A permanent change of station, or PCS, can leave a military household with more vehicles than available drivers. One person may travel ahead, another may handle children and pets, and the second car still needs to reach the new address. For moves involving Fort Campbell or Fort Knox, a separate vehicle shipment can help but it needs its own schedule, budget, and handoff plan.
Confirm What Your Orders Authorize
Before signing a private shipping agreement, contact your installation transportation office. Ask whether your orders authorize vehicle transportation, what arrangements apply, and whether any privately arranged expense could qualify for reimbursement. Do not assume a PCS move automatically covers a commercial car shipment.
Military OneSource identifies the installation transportation office as a resource for understanding moving arrangements and entitlements. Keep its guidance separate from a transport company’s quote: the company can explain its service, while the appropriate military office confirms your authorization.
Explain Why the Car Cannot Be Driven
A running second vehicle with no available driver is a different shipment from a car with mechanical problems. Tell the coordinator which situation applies. If the vehicle is inoperable, describe whether it rolls, steers, and brakes, whether keys are available, and any known loading concerns.
For an overview of regional options, Navi’s Kentucky auto transport guide includes information relevant to military relocations. Request a written estimate using the actual pickup and delivery ZIP codes, vehicle condition, and available dates.
Compare quotes for equivalent services. Check the total, payment schedule, cancellation terms, and what happens if your orders or travel dates change.
Use the Exact Address, Not Just the Installation Name
“Fort Campbell” or “Fort Knox” gives a coordinator a general destination, but it does not establish where a transporter can unload. Specify whether the handoff is at installation housing, an off-post residence, temporary lodging, or another location.
Confirm current commercial-driver access requirements with the installation and have the carrier assess whether it can reach the address. If an off-post meeting point is necessary, agree on a suitable location and permission to use it. Do not plan to meet at a gate without confirming that arrangement.
Build the Shipment Around Reporting and Travel
Mark your reporting date, household-goods appointments, and family travel dates before choosing a pickup window. Ask which shipping dates are estimates and how much notice you should expect before collection and delivery.
If you will be unavailable, ask how to authorize someone else to release or receive the car. Include temporary transportation in your budget so an estimated delivery date does not become the only way to reach your first required appointment.
Prepare a Simple Handoff Checklist
Keep these details together and accessible during travel:
- The booking confirmation and coordinator’s contact information.
- Pickup and delivery addresses with access instructions.
- The names of authorized handoff contacts.
- Vehicle photographs and the pickup condition record.
- Written preparation instructions and payment arrangements.
Ask about fuel level, keys, alarms, and personal-item restrictions. Carry orders, identification, medication, and essential belongings with you rather than packing them inside the shipped vehicle.
Related Guide: How to Start a Shipping Business? Tips for Company to Win
Finish With a Careful Delivery Check
Allow time to compare the vehicle with its pickup record and document any differences before completing the handoff paperwork. Save receipts and shipping records alongside your move documents. A clear vehicle plan gives the household one fewer unresolved task while settling into the next duty station.
FAQs
No. A service member may have an entitlement to ship or store one privately owned vehicle (POV) with PCS orders, but coverage and reimbursement rules vary especially between CONUS and overseas moves. Contact the installation transportation office before arranging a second commercial shipment, since privately arranged costs may not be reimbursable.
Possibly, but do not assume a transporter can deliver directly to on-post housing. Provide the exact delivery address, confirm commercial-driver access requirements with the installation, and ask the carrier whether it can reach the address; an off-post meeting point may be necessary.
Provide the pickup and delivery ZIP codes, preferred pickup window, vehicle make and model, operating condition, whether it rolls/steers/brakes, key availability, alarm details, and any loading restrictions. This helps the coordinator provide a more accurate written estimate and loading plan.
Yes, but arrange it in advance. If you will be traveling, handling household goods, or unavailable on the expected delivery day, ask the carrier how to authorize a named contact to release or receive the vehicle and what identification or paperwork that person will need.
No. Keep orders, identification, medication, valuables, and essential travel items with you rather than inside the vehicle. Before pickup, confirm the carrier’s rules on fuel level, keys, alarms, and personal items, and photograph the vehicle’s condition for the delivery check.