Transporting goods across land, sea, and air has become more streamlined and affordable. Customers even have several options to choose from if they want to ship their goods from one location to another. One popular option for long-distance and international transport is freight containers.
Shipping containers have long been used by businesses to transport goods in bulk, and now, even individuals can use moving containers to transport personal items such as furniture and goods. If you need to ship your goods to another location and want to try out freight containers, here are some of the basics you need to know.
Advantages of Using a Freight Container
What are the advantages of using a hauling container to transport your goods compared to other methods? Here are a few reasons why:
Additional Security
Traditionally, goods are transported using trucks explicitly designed to transport freight. However, your vehicle will share the space. Although precautions are taken to prevent damage, there are situations where your items might get scratched, especially for long-distance moves.
Freight containers can double as secure rooms for your items, protecting them from rain, snow, dirt, thieves, and more. Since your items are enclosed inside the moving container, they will be protected from contact with other goods or poor handling during loading and unloading. Also, if you own or rent the moving container exclusively, you don’t have to share it with other goods.
Convenient Loading and Unloading
Freight containers are the best option for overseas vehicle and household goods shipping, especially when several modes of transportation are involved. The Freight container can be loaded and unloaded quickly from a truck to a ship and vice versa.
How to Ship a Container Overseas with A1 Auto Transport: A Simple Guide
Shipping a container overseas may sound complicated, but with the proper steps and a reliable partner like A1 Auto Transport, it can be a seamless experience. Whether you're moving, shipping goods, or transporting a vehicle, here’s how we make it easy for you.
Choose the Right Container for Your Needs
The first step is choosing the right container for your shipment. Depending on your items, we’ll help you choose between a 20-ft or 40-ft shipping container. If you need special care, like refrigeration or extra space, we’ve covered you with options like high-cube containers.
Get an Accurate Shipping Estimate
Wondering how much it costs to ship a container overseas? At A1 Auto Transport, we make sure you get a precise and accurate estimate based on your container size, destination, and the shipping method. This way, you know exactly what to expect from the start.
Securely Pack Your Container
Packing is key to ensuring your items arrive safely. If you’re unsure how to pack a container for overseas shipping, our experienced team can offer guidance or handle the packing for you, so everything is secure and ready for the journey.
Transport the Container to the Port
Once your container is packed, we’ll arrange to ship it overseas by transporting it to the nearest port. Our trusted trucking partners will then quickly and safely transport your container to its destination.
Choose the Right Shipping Option
Depending on the space you need, you can choose between a full container load (FCL) or a less than container load (LCL). Either way, we’ll help you choose the most cost-effective option for shipping containers internationally and ensure your shipment arrives safely and on time.
Handling customs and Paperwork
Shipping internationally means dealing with customs paperwork. Don’t worry! Our team will guide you through the process to ensure everything is in order, avoiding delays in shipping your container overseas.
Track Your Shipment & Receive It
We know you want to stay informed throughout the process, so once your container is sent overseas, we’ll keep you updated every step of the way. We’ll help with the final delivery or pick-up when it arrives, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience.
Related Information
1) Find a Suitable Shipping Company
When looking for a company to manage your shipping container transport, you can either go with a freight shipping company or a vehicle transport company. Vehicle transport companies are usually experienced when transporting goods through land, sea, and air, although some companies transport their goods through other methods aside from shipping containers.
Freight shipping companies are not targeted towards goods, but they have experience with handling large shipments and are usually more comfortable with transporting shipping containers.
What Should You Look For In A Shipping Company?
If you want to make the process of transporting your shipping containers easier, you need to do your research and pick the best shipping company. Usually, people look at shipping costs and simply go for the cheapest one, only to find later that their service quality is subpar. Here are some things to keep in mind and looking for shipping companies:
Do they offer complete shipping services?
Some companies will take your shipping container from point A to point B, but they don’t have their own shipping containers, so you have to get them from another provider. If you want a hassle-free shipping experience, it’s better to get a shipping company that will provide all the services you need for the move.
The more companies that you have to deal with, the more complicated the process becomes. If the shipping company doesn’t lease their own shipping containers, they should at least connect you to a shipping container provider that they’ve worked within the past.
Do they offer full insurance?
Shipping goods is no joke. Although shipping containers offer more protection for their contents compared to other forms of storage, you should still protect your assets as much as you can. Ask the provider if they offer several tiers of insurance and go for the one that gives you the most protection.
Are they consistent at updating customers?
The biggest problem with shipping something overseas is dead silence. You worry about your shipping container, and you have no idea where it is. Is it still at sea? Is it stuck at customs? Some shipping companies offer automated text messages which keep their customers informed about where their cargo is.
Are they experienced at this type of service?
Shipping companies offer several types of shipping services, so they’re bound to be more experienced at some over others. When looking for a suitable provider, ask them if they have experience transporting goods via shipping containers.
Does their Area of Service cover your destination?
Transporting your shipping container will be more secure and hassle-free if the destination port is also serviced by the provider you’re getting. Suppose they have physical facilities such as storage facilities or a branch office, then all the better.
2) Choose Your Shipping Method
If you want to use a shipping container to transport your vehicle, you have to decide if you want to rent your own or if you want to get a shared container. Shared containers are cheaper, but it means that you are only renting space inside the container, and you have no control over what else is placed in the container together with your vehicle.
If you have the budget for it, renting your own container is the best option because there’s less risk of damage to your vehicle. Also, you can choose to load other items in the container together with your vehicle.
With shared containers, loading and travel times are out of your control because you have to wait for the container to fill up before it is loaded and transported. If you’re pressed for time and have a shipment schedule to follow, a private rented shipping container is better.
If you are a vehicle dealer, it’s better to purchase your own shipping container. It is an excellent investment for vehicle dealers because you will need to ship several goods regularly.
3) Pick Up The Container From The Port
If you’re working with a logistics partner that offers various modes of transportation, you don’t have to worry about your shipping container. Once your shipping container reaches the other port, your provider will most likely have a truck on hand to pick it up and take it to the destination. If you are also traveling overseas, you can unload your vehicle from the shipping container at the port if you want to so you can start driving it.
If you are transporting a vehicle via shipping container to a buyer overseas, what happens once the shipping container reaches the other port depends on your agreement with the buyer. Logistics providers could have a truck ready at the other port to carry the shipping container to your buyer if they opted for door-to-door delivery. The buyer may also choose to pick up the container from the other port themselves.
4) Shipping Container FAQs
What Can I Ship Using A Shipping Container?
If you want to make the most of your shipping container transport, there are several items you can ship in a container:
- Furniture
- Household goods
- Building materials
- Merchandize in bulk
- Machinery
- Vehicles
What Items Are Not Allowed in a Shipping Container?
These items are not allowed inside a shipping container:
- Batteries
- Aerosols
- Chemical household cleaners
- Fireworks
- Guns
- Ammunition
- Nail polish/nail polish remover
- Animals
- Plants
How much does it cost to transport a shipping container by land?
The cost of transporting a shipping container locally via a truck is around $2-3 per mile. From experience, the average cost of transporting shipping containers by land is $300 to $500.
How much does it cost to transport shipping containers overseas?
The average cost of transporting shipping containers overseas is $2,000-$3,000. The price can go up or down, depending on several factors.
What factors affect the cost of transporting a shipping container?
- Modes of transportation involved (trucks, ships, planes, etc.)
- Whether the shipment is FTL or LTL (LTL is shared)
- The size of the shipping container
- Total shipping mileage
- Extra fees (security fees, customs, etc.)
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