Ro-Ro and Breakbulk Machinery Pickup
Where Imported Heavy Equipment Lands and How It Gets to Your Yard
Quick answer
How does imported heavy machinery get from the port to the jobsite?
Almost all of it comes by ship: 97.4% of the $8.10B in U.S. dozer, excavator and loader imports in 2025 arrived by vessel, and 59.1% of that vessel value was not containerized, so it came off as Ro-Ro or breakbulk. The first leg is usually a heavy haul from a Ro-Ro terminal, often with oversize permits, rather than a container dray.
Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).
Where imported construction equipment lands
U.S. imports of self-propelled bulldozers, graders, scrapers, excavators, loaders and rollers (HS 8429) by port of unlading, calendar 2025, from Census Bureau port-level trade data. The last column shows how much of each port's vessel value arrived outside containers, which tells you whether the pickup is a Ro-Ro or breakbulk haul or a container move.
| Rank | Port | 2025 value | Share of U.S. | Ro-Ro/breakbulk share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore, MD | $1,698M | 21% | 83.5% |
| 2 | Brunswick, GA | $1,278M | 15.8% | 90.7% |
| 3 | Savannah, GA | $960M | 11.8% | 0.1% |
| 4 | Galveston, TX | $911M | 11.2% | 96.5% |
| 5 | Charleston, SC | $764M | 9.4% | 2.4% |
| 6 | Tacoma, WA | $556M | 6.9% | 71.4% |
| 7 | Freeport, TX | $351M | 4.3% | 87.7% |
| 8 | Los Angeles, CA | $239M | 3% | 20.5% |
| 9 | Long Beach, CA | $215M | 2.7% | 75.7% |
| 10 | Houston, TX | $180M | 2.2% | 4.4% |
Baltimore, Brunswick and Galveston receive machines mostly outside containers: 83.5%, 90.7% and 96.5% of their vessel value was Ro-Ro or breakbulk. Savannah and Charleston are the opposite, almost entirely containerized, which usually means smaller machines in standard boxes or larger ones on flat racks and open tops. Imports of HS 8429 rose 10.6% in January to August 2026 compared with the same months of 2025.
Heavy equipment imports by type, 2025
| Equipment | U.S. imports | Ro-Ro/breakbulk share of vessel value | Top port (share) | Newark, NJ | Jan-Aug 2026 vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dozers, excavators, loaders, graders | $8.10B | 59.1% | Baltimore, MD (21%) | outside top 15 | +10.6% |
| Cranes and derricks | $1.80B | 45.5% | Freeport, TX (20.1%) | #5, $115M | +25.4% |
| Forklifts and work trucks | $6.17B | 22.3% | Laredo, TX (13.2%) | #12, $230M | -2.8% |
| Other earthmoving, piling and boring machines | $1.38B | 30.4% | Baltimore, MD (18.9%) | #2, $140M | +43.9% |
| Tractors (farm and track-type) | $4.08B | 52.1% | Baltimore, MD (23.9%) | #13, $80M | -1.1% |
| Combines and harvesting machinery | $3.52B | 17.4% | Laredo, TX (9.8%) | #8, $185M | -27.6% |
| Liquid-filled transformers | $7.49B | 27.5% | Laredo, TX (23.1%) | #4, $538M | +3.3% |
Land ports such as Laredo lead several categories because equipment built in Mexico crosses by truck; this page is about what arrives by sea. Across the full set of heavy equipment above, U.S. imports were $34.82B in 2025, and the Port of New York and New Jersey handled $1.60B, about 4.6%.
What the Port of New York and New Jersey handles
For construction machinery the port is a small player: most dozers and excavators bound for the Northeast land in Baltimore and are hauled north. Newark matters more for other heavy cargo: it ranked second in the country for other earthmoving, piling and boring machines (HS 8430), fourth for liquid-filled transformers and fifth for cranes in 2025. The Port Authority lists three vehicle processors with weekly Ro-Ro service for autos and "high and heavy" equipment, and three breakbulk berths (17, 23 and 25) with direct truck access and no height restrictions.
For a Northeast buyer that means two common pickups: a Ro-Ro machine from Baltimore, which handled 887,513 tons of Ro-Ro farm and construction machinery in 2025 (the most of any U.S. port, per the Maryland Port Administration), or a transformer, crane component or piling rig from Newark. The heaviest of those pieces, such as large transformers, often ride on perimeter and beam trailers rather than a lowboy. Containerized machines from Port Newark and Elizabeth go through our NY/NJ container drayage service.
