Short for ‘Roll on Roll off’, the term comes from the process of loading and unloading a specially designed RoRo vessel. Using the ships own integral loading ramps, the vehicles are automatically driven to the port of departure (‘Rolled on’) and arrive at the destination (‘Rolled off’) This is often much faster and more efficient than standard container car shipping.
Roll on Roll off vehicle fleets are specifically designed to transport wheeled cargo and are the preferred shipping options for car manufacturers and Car Exporters to ship their vehicles around the world
In addition to being capable of self-propelled vehicles, these multipurpose containers also have the ability to carry non-motorized objects such as boat motors on trailers and non-compliant vehicles as heavy industrial equipment on roads
Many ships are equipped with more than one channel that allows cargo to be loaded and unloaded at the same time. The speed with which loading is completed and the number of vehicles that can be transported per trip means that RoRo shipping is often the cheapest option for transportation
Some of the ship’s decks are specifically dedicated to loading heavy factory vehicles and machinery classified as ‘heavy load’. The deck can be raised and lowered for more open space for outdoor-sized vehicles or equipment.
The decks of these vessels are fully enclosed to ensure that all vehicles remain protected from the contents during transport and all safety zones down on each deck are tied to transport vehicles RORO’s fleet encircles the wheel by strapping on cables that attach to the main safety eye of the ship.
The loading of the RoRo ships is very well planned with vehicles distributed on separate decks so the right vehicles are grouped together – so don’t panic…. your Vehicle will not pass by the excavators!
RoRo services operate from USA ports including Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Port of Honolulu, Savannah, Seattle and Toronto. The cars are towed to the port of departure, onto the ship, and then towed upon arrival at the new destination. In fact, it’s that simple.
You can choose to drive your car to the port yourself or use our nationwide car collection service to arrange for us to pick it up and ship it to the port. A driver with a chauffeur can drive a car, store it in a trailer or deliver it in a fully enclosed recovery vehicle.
To request a quote please submit your request using our quote form on the left hand side of this page or if you would like to ask us a question you can contact us here.
We also offer weekly scheduled vehicle shipments with 20’ and 40’ containers in which your vehicle is stored and secured in its own dedicated shipping container. Here we provide detailed information on container car shipping.