Importing truck from U.K. to Aus

[Tim Lovelock]

Hi all,

I am seeking your thoughts and help.
I am considering purchasing a medium sized military vehicle in the U.K.,
to import back to Aus (home).
I'm sure it has probably been covered previously on mlu, but my searches
have not met with success.
I am interested in other people's experiences, suggested freighters,
pitfalls, customs experiences, ballpark costs, and if there are heritage restrictions imposed in the U.K.
Just a small ask.
The vehicle would be about 5t, L6m x W2.3m x H2.9m
Forgive me for not saying exactly what I am after at present.
Kind regards Tim

[jack neville]

PM sent Tim

[Tim Lovelock]

Originally Posted by jack neville

PM sent Tim

Thank you Jack, much appreciated.
Cheers Tim

[Hanno Spoelstra]

I can only help by saying that the vehicle in question needs to be squeaky clean to be imported. You are most likely aware of this.
Just saying as military vehicles are normally not as clean and polished as some other cherished classic vehicles. A Forum member imported a Kettenkrad and he had to have it power washed again upon arrival as there was some sand on the tracks.

[Tony Smith]

And it needs to be 30 years old or older, or if not you will need to have owned it and used it overseas for 12mths.

[Mike Kelly]

The customs people at this end can and do sometimes impound the vehicle, they park it in a parking lot for whatever length of time ( you as the importer pay hundreds of dollars per day storage fees ) . They then get a professional fumigator to throw a insect bomb inside a tarp ( again you pay for all of this ) . All of this can add $$$$$ to your final bill . Remember when it comes to dealing with customs staff, common sense goes out the door . All of this scenario happened to two club members here .

[Tim Lovelock]

Thank you gentlemen,
I am learning a lot, also learnt today that asbestos brakes and clutch pads are a no, no.
I've also learnt, that a vehicle older than 30 years incurs a 10% fee, not just on the vehicle value but also on the shipping, transport and insurance costs as a total figure.
My research goes on.
Thank you thus far for your contributions.
Cheers Tim

[Private_collector]

They probably learnt the 10% fee on shipping & other fees.......from ebay!

[Tony Smith]

No, it's called GST, due on every part of the transaction, even for payment for events or actions that occurred overseas (eg cleaning or land transport of the vehicle within UK).

Avoided if you have owned and used the vehicle personally overseas for 12 mths or more. But of course, then you would have paid UK taxes which are much higher.

[Lang]

Tim

I have imported quite a number of vehicles.

For limits on age etc just go to the Government website and it sets it all down clearly.

The cutoff for vintage stuff is 1989, not 30 years! You can still import vehicles under this age if you bring it under another scheme justifying why it is unique or of interest - this procedure is also laid out very clearly and simply on the site. Import approval for pre-89 vehicles is a money making scheme. Fill in the form, attach a photo and $50 and the certificate will be in your hands in a couple of weeks.

As said, there is no import duty but you pay 10% GST just like you do on anything from chewing gum to hotel bills. They do not investigate the taxable value you declare so long as it is reasonable - they are not stupid and a $1,000 Porsche might raise questions.

There are so many old wives tales about customs - nearly always of a friend or acquaintance. If you have trouble with customs it is a paperwork problem and you either do not know what you are doing or have an incompetent Customs Agent.

First rule: Ask around and get yourself a good Customs Agent. These blokes are either part of a whole Shipping Agent company who can do EVERYTHING for you from UK to Australia or they are specialist who work closely with Shipping Agents and can recommend one. Get a fixed quote for the whole job.

Your problems will be with Quarantine. I have always found Customs Officers to be knowledgeable and professional. They are not interested in the vehicle and won't even look at it apart from confirming make, model and serial numbers.

On the other hand I have consistently found Quarantine staff to be untrained, ignorant people whose power is exercised in an unreasonable manner. They will take it upon themselves to open tool boxes, take out seats and leave everything dumped on the floor of the shed.

No matter how well you have steam cleaned the vehicle it is possible they will demand it done again (by a nearby authorised cleaner but usually by the shipping company who have a wash bay near their shed and make a fortune on the $200-$600, depending on the job, charged for this service). I would not suggest the Quarantine people gain some sort of personal advantage from referring vehicles for unnecessary cleaning.

