Iceland 2024: So It Begins!!
This all started while watching a Broncos Nation video about them sending a new Ford Bronco over to Iceland (video here). My wife passed by the TV and when she saw the scenery, she said, “I would be down to offload and camp for those views.” This shocked me since she isn’t as big of a camper as I am, and asked, “Are you sure? Because if you say yes, you know me, I will do it.” And the rest is history.
Now, a little over a year and a half later, after months of planning the adventure begins. Fortunately, my company loved the idea of me living up to the company motto, and they allowed me to take two months off to go on this adventure. A lot of people think I’m crazy to spend so much money when I could just rent a camper in Iceland and still see the same thing. But, these are the reason why I decided to do it this way:
I did a cost-analysis of the cost to rent a just as capable truck (35” tire minimum, sleeping arrangement, high-clearance, and allowed on the F-Roads), the one month rental of a truck was pretty close to the total cost of shipping the truck. Plus, if I destroy a truck in a river crossing, I much rather destroy my own rather than a rental.
I wanted to become a true overlander and this trip ticks the boxes with a large amount of logistics, crossing international borders, exploring cultures, and spanning more than a month.
So, the journey started with just getting the truck from Orange County, CA, to Baltimore. I decided to transport it over to save time and mileage before the trip. This alone turned into the first problem, where the broker had a hard time finding a transporter to transport my truck. since it was a little big, a lot of companies wanted more money than what I was quoted. Fortunately, the broker found someone and the truck got to Baltimore safely.
Truck getting unloaded into Baltimore. Driver had to air down the tires because it was too tall
After a last cleaning of everything, including underneath and the engine, it was time to drop it off for the RORO (Roll-On, Roll-Off). The shipper, ACL (booked through IVSS), requires the truck one week prior to departure. The port of Baltimore requires an escort service in order to get into the port. I used A-1 Services and got there first thing in the morning at 7am. This was the longest process for me, as it was an extremely day at the port. All their escorts were out escorting trucks, which sometimes could be a full day I learned. After about 2.5 hours, I finally got an escort and followed her into the port.
Once in the port, everything went super fast. Talking to my escort, it turns out I was lucky since each stop had zero lines. She told me one time it took her 2 hours just to get into the port. First stop was customs, where after giving my paperwork to the officer, they stamped it and sent me to my next stop. At the drop-off point, the person took my paperwork, stamped it, and told me to park my car in the lot. Once there, I did a last minute check of the truck, removed my license plate, and said goodbye to the truck.
Truck dropped off and ready to get into the RORO
The escort took my back to the office to pay (you pay by the hour), and that was it. Now comes the hard part of waiting for the truck to get loaded up, shipped, and meeting it all the way over in Belgium! The whole shipping part of this journey was definitely the most complicated, and I’ll have a write up on it in the future, but here are some quick tips when dropping off.
Have your original title and 4 copies of the title (Front and Back). You must have your original as the title does get stamp. If you don’t own your car, I believe you need a letter from the bank authorizing, but not 100% sure. You will also need 4 copies of your Dock Receipt.
Have a safety vest with you. You can’t walk around the port without a safety vest. For Europe, you need one in your vehicle kit anyways so mind as well grab one. A-1 Escort had some for $5 on site.