Every shipping experience is different, and this one was as well. I will say that it was one of better experiences; but, admittedly, part of that has to do with accumulated knowledge from our 2 past experiences.
Quotes
First we submitted requests for quotes. Of course, I knew about several from our previous shipping, and googled more. I know now you can use any freight forwarder, but having one familiar with the rules, regulations, and details of shipping a vehicle will help reduce the stress and mistakes. Because of this, I applied to a lot this time around:| Company | Date Requested | Date Received | Notes |
| A1 Auto Transport | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Able Auto Transport | 6/5/2018 | Submitted through Jtracker | |
| Alliance Intercontinental Pty Ltd. | N/A | Is Colless Young | |
| Aussie Car Imports | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Australia Trade | 6/5/2018 | 6/5/2018 | Australia-based. NZ Counterpart is NZ Shipping. |
| Auto Car Shippers | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Auto Hub | 6/4/2018 | 6/5/2018 | Does not offer NZ to USA. Recommended Cargo Co-ordinators. |
| Car Transport Express | N/A | Seems to only be AUS | |
| Cars2nz | N/A | Is McCullough Limited | |
| CFR Rinkens | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Colless Young Pty Ltd | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Conroy Removals | 6/4/2018 | 6/15/2018 | |
| Customs Services | Recommended by Rutherfords. Doesn't have an online request form. | ||
| Ever Global International | 6/5/2018 | 6/5/2018 | |
| First Logistics | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Jenner Cargo | 6/4/2018 | ||
| Kiwi Shipping | 6/5/2018 | 6/7/2018 | AKA Main Freight. |
| McCullough Limited | 6/5/2018 | 6/5/2018 | |
| New Zealand Movers | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Online Logistics & CCW | 6/4/2018 | AKA The Shipper. Sea-Go's affiliate. Rocket Freight recommends choosing between GT and The Shipper. | |
| Schumacher Cargo Logistics, Inc. | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Seabrook | 6/4/2018 | 6/11/2018 | AKA Global Destination Forwarding |
| Sea-Go | Only Australia | ||
| Seaway | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Ship Overseas | Don't ship to AUS/NZ | ||
| Shipping 2 Australia | N/A | Looks like only Australia | |
| Sneddens Global Logistics | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Taurus Logistics | 6/4/2018 | ||
| Transworld International Removals | 6/5/2018 | ||
| USAtoAUS.com | N/A | Looks like only Australia | |
| West Coast Shipping (WCS) | 6/5/2018 | ||
| WillShip | 6/5/2018 | 6/5/2018 | Australia-based. NZ Counterpart is Rocket Freight. |
| YouFr8 | 6/5/2018 | ||
| Rocket Freight | 6/5/2018 | 6/8/2018 | NZ Counterpart to Australia's WillShip. |
| Cargo Co-ordinators | 6/5/2018 | 6/8/2018 | |
| New Zealand Shipping | 6/5/2018 | 6/7/2018 | Referred by Australia Trade. |
| GT Logistics | 6/6/2018 | Rocket Freight recommends choosing between GT and The Shipper. | |
| Toll Group | 6/10/2018 | ||
| World Shipping | 6/10/2018 | ||
| World Moving & Storage | 6/10/2018 |
Turns out, this angers the small, local population of freight forwarders. Many of them have partnerships or friends, so I couldn’t get quotes from some because I had already been quoted by another partner company. And, supposedly, the put in a lot of work to get the quotes filled out? I was asking for a ballpark but with lots of detailed questions, but most quotes were given in decent detail. So perhaps when you are testing the waters, start out by very clearly stating that you are looking for a ballpark estimate, then when you have narrowed down the candidates, then get your detailed answers.
As you can see, most places never responded. Sometimes I would get an email back from a company to which I didn’t send an inquiry. Seemed like the best responses were from companies to which I was referred from other shipping companies (e.g. an Australian-based company gave me their NZ-based company contact info). The company we ended up going with was referred to us by Auto Hub, a NZ-based company that does NOT ship to the USA. I was rather disappointed in three of the companies that I had previously dealt with:
- Taurus Logistics must have decided we weren’t worth the pain they had to deal with last time and didn’t even bother responding.