To avoid, or reduce the risk, I strongly recommend you really go over the vehicle before shipping. Dirt under floor mats, dirt inside chassis rails when they run their fingers along and most off-pissing is a perfectly cleaned vehicle that has been loading in UK, where it is always raining, being driven gently through a puddle into the container having a small amount of mud or sand on the tyres. Greasy engines and axles will be a fail because they hold dirt and seeds. All these can lead to a reclean order.

You get a few days free storage for paperwork and inspections and cleaning will fall inside this period. Make sure you, or your agent, picks the vehicle up as soon as it is cleared. Storage (demurrage) charges are not hundreds a day as suggested but they are expensive.

With older, well used vehicles, I have found advantageous cleaning as best you can with a blaster then spray painting the entire chassis, axles, under body and wheel wells (don't forget inside the wheels), both gives the impression of a like new, unused vehicle but also covers any random dirty spots with paint!

Having said all this, I must say that out of all the vehicles I have brought in (including 20 Dnepr sidecars loaded in the rain in Genoa after a long rally including dirt roads) only about 5 or 6 have suffered extra` cleaning charges.

Forewarned is forearmed. If there is nothing to find they will not invent a problem but give them an inch and they will take a mile.

It is not rocket science, hundreds of old second hand vehicles are imported every week. The system is not random or subject to unknown rules. If it stuffs up because of paperwork it is your fault - get an agent! A vehicle will NEVER be impounded for minor paperwork faults - it might cause some extra cost or delay. It will only be impounded if it is illegal such as no import certificate or falsified documents or the shipping company has not been paid.


Do not take cleaning lightly.

Lang

[Mike Kelly]

I had a tiring day years ago running around Melbourne literally !

With friends in the UK, I swapped a No11 wireless set for some Morris parts . packing the radio up and taking it into the freight forwarders was easy .

The box with my parts , about 3' long and 1' wide . I got notified that the box was waiting to be picked up and there is a storage fee involved if its not picked up by a certain date . This is what happened

I drove to an office in Camberwell where a girl stamped my paperwork, she told me the next stop is North Melbourne where another girl behind a desk stamped my paperwork. Then it was off to customs house in Melbourne city centre , I walked from Nth Melbourne . A uniformed customs official demanded to see a manifesto ! I told him its a few vintage car bits , head gaskets, headlights brake hoses .

He told me to go the law courts to fill out a stat dec , which I did , more walking in near 100F heat . I got back to Customs house, my mate the official was off on a break ! His sidekick had no idea of me or my situation, I told him about the stat dec, he said Ok I will sign the deal for you but you have to go to quarantine house next !!!!!!! More walking down to yarra bank up a huge tall building where a bored official said whats in the box , I told him and he signed stamped my paperwork..Wait there's more

Ok now I am on the final leg ....walking back to Nth Melbourne . Then a drive out to past Sunshine somewhere , an industrial wasteland, the kind thing of humanity has not seen since the Hiroshima aftermath . The most desolate, dirty patch of earth I've ever laid eyes on, rubbish everywhere, the 3rd world in Melbourne ! I got there , they checked my paperwork , a few umms and ahs and of course they could not find my box . I waited and waited, they searched " have you been to the quarantine people " they asked

The whole episode was a joke , the officials were obsessed with the paperwork. Not one official at this end actually opened my box at any time before I got it , the box could have had a nest of spiders in it !

[Lang]

Mike

The system has smoothed out in recent years but you learnt your lesson. Next time ship it through the freight forwarders "door to door" and they will do what took you several days in 15 minutes electronically.

Lang

[motto]

Make sure that you have your import permit from Canberra before you ship. If the vehicle arrives here and you don't have that it will not be allowed to enter the country. I was surprised to find out that this even applies to trailers. Some years ago I had four ex military trailers on their way before I knew this and had not recorded their details so could not even fully complete the applications. Fortunately due to a shipping delay there was sufficient time to process the paper work and the agent I was using worked a deal to supply the information after the trailers were landed.
It's easy for things to go wrong.
As Lang says - get an agent.
Also as Lang says, AQIS will be your most likely source of trouble. I shipped some new tyres into Tullamarine a couple of years ago and AQIS intervention cost me a $150 fee and necessitated an extra 120 km round trip based purely on the whim of the official I dealt with. His co-worker had already given me the nod to take the tyres but I had to go back for a signature and got served by a different person when I returned who insisted on an inspection that could not be done that day.
It cost $700 to get the tyres from Houston Texas to Melbourne but another $500 to get them off the airport.
It will all cost more than you think.

