Car shipping review: Texas to Hawaii (Honolulu, Hilo: 2014, transport companies, brokers)

[Rido]

Well as I said before, I will write a review.

Transportreviews.com websites, etc. are all full of BS. Fake reviews and they are not reliable.
I was looking for the most "realistic" reviews I could find. So I decided a late booking. around the 24th of december because I was waiting to graduate. and then I shipped my car.

I have used transporthawaii.com
1995.00 from Houston to Kahului. They said it could take about a maximum of 30 days and nothing was guaranteed. Now They are simply agents to coordinating transportation. They broked the shipping out to a guy on a truck. The guy was Russian, and very friendly. I left something in my car and he let me meet him up to pick it up.

Now the guy does not work for their company, but he was still someone he was associated with.

So the waiting game had to start. they said it may be in there on the 18th, I looked online at matson.com then it became the 21st. Some weeks pass by and they call me on the 13th to say my car is ready for pickup. I would be arriving on the 16th, and I picked it up, Looked perfect.. They had no markings from the drop off of any damage on my car. So I am not sure if these hairline scratches that are visible were from them or from me. Failure to mark it prior to departure, I am making a claim. The car was obviously dirty from transport. I think on the barge, it isnt covered but they said on the trip to hawaii was.

Nothing in my car was broken, everything was perfect. They stayed in contact with me the whole way.

My contact agent was Linda.

I do have one thing I wish they did.
I wish they told me about the matson tracking on the website.

This tells you the ETA and ship it is on
https://www.matson.com/vcsc/pov/tracking/tracking.jsp
track the ship
Matson | Ocean Services | About Us - Track Matson's Fleet

Now I feel that people like this need a legit review because of all the BS. I was looking for hours for a good shipping company. I saw someone gripe and complain in one of their reviews that they werent sure of the exact location of the ship or what not. I know it is on a boat and it is hard to keep track of(I am sure that was before GPS).

Anyway. I would recommend this company and would ship again

[MovingAloha]

Mahalo Rido, this will be helpful for others!!

[KauaiPono]

thanks for taking the time to inform us.

[Farmer Tan]

Thanks for the write up and the heads up!

[OpenD]

There have been several recent questions from new members about shipping cars to Hawai'i, so I thought it would be a good time to update this general info for easy reference.

There are three companies that ship cars to Hawai'i... Pasha, Matson, and Horizon. There are also other companies that operate as middlemen or brokers, but all the vehicles wind up on a ship operated by one of these three companies. Matson is the largest, Pasha seems to be the most oriented around individual consumer shipments, Horizon gets the worst reviews.

The cost of shipping a car from any of the three California ports... San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego... to any of the three key Hawai'i ports... Honolulu, Kahului (Maui) or Hilo (Big Island)... will be the same from all three shippers. Currently, in May 2014, that tariff is $1,100.

Shipping to Kauai, Lanai and Molokai is via Honolulu, and adds $300.

From other parts of the country you can arrange your own auto transport to California, or book it through the shipping company, and the specifics will vary, but this will give you an idea of costs. These are total estimates to Hawai'i from drop-off terminals Pasha uses across the country... pickup service at your door can be arranged at extra cost.

St. Louis, Mo... $1927
Dallas, TX ...$1792
Edison, NJ...$2247
Orlando, FL...$2222

Several forum members have mentioned choosing to take family scenic tours across country to drop off their cars in California, essentially paying for the trip out of the lower car shipping cost and lower prices for airline tickets from the coast. That's not for everyone, obviously, but it's another option.

You cannot ship anything in the car. It must be empty except for the spare tire and jack if you have them, and should have not more than 1/4 tank of gasoline.

Be sure to keep the Bill of Lading you will be given when you pick up the car in Hawai'i. You'll need to take it to the DMV for registration, to prove the arrival date.

Total shipping time varies according to the shipper's schedule. Pasha, the vehicle specialist, currently has a scheduled departure every two weeks, with a one week transit time to Hawai'i, to which you have to add a few days (per their details) for them to queue everything up. Later this year Pasha plans to go to weekly sailings.

Matson, the huge generalist, has lots of shipments, but their schedule for cars varies by demand, as it does at Horizon, so it's a little harder to schedule for specific dates. You have to call them for avaialbility quotes. Third party brokers and transport companies may have monthly blocks booked that need to be filled, and can sometimes take a little longer to arrive.

A few days before scheduled arrival you'll get an availability date from your customer service rep or agent and schedule a pickup appointment. You typically have three days after arrival in which to pick up the car at no extra cost, after which a $25/day storage fee applies.

[Texan Hula]

Thanks OpenD for the details! I'm going through this now, and it's really important to understand WHEN the carriers leave the West Coast, for those of us who do not live in that area. It's all a matter of timing, trying to get your car to the CA ports in time - you don't want to miss the window, otherwise plan on adding an additional 2 weeks. Also.....I've been told that the military is redeploying many to Hawaii, and they are shipping an average of 400 cars a week....so, count on some delays if you are coming from Texas or Florida, where many of our military is stationed. Depends what kind of car you have, because some can be "stacked" and moved with everyone else...the taller cars (like mine) may get "bumped."

