Frequently Asked Questions

4 weeks prior is optimal

Our industry is driven by foreign currency fluctuations, world economy and seasons. The summer months are the “peak” of the moving season. Please allow at least 4 weeks prior notice for all bookings, if possible.

In short - international ocean transit from the West Coast takes about 30 days to main ports and 16-18 from the East Coast. Please add domestic transport.

Auto carriers pick up and deliver 8 to 10 vehicles at all times for auto transport within the United States. Local delivery takes from 2-3 days and coast to coast up to 14 days. International ocean transit from the West Coast takes about 30 days to main ports and 16-18 from the East Coast. Weather & road conditions and other unforeseen factors make it impossible to guarantee the delivery date.

At least two weeks before arrival of the vessel.

All shipment must be paid on the US side at least two weeks before arrival of the vessel.

Two weeks in advance is recommended

Two weeks in advance is recommended. If you need to ship your vehicle out right away, please let us know so we can find options available for you.

Usually within 2 to 3 days of the scheduled pick up date.

We normally schedule shipping for your vehicle with a truck within 2 to 3 days of the scheduled pick up date. If your vehicle has to be picked up within 24 hours, please anticipate a higher rate.

We strongly recommend insurance.

Martin Transports Intl. will take the best possible care of your belongings, using sophisticated security measures at our warehouses. There are, however, times when for reasons beyond our control (i.e. acts of God, fire, etc.), your goods may be damaged or lost. For this reason we suggest you insure your goods with an all-risk door-to-door marine insurance immediately upon their arrival to our warehouse (this includes war insurance). While the cost of insurance is not covered by our estimate, your MTI representative will be glad to guide you in the matter. Remember, always insure your goods for the amount of money it would cost to replace them in the country you are moving to. Costs overseas are often much higher than in the United States. We offer a variety of insurance packages to suit your needs – please look at our insurance information package.

It depends on the country of destination.

Depending on the county you are shipping to, you will need to provide the basic documents – every country uses their special forms, which will be provided by the port office. Please prepare these documents upfront: Passport, Immigrant Certificate or Embassy letter, detailed packing list with value of contents, receipts for appliances and new furniture, tenancy contract or title for new house, proper proof of tax exemptions, if entitled, transport bill of lading, freight invoice.

Using unique, reusable steel or wood racking systems.

We use unique reusable steel or wood racking systems, allowing us to send up to six vehicles in 45 ft. high cube containers. Your vehicle will be prepared and loaded in the container for shipping with care and intelligence. Every load plan is documented by pictures and we provide them to clients upon request.

You will receive arrival notice and need to provide documents for customs clearance for clearing procedure..

When the ship reaches its final destination, the container will be taken off the vessel and moved to a port-bonded warehouse and will be opened while our destination agent attends customs clearance. However, your individual lift van or pallet will not be opened until you come to clear customs. Our destination representative will send you an arrival notice – which is a notice that you should stay in touch with the port and provide necessary documents to clear customs and to make arrangements for door delivery of your goods if requested.

In most cases, it is in your interest to be there during offload - if not personally, you can authorize trusted person.

Please always confirm with the destination agent if your presence at the port is required or not. If you cannot be there on a specific day, please authorize a family member or a representative to accept a pick up on your behalf. Please make sure our agent knows about the authorization and send them a copy for verification.

The most efficient way is to fill out the form to get free quote.

Ocean freight charges are based on total volume (measured in cubic feet and cubic meters) and inland moving costs are based on weight of your personal belongings. Although the exact volume cannot be determined until final packing is completed, we offer a free visual within the city limit. Fill out the form to get free quote.

Self-packing of household goods is the most efficient way.

One of the best ways to save on moving expenses is self-packing. The client pre-packs personal items into boxes and uses expertise of our moving team to secure their goods while our movers professionally pack the heavier and more fragile items. Another way of moving at a lower cost is to deliver all items to our warehouse so our movers only reload into ocean container and secure for safe transit.

Our movers will prepare a packing list (inventory) with all items that you point out for loading. It is your responsibility to see that all of your goods are loaded, so remain on the premises until loading is completed. To ensure that nothing gets left behind always do a final inspection of the house or the moving area.

We recommend using new boxes from office supply store.

It’s recommended to use new boxes. Although the boxes you obtain from your neighborhood supermarket or liquor store may be free, they are not nearly as strong or padded like new boxes. They are more susceptible to causing damage to your valuables in transit. You can obtain them at any office supply store.

Be sure to point out to our packing crew the boxes in which you’ve packed fragile items, especially if those items are valuable. You can also label them or mark in a way that our loading team knows which items may and which may not be subject to double stack. Also, please use sturdy, padded boxes for maximum protection. The heavier the item, the smaller the box it should occupy.