When should I ship my car? (live, moving to, transport)

[em3nuketype]

I have PCS orders to Pearl Harbor, and I'm shipping my car with me, on the Navy's dollar, because I don't have equity on it yet that I could sell it here. I spoke with the Vehicle processing center, and they said that once I drop my car off to them, it'll go on a truck to California before being put on a ship. The drive should take a week.

Does anyone have a vague idea of how long it will take a ship to make the transit from the mainland to Hawai'i? I'd like my car to be there when I arrive just to make my life easier, and I'm trying to figure out when I should be looking to drop it off in order for it to get there the first week of January.

Thank you all in advance for your time!

[Balad1]

2 years ago my car took 6 weeks from Baltimore to Kauai. Maybe take off 1 week for the Kauai leg. Army paid for my move when I retired.

[PacificFlights]

It takes from 5 (first unloading stop in Hawaii after leaving the mainland) to 8 days (last unloading stop in Hawaii before heading back to the mainland) to ship a vehicle from the west coast port to Hawaii. Time depends on which port the vehicle will depart, and which port it will arrive, as well as how the ship is routed to the various Hawaii ports for unloading.

The time it takes to get your vehicle from where you are to those ship docks depends on who and how they are doing it. But the west coast port to Hawaii port is as little as 5 days or as long as 8 days. You also have to consider that whomever is handling the shipping may have certain schedules they use. Your vehicle can arrive in CA on Monday and sit for two weeks (missing two more vessles) because that the deal they worked out with the ship.

[nfriedell]

For more information about whether to ship or if you should transport yourself, check out: Should You Ship a Car Across Country? Things to Think About before You Get Car Shipping Quotes | clevergems.com

This article discusses the issue of timing for shipping as well! Enjoy

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by nfriedell

For more information about whether to ship or if you should transport yourself, check out:

That question was a couple of years old... and the matter has been discussed at great length in other threads here... and your link gave me a 404 error... but for the benefit of anyone tripping across the thread now, this link works and is a fairly good answer to the original question.

Shipping Cars To Hawaii | Moving To Hawaii

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by OpenD

... and your link gave me a 404 error...

Tried it again, and connected this time... but it's not terribly relevant to shipping to Hawai'i, since it is only comparing driving across country to shipping across country. And in terms of loading onto a ship for the sea leg, one of the "Cons" of driving is dead wrong. You can't load up a car with possessions. As a matter of fact, the car has to cleared of everything except the jack and spare tire in order to get it loaded on a ship to Hawai'i.