- CFR Rinkens never responded to my request directly, but they did respond to the request through The Shipper. The quote was remarkably lower (and more of what I expected prices to be) than the next best quote, but when I asked for clarification, they never responded.
- The Shipper was fairly erratic and sparse in their replies, but perhaps they didn’t like that I switched to Taurus “last-minute” on our transport from AUS to NZ.
Decision
We ended up going with Cargo Co-ordinators. The reason for this was twofold. First, always a major factory, they ended up being the cheapest full quote. Second and more importantly, I loved our agent: Charne Pairama. She was amazing! Quick to respond and detailed. Went out and searched multiple venues and found a way to better get our vehicle loaded where we didn’t have to worry about security clearances. I think that even if they weren’t the cheapest, I would have chosen to go with them, just because of Charne’s (pronounced “Chawn”) communication. She really was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise fairly polluted, stagnant quagmire of shipping communication. She was able to answer questions with knowledge (fairly rare), and looked up things she didn’t know (also fairly rare). In short, she was amazing and I wish I could always use her!Anyways, back to the process. For you overlanders thinking of shipping, here is a comparison of quotes that we received (you can see why it is necessary to shop around).
| To | Company | Type | NZ Side (NZD) | Ocean Freight (USD) | Subtotal (USD) | USA Side (USD) | Time (days) | Insurance Rate (NZD) | Total Cost (USD) | Notes |
| USA - Long Beach | The Shipper / CFR | Container | $ 5,478.00 | $ 4,189.38 | $ 780.00 | $ 422.54 | $ 4,969.38 | |||
| USA - Long Beach | Cargo Co-ordinators | FCL | $ 1,680.00 | $ 1,825.00 | $ 3,266.30 | $ 2,135.00 | 23 | $ 350.00 | $ 5,401.30 | Onehunga facility. Uses Schumacher in the USA. |
| USA - Long Beach | Cargo Co-ordinators | FCL | $ 1,740.00 | $ 1,825.00 | $ 3,308.90 | $ 2,135.00 | 23 | $ 350.00 | $ 5,443.90 | Wharf facility. Uses Schumacher in the USA. |
| USA - Los Angeles | Main Freight | FCL | $ 1,680.00 | $ 1,716.00 | $ 3,175.05 | $ 2,305.00 | $ 375.00 | $ 5,480.05 | ||
| USA - Long Beach | GDF | Container | $ 2,235.00 | $ 1,843.00 | $ 3,429.85 | $ 2,135.00 | $ 5,564.85 | |||
| USA - Long Beach | GT Logistics | Container | $ 4,633.80 | $ 3,470.34 | $ 2,185.00 | $ 254.00 | $ 5,655.34 | |||
| USA - Freeport, TX | Cargo Co-ordinators | RORO | $ 720.57 | $ 4,969.33 | $ 5,480.93 | $ 1,040.00 | 55 | $ 6,520.93 | ||
| USA - Freeport, TX | New Zealand Shipping | RORO | $ 1,101.45 | $ 4,824.04 | $ 5,606.07 | $ 5,606.07 | Ask about Stevedore to do transport to port to save $150+. | |||
| USA - Long Beach | McCullough Limited | RORO | $ 270.25 | $ 5,814.95 | $ 6,202.08 | $ 275.00 | $ 6,202.08 | Does not include US customs/port | ||
| USA - Long Beach | New Zealand Shipping | FCL | $ 1,825.00 | $ 3,610.00 | $ 4,905.75 | $ 780.00 | $ 5,685.75 | Not desired. Requires us to pack ourselves at a location of our choosing. | ||
| USA - Long Beach | Ever Global International | RORO | $ 650.00 | $ 5,595.00 | $ 6,589.00 | 45 | $ 750.00 | $ 6,589.00 | Cost is with us presenting carnet to customs & dropping vehicle at port ourselves (extra fee for wharf access) | |
| USA - Galveston | McCullough Limited | RORO | $ 270.25 | $ 6,620.84 | $ 7,007.97 | $ 275.00 | $ 7,007.97 | Does not include US customs/port | ||
| USA - Long Beach | Ever Global International | LCL | $ 4,154.93 | $ 2,895.00 | $ 6,377.50 | 40 | $ 750.00 | $ 6,377.50 | Cost is with us presenting carnet to customs & dropping vehicle at packing depot | |
| USA - Freeport, TX | GDF | RORO | $ 563.10 | $ 5,047.45 | $ 5,447.25 | $ 5,447.25 | ||||
| USA - Houston | New Zealand Shipping | FCL | $ 1,825.00 | $ 5,397.00 | $ 6,692.75 | $ 6,692.75 | Not desired. Requires us to pack ourselves at a location of our choosing. | |||
| USA - Houston | Main Freight | FCL | $ 1,795.00 | $ 3,456.00 | $ 4,730.45 | $ 2,305.00 | $ 7,035.45 | |||
| USA - Long Beach | Conroy Removals | LCL | $ 5,895.00 | $ 4,806.70 | $ 875.00 | $ 4,806.70 |
We decided with container, as this time around it was a lot faster and cheaper. This did mean more time on land before and after it shipped, but it was in a container that entire time.
