Hassle-Free Car Shipping to Hawaii

We know how stressful it is to move or ship your car from state to state, but you can be free from this unnecessary stress if you are well-informed. Moving your vehicle, especially to Hawaii, is quite a challenge because of the many factors to consider. One is its location; since Hawaii is an island, there is no way that you can drive your car going to Hawaii. Two, pre-transport preparation requires detailed attention, and three, the cost to ship a car to Hawaii is relatively high.

Whether you plan to live in Hawaii for good or you are just planning an extended vacation, Hawaii is a perfect place. However, shipping your car to Hawaii is far from perfect if you haven’t given it much detailed preparation. 

Finding a Good Car Shipping Service

For hassle-free car shipping to Hawaii, begin with finding a good vehicle transport service that will not charge you a fortune but has a good reputation. Wondering how you could find such a firm? Well, in Australia, residents who want interstate car shipping facilities often look for logistic firms on the Internet. For example, if a resident of Brisbane wanted to ship his car to Perth, he would probably search online using keywords like car transport brisbane to perth to find reputed firms like Auto-Logistics. You can do the same if you want to ship your vehicle to Hawaii. Look on the search engine to find logistic firms near you. You might be wondering how much would it cost to transport a car to Hawaii. However, please do not fall for the very cheap offer because it may mean a deficient level of service.

To give you an idea as to how much it cost to ship a car to Hawaii, here is a conservative estimate:

• It costs $1,000 – $2,500 from the US mainland to Hawaii
• It costs $1,000 – $3,000 from Canada to Hawaii

These price ranges may vary depending on the vehicle’s size and weight, the car’s brand and model, and the distance from pick up to drop off points. 

If you want to make the shipment cheaper, you can drive your car to the port and pick it up yourself in Hawaii. This option is feasible if you reside somewhere near a West Coast port on the Mainland like San Diego or Long Beach. Otherwise, settle for the transport service.

Here are a few tips for discerning a good vehicle transport service:

• It pays to read reviews and testimonials. Do not just read one or two reviews. Read as many reviews as you can. Trust me; it will significantly help.
  
• Find a transport service that offers flexible options. This way, you can choose which package you feel is fit for you. See if they have an option to load your car onto an enclosed transport truck or an open transport truck. Or an option to put your vehicle inside a container or not.
  
• Make sure that you are talking to a real person, not a bot. Call and ask for someone in charge. Get their complete contact details and their position in the company.
  
• Having insurance coverage protects your vehicle from any untoward incident that may happen during shipping. Therefore, study the company’s insurance coverage, and compare it to the insurance details discussed in this article – if necessary, and then see if it meets your vehicle shipping needs.
  
• Ask questions. You will know if the company is transparent enough to do their business if they respond and explain all your queries to you.
  
• Read the contract thoroughly. Ask for clarification if there are vague statements in the agreement.
  
• Cross-check the company in the government’s list of licensed operators accredited in Hawaii. Browse through the company’s website and find out if you are talking to a reliable and reputable company.

Shipping Preparations

Suppose you have found the perfect car transport service for you. It’s time to make the necessary preparations before shipment. Although your transport service will orient you about it, knowing beforehand what to do will give you a head start. Here are a few things that you need to do to prepare:

• Make another copy of your vehicle’s documents, licenses, and other necessary documents and keep the original in safety. The papers you should prepare are vehicle registration, valid license, proof of ownership, bill of lading, certificate of safety inspection, and signed contract from the shipping company.
  
• Wash your car inside and out thoroughly. You must do this because the driver that will pick up your vehicle will inspect it and record the condition of your car in the vehicle condition report.
  
• Please take a picture of your car before you release it. It is recommended that you take a photo of every part, exterior and interior. In this way, you will have evidence if something is missing or damaged once the car arrives in Hawaii.
  
• You can also take a picture of the odometer. It will give you an idea of how much the car traveled from the origin to the destination. In this way, If you suspect that it traveled more than the estimated distance, you will have a piece of evidence when you complain.

Here are some other minor things you have to accomplish that will help prevent problems while your car is in transit:

• Do not leave valuables inside the car. As much as possible, leave the vehicle empty.
  
• Suppose your car has accessories, especially on the exterior. In that case, you can temporarily take them off to avoid damaging them during the shipment.
  
• If your car has toll tags, deactivate it.
  
• If you have an alarm system, disconnect it temporarily.
  
• Follow the Maritime regulation of leaving only gas in the tank.
  
• Prepare another set of keys for the transport team.
  
• Get the contact details of the transport team. In case you need to call them to track the progress of the shipment.

Final Words

After finishing all the necessary preparation and following the tips mentioned above, you are less likely to experience hassle and setbacks while shipping your car to Hawaii.