how to import a truck from China, the best car shipping services and shipping costs.
How to ship a truck from China to the United States
Shipping a car from China to the United States? Car shipping from China to the United States starts at $3,050, with expected turnaround time of 25 to 45 days, depending on the make and model of the vehicle, the closest port of departure in China, and whether the U.S. destination is on the East or West Coast.
Vehicle Shipping Options from China to the United States
- Roll On/Roll Off – Best for work vehicles as your car will be driven onto the transport ship and transported safely in a huge cargo area similar to a parking lot. The main added costs are customs clearance and taxes, making this our most affordable option.
- Shared Container Service – Stack multiple vehicles into a 40-foot container using our industry-leading steel stowage system. Although there is an additional cost compared to our roll-on/roll-off service, you will share the additional cost of delivery in a securely enclosed shipping container with the other vehicle owners. Additional charges include: trucking and unloading fees, dock handling fees, and customs clearance fees.
- You may experience a longer wait time before your car ships as the container must reach capacity before shipping. Although the wait time may be longer, you get extra security by shipping your vehicle in a fully enclosed container.
- Full Container – As with our shared container service, your vehicle will be shipped in a fully enclosed 20-foot container dedicated to your car. You’ll have the benefit of not having to wait for a container to reach capacity before shipping, but you won’t be sharing the additional costs of loading and unloading at the dock with other owners, as well as the additional cost of unloading. The many benefits of container shipping outweigh the added cost, including increased safety and protection from the weather due to fully enclosed and secure containers.
Our shipping professionals will document the condition of your vehicle upon arrival, including loading into the container, with photo files that you can view online for your convenience. We use an industry-leading steel stacking system that does not rely on scrap wood and nails, reducing the risk of damage to your car.
Once your car is loaded and secured, the container door will be locked, preventing anyone from accessing its contents until it lands at its final destination. Your vehicle will be secured in a fully enclosed container and you are welcome to pack and transport additional items inside the vehicle. Nonetheless, please make sure everything is safe as we will not be responsible for any type of damage or loss. Once your vehicle arrives at its final destination in the United States, the container will be opened by our operators, who will document the vehicle’s condition and unloading process with photo documentation.
What is the cheapest way to ship a car from China to the United States?
When it comes to car shipping, roll-on-roll-off service (RO-R) is generally the cheapest way to ship cars from China to the United States, but is the least secure than car container shipping.
You have different shipping methods and options to ship your car to the United States, below you can compare roll-on-roll-off shipping service (RO-RO) vs container shipping, full container shipping (FCL), less than container shipping (LCL) ) or faster Air Freight to send vehicles to the United States.
RoRo service from China to the United States
If you have a wheeled vehicle shipping to the United States from any port in China, such as a car, sedan, SUV, motorcycle, RV, camper, trailer, bus, construction vehicle, heavy equipment, excavator or boat to a port in the United States, this This method is extremely efficient and cost-effective, with the most reliable departure, transit times and arrival dates from China to the United States. New car manufacturers often choose this method when deciding to ship their vehicles overseas.
Advantages of roll-on/roll-off shipping services from China to the United States:
- You can ship running vehicles to the United States from the most popular ro-ro ports in China at very cheap prices.
- Special RoRo service from China to the United States
- Fast shipping time from China to the United States takes only 15 to 35 days to the nearest port.
- Roll-on/roll-off local export charges as well as destination charges to the US are cheaper than container shipping to the US by car.
Container shipping services from China to the United States
FCL container shipping from China to the United States is your exclusive container shipping, it costs more than RoRo shipping, but your car or your vehicle is the only vehicle in your container to the United States.
Advantages of container shipping services from China to the United States:
- You can ship unserviceable vehicles, accident vehicles from China car auctions.
- A 4-foot container can carry up to 40 vehicles for shipment to the United States.
- You can put car parts into containers.
- You will have exclusive rights to container shipping to the United States, rather than a shared container.
Documents required to import cars from China to the United States:
The requirements for importing vehicles from China into the United States are to provide a commercial bill of sale in English, vehicle name and invoice, and a detailed packing list, which must indicate details of quantity, vehicle type, and shipping location, and then provide the following documents to U.S. Customs:
Cars imported from China must have the following documents:
- List of bills of lading used for import, release and tax purposes.
- US tax identification number
- Tariff subtitle and cargo location
- Register as an automobile importer from China to the United States
- Vehicle duty-paid value declaration
- Debt Free America
- Inventory transfer to the United States (original)
- Holding a trade or corporate patent in the United States must demonstrate your commitment to importing vehicles from China.
- Certificate of origin from China indicating that the vehicle is brand new (simple copy)
- Demonstrate U.S. economic solvency
- Develop the terms of the InCOterms import agreement.
- Find a good customs broker in the United States
- Original bill of lading, sea waybill or air waybill from the shipping company from China
- Packing list for Chinese sellers
- commercial invoice
- Combined Certificate of Value and Origin (CCVO)
- Statement of Authorization You Authorize to Clear Automotive Imports through U.S. Customs
How to ship an electric car from China to the United States?
To ship electric or hybrid cars from China to the United States, a series of requirements must be met, such as whether they are new or used and whether the battery system is in good condition.
List of steps to follow to ship an electric or hybrid car to the United States:
- Before shipping a car from China to the United States, inform the freight forwarder or auto shipping company whether the car is new or used.
- Verify with the auto shipping company that the vehicle’s battery system has never suffered any damage/shock and that the vehicle has no leaks or shipping damage.
- Electric vehicles must carry the vehicle’s VIN label on the front windshield, clearly indicating the vehicle’s propulsion type (pure electric/hybrid/plug-in hybrid/CNG/LNG, etc.)
- Verify with the shipping company that the vehicle’s battery system has never suffered any damage/shock and that the vehicle has no leaks or shipping losses.
- You must book with the transport company as IMO in order to send the vehicle.
- The shipper or exporter of the vehicle must provide an MSDS for the vehicle battery to verify the hazmat parameters.
- Finally, the consignee or importer must notify the auto transporter in China and U.S. Customs that you are importing an electric vehicle.
If all these requirements are met, the unit can be loaded onto a ship from China to the United States, but please remember that for safety reasons, some shipping companies and freight forwarders do not accept electric or hybrid vehicles in international car shipping Boarding.
The following list contains the most popular vehicles imported from China into the United States.
- Tesla
- BYD
- Jianghuai Automobile
- Great Wall Motors
- auspicious
- Chery
- FAW Motors
- toyota
- BWM
- Dongfeng
If you purchase products in China and need transportation, contact us immediately.