How To Plan a CONUS PCS (Pt. 3)

Over the last two weeks, I explained the basics of a CONUS PCS from acronyms to the types of moves available.  Today I’ll walk you through how to pick your actual moving dates.

But first let me share a tip.  Remain extremely flexible during this whole PCS planning process.  Often we’ve burned through Plan A, B & C only to end up back on Plan A. The more flexible you remain, the less frustrated you’ll be.

To make planning easier for you, we created the CONUS PCS Travel Dates Worksheet.  Simply click and print.

OK, pull out your PCS orders, a calendar and the worksheet.  You’re going to back plan your move from the service member’s report date at the new duty station.

Step by Step

Let’s start with the actual moving days. If you choose the government contracted move, packing and loading can take anywhere from 1-4 days. It really depends on how many pounds the packers must handle and how many crew members they send.

For example, our last government contracted company sent five packers.  It took two days to pack and one day to load our out-of-state 14,000 pound shipment.

Recently we completed a civilian move with a company we hired.  They sent eight workers for 14,000 pounds.  It took one day to pack and one day to load for a local move.

If you choose the PPM route, you’ll have to guesstimate how many days you’ll need to pack and load.  There are many options for a PPM:  do-it-yourself moving trucks, hiring a load/unload crew for your moving truck, having a container delivered or even a hiring a full-service company yourself.  Each option varies in the time needed for the packing and loading.

Next add an extra day or two for cleaning your home and a housing inspection before turning over the keys to rentals.  You may need additional days if you’re selling a house.

Now figure out how many days you need to travel from your current duty station to your new duty station.  Usually there are allotted travel days listed on the orders. That’s the amount of time the military says it should take an average person to travel a specific distance, while stopping for normal things like gas, food or rest.

Think about your specific situation. You may want to stop and visit friends or family along the way or turn the road trip from utilitarian to fun with stops at attractions.  The service member will need to take leave if you plan to do anything beyond getting from Point A to Point B.  So write down the number of days for travel plus any time you want to take leave.

Finally the service member should consider whether he/she wants to sign-in shortly after arrival at the new duty station or have a few days off to get settled.  If they do want that time on the other end, add those leave days to your running total.

The service member may also be able to take permissive TDY either before or at the end of a move.  This is basically paid time off that doesn’t count against their accrued leave.  It’s not automatic, so the service member must request it from either the losing or gaining unit for a specific purpose (like receiving household goods during a PCS).  If days are granted, add those to your worksheet.

Now add all of the days together for the total days needed for your move.  Look at the calendar to see when the service member’s report date is.  Count back however many days you estimated previously and write down that date.

Pick several dates that could work for the move. Yes, several. Why? Because you’ll enter an ideal day for the you, but the movers may or may not be available. It’s always good to have several backup plans. You’re now ready to officially schedule your PCS with transportation in the Defense Personal Property System (DPS).

Scheduling Your Move

All moves must be entered into the Defense Personal Property System (DPS) by the service member.  Yes, this includes PPMs.  If you do not schedule through DPS, you won’t be paid for moving your HHGs.

Military Contracted Move:  For the military contracted moves, DPS will assign a company to your move.  The company, known as the Transportation Service Provider (TSP), then contacts you directly to lock in dates, locations, etc. and assign your move coordinator.

Here’s where it may get confusing.  The TSP may use the same company or parcel out different steps of the move to several companies.  The local company that does the moving survey and packing is known as the Origin Agent.  They may load your HHGs or the van line assigned to drive your HHGs to your next destination may load your HHGs.  The Destination Agent is the company that delivers your HHGs on the other end of the move.