Military Car Shipping for PCS Moves

Why military moves are different from a standard car shipment

The process of shipping a car is the same for everyone: get a quote, book, carrier assignment, pickup inspection, transit, delivery inspection. What changes on a PCS move is the set of constraints around it.

• Fixed deadlines. Your report date does not move. That makes the pickup window, not the transit time, the most important thing to plan around.
• Installation access. Commercial car haulers generally cannot drive onto a base. Pickup and delivery are normally arranged at a safe spot outside the gate.
• Split locations. It is common for the service member to be at the new post while the vehicle is still at the old one, or for a spouse to handle one end.
• Reimbursement paperwork. If you plan to submit any part of the cost, you need a clear invoice and a signed Bill of Lading showing pickup and delivery.

Shipping one vehicle versus driving it

Many families drive one car and ship the second. It avoids two drivers taking separate routes with children and pets, and it keeps the shipped vehicle off the odometer for a long trip. If you have a single car and the move is more than a day or two of driving, shipping can still make sense once you weigh fuel, hotels, meals and the days of leave spent on the road. Our cross-country car shipping guide walks through that comparison in detail.

How to time the shipment around your orders

Under our terms, a carrier is typically assigned within one to five business days of the first available pickup date for a standard car, and it can take longer for oversized or specialty vehicles. Transit time then depends on distance. Short in-state moves can be a day or two, while coast-to-coast runs are usually around a week once the vehicle is on the truck.

A workable plan for most PCS moves looks like this:

1. Book as soon as you have your orders and a rough departure date. You do not need the exact day to get a quote.
2. Give the earliest realistic first available pickup date. A wider window gives dispatch more carriers to choose from, which usually helps both price and reliability.
3. Decide who handles pickup and delivery at each end and share their name and phone number with us before the carrier is assigned.
4. If the vehicle has to arrive by a specific date, ask about expedited shipping with guaranteed pickup. It costs more, but it changes the pickup window from an estimate to a commitment.

Pickup and delivery near installations

Door-to-door service means the driver comes as close to your address as the truck can safely and legally get. On or near a base that is often a commissary or exchange parking lot, a shopping center outside the gate, or a wide street in base housing areas that allow commercial trucks. Tell us which installation is involved when you book, and we will confirm the meeting point with the carrier before pickup day. Our door-to-door auto transport page explains how the meeting-point rule works in general.

OCONUS moves to Hawaii and Alaska

Island and Alaska moves add an ocean leg. The vehicle is trucked to a departure port (for example Los Angeles or Long Beach for Hawaii, Seattle or Tacoma for Alaska), sails by roll-on roll-off vessel or container, and is released at the destination port or delivered locally. Ports have stricter preparation rules than domestic carriers: the car must be clean, hold no personal items, and carry a quarter tank of fuel or less. Vessel schedules also add time, so start early. The Hawaii car shipping and Alaska car shipping pages cover the step-by-step port process.

Documents to keep for your records

• Your booking confirmation and invoice from Super Auto Transport.
• The Bill of Lading signed at pickup and again at delivery, with the condition report.
• Photos of the vehicle taken at pickup and delivery, with timestamps.
• The assigned carrier’s name and MC number, which we provide at assignment.

These are the same documents you would need if you ever had to file a damage claim, so it pays to keep them together. Our guide to insurance, the Bill of Lading and claims explains what each one does.

What Super Auto Transport is and is not

Ship Hauls, Inc, doing business as Super Auto Transport, is a licensed and bonded auto transport broker (MC 1558624, USDOT 4091281). We do not own trucks. We match your shipment with a vetted, insured carrier from our network, coordinate pickup and delivery, and stay in contact with you and the driver until the vehicle is signed for. Cargo insurance for the vehicle in transit is carried by the assigned carrier. If you are not sure what that means in practice, read broker vs carrier explained.

Getting a quote

Use the instant car shipping calculator with your pickup and delivery ZIP codes, or call (208) 500-0400 and tell us it is a PCS move. We will note the installation details and your report date on the booking from the start.