Shipping a car to or from Hawaii

Shipping a car to or from Hawaii means a ship. The car is driven onto or lifted onto a vessel, not onto an interstate car carrier that somehow continues across the Pacific. The fact that sets the price and the calendar is the sailing and the terminal the ocean line names, not a per-mile truck formula. There is no highway estimate on this page, because a truck range would be the wrong product.

Two operators publish consumer vehicle pages. They are not interchangeable, and a third company's sailing is not these rules.

Who moves the car, and where you take it#

Pasha Hawaii's vehicle overview says it ships personal vehicles on fully enclosed roll-on/roll-off ships to and from Honolulu, Hilo, and Kahului. It says service is weekly to Honolulu and bi-weekly to Hilo and Kahului. It says residential pickup and delivery is suspended until further notice, and that a vehicle must be booked before it is delivered to the terminal. Its terminal page lists mainland drop-off points in San Diego, Oakland, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Arlington, Texas, plus Honolulu, Maui, and Hilo. It says those facilities require appointments, and it asks for Hawaii appointments at least 48 business hours ahead. Motorcycle acceptance is not the same at every lot. The terminal page says motorcycles cannot be accepted at the Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, and Arlington automobile locations, and that San Diego is the only California location on that page that accepts motorcycles. Free days on that page differ by terminal. Read the current line for the lot you will use. Do not reuse another port's number.

Matson's car page says it ships cars to Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, Alaska, and Guam. It lists Hawaii auto lots at Honolulu, Kahului, Nawiliwili, and Hilo, and mainland lots at Oakland and Los Angeles. It says the Tacoma lot is for Alaska, Guam, and Saipan vehicles only. It publishes transit ranges and tells you to read the notes: to Hawaii from the West Coast, 9 to 45 days; the notes on that page are part of the figure. Matson also publishes its own rates. Read the current figure on Matson's page. It is not a RideShipper price, and it is not reproduced here.

A mainland truck can still be part of getting the car to a port city. That leg, if you hire one, is a separate continental shipment to the terminal city the ocean line named. It is not the voyage. Book the ship first so you know which terminal and which receiving day are real.

What you must have ready#

1. A booking with the ocean carrier before the car arrives. Pasha says unbooked vehicles are not accepted.
2. An appointment, where the terminal requires one. Showing up without it can mean a refusal.
3. A car that can be received under the vessel rules. 49 CFR 176.905 says a flammable-liquid fuel tank may not be more than one-fourth full when the vehicle is loaded on a vessel, and it lists other conditions, including an inspection for leaks. PHMSA's April 2023 advisory says a vehicle showing leakage, an electrical fault such as inability to start or move under its own power, or prolonged water exposure is forbidden on a vessel. A flooded electric car is not an ordinary running car.
4. Matson's stated suspension of EVs and plug-in hybrids, if you are booking Matson. Ask before you drive an EV to the lot.
5. The documents that carrier's checklist asks for. The Hawaii document checklist points at the categories. The operator's current list wins if they differ.
6. A plan for the days after arrival. Pasha's terminal page lists a limited number of free days that are not the same at every port. Storage after that is the operator's charge, on their schedule.

Clean the car of loose household goods unless the carrier accepts them. Many ocean tariffs are strict about what may stay inside. Ask.

What to ask, and the mistakes#

Ask which terminal, which sailing, and whether the car is on that sailing or only "in the next few weeks." Ask what happens if you miss the receiving cutoff. Pasha's San Diego notes say the cutoff at noon on the last drop-off day is strictly enforced. Ask about motorcycles and EVs specifically. Ask who meets the car in Hawaii if you are not there.

The mistake is paying a highway broker a "Hawaii rate" that never becomes a steamship booking. Look up any mainland carrier on the SAFER snapshot for the road leg only. The ocean company is booked on the ocean company's site or phone. Another mistake is treating neighbor-island service as included. Pasha's overview names three ports, not every harbor. The interisland guide is the extra step. Another mistake is a military POV shipped as a personal booking before the transportation office has spoken. Use the military page first if orders are involved.

Limits#

Neither Pasha nor Matson, on the pages opened for this article, is a driveway-to-driveway interstate carrier. Pasha says the house pickup is suspended. An ocean line can refuse a car that leaks, an EV it has suspended, or a vehicle that misses the cutoff. RideShipper does not book the ship, publish an ocean tariff, take a steamship deposit, or insure the car at sea. World Media Group LLC operates a quote service for continental highway requests. Companies that receive one of those requests may pay RideShipper. Hawaii is outside that highway product.

Start with the operator's current terminal page and a booking number. The process guide puts the steps in order. A mainland quote is optional, and only as far as the port they named.