Military Moving Tips for the First Timer
Your first permanent change of station is mostly a paperwork exercise with a truck at the end of it. The parts that go wrong for first timers are rarely the packing. They are the entitlements nobody explained, the weight allowance nobody checked, and the vehicle decision left until three weeks out during the busiest moving season of the year.
Here is the order to do it in.
Orders First, Everything Else Second
Nothing can be booked until you have orders in hand. As soon as you do, contact the transportation office and start the process, because the calendar is the constraint that everything else runs into.
Peak season runs from roughly May through August, when the majority of moves happen. Booking inside that window with short notice means fewer options for dates and more competition for capacity. If your report date falls in that period, treat the transportation appointment as urgent rather than as something to handle next week.
Know Which Kind of Move You Are Doing
Two basic paths, and the difference is worth understanding before you pick.
A government arranged move has the military book a contracted moving company that packs, loads, transports and delivers your household goods. Less work for you, less control over timing and handling.
A personally procured move, still widely called a DITY move, has you handle the move yourself and get reimbursed based on the weight you actually move. It is more work and it can put money in your pocket, but only if you document properly: certified empty and full weight tickets are the whole basis of the reimbursement, and a move without them is a move you paid for yourself.
Whichever you choose, confirm the specifics with your transportation office. Entitlements change, and the version a friend used three years ago may not be the current one.
Check Your Weight Allowance Early
Your allowance is set by rank and dependent status, and going over it means paying the overage out of pocket.
People underestimate their own weight consistently. Garage contents, tools, gym equipment, books and furniture accumulate faster than anyone expects. Look up your allowance at the start, then be realistic about what you own, because the cheapest weight to move is the weight you get rid of first.
Professional gear may be handled separately depending on your service and situation, which is worth asking about specifically rather than assuming.
Decide the Vehicle Question Early
This is the piece most first timers leave too late.
For an overseas assignment, the shipment of a privately owned vehicle at government expense is a defined entitlement with specific rules, and your transportation office is the authority on what applies to your orders. Start that conversation early, since overseas vehicle shipping runs on longer timelines and has its own preparation requirements.
For a move within the continental United States, driving is common and is usually covered through travel allowances. The question is what happens to the second vehicle, and there are only three answers: someone drives it, it goes into storage, or it gets shipped.
Shipping the second car is frequently the sensible option and the arithmetic is worth doing honestly. Fuel across a long route, two or three nights of lodging, meals, the wear and the mileage added to the vehicle, and the days of leave spent driving instead of settling in add up to more than most people assume before they total it. Our page on shipping a car versus driving it yourself works through the comparison.
Ask about the military discount when you get quotes. It is standard at reputable transport companies and it is not always offered unless you mention that you are serving.
Documentation Protects You
Photograph everything of value before it is packed, keep the inventory sheets the movers produce, and read them rather than signing blind. Note the condition of anything already damaged at the time rather than afterward.
Do the same with the car. Wash it, photograph every panel, the wheels, the roof and the odometer in daylight, and empty the interior completely, since personal items are not covered by a carrier’s cargo insurance. Inspect at delivery before signing the bill of lading, in daylight if at all possible.
What Not to Ship
Keep with you: orders and copies, identification cards, medical and dental records, school records, birth and marriage certificates, financial documents, medications, laptops, jewelry and anything irreplaceable.
Hazardous items will not be shipped at all: propane tanks, fuel, paint, aerosols, ammunition and similar. Dispose of them before packing day rather than discovering the problem while the truck is loading.
Housing, Timing and the Gap
The gap between leaving one home and getting into the next is where first moves go sideways. Household goods do not arrive the day you do, and a delivery window is a window rather than a date.
Plan for the interval: essentials in your own vehicle, temporary lodging arranged, and enough of the basics to live for a couple of weeks without the shipment. If the car is being shipped, arrange the timing so you are not without transportation at the new duty station, and give yourself a few days of margin rather than counting on an exact arrival.
Common Questions
When should I start? The day orders are in hand. Peak season runs May through August and capacity fills early.
What is a DITY move? A personally procured move you arrange yourself and get reimbursed for, based on certified weight tickets.
What happens if I exceed my weight allowance? You pay the excess. Check the allowance for your rank and dependent status before you start packing.
Will the military ship my car? For overseas assignments there is a defined entitlement with specific rules. For moves within the country you generally drive or arrange shipping yourself.
Is there a military discount on car shipping? At reputable transport companies, yes. Mention that you are serving when you request a quote.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 821-4555 with both zip codes, your report date and a note that you are military, or price the move with the instant calculator.
