How RoRo Car Shipping Works, Step by Step
Step one: getting the car to the port
RoRo ships sail from a handful of major vehicle ports, so nearly every shipment begins with a truck leg: from your driveway, a dealer, or an auction yard to the port or to an export warehouse near it. This is the leg people forget to price and the leg we run every day, including the auction pickups and warehouse consolidations that feed the export trade. The warehouse route exists for a reason: it receives your car early, holds it securely, stages the paperwork, and delivers it to the terminal inside the window the sailing demands, which removes the timing gamble of trucking straight to a terminal gate.
Step two: the title deadline that rules everything
US Customs must clear every vehicle for export before it sails, and that clearance needs the original title at the port roughly three days before the sailing date, some ports want longer. This deadline is the hard skeleton of every RoRo booking: the sailing you catch is determined less by when the car arrives than by when the title does. Send it tracked, early, to the address we give you, and the rest of the schedule falls into place. The full paper stack, title, ISF and AES filings, bills of sale, lives in documents needed to export a car.
Step three: cutoffs, the gate, and loading day
Every sailing publishes a cutoff, the last day the terminal accepts cars for that voyage, usually a few days before departure. At the gate the car is inspected against the rules: running, empty, no cracked glass or leaking fluids, keys present, around a quarter tank. Pass, and it parks in the export yard until loading day, when port drivers walk the lines, start each car, and drive it up the stern ramp into position, where lashing crews strap it to the deck. Aboard, your car sits in an enclosed deck out of the weather for the crossing, which is why arrival condition on RoRo is overwhelmingly just how the car was delivered to the gate.
What the money covers, end to end
A RoRo move is three money pieces. The truck leg to the port, priced by distance like any domestic move. The ocean freight, which our calculator quotes instantly on its lanes, with export paperwork included. And the destination charges, the receiving port's own handling, customs, and storage fees, paid locally by whoever collects the car, in the destination's currency and rules. Quotes that hide the third piece create ugly surprises an ocean away, which is why ours says it plainly: destination charges are the receiver's, and we tell you so before you book, not after. The method comparison with container pricing sits in RoRo vs container.
Step four: the other side
After sailing, the voyage runs one to six weeks depending on the lane. On arrival the car is driven off, parked in the terminal, and the destination agent or port notifies the receiver named on the documents. The receiver, you, your buyer, or your family member, presents ID and the release paperwork, pays the destination charges and any import duty the country levies, and drives away. Free storage at destination terminals is short, often just days, so the receiver should be ready before the ship is. Every country prices imports its own way, our country guides, like Germany and Nigeria, cover the local side lane by lane.
Your questions answered
What happens after I drop my car at the port?
It passes the gate inspection, waits in the export yard, and on loading day port drivers roll it aboard into the ship's enclosed decks, where it is lashed for the crossing. From gate to ship, professionals handle everything.
When does my title have to be at the port?
As a rule, in the port's possession about three business days before the sailing, and some ports want more. Customs cannot clear the export without it, so the title's arrival date effectively chooses your sailing.
What does a RoRo cutoff date mean?
It is the last day the terminal accepts cars for a given voyage, set a few days before departure. Arrive after cutoff and the car is automatically rolled to the next sailing, with storage fees possible in between.
Can I watch my car being loaded onto the ship?
No, working terminals are closed to the public past the gate. Your visibility is the gate receipt, the booking confirmation, and arrival notification on the other side.
How does my car get collected at the destination port?
The receiver named on the documents presents ID and the release paperwork at the destination terminal, pays the local charges and any duty, and drives the car out. We coordinate the paperwork so the right name is on it from the start.
What are destination charges on a RoRo shipment?
The receiving port's own fees: terminal handling, customs processing, and storage past the free days. They are paid locally by the receiver and are separate from the ocean freight, which is why our quotes say so explicitly.
Can I send spare parts or luggage with the car on RoRo?
No, RoRo cars sail empty and gates inspect for it. Anything that must travel with the car points you to container service instead, where declared cargo inside the car is part of the deal.
What happens if my car misses the sailing?
It waits at the port or warehouse for the next voyage on that lane, typically one to two weeks later, sometimes with storage charges. Misses almost always trace back to a late title, which is the deadline to respect.
How often do RoRo ships sail on a given route?
Busy lanes see sailings weekly or every two weeks, thinner lanes monthly. When you book, we map your car's readiness and title timing against the actual schedule and name the realistic sailing, not the hopeful one.
Does insurance cover the ocean leg of a RoRo shipment?
Carrier liability at sea is limited by maritime convention, which is real but thin. For valuable cars, marine cargo insurance for the crossing is the professional answer, ask us when booking and we will price it into the move.
Can someone else drop my car at the port or warehouse?
Yes, any adult we name on the booking can deliver the car, a driver we arrange can do it for you, and auction cars go straight from the yard through the warehouse chain without you touching anything.
Do I need to empty the gas tank before RoRo shipping?
No, the opposite: the car needs enough fuel to be driven aboard and off, about a quarter tank, and ports flag tanks that are near full. Quarter tank, running, empty of cargo is the gate-ready formula.
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