Shipping your Vehicle Overseas

by Andrea Downing Peck

Military members moving overseas are entitled to ship a car, motorcycle, motor scooter, van or pickup if they are on permanent change of station orders (PCOS) to, from or between places overseas, or upon official change of homeport of the ship to which they are assigned.

American Auto Logistics (AAL) transports vehicles worldwide for Department of Defense personnel, shipping more than 70,000 vehicles annually.  The company uses a roll-on, roll-off cargo vessel that operates like a “big, huge parking lot,” says Donald Brown, AAL’s manager of operations and business improvement.  “You drive your cargo on and off.”

The company operates under established required delivery timelines based on a vehicle’s origin and destination.  Shipping a car from the East Coast to Europe takes roughly 40 to 45 days, while a route from Germany to the Pacific may take up to 60.  Most vehicles arrive on time, free of additional damage.  Less than 1 percent of the vehicles AAL ships are damaged in transit, according to Brown.  Customer comment cards (returned by a majority of customers) rate the service as “good” or “excellent” nearly 99 percent of the time. 

The company’s Web site, WhereIsMyPOV.com, outlines document and vehicle requirements when shipping a car overseas.

Of course, insurance, taxes, licensing requirements and emission control standards vary from country to country, and replacement parts may not be easily or cheaply available overseas for some U.S. makes and models of cars.  These are important factors to consider if you plan to ship an older vehicle.  Your local transportation office and your overseas sponsor are the best sources of information about these potentially unexpected costs.