Houston to Hilo, from Atlanta to Kahului 12 to 19 days, and from Cincinnati to Kawaihae 13 to 20 days. According to a quote we received for the 2019 Toyota Corolla, without any add-ons, shipped from New York City to Los Angeles, with one months notice of pick-up scheduled in late April, and delivered at Honolulu Port, it would take between eighteen and twenty-one days to be able to pick-up the vehicle at the port in Hawaii.
Very few auto-shipping companies will pick your car up at your house on the mainland and bring it to your front door in Hawaii. Many car transport companies will not move your car to Hawaii if it does not start. Most customers prefer that a car transport company comes to your house (or front door) and delivers the car to the mainland port.
In many cases, you can have the Hawaii Transport Company, which is third-party, transport your vehicle from the port to your new doorstep. If you want a door-to-door delivery, you will have to find a local company based in Hawaii who will handle the final leg of delivery (they are typically the only ones who will be able to take your vehicle from the port to your house). Remember, if you do not live close to the West Coast ports, you might need a port-to-port service, which means that you would need your car picked up from the car hauler in order for the vehicle to be delivered to the port.
If shipping from somewhere else, you will have to add on the cost to transport your vehicle first to a West Coast port. For those living further afield, such as the East Coast or the North, often the most sensible thing is to hire a company to drive the car to the port it is going to be shipped from. Car shipping is a popular way of moving vehicles from one place to another, be that cross-country or around the world. Many people find car shipping is a convenient and inexpensive way to get their vehicles to wherever they need them.
For those living close to an onshore port, you drive your car right into the port, following instructions from a broker. Once the vessel arrives at your ships destination, your car is driven from the ship to a port. Once the vehicle arrives at the port city, it will be handled in the same manner as before: loaded into the container and placed onto a freighter.
The shipping container will then be placed onto the freighter, which is headed directly for Hawaii. Once their vehicle arrives at their destination, they are then transferred from a vessel headed for Hawaii along with the rest of their cargo. Your car is then transferred to the boat and shipped out across the Pacific. Just before your car is boarding a specific ship, it is held at a dock on the outside for a brief period.
During a ship transport, your car will be fully secure and protected from any outside factors, since it will be under deck inside a container. While your car is within the vessel (and therefore protected from the elements), it is exposed to the inside of the ship and will be sitting along with several other cars on the deck. As one might expect based on its name, all vehicles in a tow truck are outside, meaning that if there is rain, hail, sleet, snow, or it is very windy, that could impact your vehicle during transportation.
This will vary depending on where a vehicle is coming from in the mainland, and what kind of transportation you are using. Shipping a car to Hawaii will depend on the factors mentioned above, but will also depend if you are going door-to-door or simply port-to-port.
Due to the isolated location of Hawaii, expect to pay higher car transportation costs when sending your car to Hawaii. The vehicle shipment process in Hawaii will vary depending on where the vehicles starting location is.
If you are shipping from Hawaii to the mainland, you will have to submit a copy of your current title and registration, which you will send along with your vehicle or truck, as well as showing photo ID and proof of ownership. Remember, you will have to submit a photo ID, title, registration, and notarized permission from the lienholder before you can have your car shipped out of port.
Take pictures of your vehicle prior to shipping: Sometimes, minor damages may be caused to your car while being shipped. Do not leave any belongings in the vehicle: Any insurance associated with your shipment will never cover any belongings lost or damaged during transportation.
