Shipping from Smith Sales Co. Auctioneers, Miles City
Smith Sales is 970 road miles, about 19.5 hours by truck, from the Port of Seattle, the closest port for containers and flat racks; the closest RoRo port is the Port of Tacoma, 979 miles away. We collect as soon as Smith Sales Co. Auctioneers 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.
Smith Sales at a glance
Smith Sales Co. Auctioneers holds heavy and agricultural equipment auctions, live and online, at its 38-acre auction center in Miles City, Montana. Seaports are far away, so containers usually rail from Denver and flat racks truck to Seattle or Tacoma.
- Site type
- Permanent auction yard
- Auction company
- Smith Sales Co. Auctioneers
- Closest container and flat rack port
- Port of Seattle: 970 road miles, about 19.5 hours by truck
- Closest RoRo port
- Port of Tacoma: 979 road miles, about 19.5 hours by truck
- Equipment sold here
- Agricultural MachineryConstruction EquipmentTrucks & TrailersHaying Equipment
Best export ports from Smith Sales
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver intermodal rail rampsRail ramp: containers are loaded here and railed to the coastRails to Los Angeles and Oakland | 508 | 10 | Container | Rail ramp, much closer than the coast |
| Port of SeattleSeattle, WA | 970 | 19.5 | Container, Flat rack | Closest container portMain gateway, most direct sailings |
| Port of TacomaTacoma, WA | 979 | 19.5 | Container, Flat rack, RoRo | Main gateway, most direct sailingsClosest RoRo calls |
| Port of PortlandPortland, OR | 1,041 | 21 | RoRo | Closest RoRo calls |
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
Railed from Denver, or trucked to Seattle or Tacoma
Oversized equipment on flat racks via Seattle or Tacoma
Via Portland or Tacoma where a lane serves the destination
Pickup from the Miles City auction center
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 Smith Sales Co. Auctioneers
- 1Pay by wire or certified funds.
- 2Send us the paid invoice and the removal date from the sale terms.
- 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.
Smith Sales Co. Auctioneers buyer terms
- Buyer's premium
- 7% for cash, check or wire; cards add 5% and are taken in person only. Source
- Payment
- Out-of-state buyers pay with certified funds. Source
- Storage fees
- $20 to $25 per item per day after the removal date; items left past the stated date may be treated as abandoned. Source
Checked October 2026. Terms vary by sale, so confirm them on your invoice.
How we work with Smith Sales
- Miles City is far from any seaport, so we usually truck to the Denver rail ramp for containers, or to Seattle and Tacoma for flat racks and RoRo.
- We plan the long haul so the lot leaves before storage starts.
Why Ship With Us
- Rail and truck options priced side by side
- Pickup before Smith Sales storage fees start
- Experience with farm and haying equipment
- Full export documentation
Our Services at This Location
- Yard pickup before the removal date
- Rail and truck routing to the Pacific Northwest
- Full export documentation
- Crating and blocking for ocean transport
Common destinations from Smith Sales
Container and flat rack services reach all of these. RoRo depends on the lane from the West Coast, so it is shown separately.
| Destination | Ocean transit | RoRo from this coast |
|---|---|---|
 Australia | 28-35 days | Regular sailings |
 New Zealand | 28-38 days | Regular sailings |
 Kazakhstan | 35-50 days | No regular lane: container or flat rack |
 Mongolia | 35-50 days | No regular lane: container or flat rack |
 Philippines | 18-28 days | Regular sailings |
 Chile | 21-28 days | Limited sailings |
 Nigeria | 21-30 days | No regular lane: container or flat rack |
 Saudi Arabia | 18-25 days | Limited sailings |
Transit times are typical port-to-port ranges. Every quote confirms the current schedule.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Sending an uncertified check from out of state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do out-of-state buyers need certified funds at Smith Sales?
Yes. Smith Sales asks for certified funds, cash or wire for anything leaving the state, and items stay on the lot until paid in full.
How do you ship from Miles City?
Containers usually rail from Denver; flat racks and RoRo units truck to Seattle, Tacoma or Portland.
How do you ship from Miles City, Montana?
By truck to the Denver rail ramp for containers, or to Seattle or Tacoma for oversized cargo. The road distance is about 500 miles to Denver and about 970 to Seattle.
Machines bought at Smith Sales that we load in containers
Buyers at Smith Sales 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 Smith Sales?
Contact us today for fast pickup and reliable worldwide shipping.