Ship truck to Hawaii: pickups, lifted trucks and RVs to every island
Stock pickups go at car rates: $1,800 to $2,300 from a West Coast port to Honolulu and $2,600 to $3,200 to Maui, Kauai or the Big Island. We ship a truck to Hawaii at that rate when it measures inside 21 ft 8 in long, 8 ft wide and 7 ft high, which takes in nearly every stock half-ton and midsize pickup. Lifted trucks, duallies and long-bed heavy-duty trucks get quoted on their measured size, and every RV ships as oversize cargo. We handle the inland pickup, port booking and ocean crossing, plus the neighbor-island leg when your truck is going beyond Oahu.
Pricing
How much to ship a truck to Hawaii
We price a truck one of two ways. If it fits the standard size limits, it goes at car rates. If it’s bigger, or it’s an RV, we price it on measured length, width, height and weight.
| Vehicle | West Coast port to Honolulu | To Maui, Kauai or the Big Island |
|---|---|---|
| Stock pickup | $1,800–$2,300 | $2,600–$3,200 |
| Heavy-duty, dually or lifted truck within the size limits | $1,800–$2,300 | $2,600–$3,200 |
| Truck over the size limits | Quoted on measured size | Quoted on measured size |
| Electric or plug-in hybrid truck | Stock rate plus about $375 | Select sailings only, quoted per booking |
| Class B camper van or small travel trailer | $3,500–$5,500 | Quoted per booking |
| Class C motorhome | $5,000–$8,000 | Quoted per booking |
| Class A motorhome or large fifth wheel | $7,500–$12,000+ | Quoted per booking |
A quote built from brochure numbers isn’t final. If a truck measures bigger at the terminal gate, the terminal re-rates it or turns it away, so we confirm the real dimensions before we book the sailing.
Size moves a truck quote more than anything else. Two half-tons of the same make and model can land in different price bands because one has a lift, a ladder rack or bigger tires. The island comes next: a standard pickup costs about $800 to $900 more to reach Maui, Kauai or the Big Island than Honolulu. If we pick the truck up at your place instead of you dropping it at the port, the inland leg adds $300 to $1,700 depending on distance. A wide dually or an RV may need a flatbed or lowboy for that leg, which we quote separately.
A few smaller charges can land on the final bill. Hawaii’s invasive species fee is charged by weight and comes to a few dollars on a typical pickup. A truck that doesn’t run needs inoperable handling, about $500. Port storage in Hawaii runs about $25 a day once free time ends. Plating service, where the Hawaii registration and plates get handled before pickup, is about $500.
The table covers port to port. The full cost to ship a truck to Hawaii from your driveway adds the inland leg and any of those smaller charges, and we put all of it on one quote. Sedans and SUVs follow the same structure, and our Hawaii car shipping cost page breaks them down by route.
Size limits
Can I ship my truck to Hawaii at the standard rate?
Yes, as long as it measures inside 21 ft 8 in long, 8 ft wide and 7 ft high with everything bolted to it. That’s the cutoff between car pricing and an oversize quote on the mainland sailing. RVs never get car pricing at any size, because a vehicle with built-in sleeping or cooking space ships as oversize cargo.
| Where the limit applies | Length | Width | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland to Hawaii sailing, car rate | 21 ft 8 in | 8 ft | 7 ft | No fixed cap |
| Oakland departures (our planning limit) | 21 ft 8 in | 6 ft 4 in | 6 ft 4 in | No fixed cap |
| Inter-island barge, car rate | 20 ft | 8 ft | 7 ft | 6,500 lb |
We quote on transport dimensions, not the spec sheet. A stock crew cab half-ton stands about 6 ft 5 in, so a 6 in lift with 35 in tires can push it past 7 ft. Hitch receivers and ball mounts add length, ladder racks and rooftop tents add height, and dually fenders put the width right at 8 ft. Crew cab heavy-duty trucks with an 8 ft bed run about 22 ft long before anything gets added, which is already over the limit. We measure the longest, widest and tallest points, with mirrors folded, before we book anything.
Oakland departures run a smaller envelope. We plan to 6 ft 4 in wide and 6 ft 4 in high there, which rules out most full-size pickups, so we book those trucks out of Long Beach or San Diego. If your truck starts in the Bay Area, we build the haul south into your quote.