David

[Tim Lovelock]

Tony, Tony, Mike, Lang, Hanno and Motto, thank you all for your wisdom and experience.
What's life without adventure eh?
I have at this point received one quote from a shipping agent, I will say he was very prompt and his advice thorough. I think I would certainly head down that route. He also reinforced the quarantine and also more recently the asbestos issues.
It is also a matter of $$$ and I'm thinking I need to budget close to $10,000 AU
On shipping, taxes et.al.
Just a matter of convincing the bank manager and minister for war and finance.
Cheers Gentlemen, Thank You

[Lang]

Tim

If you are bringing a single vehicle in your cost of $10,000AUD is a safe number at the present time - you will probably get some change back.

Try very hard to get someone to share a container with you as it reduces costs tremendously as a 40 footer is nowhere near double the cost of a 20 footer. Put both vehicles on the same Bill of Lading in one name and you will only pay one Entry. If the agent still wants to do two Entries he is ripping you off.

I am a great believer in Roll On Roll Off and have shipped several vehicles around the world that way. Never had a scratch or as much as a mirror stolen. It is greatly cheaper than container, no packing, trucking, container charges. Just deliver it to the shipping yard, hand them the keys then 6 weeks later collect the keys at the arrival yard and drive out the gate (after fixing up the bill organised by your customs agent of course).

I have a number of times been organising for a group and have had people gasp at putting their dirty old $20,000 Jeep loose on a car carrier to be damaged. When I asked them to look around the yard at the 2,000 other brand new BMW, Mercedes and even Ferraris being loaded beside the Jeep, the smarter ones realise maybe destruction is not a common occurrence.

Lang

[Tim Lovelock]

Thanks Lang,
Your words are reassuring. The freight forwarder who provided a quote did in fact suggest roll on, roll off, purely on the dimensions of my 'dream' vehicle.
The all-up costs at present put it just out of reach.
I hope this won't be interpreted as wasting people's time, but the information and advice I have found invaluable.
Kind regards Tim

[Lang]

Tim Keep the idea alive - it will happen one day.

Lang

[Tim Lovelock]

Originally Posted by Lang

Tim Keep the idea alive - it will happen one day.

Lang

Thanks Lang,
You are right.
And it will.

My wife has given me leave of absence for a short period and though it might seem counter productive to the overall dream, I am heading to the UK next week, with the highlight being War and Peace. Compensation and inspiration bundled up together.

Cheers Tim

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Tim Lovelock

Thanks Lang,
You are right.
And it will.

My wife has given me leave of absence for a short period and though it might seem counter productive to the overall dream, I am heading to the UK next week, with the highlight being War and Peace. Compensation and inspiration bundled up together.

Cheers Tim

Tim,
That will be bad news visiting War & Peace, it will fill your head full of ideas of vehicles to ship home! We might meet there. I know of a few other Aussies who are coming.

cheers
Richard

[Lang]

Tim

Why don't you come home and tell her you bought her a present while you were in England?

Lang

[Tim Lovelock]

Originally Posted by Lang

Tim

Why don't you come home and tell her you bought her a present while you were in England?

Lang

Ha ha, we have had that discussion, well 'she', my lovely wife initiated it, with a warning lol... I have called her the minister for war and finance, out of earshot of course lol...
Maybe if I find a diamond large enough, I could sneak a largish green vehicle out back?

[Tim Lovelock]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

Tim,
That will be bad news visiting War & Peace, it will fill your head full of ideas of vehicles to ship home! We might meet there. I know of a few other Aussies who are coming.

cheers
Richard

Richard, you are right, have to keep the flame alive. I will keep an ear out for any familiar accents, and say hello.
If you chance across and individual Aussie please introduce yourself.
Cheers Tim