6 Steps for Shipping
Expedition Vehicles Overseas

Hello Again Overlander and welcome!

This is part 2 of “6 Steps for Shipping Expedition Vehicles Overseas”.  Last time, in part 1, we revealed the shipping methods available and the most recommended one for expedition vehicle shipping.

But once you chose the shipping method one of the biggest factors in having success on your overseas shipping is hiring the most reliable carrier company.

The 2 nd Step for Shipping Overseas – Choosing a Carrier

There are several Carrier companies in the market. Please see below some links of carries that can give you support on shipping expedition vehicles overseas.

Wilh. Wilhelmsen — Website: www.wilhelmsen.com

Grimaldi Group — Website: www.grimaldi.co.uk/

SeaBridge International — Website: www.seabrdge.com

Shipmyvehicle — Website: www.shipmyvehicle.com

Ship OverSeas — Website: www.shipoverseas.com

Schumacher Cargo Logistics — Website: www.schumachercargo.com

Auto Car Shippers — Website: http://www.autocarshippers.com

Accord Overseas — Website: www.accordoverseas.com

Carex International Shipping Company — Website: www.carexshipping.com

United Auto Transport — Website: www.unitedautotransport.com

Overseascarshipper.com — Website: www.overseascarshipper.com/

Alison Shipping International Inc. — Website: www.allisonshipping.com

When choosing a Carrier company, we recommend that you inquire about their US department of transportation (DOT) and Motor Carrier (MC) numbers, which confirm that they are legally licensed to carry your expedition vehicle. You could also go to www.safersys.org and use the numbers listed to find out about the company’s safety records and other related information.

By our experience there are some difficulties that you may encounter when hiring a shipping company, and that you need to be aware off. Some carrier companies may not suggest to you the cheapest and shortest shipping routes. Some Companies may sell you RORO but ship your expedition vehicle using flat rack and often companies may not deliver your vehicle on the day scheduled.

In order to make sure that the carrier is offering a reliable service, once the carrier company suggests the port of departure and the international arrival port, look at the world map and discuss with the carrier representative possible route alternatives. They may be trying to sell out a less full ship rather than the best route for your vehicle.  Make sure to find the route that has the least amount of port stops, and is the shortest and least expensive route. Pricing often changes based on space availability, so the shortest route may not be the least expensive one.  If the carrier cannot provide you a good route, try another carrier.

After choosing your shipping method, become familiar with the ship’s name, type, and specifications. If you chose the RORO method, make sure that your ship is a RORO or car carrier ship type. If you want to learn more about the ship specifications, go to www.e-ships.net, where you can find information about ships, companies, world ports and a sea distances. Ask your carrier representative for a registered user-name and password so that you have access to more specific information and  verify whether or not the ship is a RORO. For sample information go to http://www.e-ships.net/samples/ship.htm and choose the carrier and get more detailed information to help verify that the services that you are paying for are the services that you will get.

In order to verify the day of the ship arrival, you can call the carrier representative or go to www.vesseltracker.com , where you will be able to find your ship location in real time. This will show you how long your vehicle still has left to arrive at your destination port. Choose the carrier that can guarantee the arrival date that was scheduled.

The best carrier company is the one that provides detailed and specific information about its carrier license number, shipping routes, alternative shipping routes, ports of call information, ship specifications, and scheduled arrival date.

And that closes Part 2 of our shipping guide, but we are not quite done. In 2012 we are going to cover what we usually don’t like to do, spending money: Shipping rates and fees.

There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to paying overseas destination port fees and the best way avoid mistakes is to be well prepared.

Until Next time,

The GXV Team