Roll on & Roll off (RORO) Shipping Costs

RORO, or “Roll on and roll off,” refers to the term international shipping companies use when they ship cargo with wheels that are driven or rolled on and off the ship. This kind of shipping was introduced by Japanese car companies who needed to ship their cars overseas by driving them directly to these specially designed ships called “vehicle carriers.” RO-RO is a good way and efficient way to ship your car from one country to another, especially since RORO shipping costs are quite low.

Why Not Use a Container?

You can use RO-RO or container to ship your car, but why do most people recommend RO-RO auto shipping and not container? Simply put, RO-RO is very easy and cheaper than a container. It works out cheaper because of the following reasons -:

• The cars are driven into the vessel and secured on the decks. Once secured, they are safe from wind, rain, and rolling waves during transport.
• No packing is required, and there is no need to hire or pay for an export warehouse for car crating.
• Also, when you opt for a container, be prepared to face a lot more paperwork for international shipments. So contact an auto shipping company that can advise you on what to choose for your car.

When to Use a Container.

While RO-RO shipping is available for all major international ports, it is not available for remote and smaller car transport ports. In such cases, when no RO-RO shipping service is available for a port, the only option left is to take a container. Also, use a container when you want to get protected shipping for your car.

Tips to Lower Your RO-RO Shipping Costs.

Even though RORO is the cheapest way to get your car shipped, here are a few tips to lower your roll-on and roll-off (RORO) shipping costs.

• Condition of the car—If your vehicle is not drivable, you must pay additional charges to have it hauled or towed inside the ship. So, to avoid paying extra, ensure your car is in good condition.
• Door-to-door shipping is the most expensive kind of shipping, but you can cut costs by driving your car to the terminal and then picking it up from the destination terminal again.
• Insurance—Get only the cargo insurance that you actually need, not what the moving company tries to foist upon you. Usually, insurance will cost around 2% of the total value insured, and there might also be a base fee, which could be an additional $65 to handle the processing charges and to get it mailed or faxed to you. So, looking around for car transport companies that sell the same package at competitive rates does not hurt.
• Protection—When the car you are getting shipped is not a new or expensive one, you can choose the lower protection deals and not gofor the more expensive protection schemes.
• Choosing the route: Shipping companies will charge a lot more when they have to change their route for you. Instead, look around for ships that take your route to avoid customs shipping rates.
• RORO tracking—When time is not a constraint, you do not have to choose expensive options, such as RORO tracking.
• Shipping time - Generally, the shipping costs will be higher during summer and lower during winter. So, if your car will not be affected by the weather, get it shipped during the cheaper winter months when the business is low.

Other Costs To Expect.

There could be a terminal handling fee, which you might be required to pay at the starting point. It could be around $40 -$190, depending on the destination port. There might also be import duties, which the auto shipping company must find out for you beforehand from the Consulate of the destination country, or you can do the same yourself by looking at http://www.embassy.org/ . There might also be an extra cost of $175 when you expect your car shipping company to clear your title for you, but you can also do it yourself to cut costs.