Shipping from Iron Horse Auction Company, Rockingham
Iron Horse Auction is 130 road miles, about 2.5 hours by truck, from the Port of Wilmington, the closest port for containers and flat racks; the closest RoRo port is the Port of Charleston, 190 miles away. We collect as soon as Iron Horse Auction Company issues the release, do any partial disassembly needed to fit a container, and ship by container, flat rack or, where a lane serves your country, RoRo.
Iron Horse Auction at a glance
Iron Horse Auction Company runs consignment equipment and truck auctions from Rockingham, North Carolina. The yard is close to Wilmington and Charleston, and Savannah is about 230 miles away for Southeast sailings.
- Site type
- Permanent auction yard
- Auction company
- Iron Horse Auction Company
- Closest container and flat rack port
- Port of Wilmington: 130 road miles, about 2.5 hours by truck
- Closest RoRo port
- Port of Charleston: 190 road miles, about 4 hours by truck
- Equipment sold here
- Construction EquipmentTrucks & TrailersCompact EquipmentAgricultural Machinery
Best export ports from Iron Horse Auction
Ranked by road distance from the yard gate. We list the closest container port, the closest main gateways with the most direct sailings, Savannah when it is within reach, any rail ramp that is much closer than the coast, and the closest RoRo ports, plus Brunswick, the busiest U.S. RoRo gateway, when it is within reach.
| Port | Road miles | Truck hours | Methods | Why this port |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port of WilmingtonWilmington, NC | 130 | 2.5 | Container, Flat rack | Closest container port |
| Port of CharlestonCharleston, SC | 190 | 4 | Container, Flat rack, RoRo | Main gateway, most direct sailingsClosest RoRo calls |
| Port of SavannahSavannah, GA | 233 | 4.5 | Container, Flat rack | Main gateway, most direct sailingsSavannah: main Southeast gateway with frequent sailings and deep-sea services |
| Port of Virginia (Norfolk)Norfolk, VA | 290 | 6 | RoRo | Closest RoRo calls |
| Port of Brunswick (Colonel's Island)Brunswick, GA | 307 | 6 | RoRo | Brunswick: busiest U.S. RoRo gateway (Georgia Ports Authority) |
Road miles from OSRM (OpenStreetMap), calculated October 2026. Truck hours assume a 50 mph average for a loaded lowboy, including stops.
Methods from this location
Via Charleston, Savannah or Wilmington
Oversized equipment on flat racks via Charleston or Savannah
Via Charleston, Brunswick or Norfolk where a lane serves the destination
Pickup from the Rockingham yard
Container is usually the cheapest option, and we do the partial disassembly needed to make the machine fit. How we containerize heavy equipment
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
Best fit- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
After you win at Iron Horse Auction Company
- 1Wire the full invoice amount right after the sale.
- 2Send us the paid invoice and the lot numbers.
- 3We collect the machine, load it with our own carrier and take it to the port, or first to our facility if it needs partial disassembly to fit a container.
- 4We file the export declaration (EEI) in the Automated Export System. It is required when any Schedule B line is worth more than $2,500 or needs an export license, and its ITN confirmation goes to the carrier at least 24 hours before the vessel loads.
- 5For titled machines and vehicles, the original title and the EEI go to U.S. Customs at the port at least 72 hours before export. Without them the unit cannot sail.
- 6We send you the bill of lading and the documents your customs broker needs to clear the machine at destination.
Iron Horse Auction Company buyer terms
- Buyer's premium
- 10% at the sale shown; some sales use 15%, so check each sale's terms. Source
- Payment
- Due in full at the end of the auction; invoices over $5,000 by cash, check or wire only. Source
- Release
- Items are not released without a paid invoice. Source
- Bidder registration
- $100 card pre-authorization to bid online. Source
Checked October 2026. Terms vary by sale, so confirm them on your invoice.
How we work with Iron Horse Auction
- From Rockingham we truck to Wilmington, Charleston or Savannah, depending on the sailing and the cargo.
Why Ship With Us
- Three container ports within a day's haul
- Experience with consignment-auction releases
- Container, flat rack, RoRo and breakbulk options from one quote
- Full export documentation
Our Services at This Location
- Yard pickup after the paid invoice is released
- Full export documentation
- Crating and blocking for ocean transport
Common destinations from Iron Horse Auction
Container and flat rack services reach all of these. RoRo depends on the lane from the East and Gulf Coast, so it is shown separately.
| Destination | Ocean transit | RoRo from this coast |
|---|---|---|
 Nigeria | 21-30 days | Regular sailings |
 Ghana | 20-28 days | Regular sailings |
 Guatemala | 10-16 days | Regular sailings |
 Honduras | 10-16 days | Regular sailings |
 El Salvador | 12-18 days | Regular sailings |
 Colombia | 12-18 days | Regular sailings |
 Saudi Arabia | 18-25 days | Regular sailings |
 Senegal | 16-24 days | Regular sailings |
Transit times are typical port-to-port ranges. Every quote confirms the current schedule.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to pay a large invoice by card. Over $5,000 it must be cash, check or wire.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is payment due at Iron Horse?
In full at the end of the auction, and invoices over $5,000 are paid by cash, check or wire. Nothing leaves the site without a paid invoice.
Which port do you use from Rockingham?
Charleston or Savannah for most containers and flat racks, Wilmington for some container lanes, and Charleston, Brunswick or Norfolk for RoRo.
Which port do you use for Iron Horse purchases?
Usually Wilmington, Charleston or Savannah. Wilmington is the closest by road; Charleston and Savannah are main container gateways with more carriers calling, so the choice depends on the sailing you need.
Machines bought at Iron Horse Auction that we load in containers
Buyers at Iron Horse Auction ship these kinds of machines with us. Each card shows the boxes from our loading records; open a brand for every model.
Motor grader
CAT 12
1 × 40 ft high cube
Caterpillar loading plansExcavator
CAT 206B
1 × 45 ft high cube
Caterpillar loading plansWheel loader
Komatsu 180-1
1 × 20 ft container
Komatsu loading plansWheel loader
Komatsu 180-3
1 × 40 ft high cube
Komatsu loading plansExcavator
Hitachi EX 150
1 × 40 ft high cube
Hitachi Construction Machinery loading plansExcavator
Hitachi EX 370-5
1 × 40 ft open top (1 ft (0.3 m) over the side walls) + 1 × 40 ft high cube
Hitachi Construction Machinery loading plansWheel loader
Volvo 220D
2 × 40 ft high cube
Volvo Construction Equipment loading plansExcavator
Volvo EC 480EL
1 × 40 ft open top (1 ft (0.3 m) over the side walls) + 2 × 40 ft high cube
Volvo Construction Equipment loading plansWheel loader
Kawasaki 95Z VII
2 × 40 ft high cube + 1 × 20 ft container
Kawasaki loading plans
Ready to Ship from Iron Horse Auction?
Contact us today for fast pickup and reliable worldwide shipping.