San Francisco International Car Shipping Services

What is the San Francisco International Car Shipping Services?

If you’re shipping a car internationally from to the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, the Port of San Francisco is one your best options. Once one of the busiest ports on the West Coast, the Port of San Francisco has since been surpassed by other major ports such as Los Angeles/Long Beach and Oakland. Due to the limited amount of size available along the peninsula, San Francisco does not handle as much containerized cargo as its neighboring port across the Bay in Oakland.

Since there is limited availability of containerized cargo in San Francisco, the predominant method of international auto transport is done using the roll on, roll off method, also known as “RORO.” This is an affordable method of shipping a vehicle to another country and is relatively hassle-free as far the process goes. Your car is driven onto a ship and securely stored and then simply driven off when it reaches its destination.

Shipping a car in a container is more suited to people that need to ship other items as well: clothes, furniture, personal items, etc. If you are relocating to another country, either permanently or temporarily, a shipping container is a great option.

If you’re considering shipping a car from San Francisco to another country, give us a call today to find out how we can help! We offer FREE price quotes and are happy to answer you questions over the phone or by email!

Shipping A Vehicle Overseas From the Bay Area

Ask Questions - The number of companies offering services for international auto transport can be a little overwhelming. Some companies are shippers, some are brokers, some are freight forwarders, and some are a combination of the three. When you contact a company to get a cost estimate, ask them what their role is in the process, as well as any other questions or concerns you may have. This is an important part of both learning what’s involved, as well as assessing the quality of a company’s customer services and professionalism.

Organize Documents - One of the questions you should ask the companies you contact (and have researched yourself, hopefully) is what documents are required for shipping a car to another country. There are some basics that we cover here, but some countries require more than others. It’s generally a good idea to contact either the U.S. Embassy or the government body in charge of imports where you’re considering shipping to.

Get It In Writing - In so far as it relates to shipping a vehicle, do not accept anything as contractually binding unless it is in writing. You are hiring someone to do a service so no promises made over the phone or on a website matter if they’re not clearly spelled out in the shipping contract. You should not make any type of payment until you have seen and agreed upon a contract with a shipper.