The inter-island barge sets limits of its own. When the island leg is its own booking, which is how Molokai, Lanai and island-to-island moves work, the barge treats a truck as a car only up to 20 ft long and 6,500 lb, with the same 8 ft width and 7 ft height. Go over any one of those and the barge bills it by cubic volume as roll-on/roll-off (RORO) cargo. Crew cab pickups with a 6.5 ft bed sit right around 20 ft, and most heavy-duty diesels weigh more than 6,500 lb. A 7,000 lb heavy-duty can ship to Honolulu at the car rate, then cost about twice as much as a lighter pickup on the barge to Molokai.
We check both sets of limits before we quote, so the price covers every leg of the trip. If your truck is already in Hawaii and moving between islands, our inter-island car shipping page explains how that move works.
Timeline
How long does it take to ship a truck to Hawaii?
Most stock pickups are ready at the Honolulu terminal 2 to 4 weeks after drop-off at a West Coast port. Maui and the Big Island run a few days longer on a direct sailing, or 5 to 7 weeks when the truck connects through Honolulu by barge. If we pick the truck up from your driveway, add the inland leg: a day or two from Southern California, up to two weeks from the East Coast.
| Phase | Stock pickup | RV or oversize truck |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup and haul to the port | 1–5 business days to dispatch, then 1–10 days on the road | Longer, since flatbeds and lowboys are harder to book |
| Port cutoff and loading | 3–5 days | Firm cutoff, fewer sailings |
| Ocean crossing to Honolulu | 5–8 days | 5–8 days |
| Release after arrival | 2+ days | 2+ days |
| Neighbor-island leg | A couple of extra days on a direct sailing, 2–5 weeks by barge | Set by the sailing we book |
RVs and oversize trucks cross in the same 5 to 8 days, but the trip stretches at both ends. Flatbeds and lowboys take longer to book than a regular car carrier, and oversize sailings don’t leave every day. The unit also has to reach the pier by mid-afternoon on cutoff day so the terminal can inspect it. Miss that window and the RV waits for the next oversize sailing, so we schedule the inland haul backward from the cutoff.
Most delays happen before the ship sails. The usual causes are a truck that measures bigger than its quote, a missed cutoff, personal items left in the cab or bed, or a fuel tank over a quarter full. Barge sailings between islands can also shift on short notice in hurricane season, which is why we give you a window for each phase. Car timelines follow the same phases, and our page on how long it takes to ship a car to Hawaii breaks them down by route.
RV shipping
Shipping an RV to Hawaii: motorhomes, travel trailers and fifth wheels
Motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels and camper vans all cross as oversize cargo, priced on cubic size and weight. That puts them anywhere from $3,500 for a camper van to $12,000 or more for a big Class A or fifth wheel.
We sail RVs from Long Beach or San Diego to Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo or Nawiliwili. Molokai and Lanai add a step: the RV lands in Honolulu and crosses on the inter-island barge, where a 35 ft Class A runs close to $5,000 in base freight for that leg alone.
RV prep goes further than truck prep:
- Empty the propane tanks and have them purged, and drain the generator’s fuel tank.
- Leave the motorhome’s fuel at 1/8 to 1/4 tank.
- Unpack everything. The coach, the storage bays and any trailer travel empty unless we’ve cleared specific items in writing.
- Bring in and lock the slide-outs, secure the awnings, fold the mirrors and lower the antennas. We measure the RV in that travel position, roof AC and solar panels included.
- Prep the fresh, gray and black tanks to the written instructions we send at booking.
A car towed behind a motorhome, or a travel trailer hitched to a pickup, ships as its own unit. We quote and book each one separately, since arriving coupled doesn’t make them one vehicle on the ship.
Default carrier liability on an oversize unit can be as low as $1,000. On a $150,000 motorhome that covers almost nothing, so we set a declared value at booking and build the cost of that higher limit into your quote.
Origins
Shipping a truck to Hawaii from California, Seattle, Texas and the East Coast
Where your truck starts decides which port we load it at and what the inland leg adds. The table shows door to port numbers for a stock pickup on an open carrier.
| Where the truck starts | Where we load it | Inland transit | Inland cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California | Long Beach or San Diego | 1–2 days | $300–$500 |
| Bay Area | Long Beach or San Diego | 1–2 days | $450–$750 |
| Seattle and Oregon | Seattle area | 1–2 days | $300–$600 |
| Texas | Long Beach or San Diego | 4–7 days | $1,000–$1,350 |
| Midwest and Mountain West | Long Beach or San Diego | 4–8 days | $900–$1,500 |
| East Coast and Florida | Long Beach or San Diego | 7–10 days | $1,200–$1,700 |
Transit starts at pickup, which usually comes 1 to 5 business days after your first available date. Seattle departures run less often than California’s, so Northwest trips can take longer overall. Electric trucks from the Northwest go to San Diego, the gateway that takes them. For RVs and oversize trucks, we confirm whether the unit sails from the Seattle area or goes to California first.
