1-3 DAYS
LAND PICKUP LEG
QUOTED
PER SHIPMENT
Port of Anchorage, Alaska Marine Hwy, Parks Hwy
PORTS AND ROUTES
Key Takeaways
Typical cost: Ocean and barge legs are quoted per shipment. Factors include vessel schedule, port pair, and vehicle size, so get a firm price from the calculator on this page.
Transit time: Plan for 7-14 days port to port between Puget Sound and Anchorage, and 8-16 days when Fairbanks interior trucking is added.
Seasonality: Sailings run on fixed weekly schedules out of Puget Sound, and winter weather can shift departure dates, so build slack into your timeline.
Savings tip: Dropping your vehicle at the Tacoma or Seattle terminal yourself removes the mainland trucking leg from the quote.
Process: Car Haul Direct coordinates the whole chain: mainland trucking to the departure port, the ocean leg, and delivery on the Alaska side. Every booking includes $2M cargo insurance.
Popular Car Shipping Routes from Alaska
These five lanes cover most Alaska shipments. Vehicles do not drive to or from Alaska on this service. They sail by RORO barge or ocean carrier between the Puget Sound ports of Tacoma and Seattle and Alaska ports. Ocean and barge legs are quoted per shipment, so the ranges below are transit windows rather than prices.
- Tacoma to Anchorage: quoted per shipment, plan for 7-14 days port to port
- Seattle to Anchorage: quoted per shipment, plan for 7-14 days port to port
- Seattle to Juneau: quoted per shipment, plan for 7-14 days by Inside Passage barge
- Anchorage to Tacoma: quoted per shipment, plan for 7-14 days port to port
- Tacoma to Fairbanks: quoted per shipment, plan for 8-16 days including Alaska interior trucking
Shipping a Car To or From Alaska
Alaska is not a drive-away state for this service. Your vehicle travels by RORO barge or ocean carrier between Puget Sound and Alaska ports such as Anchorage and Juneau. Mainland vehicles ship out of Tacoma and Seattle, which is the standard pattern for this trade, and Car Haul Direct coordinates trucking to the departure port, the ocean leg, and delivery trucking on the other end.
Most Alaska shipments come from military relocations around Anchorage and Fairbanks, seasonal work moves, and families relocating to or from the lower 48. Driving the Alaska Highway is possible, but most owners ship instead and fly to meet the vehicle at the port.
What Affects Car Shipping Costs in Alaska
Sailing schedules drive everything. Barges and ocean carriers run on fixed weekly departures out of Puget Sound, so missing a cutoff can hold your vehicle at the terminal for several days. Winter ice and weather can shift departure dates, which is why every timeline on this page is a plan-for range rather than a promise.
Ocean and barge legs are quoted per shipment. The factors that move the number are vessel schedule, port pair, and vehicle size, and they shift often enough that no published band would stay honest for long. The calculator on this page prices your exact move against current availability in about a minute.
Your Alaska origin matters too. Anchorage sits at the main port, while Fairbanks shipments add interior trucking to the dock and more days. On the mainland side, trucking from your door to Tacoma or Seattle is priced like any domestic lane, and the Washington car shipping page shows what that looks like, with a Texas to Washington move running $1,100-$1,500. Inoperable vehicles typically add $100-$200 on the trucking portions, and most carriers allow around 100 lbs of personal items in the trunk on the mainland legs.
Alaska Car Shipping FAQs
Ocean and barge legs are quoted per shipment rather than sold off a published rate card. The factors that set your number are vessel schedule, port pair, and vehicle size, and those move week to week. Run the calculator on this page for a firm price on your exact move, or call and a coordinator will price it with you.
Plan for 7-14 days port to port, plus 1-3 days of mainland trucking on each end in metro areas. Sailings run on fixed weekly schedules, so your total timeline depends on the next departure after your vehicle reaches the dock.
Vehicles sail from Puget Sound, out of the Tacoma and Seattle port complex, with barge and RORO service to Anchorage and to Southeast Alaska ports such as Juneau. If your car starts elsewhere in the lower 48, Car Haul Direct trucks it to the departure terminal first, with pickup typically within 1-3 days in metro areas.
You can, and some owners do. The trade-off is thousands of highway miles of wear, fuel, lodging, and remote-road risk through Canada. Most owners ship by barge instead and fly to meet the car at the port. Because the ocean leg is quoted per shipment, the calculator is the fastest way to see what shipping would actually cost before you commit to the drive.
Juneau has no road connection to the rest of the state, so vehicles move by Inside Passage barge to and from Puget Sound. Plan for 7-14 days port to port. The barge leg is quoted per shipment, and Car Haul Direct coordinates the booking along with mainland delivery trucking.
Fairbanks vehicles truck down through the Alaska interior to the Anchorage dock, then sail to Puget Sound. Plan for 8-16 days total. The interior trucking leg and the ocean leg are priced into a single quote, so you get one number rather than two bookings to manage.
Most carriers allow around 100 lbs of personal items in the trunk on the mainland trucking legs. Ocean legs are stricter, so confirm with your coordinator before loading anything. Remove valuables, and remember that personal belongings are not covered by cargo insurance.
Yes. Every shipment Car Haul Direct arranges includes $2M cargo insurance across the trucking and ocean portions. You complete a condition report at pickup and again at delivery, so any transport damage is documented against the car’s condition when it was loaded.
Because a range we cannot stand behind is worse than no range. Alaska moves depend on vessel schedule, port pair, and vehicle size, and those shift often enough that a published band would mislead more often than it would help. The calculator prices your exact shipment instead, and what we quote is what you pay.
Alaska Cities We Serve
- Anchorage
- Fairbanks
- Juneau
- Wasilla
- Kenai
- Sitka
- Ketchikan
- Kodiak
