An RV is the rare shipment that can drive itself to the far end. It is a road-legal vehicle, so the cheapest domestic move is often a hired driver rather than a truck to haul it, and across an ocean it rolls onto a vessel or rides inside a container. Height is the number that decides the equipment, and for a rig leaving the country a federal rule written for used vehicles decides the paperwork. The example figures and the export steps below were read on 2026-08-08. No price sits here, because a coach is quoted by a person once the route and the method are settled.
A rig that runs can be driven by a hired driver. One that does not has to be loaded, and loading is where the cost climbs.
Most freight has to be carried. A motorhome does not, and that reshapes the whole quote. The first question a review settles is not the trailer type but the method, because an RV can travel three ways and they price nothing alike.
A drive-away driver climbs in and drives the coach to the destination. No trailer, no lifting, and the mileage on the odometer is the trade you make for the lowest handling. It needs a rig that runs, insures and passes as roadworthy on the day.
The coach rides on an open or enclosed carrier built for its length and weight. Enclosed costs more and shields the finish and the seals; open is cheaper and exposes the rig to the road. This is the route for a coach the owner does not want to add miles to.
A travel trailer or a fifth-wheel has no engine, so it is pulled rather than driven, and the move turns on plates, brakes, tires and the coupler. That is a towaway, and the trailer guide covers what a driver checks before hooking up.
Which method wins is rarely about the rig alone. A near-new coach loses value to added miles, so an owner pays for a carrier; a dependable older motorhome heading across the country is often cheapest driven. A rig that will not start removes the drive-away option entirely and forces a carrier with a winch, which is the single change that moves a quote most.
RVs are built to be driven on the highway, so most of them sit inside the legal road envelope rather than over it. That is the opposite of a boat, where the beam blows past the width limit on day one. The dimension that still bites an RV is height, because it decides which transporter deck the coach fits under and whether it can roll onto a vessel. Winnebago publishes full specifications for each floor plan, and one modest Class A shows where the numbers land, read from winnebago.com on 2026-08-08.
| Measurement | Adventurer 27N | What it means for the move |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior length | 28 ft 5 in | Short for a Class A; larger coaches run well past this, and length sets which carrier deck the rig needs |
| Exterior height | 12 ft 4 in | Under the height ceiling every state sets, but tall enough that deck height plus coach height is the figure a carrier watches |
| Exterior width | 8 ft 5.5 in | Just inside the legal road width, so a stock coach is not usually a permitted load the way a wide custom rig can be |
| Gross vehicle weight rating | 18,000 lb | Far past anything a parcel or a small trailer answers, which is why an RV is a vehicle move and never a package |
Read that row by row and the shape of the job appears. A stock coach clears the width and height limits because it was designed to, so it moves on an ordinary vehicle quote rather than a permitted one. Add a roof deck, a lifted chassis or extra width and it can cross into permit territory, where the over-dimensional freight rules on escorts and route surveys start to apply. The larger diesel coaches are longer, taller and heavier again, and height is the figure that most often forces an enclosed carrier off the table in favor of an open one.
Across an ocean an RV goes one of two ways. A drivable coach can roll onto a roll-on, roll-off vessel and be lashed to the deck, which suits a rig that runs and fits the deck height. One that is too tall for that deck, or a towable that cannot drive aboard, travels inside a high-cube container or on a flat rack instead, if the dimensions allow. Either way, the paperwork is the part that catches first-time exporters, because a motorhome is treated as a used vehicle rather than as cargo.
| Step | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| A motorhome counts as a vehicle | 19 CFR 192.1 lists a motor home among self-propelled vehicles, so the used-vehicle export rules apply to it |
| File the export first | Census states a used self-propelled vehicle is filed in the Automated Export System 72 hours prior to export, no matter the value or the country of destination, and the filing returns an ITN |
| Present the title and the rig | 19 CFR 192.2 requires the original Certificate of Title or a certified copy, plus two copies, and the vehicle itself, presented to Customs at least 72 hours before export |
| Then it can be loaded | With the ITN and the title in hand at the port, the coach can be released to the vessel |
The 72-hour window is the trap. It runs before the sailing, not against it, so the title and the filing have to be settled days ahead or the coach misses its vessel. Destination countries then add their own admissibility and cleaning rules, and biosecurity inspections on arrival are strict about soil, seeds and plant matter, so a coach headed abroad gets emptied and washed as thoroughly as one crossing to the islands. The terms of sale that decide who clears customs at the far end are the Incoterms rules on the international freight guide, and the ocean mechanics themselves sit on the ocean container guide.
A coach is quoted from its measurements and a chosen method, never from a description. Line these up before you send it in: the class and make, whether it is a Class A, B or C motorhome or a towable; the exterior length, the height with the air conditioner and any roof gear in place, and the width including mirrors and slide seals; the weight, taken from the rating plate rather than a brochure; whether it runs and drives or has to be winched; and both ends of the route in detail, since a coach parked behind a low branch or a tight gate changes the equipment. For an overseas move, add the origin and destination ports and whether you are exporting or importing.
Two neighbors to this decision are worth reading before you book. The same broker-and-carrier trap that shadows a car move applies to a coach, and the car shipping guide shows the federal register to check before a deposit clears. The strip-it-and-clean preparation a vessel demands is laid out on the vehicle to Hawaii guide, and most of it applies to any RV going onto a deck.
Federal export rules, state road limits and carrier specifications all change without warning, and a destination country sets its own terms on top. What is printed above reflects those four pages as read on 2026-08-08, and any of them can be revised without notice. Confirm the current versions before you book.
Often, and it is what makes an RV different from other freight. A motorhome is a road-legal vehicle, so a hired driver can drive it there, and the alternative is loading it onto an open or enclosed transporter. A towable RV, meaning a travel trailer or fifth-wheel, is pulled behind a truck rather than driven.
Length, height, weight and whether it runs. A longer, taller, heavier coach takes more equipment and more care, an enclosed carrier costs more than an open one, and a rig that cannot move under its own power has to be winched or lifted. Distance and season sit on top of all of it.
Yes. The federal export rule at 19 CFR 192.1 lists a motor home among self-propelled vehicles, alongside automobiles, trucks, tractors, buses and motorcycles (law.cornell.edu, read 2026-08-08). So a motorhome leaving the country follows the used-vehicle export steps, not the rules for ordinary cargo.
The title and the vehicle. Under 19 CFR 192.2 the original Certificate of Title or a certified copy, plus two copies, and the vehicle itself have to be presented to Customs at least 72 hours before export (law.cornell.edu, read 2026-08-08). The Census Bureau adds that a used self-propelled vehicle is filed in the Automated Export System 72 hours prior, whatever its value or destination, and the filing returns an ITN to give Customs (census.gov, read 2026-08-08).
Because an RV move is a contract for one rig, one route and one set of dates, not a rate off a list. What can be pinned down first is whether it is driven, carried or shipped by sea, and what the far end and the paperwork require. A person prices it after review.