PCS POV Shipping Guide 2026: A CONUS Move Roadmap

A Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move already has enough deadlines. Your vehicle plan should not require a decoder ring and three contradictory group chats.

For most moves within the continental United States (CONUS), the military expects service members and families to drive their privately owned vehicles (POVs) and use authorized travel allowances. Government-paid vehicle shipment within CONUS is not the standard path, although limited exceptions may apply.

Private car shipping becomes useful when driving does not fit the household's schedule, health, number of available drivers, or report date. It is also a common option for a second vehicle.

Quick Answer: Your Three CONUS Vehicle Paths

Most CONUS PCS vehicle plans fall into one of these paths:

1. Drive the vehicle. If travel by POV is authorized, Monetary Allowance in Lieu of Transportation (MALT) helps offset the trip based on official mileage.
2. Privately ship the vehicle. You arrange and pay a licensed auto transporter when driving is impractical or when another vehicle needs to move.
3. Use an authorized exception. In limited situations, orders or service-specific approval may authorize vehicle transportation. Confirm this before booking anything.

Your orders and transportation office control your entitlement. A private shipping quote does not determine whether the military will reimburse you.

What the Military Usually Covers for a CONUS Vehicle Move

For a standard CONUS PCS, the normal plan is to travel by authorized POV rather than have the government ship the car. The Defense Travel Management Office explains that MALT is paid instead of providing transportation on a commercial carrier when PCS travel by POV is authorized.

That does not mean every family must drive every vehicle. It means a privately hired auto transporter is generally a household expense unless the orders or transportation office approve a specific exception.

Before choosing a route:

• Read the transportation language in the orders.
• Ask the transportation office how many POVs are authorized for travel.
• Confirm the official distance and authorized travel days.
• Ask whether any medical, dependent, operational, or service-specific exception applies.
• Get an answer before signing a private transport agreement if reimbursement affects the decision.

How MALT Works in 2026

The Defense Travel Management Office lists the PCS MALT rate as $0.205 per mile beginning January 1, 2026.

MALT is calculated from the official distance between authorized locations. It is not based on every mile shown on the odometer, and it is not designed to repay every fuel, maintenance, or wear-and-tear cost.

For example, 1,000 authorized miles at $0.205 per mile equals $205 for one authorized vehicle. That is a simple illustration, not a benefit estimate. The official distance, number of authorized vehicles, route, orders, and travel claim determine the actual payment.

DFAS states that when a service member and dependents relocate on a PCS move, MALT may be authorized for two privately owned conveyances if both are used. "Used" means the vehicles make the authorized trip. It does not mean the government pays a private company to ship the second vehicle.

DTMO also uses official distance to calculate authorized travel days. For PCS travel by POV, one day is allowed for the first 400 miles. For distances over 400 miles, the remaining calculation uses 350-mile increments under the JTR. Confirm the travel-day calculation with the transportation office rather than building the schedule from a consumer map alone.

Official sources:

• Defense Travel Management Office mileage rates
• DFAS PCS en-route travel guidance
• Joint Travel Regulations

Drive or Privately Ship the Vehicle?

Neither choice is automatically better. Compare the real household impact.

Road-trip math gets weird fast. Compare the private quote with the whole driving plan, not with fuel alone.

Planning a Second Vehicle

Two-vehicle households often have one easy plan and one awkward car sitting in the driveway.

Start with these questions:

• Are two vehicles authorized for PCS travel?
• Are two safe and available drivers making the trip?
• Will dependents, pets, work schedules, or medical needs make separate driving difficult?
• Does one vehicle need to arrive before the service member reports?
• Would a family member be stranded while waiting for delivery?
• Is either vehicle leased, financed, modified, oversized, non-running, electric, or unusually valuable?
• Would storing or selling one vehicle make more sense than moving it?

If two vehicles are driven and authorized, MALT may apply to both. If one vehicle is driven and the other is shipped privately, the shipped vehicle normally remains a private expense unless an exception was approved.

Private shipping may be the practical choice when a spouse cannot drive, a family is flying, a medical limitation makes a long trip unsafe, or one driver would otherwise have to make the route twice.

What Private CONUS Car Shipping Costs

Private shipping prices change with the shipment rather than military rank or MALT rate.

The main cost factors are:

• Pickup and delivery distance.
• Route demand and carrier availability.
• Vehicle size, weight, and condition.
• Whether the vehicle runs, steers, brakes, and rolls.
• Open or enclosed transport.
• Season, weather, and fuel costs.
• Pickup-window flexibility.
• Expedited or unusually precise timing.
• Rural access or the need to meet a carrier near a safe major road.

