For a CONUS PCS, the military almost never ships your car. You are expected to drive it, and you are reimbursed with a per-mile travel allowance instead. For an OCONUS PCS, the government does ship one privately owned vehicle (POV) at its expense through the DoD global POV program. Everything outside those two lanes — a second family vehicle, getting a car from your current base to an overseas port, a vehicle nobody is available to drive — is a commercial shipment you arrange and pay for yourself. Here is what your orders cover, what the rest costs, and how long each piece takes.
What Your Orders Actually Cover
CONUS PCS: You Drive, They Reimburse Mileage
Moving between duty stations inside the continental United States, the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) treat your POV as something you drive, not something the government freights. You receive MALT — Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation — a per-mile payment for the official distance, plus per diem for you and authorized dependents. The MALT rate has run in the high teens to low twenties of cents per mile in recent years and is republished annually in the JTR, so check the current figure rather than budgeting from an old number.
CONUS POV shipment at government expense is authorized only in narrow cases: a documented medical condition that prevents the member from driving, or specific approval from the service secretary. If your orders do authorize it and you arrange transport yourself instead, reimbursement is normally capped at what the government's own cost would have been. Get that constructed cost in writing from your transportation office before you book anything.
OCONUS PCS: One Vehicle, Government Expense
Overseas orders are different. The JTR authorizes shipment of one POV at government expense to and from most overseas duty stations. This runs through the DoD global POV contract and the PCSmyPOV program, and the handoff happens at a Vehicle Processing Center (VPC) — a network of drop-off and pickup points in the US and overseas. You book the shipment online or through your installation transportation office, then deliver the vehicle to the assigned VPC in person or by power of attorney.
The contractor running that program has changed hands over the years (International Auto Logistics, or IAL, has held it), so confirm the current operator and your nearest VPC through your transportation office, not a search result.
Hawaii and Alaska Count as OCONUS
For entitlement purposes, Hawaii and Alaska are overseas. The government ships one POV, with the ocean leg from a West Coast port. The catch is the land leg: getting your car from Fort Campbell or Fort Bragg to a West Coast VPC is frequently your expense and your logistics problem. That single gap is one of the most common reasons military families book commercial cross-country vehicle transport during a PCS.
Where You End Up Paying Out of Pocket
- The second vehicle. One POV is covered. Two-car households pay commercially for the other one, and this is the single largest source of military auto transport demand.
- The run to the port. Covered under some orders, not under others. Read the authorization line, not the assumption.
- Restricted destinations. Japan enforces strict emissions, size and road-tax rules; Germany requires the vehicle to pass registration inspection. A large American truck or SUV may be impractical or ineligible.
- Inoperable vehicles. A car that will not start or roll needs winch-equipped equipment and carries a surcharge, typically $150 to $250.
What Commercial Military Car Shipping Costs
Open transport, door-to-door, for a standard sedan or small SUV in running condition:
- Under 500 miles: roughly $450 to $800. Short hauls cost the most per mile, often $1.00 to $1.75.
- 500 to 1,500 miles: roughly $700 to $1,300, or about $0.70 to $1.00 per mile.
- 2,000 to 2,900 miles (coast to coast): roughly $1,100 to $1,800, or about $0.50 to $0.75 per mile.
Four things move those numbers more than anything else. Vehicle size and weight — a lifted F-250 takes the space of two sedans and prices accordingly. Season — May through August is peak PCS season, and rates commonly climb 10% to 25% while capacity tightens. Route density — major interstate corridors are cheap; a base in rural Montana is not. Equipment — enclosed transport generally runs 40% to 60% above open, which is worth it for a classic or high-value car and rarely worth it for a daily driver.
Military discounts are standard across this industry, usually $50 to $100 off the total. They are almost never applied automatically to an online quote form. Ask.