Driving the truck to the port yourself, port to port, cuts out the inland cost. From Southern California that’s an easy call. From the East Coast, fuel, four or five nights on the road and meals come close to what we’d charge to haul it, and the drive eats most of a week. Either way we book the sailing and the terminal appointment. If you drive, you bring the truck to the gate before the cutoff.
For sedans and SUVs on these lanes, our pages on shipping a car from California to Hawaii, Seattle to Hawaii car shipping and shipping a car from Texas to Hawaii cover pricing and timing route by route.
Process
How we ship a truck to Hawaii, step by step
You prep the truck and sign the paperwork. We book, dispatch and track everything in between:
- We confirm the truck’s size and fuel type and classify it as standard or oversize. You send the length, width and height with every mod in place, plus photos.
- Once the carrier accepts those dimensions, we book the sailing and the terminal appointment. Only then do we dispatch an inland truck.
- For pickup, we send an open carrier, or a flatbed or lowboy for a wide dually or an RV. You leave 1/8 to 1/4 tank of fuel and empty the cab, bed and toolbox. You also remove bike racks, cargo carriers and aftermarket roof racks unless we’ve cleared them.
- At the gate, the terminal inspects the truck and records its condition on a vehicle condition report. Every lock needs a key, toolbox included.
- Stevedores drive the truck aboard and lash it down for the crossing, which takes 5 to 8 days. For any island past Oahu, we line up the direct sailing or the barge.
- When the carrier releases the truck, we let you know. You bring a photo ID, check the truck over before you drive off and note any damage on the terminal paperwork right there.
For the trip to Hawaii, the paperwork is short: current registration or title, a photo ID and a booking agreement signed by the registered owner. Anyone else dropping off the truck needs the owner’s notarized authorization. Oversize units also need a certified weight and a dock receipt, which we arrange. If the truck is financed, we confirm at booking whether your lender needs to sign a lien holder authorization letter.
Car shipments follow the same steps, and our guide on how to ship a car to Hawaii covers them in more detail.
Arrival
When your truck or RV arrives in Hawaii
Pick the truck up inside the free storage window, since daily storage charges start when it ends. If an RV or oversize truck needs moving from the port, we can line up a local hauler and confirm the delivery date once the unit is released.
You have 30 days from arrival to register the truck in Hawaii or get an out-of-state permit. The county uses your bill of lading as proof of the arrival date, so keep it.
The order surprises people. You get Hawaii insurance first, then a safety inspection that fails on registration alone, which is expected. You take that inspection report, your mainland registration and the bill of lading to the county, register, then go back for the sticker. Inspection runs up to $25.75 plus tax for a truck and $17.75 plus tax for a trailer. Anything over 10,000 lb GVWR, which includes most duallies and motorhomes, goes through the state’s motor carrier inspection instead unless it’s exempt.
Registration also carries a state weight tax based on net weight, plus a county weight tax set by each county.
| Net weight | State weight tax per year |
|---|---|
| Up to 4,000 lb | 1.75¢ per lb |
| 4,001–7,000 lb | 2¢ per lb |
| 7,001–10,000 lb | 2.25¢ per lb |
| Over 10,000 lb | $300 flat |
A 5,000 lb pickup pays $100 a year in state weight tax before the county’s share.
Mainland return
Shipping a truck from Hawaii to the mainland
Heading back costs less. A stock pickup runs $1,100 to $1,800 from Honolulu to a West Coast port. The same size limits apply in this direction, Oakland’s tighter one included.
The Hawaii terminal won’t accept a financed truck without a lien holder authorization letter. It must be notarized, on the lender’s letterhead and dated within about the last 30 days, so ask your lender early.
From the port, we haul the truck to your door anywhere on the mainland: a day or two to Southern California, 4 to 7 days to Texas. Our page on shipping a car from Hawaii to the mainland covers the eastbound trip in more detail.
FAQ
Truck and RV shipping FAQ
Send us your truck’s real dimensions
Tell us the year, make and model, where it starts and which island it’s headed to. Include the measured height and photos of any lift, rack or hitch. We’ll come back with one price covering the inland haul, the crossing and the island connection. Shipping a car too? Add it to the same Hawaii car shipping quote.
Or call (808) 865-5525. Same-day response on weekdays.
Measure from the ground to the highest point with the truck on its everyday tires and everything mounted. Height is the number that most often changes a truck quote.