My carrier did warn me if I had ANYTHING (pens, towels) in the car, it will be refused in CA and it will sit there...so, follow their instructions when preparing your car.

Best of luck to everyone!

[ChezAloha]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Shipping to Kauai, Lanai and Molokai is via Honolulu, and adds $300.

There are no additional fees to ship your car to Kaua'i out of Seattle via Matson - total cost is $1102.25. Nawiliwili is a regular port stop for Matson, so no barge trips over from Honolulu. Matson will hold your car upon arrival for the first four business days for no additional charge; after that it's $6.88 per day for the next five days, and after that it climbs to a little over $9.00 per day for storage.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by ChezAloha

There are no additional fees to ship your car to Kaua'i out of Seattle via Matson - total cost is $1102.25. Nawiliwili is a regular port stop for Matson, so no barge trips over from Honolulu. Matson will hold your car upon arrival for the first four business days for no additional charge; after that it's $6.88 per day for the next five days, and after that it climbs to a little over $9.00 per day for storage.

Funny, for many years Matson and Pasha have had essentially identical rates to ship autos West Coast to Hawai'i... currently $1,102 to Honolulu, Hilo, or Kahului... but now Pasha is quoting $1,402 to Kaua'i, Molokai, or Lanai. I don't know what changed, or whether Matson will follow suit in the future (their rate card is still dated 1/1/2013), but for now that's the situation.

The pertinent point to me is, as before, that what we post here are good as general guides, but current prices can change rapidly... over $1,000 recent increase on a 20' container, for example, with only 30 days notice of the increase... so you should always get fresh quotes from each shipper for a specific shipping schedule, and then lock down the one you want with a reservation.

And be sure to read ALL the words... from Seattle the cost for larger cars on Matson is $1,757 when vehicle dimensions exceed 21'8" L or 7' W or 6'3" H... which is a foot narrower and 9" in height smaller than the size limits from California. Get a Rate - Automobile Shipment - Matson

I might as well mention another update I just got off Matson's web site...

Seattle Auto Yard Moving

Matson Seattle auto lot will be moving to 3225 East Marginal Way South, Seattle WA. 98134 as of Monday, July 14th 2014. Any vehicle delivered before 07/11/2014 will need to come into the old terminal 2715 11th Avenue SW, Seattle WA. 98134, any vehicle delivered after 07/14/2014 will need to come into our new terminal address above. Our hours of operations will remain the same Monday - Friday from 8:00am - 11:30am, then from 1:00pm - 4:00pm. POV

And Pasha is https://www.pashahawaii.com/

[ChezAloha]

We had a great experience shipping our car to Kaua'i with Matson. They were very helpful upfront and answered all questions, offered advice, etc. Our car was waiting for us here on the island when we arrived - 8 days ahead of the delivery date they quoted us. We picked it up a week after we got here and they didn't charge us any extra; we guessed because it had arrived before the arrival date they had given us. Our car was spotlessly clean, and not a scratch on it. Picking it up took all of about 15 minutes. Again, Nawiliwili is a regular weekly port call for Matson - I think (for now, anyway) that's why they don't add anything to the standard tariff. Horizon regularly stops at Nawiliwili as well (our household goods came via Horizen), but we never checked with them about car shipment because they do not leave out of Seattle, the closest port to Portland. I have no idea if their rates are identical to Matson's. Pasha does not come to Nawiliwili - it makes sense that you would pay more to have someone bring your car to Kaua'i if Honolulu is as far as they take it. (BTW, the new Matson drop-off location in Seattle looks to be a bit more convenient than the old one; you don't have to cross the West Seattle Bridge and then drive all the way around the island like you did to get to the old drop-off location.)

And be sure to read ALL the words... from Seattle the cost for larger cars on Matson is $1,757 when vehicle dimensions exceed 21'8" L or 7' W or 6'3" H... which is a foot narrower and 9" in height smaller than the size limits from California. Get a Rate - Automobile Shipment - Matson

These measurements would cover a Honda Odyssey minivan or Cadillac Escalade with inches left over. It might not be enough for a panel van, or a monster truck though.

Good advice to always get fresh quotes and updated information. Websites are sometimes out of date, or the last place to be updated when changes occur. We reserved our car shipment online with Matson about two weeks before we actually took the car up to Seattle, but talked with them a couple of times before we made the actual reservation. Also, Royal Hawaiian let us know about the upcoming container price increase, first that it was in the works and then when it would change; they were able to ship our household goods before the increase took place so we didn't have to pay the extra. (And, I cannot say enough good things about our experience with Royal Hawaiian as well - worth every penny).