South Florida is one of the busiest gateways in the country for vehicles — cars, trucks, boats, construction and agricultural equipment — moving in both directions between the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Vehicles don’t move like boxed freight. The equipment is different, the handling is different, and the compliance layer is heavier. Here’s what an importer or exporter should understand before the first unit arrives.

Two ways vehicles arrive

Containerized

Vehicles are loaded into standard containers — typically one to four cars in a 40-foot box depending on size and whether racking is used — braced and secured for the ocean leg. From a drayage perspective this is a normal container move: pull the box, deliver it, devan at a facility with the right equipment, return the empty.

Containerized shipping protects the vehicle from weather and handling and is common for higher-value units and for consolidated shipments. The complication is on the unloading end: devanning a vehicle requires space, ramps or a forklift, and someone who knows how to release the securing without damaging anything.

Roll-on/roll-off (RoRo)

Vehicles are driven onto a specialized vessel and driven off at destination. No container involved. RoRo is generally cheaper for running vehicles and is standard for heavy equipment and for volume automotive flows.

RoRo changes the drayage picture entirely. There’s no container to pull. Instead you need either a driver to move the unit from the terminal, or flatbed or car-carrier equipment if it isn’t roadworthy or isn’t registered for road use. Non-running units and equipment that can’t legally drive on public roads need to be loaded onto a trailer at the terminal.

The compliance layer

Vehicle imports carry more regulatory weight than most freight. In broad terms:

• CBP requires the entry plus documentation establishing ownership and, for used vehicles, the original title, generally presented ahead of export or entry within required timeframes.
• EPA requires a declaration on the emissions status of the imported vehicle.
• DOT/NHTSA requires a declaration on conformity with federal motor vehicle safety standards.
• Age and conformity rules govern which non-conforming vehicles may be imported at all, with exemptions in specific circumstances.

These requirements are detailed, they differ for imports versus exports and for new versus used vehicles, and they change. Work with a customs broker experienced in vehicle entries rather than treating it as ordinary cargo — the failure modes here are seizure and re-export, not just delay.

What drayage looks like in practice

For containerized vehicles

1. Pull the container before last free day, as with any import
2. Deliver to a facility equipped to devan vehicles — space, ramps, and trained handlers
3. Unload, inspect and photograph condition immediately
4. Return the empty container to stop per diem
5. Move the vehicle onward by car carrier, flatbed, or under its own power

For RoRo units

1. Confirm release and clearance before dispatch — terminals will not release without it
2. Determine whether the unit is roadworthy, registered and insurable for a road move
3. If not, arrange flatbed or lowboy equipment and, for oversize units, permits and an approved route
4. Load, secure and document condition at the terminal

Heavy equipment — excavators, agricultural machinery, industrial units — frequently exceeds legal dimensions and needs the same permitting treatment as any oversize load. Our guide to overweight container drayage in Florida covers the weight side, and heavy hauling covers the equipment.

Condition documentation matters more here

Vehicles arrive with cosmetic damage more often than boxed freight, and disputes about when a scratch appeared are common and expensive. Photograph every unit at every transfer of custody: at devanning or terminal release, at loading onto the carrier, and at final delivery. Include the VIN, the odometer where accessible, and all four corners.

Note exceptions on the delivery receipt at the time of delivery. Damage discovered later without a documented baseline is very difficult to attribute.

Where a yard helps

Vehicle imports frequently need somewhere to sit — while title documents are resolved, while a buyer is confirmed, while onward transport is arranged, or while units accumulate into a full car-carrier load.

A secured yard with 24/7 access solves that without leaving units at the terminal on demurrage or in an unsecured lot. Go Drayage’s five-acre Miami yard is a secured 24/7 site with forklifts rated to 19,000 and 40,000 lbs and capacity for over 450 containers and trailers — details on our yard storage page.

Frequently asked questions

How many cars fit in a 40-foot container?

Typically two standard sedans loaded conventionally, or up to four with specialized racking, depending on vehicle dimensions. Larger SUVs and trucks reduce that count. Your consolidator will confirm the loading plan for your specific units.

Do I need a flatbed for a RoRo vehicle at the terminal?

Only if the unit isn’t roadworthy, isn’t registered or insured for road use, or exceeds legal dimensions for public roads. A running, road-legal vehicle can be driven off the terminal by a qualified driver; everything else needs flatbed, lowboy or car-carrier equipment.

What documents do I need to import a used vehicle?

At minimum the customs entry, proof of ownership including the original title for used vehicles, and the EPA and DOT declarations covering emissions and safety conformity. Requirements are detailed and vary by vehicle age, origin and conformity status, so engage a customs broker experienced in vehicle entries before shipping.