For first-timers, shipping a car from the mainland USA to Hawaii seems like a daunting task. However, when they see others doing it, they want to know how it’s done and how to do it effortlessly. Well, if you’re one of these people, you’ve landed in the right place. In this article, we will help you easily ship your car from the mainland USA to Hawaii.
How do you ship your car from mainland USA to Hawaii?
Shipping your car from mainland USA to Hawaii is much easier if you remember these five steps:
- Know what kind of shipping you need
- Find the right Hawaii car shipping company
- Prepare your car for shipping
- Keep track of your car during transit
- Collect and inspect your car at the other end
Now let’s discuss each of these points in detail.
Types of auto shipping services between mainland USA and Hawaii
So let’s start with the kinds of shipping companies that work between mainland USA and Hawaii.
- Port to Port:
In this type of shipping, a vehicle is shipped from one seaport to another using cargo ships. This type of car shipping is possible for customers who can reach both ports. This is the most affordable type of shipping across seas.
- Door to Door:
In this type of shipping, a vehicle is shipped from the customer’s location to the nearest port, then to the port near the desired location, and from then onwards to the customer’s location. This type of shipping is ideal for customers who can’t reach any port, requiring the shipping service from their doorsteps. This is the most expensive type of shipping across seas, however, it is also the most convenient.
- Port to door or door to port:
In this type of shipping, your car will either be picked up from your home and delivered to the port on the other end or picked up from a port and delivered to your desired location on the other end. This type of shipping is for people who can reach at least one port on either end.
Once you’ve finalized the type of shipping, it’s time to find the right auto shipping company that operates between Hawaii and the mainland USA.
How to find the right Hawaiin auto shipping company?
Finding the right auto shipping company can make or break your car shipping experience. Therefore, it is the most important step in the whole process. To help you screen out the right companies, we have devised a three-step screening process.
- Authentication
In this step, we try to find if the company offering such services is authentic or fraudulent. There are several auto shipping companies working online that have no legal or practical grounds to provide the right service.
This step is easy, just find out if the company is registered with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Any shipping company that is registered with these two authorities is legally allowed to provide the service as well as follow guidelines that ensure better service and safety.
- Insurance
Insurance is a must-have for any business that offers to transport your car over long distances and seas. Since your car is going to be on the road, it is always vulnerable to damage. The damages can vary from minor scratches to totaling the vehicle completely. So, the more the insurance coverage the better.
Therefore, always enquire about the insurance coverage offered by an auto shipping company and ask for written proof detailing the complete terms and conditions of the insurance.
- Reputation
The reputation of any company that you do business with is very important especially if you’re handing it one of your very prized possessions. Checking a company’s reputation is a lot easier these days, just research the company’s name online and you’ll find reviews and ratings on sites like Google, TrustPilot, and Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Don’t fall for absolute 5-star ratings. Look at how detailed the reviews are. One-word reviews don’t mean anything and could therefore be fake reviews. Any real business, no matter what the niche, has some negative reviews here or there.
See how the company has responded to the negative reviews from unsatisfied customers. If there’s a repeat of a similar complaint by different clients then that probably means that is a constant issue with the company.
Once you’ve applied this three-factor screening to several companies online, you’ll be left with a few reliable shipping companies. Now with one out of these do you choose depends a lot on your personal preferences.
Usually, people go with the company that offers the most affordable quotation. However, we suggest choosing a company that offers market-competitive quotations because the lowest offers are usually a lowballing technique done by shipping companies to lure customers initially. The real quotation is offered a day or two, which can sometimes exceed the initial offering.
Conclusion
That’s all there is to know about car shipping from mainland USA to Hawaii. We hope all your questions regarding this topic are answered but in case you have any left, let us know and we would love to answer them for you.