How a Ro-Ro or breakbulk pickup is planned
- Release. The machine needs customs release (through your customs broker) and release from the ocean carrier or its agent before the terminal will hand it over.
- Dimensions as shipped. We get the machine's shipping width, height and weight, and whether attachments shipped separately. Manufacturer figures for common machines are on our excavator and dozer pages.
- Trailer and permits. The loaded height and width decide the trailer, usually an RGN or lowboy for tracked machines, and whether each state on the route needs an oversize or overweight permit. See oversize permits by state.
- Port access. The carrier must meet the terminal's requirements, such as driver credentials and an appointment, before it can enter.
- Loading and securement. Ro-Ro machines are driven or towed onto the trailer; breakbulk pieces are lifted by the terminal's crane. The driver chains and documents the load before leaving.
- Delivery. The carrier follows the permitted route and travel windows to your yard or jobsite.
Ro-Ro and breakbulk questions
What does breakbulk mean in shipping?
Breakbulk is cargo loaded and discharged piece by piece, usually by crane, instead of inside a container or rolled on and off. Large machines, transformers and machine parts that do not fit a container often ship this way. At the destination port each piece is lifted onto a trailer, so the pickup needs a carrier with the right trailer and, if the piece is wide or heavy, oversize permits.
What is the difference between Ro-Ro and breakbulk?
On a Ro-Ro (roll-on/roll-off) vessel, machines drive or are towed aboard on their own wheels or tracks, or ride on roll trailers. Breakbulk is lifted on and off by crane. Self-propelled equipment such as tractors and loaders usually goes Ro-Ro; pieces that cannot move themselves go breakbulk or on flat racks.
Which U.S. port imports the most construction equipment?
Baltimore. In 2025 it received $1,698M of the $8.10B in U.S. imports of bulldozers, excavators, loaders and graders (HS 8429), 21% of the total, and the Maryland Port Administration reports 887,513 tons of Ro-Ro farm and construction machinery, the most of any U.S. port.
Do imported machines need permits to leave the port?
Only if they are over the legal size or weight once loaded on the trailer. Many excavators and dozers are wider than 8 ft 6 in or heavier than a standard rig can carry, so the move from the terminal needs state oversize permits and sometimes escorts. Check a specific machine with our oversize load checker.
Who arranges the truck from the Ro-Ro terminal?
The importer or its forwarder or customs broker, once the cargo is released by customs and the ocean carrier. As a licensed broker, HTS books a carrier with the right trailer and port access, arranges any oversize permits and coordinates the pickup appointment with the terminal.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked in October 2026 against the sources below. Rules and rates change; we confirm current requirements on every move.
- U.S. Census Bureau: Port Imports HS6 (December 2025 and August 2026 files) (pulled Oct 17, 2026; values summed across countries by port of unlading)
- Census Schedule D port codes
- Maryland Port Administration: 2025 cargo results (March 24, 2026)
- Port Authority of NY & NJ: facts and figures
- Port Authority of NY & NJ: Ro-Ro
- Port Authority of NY & NJ: bulk and break bulk
Picking up an imported machine?
Send the port, the machine and its shipping dimensions, and the delivery address. We book the carrier, arrange the permits and coordinate the terminal pickup.
- FMCSA-licensed property broker, MC# 1178470
- Drayage carriers with UIIA interchange and NY/NJ port credentials
- Pickups planned around terminal appointments and free time
- Importers, exporters, forwarders and customs brokers
Prefer to talk? Call (631) 683-8275.
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Keep reading
- Container Drayage (NY/NJ)Container drayage from the six NY/NJ terminals to Long Island, NYC and New Jersey, booked with credentialed UIIA carriers.
- What Is Drayage?What drayage means, its types, a NY/NJ import dray step by step, and the charges on a dray invoice.
- Port of NY & NJ TerminalsGate hours, appointments, free time, tariffs, credentials and weight limits at all six NY/NJ container terminals, checked October 2026.
- Flat Rack & Open Top ContainersFlat rack, open top and platform sizes and weights, terminal out-of-gauge windows and fees, and when the road leg needs NJ permits.
- Demurrage vs DetentionFMC definitions, NY/NJ free time and daily rates, per diem rules and how to dispute a bill.
- Container Chassis GuideChassis types, TRAC, DCLI and Flexi-Van pools and rates, chassis splits, UIIA insurance and tri-axles for heavy boxes.