Plus, we wanted to move quickly and Charne was able to do so. She was even able to provide different timetables/shipping dates based upon when we dropped off our van.
Here is the copy of the quote we received from Charne, as you can see, it is fairly comprehensive.
If you choose to do insurance (we always do), make sure to get them to quote that as well, since it can be a major expense. If you are using 2 separate companies, then you can get quotes from both of them (doesn’t have to be the departure company) and choose the better of the two options. Make sure you understand what it covers, total-loss or all-risk, and the details of those. Remember, you get to set that value to be insured, but that is often what they use for customs valuations as well. For this trip, we got insurance quotes from both Cargo Co-ordinators and Schumacher Cargo Logistics. With exchange rates, Cargo Co-ordinators was just slightly cheaper, so we went their policy.
Loading the Container
Because it was cheaper and we didn’t have to deal with security clearance, we chose to do the loading ourselves at the Onehunga facility, PTS Logistics, which was arranged by Charne. We had from 930am to 3pm on Tuesday, June 19th, to get our van packed into the container. We arrived at the facility and found a closed/locked gate. So we gave them a call, and they explained we would be let in and we could just go into the offices to get the next instructions. We got our high-visibility jackets and they gave us instructions to our shipping container. After clearing access, Jonathan and I finished packing the van down and putting on shipping wheels (during the process we discovered we had a water leak and had to drain our tank, but other than that, there was no mishaps).While we were prepping the van, Charne came out to collect our documents (carnet, etc., so we didn’t have to go to her office). (NOTE: they wouldn’t let us do the carnet ourselves, so that they could keep the process flowing smoothly.) She also took pictures for the insurance policy. Again, top-notch service from her.
When we we were ready, the PTS Logistics crew was there to help us get the van into the container. This process, sadly, did not go as hoped. As expected, the van was incredibly difficult to drive up the ramp to the shipping container on our metal wheels, despite the traction pads they laid out. And, the crew was more experienced dealing with fork-lift items and had no directing experience for a driven vehicle. So, after a (couple) failed attempts that ended with the paint on on window flare being scraped off, I took control.
You can see why we scraped…
We almost went off the ramp here trying to recover from the scraping… They are very skilled with a fork lift.
First, I walked back far enough away from the shipping container so that I could see whether the van was lined up or not. Then I had Jonathan drive towards me until it was lined up. Then I had him reverse straight back into the container. This kept us lined up, which meant no more scraping. But, now we had an issue of getting us over the ramp edge into the container. With skilled driving on Jonathan’s part and some fork-lifting on behalf of the crew (thanks again Van-Compass skid plates), we got the van into the container. Jonathan barely got around the edges of the van, but was able to get out with instruction and some finagling. After discussing the tie-down procedure with the crew, we said goodbye to Fernweh.
Things that would have made loading the van easier, so if you are doing in this in the future, see if you can arrange for either in advance:
- A longer ramp (or a loading dock) that transitioned more smoothly to the inside of the container.
- A container that opened on both ends; then you could winch/pull it in instead of using traction and driving.
