Shipping a second car on PCS orders

The second car is the one to price as a private shipment, unless your transportation office says the orders cover it. Military OneSource's entitlements page says that for moves between the contiguous United States, an overseas location, or two overseas locations, only one POV owned or leased for personal use may be shipped at government expense. It says there may be exceptions. It also says that if you want to ship more than one POV, you contact the transportation office.

That is the whole allowance question this page will answer. There is no dollar figure here for a "second car entitlement," because publishing one would be a guess. What you pay for on a PCS is the longer version of the first car. This page is only car number two.

RideShipper is not the government contractor and does not file a claim for you. A quote request goes to private companies. Those companies may pay RideShipper. See how we make money and PCSmyPOV versus a private quote.

Which move are you on?#

The answer changes with the orders.

Service member, CONUS to CONUS. On a typical stateside PCS, Military OneSource says you drive or you pay to ship the cars yourself. That includes car two. The exceptions, and what MALT is, are on what you pay for on a PCS. This page does not state a rate. Ask the office about each car.

Service member, involving OCONUS. The baseline is one government POV. The other car stays behind, goes into storage if that is authorized, or moves at your expense. Alaska and Hawaii are OCONUS on Military OneSource's definition, not "just another state" for this purpose. Some countries refuse POVs. If the country refuses the one authorized car, storage is the conversation. The second car was never in that authorization to begin with.

Civilian employee, CONUS, new station more than 600 miles away. Military OneSource says you may be allowed to ship up to two POVs. "May" and "up to two" are the words on the page. Your agency's personnel office has to confirm the authorization. Do not book two private trucks and assume both will be repaid. If the move is 600 miles or under, that sentence does not apply. Confirm the mileage the office will use.

A motorcycle plus a car. Military OneSource says a motorcycle can be the one government POV in some places, or household goods whose weight counts against your allowance. If the bike is the POV, the car is the one you pay for. The fuel, battery, and tie-down steps for a government shipment are not the steps a private carrier uses. Read how to ship a motorcycle and then ask the transportation office which vehicle the orders cover.

What to ask before you book car two#

Write the answers down.

1. Does this set of orders authorize any POV at government expense? Which vehicle?
2. If one POV is authorized, is a second authorized for any reason on these orders?
3. If I store the authorized POV, what happens if I also want it, or the other car, at a different address?
4. If I am a civilian, is the two-POV sentence in my agency's rules for this distance?
5. Will a private shipment of the second car change my MALT or my household-goods weight? The office has to answer. We will not guess.

The PCS planner separates the government vehicle from the private one. It does not approve the orders.

How a private second-car shipment works#

Once the office says you are paying, treat it like any other car.

• Book it in your name, or in the owner's name, with a person who can release it if you have already left.
• Say whether it runs. A car that sat for a deployment may not.
• Do not describe it to a carrier as "the Army is paying." The carrier will bill the person on the contract.
• Look up the MC or USDOT number. The government VPC process is a different door. A private company still has to be registered for interstate work. Use the company check.

A private range for a second car on a long stateside move, using two cities near large installations. It is a RideShipper sedan estimate with its date. It is not a reimbursement rate and not a government entitlement.

Two cars on one request sometimes share a truck and sometimes do not. Shipping several vehicles is the service page. Ask each company whether the second car is a discount or a second dispatch. There is no military discount printed here, because we did not verify one.

What not to put in the second car#

If car one is going to a VPC, Military OneSource's preparation sheet says personal items come out. The second car, on a private truck, follows the private contract, which often limits items in the passenger compartment and does not insure household goods left inside. Read personal items. Do not split a household-goods shipment by stuffing the second car. Weight that belongs on the inventory belongs on the inventory.

At the new duty station, registration and insurance are still your job. Service members can have residency rules that differ from a civilian new-resident deadline. This page states no exemption. Ask the installation legal assistance office or the state agency. See registering a car after a PCS.

A practical split#

Think of the two cars as two columns, and fill the columns from the office's answers, not from a guess.

If the office has not answered, leave both cars parked. Booking the private truck "just in case" and also starting a VPC appointment is how one car gets two pickups. Cancel in writing with whichever path you are not using.

Money you spend on the private car is not automatically repaid. Ask the office, before you pay a deposit, whether any reimbursement exists for your situation. If they say no, the quote is the cost. If they say "maybe," get the document name and the deadline. This page will not supply a dollar figure they did not give you.

A spouse who is already at the new station can receive the private car. Put that name on the order. A spouse who is still at the old house can release it. The service member does not have to be in both driveways. What the service member does have to do is tell the carrier those names before dispatch, and tell the transportation office if the government car is a different vehicle. Mixing the VINs is an expensive mistake. Read the VIN back to both offices.

Timing the private car around orders#

Military OneSource says not to make permanent decisions from an assignment notification. A deposit on the second car is a permanent decision. Wait until the orders exist and the transportation office has said which vehicle, if any, the government will move. Then set the private car's first available date from the report date you were actually given, with room for a pickup window.

If the second car is leased, the lessor's written permission comes before the deposit. The transportation office does not replace the lessor. If the second car does not run, say so on the private quote. A VPC checklist for the government car does not describe the private truck. Do not copy "one-quarter tank" from the POV sheet onto a battery percentage, and do not assume a private carrier wants the same fuel level. Ask.

If you later learn the government will take the car you already booked privately, cancel the private booking in writing before a driver is dispatched. Tell the office you had started a private move so the VIN is not scheduled twice. Keep the cancellation. A second pickup attempt is the failure this page is trying to prevent. The private company's cancellation terms are in its contract. This page does not rewrite them and does not state a reimbursement.