Street Sweepers Shipping
A truck-mounted sweeper drives aboard a RoRo ship whole; compact sweepers under the 2.58 m door go in a 40 ft high cube. The hopper and water system are emptied and washed first.
Overview
Street sweepers come in two sizes for shipping. Truck-mounted mechanical, regenerative-air and vacuum sweepers are taller than the 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube, so they ship by RoRo, driving aboard at Baltimore, Brunswick, Jacksonville or Houston where a lane serves the destination.
Compact sweepers are built narrow for sidewalks and plazas, and most pass the 2.34 m by 2.58 m door. They go in a 40 ft high cube, which reaches destinations no RoRo ship serves, sometimes two to a box.
The hopper is emptied and washed, brooms are cleaned of debris, and the water tank is drained. Ports inspect for soil and debris, and a dirty hopper can hold up clearance.
Municipal sweepers are often sold at government auctions and exported to city fleets abroad. We have no sweepers in our own loading records, so this page sets out the method rather than a past plan. We confirm the method with photos and the VIN before booking.
Send the VIN or serial number, make, model and year. Keep the title ready for US Customs export clearance where the sweeper is titled. Empty the hopper and water tank and clean the brushes and chassis of debris before the port.
Cost depends on the sweeper's size. Truck-mounted sweepers usually go by RoRo, priced by the cubic metres of the vehicle, and compact sweepers fit containers at a per-box rate. Trucking from the seller to the port is quoted on top, so a sweeper near Houston, Savannah or Baltimore costs less to move.
Typical Specifications
| Chassis | Truck-mounted or dedicated three-wheel |
|---|---|
| Systems | Mechanical broom, regenerative air, or vacuum |
| Transport Height | 2.8m - 3.6m |
| Hopper | Debris hopper, emptied for transport |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Elgin Crosswind regenerative-air sweeper: 28 ft 7 in / 8.7 m long, 8 ft 2 in / 2.5 m wide, 10 ft 6 in / 3.2 m high, 25,400 lb / 11,500 kg.
The ladder below is worked out from these figures. Larger or smaller units of the same type can land on a different rung.
Cheapest first: the shipping cost ladder
We price every machine from the bottom rung up. A machine only moves up a rung when a measurement rules out the cheaper method.
Elgin Crosswind regenerative-air sweeper is 8 ft 2 in / 2.5 m wide, over the 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m container door, so shipping it whole starts on the next rung up.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
When: Fits through a 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 8 ft 6 in / 2.58 m door and under 59,500 lb / 27,000 kg, whole or after we take off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels.
- Rung 2
Flat rack
Mid cost
Best fit for Elgin Crosswind regenerative-air sweeper
When: Too wide or tall for a container door, but within 14 ft 9 in / 4.5 m wide, 13 ft 1 in / 4 m tall and 86,000 lb / 39,000 kg on one rack.
- Rung 3
RoRo
Mid cost
When: Drives or tows aboard, under 19 ft 8 in / 6 m tall and 110 US tons / 100,000 kg, going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
- Rung 4
Breakbulk
Highest cost
When: Past flat-rack and roll-trailer limits, or shipped as modules lifted aboard piece by piece.
Container Shipping
For compact three-wheel sweepers.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
RecommendedBest for drivable sweepers.
Heavy Haul Trucking
RecommendedInland transport to the port.
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
01Container
- 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.
Handling & Preparation Requirements
- Empty and clean the debris hopper
- Secure brooms and raise/secure pick-up head
- Drain water systems
- Reduce fluids and disconnect batteries for ocean shipment
- Document hours and condition
Auction yards that sell street sweepers
Yards whose published equipment categories include street sweepers. Each yard page lists its nearest export ports and how we collect from it.
Common Models We Ship
- Elgin Pelican, Crosswind
- Tymco 600, DST-6
- Schwarze A-series
- Global / Nilfisk compact sweepers
Where street sweepers shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on street sweepers bookings, and what avoids them.
- Many truck-mounted sweepers use an auxiliary engine to drive the fan, so there are two fuel systems, two batteries, and two coolant circuits to prepare, not one.
- Dried dust in the blower housing and hopper screen of a regenerative-air sweeper is often missed after the hopper is emptied and can fail an import cleanliness inspection.
- Buyers should check steering position before purchase, because a left-hand-only sweeper going to a left-driving country needs a costly dual-steer conversion to work the kerb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are sweepers easy to ship?
Yes, drivable sweepers ship by RoRo; compact three-wheel units can containerize.
Is the hopper emptied?
Yes, the debris hopper is emptied and water systems drained before shipment.
Do you ship municipal sweeper fleets?
Yes, we handle municipal and surplus sweeper fleet exports.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]Seaway Project Cargo: about the company, checked October 22, 2026
- [2]Seaway Project Cargo country shipping guides, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
Import Duty & Tax Estimator
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Dimensional Weight Calculator
Work out chargeable weight before you book.
Container Space Calculator
See how your cargo fits in 20ft, 40ft, and HC containers.
Route Finder
Load port, sailings, duty and rules for a machine and destination.
Ready to Ship Your Street Sweepers?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote street sweepers by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.