Utility & Service Trucks Shipping
Service Body, Mechanics & Work Truck Shipping
Overview
No figures for these trucks are on this site yet: a service or box body is built onto a chassis to the buyer's order, so the same chassis ships at many lengths and heights. We measure each truck at the survey and quote from those figures.
A truck that clears the 2.34 by 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube goes in a container. One wider or taller, over the body or the mirrors, drives aboard a RoRo ship, or goes on a flat rack where no RoRo sails.
Used trucks face the same destination rules whatever the body: mainland Chile and Ecuador take no used on-road trucks, and Peru bans used diesel pickups and N2 trucks outright. Cranes, compressors and welders on the body go on the invoice with their serial numbers.
Typical Specifications
| 40 ft high cube door | 2.34 m wide, 2.58 m high |
|---|---|
| 40 ft flat rack deck length | 12.06 m |
| Peru, used diesel N2 trucks | Banned |
| Published model dimensions | None on this site yet; measured at the survey |
Recommended Shipping Methods
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.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
Best fit for Utility & Service Trucks
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
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 method for most service and box trucks.
Container (40 ft high cube)
RecommendedTrucks that clear the 2.34 by 2.58 m door, with the mirrors folded.
Flat Rack Container
RecommendedWider or taller trucks where no RoRo lane serves the destination.
Breakbulk
Rarely needed for a work truck.
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
- Body crane stowed on its rest, boom pinned and outriggers locked
- Compressors, welders and generators listed with serial numbers
- Tools and parts in the bins removed, or listed for the carrier
- Fuel drawn down and batteries disconnected
- Mirrors folded
- VIN, title and any lien release ready
Common Models We Ship
- Ford F-550, F-750
- Ram 5500
- Freightliner M2 106
- International MV
- Isuzu NPR
Where utility & service trucks shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on utility & service trucks bookings, and what avoids them.
- Tools left in the service body bins without a list are cargo to the carrier, and undeclared goods can hold the truck at the terminal.
- Buying a used diesel work truck for Peru: used diesel pickups and N2 trucks are banned, whatever their condition.
- Measuring a crane truck with the boom off its rest: the boom adds height, so the RoRo or flat rack booking changes at the terminal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a service truck fit in a container?
Only if it clears the 2.34 by 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube with the mirrors folded. Most wider or taller trucks drive aboard a RoRo ship instead.
Can I ship tools inside the service body?
Only declared. Tools and parts in the bins are cargo to the carrier, so they go on the dock receipt or come out before the truck goes to the port.
Can I export a used work truck to Peru?
Not a diesel pickup or N2 truck: Peru bans them used. Heavier N3 trucks must be no more than two model years old and under 240,000 km.
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
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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 Utility & Service Trucks?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote utility & service trucks by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.