PCS
PCS means a permanent change of station, an assignment of 20 weeks or more. The service member's own car is a privately owned vehicle, or POV. Who pays to ship it depends on the orders.
Key facts
The sources are listed on this page.
A permanent change of station is a military assignment to a location for 20 weeks or more, whether the orders are for a job or for training. The car you own, or lease long term, is a privately owned vehicle. Military OneSource uses POV for that car. It is not the government's vehicle.
What the government pays for
For a CONUS-to-CONUS move, Military OneSource says the cost of transporting the POV is largely your responsibility. It names exceptions when you cannot drive for medical or personal reasons, or when the travel time exceeds your report-in date, and it tells you to ask the transportation office. Its PCS shipping guide says that if you drive inside the contiguous states, the government pays a monetary allowance in lieu of transportation, called MALT, for mileage, fuel, tolls, and certain other expenses. MALT is not a commercial shipping quote.
For OCONUS orders, Military OneSource says only one POV owned or leased for personal use may be shipped at government expense. To ship more than one, or to ask about an exception, contact the transportation office. A broker's ad is not that answer.
What to do before you book a commercial truck
Read the orders and call the transportation office, or the civilian human resources office if you are a civilian employee. A commercial car-shipping quote does not tell you what the government will reimburse. Compare the two sums only after each one is labeled, the way a ship versus drive comparison should be. On a commercial bill of lading you are the shipper. RideShipper does not file a PCS claim and does not decide entitlements.