Also to note, unlike CFR when we shipped from USA to AUS, this company didn’t stuff a bunch of desiccant packets into the van to prevent moisture buildup. Not sure if it did anything, but it was a nice touch.
Transport
Because we loaded at Onehunga and not at a wharf, the container had to be moved from their to the Tauranga wharf. At this particular location, that always happened on Thursdays, via the Metroport railway. So, our loading the van on Tuesday gave them just the right amount of time to get it secured and over to the railway.Then, the container was loaded on 6/25/2018 onto the ship, KOTA EKSPRES, and sailed out.
On 7/14 (19 days later), the vessel arrived at the port Los Angeles. Within 2 days, it had been unloaded from the boat. An additional two days later (7/18), it had cleared Customs and was allowed to be transported to Schumacher facility.
USA Logistics
Cargo Co-ordinators regularly partners with Schumacher Cargo Logistics. We could have chosen a different freight forwarder on the USA side, but again, they were they most reasonable that we got a full quote on and answers on the quote. We also got to do experience some of their customer service while we were in NZ. They responded shockingly fast with an insurance quote when Charne asked them. And, we were able to call them and make sure they understood the details of our shipping, so we were pretty confident to deal with them.They exceeded our expectations. First of all, we got our importation paperwork squared away with them, which just meant sending files back and forth until we had everything filled out. For the USA side, we had to present:
- Customs documentation (e.g. Declaration for free entry of unaccompanied articles), requires packing list, and declaration of value.
- DOT Form HS-7, Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Equipment Subject to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety, Bumper and Theft Prevention Standards. Since our vehicle was made for the USA market and we were just returning it home, we were option 2A (meets all the standards and has certification by the original manufacturer).
- EPA Form 3520-1, Importation of Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Engines Subject to Federal Air Pollution Standards. Again, US-certified vehicle with unchanged emissions standard returning home, so we were code B.
- Power of Attorney for the importation of our cargo.
Then, it was a waiting game while the vessel finished sailing. What really exceeded our expectations was the automated messaging (simple task to set up but few companies do it). When the container was offloaded at the port, we got an automated message notifying us of the event and what to expect with customs, etc. Then, we got another automated message that it had cleared customs (just 2 days later!).
At this point, our agent contacted us with the invoice, explained our payment options (again), and we set up the date that we would arrive to pick up the van. Again, clearly communicating receipt and clearance of payment, etc. Loved the communication and notifications!
Receiving the Vehicle
This was the only hiccup in our otherwise smooth dealings with Schumacher Cargo Logistics. I communicated the date, but not the time, we were arriving to pick up the vehicle. And, as timing would have it, the check had only cleared the night before we arrived, so the vehicle had only just cleared for unloading from the container. I, of course, let them know when the aircraft arrived, but it was before business hours, so hey were a little behind in getting it unloaded, shipping wheels removed and road wheels put back on (a fee of $60), and then inspected. We arrived at the warehouse, found the main office relatively easily, and notified them that we were there. We were there for about 45 minutes, during which they said that it shouldn’t be long before the vehicle would be released to us. But, then, as the time dragged on, we were then notified that it would be 3 hours before it was ready. Super confused, we asked the receptionist about it, but she just said that it seemed there was some confusion about when we were supposed to pick up the vehicle (they hadn’t been notified soon enough) and that they were really busy today. We contacted our agent, who did some checking and amended the time frame for us. Basically, after we went out to an early lunch at a food truck down the street, we were able to pick up the van. They gave us our release paperwork (including the receival inspection documentation) and we signed off that we had received everything (they required a copy of a photo ID), then we were allowed to drive the van from the facility.The van was returned to us in the same condition as we had left in the container, with the exception that the wheels had been swapped for us, and this time, no one had stripped the lug nuts.
As a note, we would have been allowed up to 2 weeks free storage of our van at their facility should we have needed it.
