Truck Tractors (Semi Trucks) Shipping
Semi Truck & Road Tractor Shipping
Overview
A Class 8 road tractor is too tall for any container. Volvo charts its 6x4 VNL tractors at 3.99 to 4.09 m to the top, against the 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube, so a running tractor drives aboard a RoRo ship on its own wheels, whole.
Where no RoRo sails, a tractor under 4.0 m, such as the VNL 300 day cab or the VNL 640, goes on a 40 ft flat rack, over height. A taller sleeper ships breakbulk, or in containers once the cab, roof fairing, exhaust stacks and wheels come off.
The rule that decides most truck deals is the destination's, not the ship's. Peru takes a used diesel tractor only up to two model years old and 240,000 km, and mainland Chile and Ecuador take no used road tractors at all, so we check the rule for the model year before you buy.
Typical Specifications
| Height, Volvo VNL 6x4 | 3.99 - 4.09 m, as Volvo charts it |
|---|---|
| Width | 2.50 - 2.58 m over the cab; 3.03 m over the mirrors |
| Overall length | 7.31 m (VNL 300) - 8.50 m (VNL 860) on Volvo's reference wheelbase |
| Weight | Not published by Volvo for these models |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Volvo VNL 860 6x4 sleeper: 27 ft 11 in / 8.5 m long, 8 ft 6 in / 2.58 m wide, 13 ft 4 in / 4.08 m high; the maker publishes no weight.
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.
Volvo VNL 860 6x4 sleeper is 13 ft 4 in / 4.08 m tall, past the 13 ft 1 in / 4 m a single flat rack takes, so it drives or tows aboard a RoRo vessel.
- 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
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
Best fit for Volvo VNL 860 6x4 sleeper
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.
RoRo Shipping
RecommendedDriven aboard on its own wheels: the standard way to ship a running tractor.
Flat Rack Container
RecommendedTractors under 4.0 m tall, where no RoRo lane serves the destination; they ship over height.
Breakbulk
Taller sleepers on lanes with no RoRo, lifted aboard with the ship's or the port's cranes.
Container (after disassembly)
Cab, roof fairing, exhaust stacks and wheels off and the chassis in a 40 ft high cube, only where neither RoRo nor a flat rack is available.
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
- Fuel drawn down and batteries disconnected
- Mirror arms folded in or removed
- Filed in AES at least 72 hours before export, as every used vehicle is
- VIN, odometer reading and steering side on the invoice
- Original title and any lien release in hand
- Cab cleared of personal belongings and loose tools
Transport dimensions by model
Published dimensions, a scale drawing and every way to ship each one.
- Volvo VNL 300Day cab tractor24 ft × 8 ft 3 in × 13 ft 1 in (7.31 × 2.5 × 3.99 m)not published
- Volvo VNL 440Midroof sleeper tractor26 ft × 8 ft 3 in × 13 ft 3 in (7.93 × 2.5 × 4.04 m)not published
- Volvo VNL 640Midroof sleeper tractor26 ft 11 in × 8 ft 4 in × 13 ft 1 in (8.21 × 2.55 × 3.99 m)not published
- Volvo VNL 660Sleeper tractor27 ft 4 in × 8 ft 6 in × 13 ft 5 in (8.33 × 2.58 × 4.09 m)not published
- Volvo VNL 860Sleeper tractor27 ft 11 in × 8 ft 6 in × 13 ft 4 in (8.5 × 2.58 × 4.08 m)not published
Common Models We Ship
- Volvo VNL 300, 440, 640, 660, 860
- Freightliner Cascadia
- Kenworth T680, W900
- Peterbilt 579, 389
- International LT, Mack Anthem
Manufacturers We Ship
Brands that build truck tractors (semi trucks), with model dimensions and the shipping method each one fits.
Where truck tractors (semi trucks) shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on truck tractors (semi trucks) bookings, and what avoids them.
- Buying a used tractor before checking the destination's rule: Peru caps used diesel tractors at two model years and 240,000 km, and Chile and Ecuador take none, so a unit that fails cannot be released.
- Booking a flat rack by the day cab's height: most VNL sleepers stand 4.04 to 4.09 m, over the 4.0 m most carriers take on a rack, so the quote changes at the terminal.
- Sending the tractor to the port before the lien release arrives: a used vehicle cannot be cleared for export without the title free of liens, or a letter from the lienholder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a semi truck go in a container?
Not whole. A road tractor stands about 4 m tall, well above a high cube's 2.58 m door, so it goes in containers only with the cab, fairings and wheels off. RoRo, or a flat rack for tractors under 4.0 m, takes it whole.
Can I export a used semi truck to Peru, Chile or Ecuador?
To Peru, only if it is no more than two model years old, has under 240,000 km and is factory left-hand drive. Mainland Chile and Ecuador do not take used road tractors at all, so a tractor for either ships new.
Why does my tractor measure differently from the model page?
Volvo charts each cab on one reference chassis and notes that the figures vary with each truck. The overall length follows the wheelbase ordered, so we measure your tractor at the survey.
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]Volvo VNL 660: manufacturer specification, checked October 2026
- [2]Seaway Project Cargo brand and model guides, checked October 22, 2026
- [3]Seaway Project Cargo: about the company, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
Import Duty & Tax Estimator
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Dimensional Weight Calculator
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Container Space Calculator
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Route Finder
Load port, sailings, duty and rules for a machine and destination.
Ready to Ship Your Truck Tractors (Semi Trucks)?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote truck tractors (semi trucks) by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.