From Caracas, Venezuela to Miami, United States - April, 2005

When inquiring about shipping with airport cargo companies at Caracas International I was told I could not ship directly but had to use a shipping agent. I made inquiries at Lan Chile, American Airlines, DHL (which does not have service set up for air shipments as of April 2005). There are several airline cargo companies flying to Miami International but Vensacar seemed to be the most flexible with one cargo flight per day Tuesday through Saturday as of April 2005. There were two of us motorcyclists shipping bikes at the same time but there was no discounts given. Cost breakdown is at the very bottom.

Royca is one of many shipping agents available in the cargo district of Caracas International Airport. Off the main hwy exit take first immediate right. Royca is located in second main building at the north end towards the highway on the second floor. This company is Spanish speaking only. I couldn't find one that spoke english. If you are planning to visit 2-3 companies make sure to get all quotes in writing. They will probably provide the quote based on (Kg) weight of your bike. You should have a good idea what your total gross bike weight will be in Kg before you make your inquiries as they will give you the quote based on the weight you give them but weigh the bike on the scale in the preparation process. If you have the time it would be a good idea to visit 2-3 companies and play the quotes off each other to possibly get the best price. The prices may vary significantly. Most agents, whether or not have ever shipped motorcycles will probably tell you they have experience shipping motorcycles as they want the business. The president of this agency, Richard (Ricardo) appeared to have tried to pull a bait and switch tactic on us. After receiving the written quote, we brought our bikes in to start the preparation. Once the bikes were already committed in the process and we were ready to pay, he then told us there was a problem and Vensacar would charge Royca based on volume, not Kg weight. They argued that parts of my bike were sticking out a little beyond the pallet. I had already removed the bags and windshield and made sure nothing protruded beyond the pallet during the inspection process prior to this arguement. The volume weight - how it was measured -raised the price beyond the quote another $160 USD and we had to argue for almost 1.5 hours (in Spanish) in his office before convening for lunch. After we returned from lunch and we were preparing to war again and he changed his mind and decided to honor the written quote. I'm not certain why a change of heart though he did appologize. I believe he decided to give in only because we had a strong arguement with his written quote and were clearly not going to give in. Also, it was never determined if Vensacar required volume weight shipments. Be prepared to argue over Kg verses Volume weight whichever agent is used. If the bike is large and sticks out over the standard wood pallet they will measure by volume weight and may intentionally create a case against you that you may not win. Beyond the financial issues, Royca did a good job in preparing the bike for shipment. They use steel banding to secure the bike to a standard wooden pallet. Make sure they put a cross piece of wood on the pallet under the kick stand as the banding will break the standard boards unless the kick stand is directly over the cross support boards. This detail will matter when they measure the bike, again, nothing should stick out over the edge of the pallet. The bike was shrink wrapped after both the drug and customs inspections. We tried unsuccessfully to visually verify the bikes were actually loaded on the plane.
*General shipping notes for Caracas*
Agents appear not to accept credit card payments, so be prepared to pay full amount in cash (Bolivars). Depending upon your bank limits this may take 2-3 days worth of withdrawals. The agent will need to call the airline companies and reserve space and date of flight before they can guarantee the flight date to you. There are two separate inspections in the process, one is by the military for illicit drugs and the other is a standard customs inspection for hazardous goods. Be prepared to pay/argue a bribe to the military to pass inspection. In our case, Royca paid the bribe for us. Prepare to remove all contents of your bags for inspections. You will need to make sure there is very little gasoline in the tank and be expected to disconnect the battery and remove air from the tires. Royca will shrink wrap the bike after all the inspections are completed. If you have padlocks on any external bag it may be wise to unlock them just prior to the shrink wrap. Upon entry into the USA Homeland Security will inspect the bike before you see it through customs and may cut off any padlocks for the inspection. In my case, every lock was cut off and I had to buy new padlocks in Miami. The Caracas Airport is north and east of Caracas on the coast about 25 Ks away. There are a few nice and reasonable hotels in Macuto, about 10 miles east of the airport towards Caribe if you may have an extended wait for a cargo plane reservation.

Royca Air Freight Cost breakdown in $USD for BMW F650GS actual weight 286 kg -quote based on 300 Kg.
360.00 Flete
27.00 Imp/Flete 7.5%
35.00 Corte AWB
90.00 Combustible
45.00 Seguridad
100.00 Manejo
80.00 DRG
52.50 IVA 15%
150.00 Customs fee
25.50 Embalaje
965.00 Total fees paid (shipping only)