Open transport is normally the practical choice for a standard daily driver. Enclosed transport adds protection from weather and road debris and is more commonly considered for classic, luxury, rare, or high-value vehicles.

For a useful comparison, request a written quote with the same pickup window, vehicle details, route, and service type from each provider. A low number built on missing information is not much of a bargain.

If private shipment fits the plan, use the quote block below after confirming the military travel authorization. A clean PCS vehicle plan is the one that works on paper and on pickup day.

When to Arrange a CONUS Shipment

Begin comparing options as soon as the orders and travel window are clear. Booking earlier usually gives the dispatcher more flexibility, especially during summer PCS season.

Private vehicle transport uses pickup and delivery windows. Weather, route demand, traffic, breakdowns, and carrier schedules can affect timing, so do not build the entire report-date plan around one exact delivery hour.

Plan for the arrival gap:

• Keep essential documents, medication, uniforms, and travel items outside the shipped vehicle.
• Decide whether the household can share one vehicle temporarily.
• Price a rental car or rideshare buffer if needed.
• Avoid placing critical household items in the vehicle.
• Give the carrier a reachable pickup and delivery contact.
• Tell the shipping coordinator about base access or large-truck restrictions.

How Private CONUS Vehicle Shipping Works

1. Confirm the Military Travel Plan

Review the orders and speak with the transportation office. Determine what is authorized before paying a private provider.

2. Request a Complete Quote

Provide the correct vehicle year, make, model, condition, modifications, pickup location, delivery location, and scheduling window.

3. Verify the Company

Confirm the broker or carrier through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. AutoStar Transport Express operates under MC #600908 and U.S. DOT #2239014.

4. Choose Open or Enclosed Transport

Open transport works for most daily drivers. Consider enclosed service when the vehicle's value, condition, or protection needs justify it.

5. Prepare the Vehicle

Remove loose items, reduce fuel, check for leaks, disable alarms, secure removable accessories, and make sure the vehicle can be loaded safely.

6. Document Its Condition

Wash the vehicle enough to see existing damage. Take dated photos of every side, the interior, wheels, glass, and odometer.

7. Review the Pickup Inspection

The driver records the vehicle's condition on the Bill of Lading. Review it before signing and keep a copy.

8. Inspect at Delivery

Compare the vehicle with the pickup record before signing the delivery paperwork. Record any new damage immediately and follow the provider's claim instructions.

Vehicle Preparation Checklist

• Keep registration, proof of insurance, photo identification, and required authorizations available.
• Ask the provider about title, lienholder, or lease requirements.
• Keep the fuel level around one-quarter tank unless instructed otherwise.
• Charge an electric vehicle to the provider's requested level.
• Remove toll tags or disable them to avoid accidental charges.
• Remove loose accessories and personal valuables.
• Photograph the vehicle and odometer.
• Check tires, battery, fluids, brakes, steering, and leaks.
• Provide working keys.
• Review the Bill of Lading at pickup and delivery.

Government Vehicle Processing Centers generally have strict rules about personal property. Private carrier policies vary, and items left inside may be limited, prohibited, or excluded from cargo coverage. Ask for the written policy instead of assuming the trunk is free moving-box space.

A Short Note About OCONUS Moves

Outside the continental United States (OCONUS), eligible orders may authorize government shipment of a qualifying POV through the official vehicle-processing system. That process has different documents, turn-in standards, port or Vehicle Processing Center requirements, and destination rules.

Use PCSmyPOV and the transportation office for authorized OCONUS shipment instructions. Do not substitute a private CONUS shipping plan for official overseas requirements.

How to Check a Vehicle Shipping Company

Before handing over the keys:

• Search the company's MC and USDOT identifiers through FMCSA.
• Confirm whether the company is a broker, carrier, or both.
• Review the written price, payment timing, cancellation terms, and services included.
• Ask how the carrier's insurance is verified.
• Ask who provides updates during transit.
• Read the pickup and delivery inspection process.
• Be cautious with pressure to pay an unusually large amount before a carrier is assigned.

A legitimate provider should be able to explain the process without turning the call into a vocabulary test.

Choose the Next Step That Fits the Orders

For entitlement, official-distance, or authorized-travel questions, start with the transportation office and current Joint Travel Regulations.

For an uncovered CONUS vehicle, second car, or schedule that makes driving impractical, compare a private transport quote with the full cost and effort of the drive.

PCS entitlements vary by orders, service, destination, dependents, and circumstances. Verify official benefits before making financial commitments.