How Long It Takes
Two clocks run. First the pickup window — typically one to seven days from booking to a truck at your door, longer to remote areas and in peak season. Then transit:
- Under 500 miles: 1 to 3 days
- 500 to 1,000 miles: 2 to 4 days
- 1,000 to 1,500 miles: 3 to 5 days
- 1,500 to 2,000 miles: 4 to 6 days
- 2,000+ miles: 7 to 10 days
Overseas is a different order of magnitude. Hawaii typically runs about 10 to 14 days port to port from the West Coast, plus the land leg on each end. Germany and Japan commonly take 45 to 60 days door to door once VPC processing, ocean transit and customs clearance are all counted. Plan a rental car into your budget for the overseas gap — it is the expense people forget.
Shipping a Car Overseas: What the VPC Requires
Show up at the VPC missing one document and you will be turned away. Assemble these first:
- PCS orders and your military ID.
- Title or a lienholder authorization letter. If the vehicle is financed, your lender must issue written permission to export it. Request this four to six weeks out — banks are slow, and this is the most common reason a drop-off fails.
- Current registration and proof of insurance.
- Power of attorney if a spouse or anyone other than the member is delivering the vehicle.
- The vehicle itself, prepared: clean inside and out so the inspector can document condition, roughly a quarter tank of fuel or less, no personal belongings inside, and no outstanding safety defects.
Vehicle Storage During Deployment or an Unaccompanied Tour
If you are PCSing somewhere your POV cannot go, or deploying on an unaccompanied tour, the JTR authorizes government-paid nontemporary storage of one vehicle for the duration. Arrange it through your transportation office before you leave. Commercial long-term storage, by comparison, generally runs $50 to $200 a month depending on whether it is outdoor, covered or climate-controlled — so the entitlement is worth the paperwork. Disconnect or trickle-charge the battery, inflate tires slightly above spec, and add fuel stabilizer if the car will sit over six months.
Choosing a Carrier You Can Verify
Every legitimate interstate auto transporter is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and carries an MC number. Look it up free on FMCSA's SAFER system at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov and confirm the authority is active and insurance is on file.
- Know whether you are talking to a broker or a carrier. Both are legal and both are licensed; brokers arrange the truck, carriers own it. What matters is that they tell you honestly which one they are.
- Confirm cargo insurance limits in writing. Your shipment is covered under the carrier's cargo policy while in transit, typically $100,000 to $250,000 per load.
- Treat a quote far below the ranges above as a warning. Underpriced loads sit on the dispatch board unclaimed, and the "deal" becomes a two-week delay and a price increase.
- Inspect against the Bill of Lading at both ends. Photograph every panel in daylight before pickup, then again at delivery, and note any new damage on the BOL before you sign. A signed clean BOL is very hard to walk back.
Olympic Auto Transport has handled PCS moves for over 15 years. We are licensed and bonded, run door-to-door open and enclosed transport with cargo insurance included on every shipment, and quote base-to-base and base-to-port runs as a matter of routine. See our military auto transport service or browse common vehicle shipping routes to see what your lane typically runs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the military pay to ship my car when I PCS?
Overseas, yes — one POV at government expense through the DoD POV program. Within the continental US, generally no. You drive it and receive MALT mileage plus per diem instead. CONUS shipment is authorized only for documented medical reasons or specific service-secretary approval.
Does the military ship a second vehicle?
No. The entitlement covers one privately owned vehicle. A second car is a commercial shipment at your expense, typically $700 to $1,800 depending on distance, vehicle size and season.
How far in advance should I book a PCS car shipment?
Two to three weeks for a normal window, and four to six weeks if you are moving between May and August, when peak PCS season tightens capacity and raises rates. Overseas shipments need more lead time — start the lienholder authorization letter four to six weeks out.
Is there a military discount on auto transport?
Most auto transport companies offer one, commonly $50 to $100 off the total, and it is rarely applied automatically. Ask for it when you request pricing and confirm it appears on your written quote before you book.
Next Step
Have your pickup ZIP, delivery ZIP or VPC, vehicle year, make and model, running condition, and your earliest available date ready — that is everything needed for a real number rather than an estimate. Get a vehicle shipping quote and confirm the military discount is applied before you book.