Payment
NZ – Cargo Co-ordinators
As soon as the vessel sailed from NZ, Charne sent the invoice. Because I hadn’t transferred enough money to pay for bill outright, she worked with me to accept a later payment. I made the payment while we were out of the country using the bank account I still had in NZ, which that is pretty much the only method they accept other than cash. In NZ, they have an easy (and free) feature that allows you to make payments to businesses (or other people) via bank transfers. You simply log in to your account. Click on make a payment, add a recipient, and put in their bank details and the amount you want to transfer. The transfer was immediate, and Charne sent me confirmation of every payment (6 total since there was a limit on the amount you could transfer per transaction (but not per day)).For the NZ side, I had to pay all of Cargo Co-ordinators’ expenses of handling the container, of course, which were all originally quoted in NZD. But, I also had to pay ocean freight and the destination terminal handling charges, both of which were quoted in USD and charged in NZD. Fortunately, the rate they offered was fairly reasonable (they weren’t trying to make money off of it and it was exactly what the vessel’s rate charged them). Of course, I still lost money having my money converted twice, but it is the cost of doing business, especially when you are dealing with two different companies on either end (we could have avoided this if we had used the same company on both ends).
Here is our invoice for the exporting half:
USA – Schumacher Cargo Logistics
After the vehicle cleared customs in the USA, I was contacted for payment. Payment has to clear before you are allowed to pick up the vehicle. Since we had paid the ocean freight and the terminal handling fees, we just had to pay for the work Schumacher did (document processing, tires, and unpacking, etc.). There were 3 ways to pay: credit card (incurs a 4.65% fee), wire transfer, and check/cashier’s check/money order (requires 3 day hold).Since they allowed a check to be scanned and emailed to them for processing, we went that route since it was the cheapest for us. Because of that though, we did run into the issue where the clearance had barely been granted when we came to pick up the van.
This is the invoice for receiving end:
Customs Notes
I don’t think Customs required any inspections this trip, either in outbound NZ or inbound USA. There are probably a couple of reasons for this:- Our packing list was very detailed, including item, quantity, value, and any categorization required by any paperwork required.
- We went with well-known, well-reputed freight forwarders and didn’t try to do it ourselves. If we had exported/imported under our name, we would have been checked both ends to make sure we knew what we were doing.
Carnet
We did run into an issue with the carnet this time around. Apparently, when returning the vehicle to the USA, you are supposed to fill out the very last page, the Certificate of Presence. We hadn’t been told this and only realized this when we asked what we needed to do to return it and get our funds. For US citizens, the Certificate of Presence must be done by the last country you leave, in our case, NZ.Since we were already in the USA, had already paid everybody, had the van back, and didn’t want to pay to have either NZ or the USA customs fill out the page (not even sure they would after so long), we were stuck. We tried getting the Canadian border agents to do it, but they wouldn’t. So, in the end, we just sent our US customs documentation (bill of lading showing the vehicle-container relationship and the cleared customs documentation) and sent it in with our carnet, which was otherwise properly filled out with entry and exit stamps.
Two weeks later, we received an email saying that we had met all the requirements and our deposit would be returned to us. Thankfully, it worked out for us, but don’t take the risk. If you are returning your vehicle to the USA after using a carnet, make sure the foreign country fills out the Certificate of Presence as well. You will probably need to mention this to your agent, as they probably haven’t dealt with this before.
Timeline
To keep myself on track, I create a checklist of things to do and major milestones. This is what it looked like for this trip:Conclusions
Definitely, without question, I would recommend working with Charne Pairama at Cargo Co-ordinators. Even if they are a bit more expensive, it is wonderful to have a responsive agent who knows what they are talking about.I think I will use Schumacher Cargo Logistics in the future, as they were technologically superior to CFR and communicated better. CFR will almost guaranteed offer you a better rate, but I was not fond of dealing with them. I will not deny the possibility that it was because it was my first time shipping ever, so I wasn’t very experienced and thus prone to mistake, error, and miscommunication. However, I am still not a fan. That said, we know another couple who used them (having much more experience than we did at the time), and they loved them. Though, they dealt with Randy and we had Nigel. Perhaps the agent makes a difference. Or perhaps the level or type of service (they were RORO and all documentation while we were container and DIY documentation) you choose makes a difference.
The cost to ship from NZ to USA was much more (about $1000) than we expected. Part of that had to with going with better quality agents, but part of that might just be that it is more expensive TO the USA than FROM it. For us, it was still worth it, though. Having our home with us during those 7 months makes a bit difference.
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