With as many as 400,000 service members undergoing a permanent change of station (PCS) every year,¹ relocation isn’t a novelty to military families. Even so, every spouse dreads the time when they need to pack up all their family’s belongings and move once more.

As soon as your orders are issued, you’ll gain a better understanding of the authorizations and limitations of your military move. Generally, you’ll have two options:

• DPS (Defense Personal Property System) Move: This typically refers to any move organized, arranged, and tracked by the military. The military will send professional movers and cover all costs to move your household goods from your current duty station to your new installation.
• PPM (Personally Procured Move): Also known as a DITY (Do-It-Yourself) move, this option is suitable for families willing to arrange and handle moving all their possessions themselves.

In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of a self-move to help you decide if it’s the right choice for your family.

Self-Move: Pros

The biggest advantage and the main reason why families choose to self-move is the control and flexibility that comes with it. Keeping your precious belongings close by and ensuring their safety becomes entirely your responsibility. You’re much more likely to be extra careful when moving the box labeled “FRAGILE” compared to any hired transportation company.

As someone who had to live without any furniture for two months when we first arrived in California, I completely understand the benefit of having control over the delivery of your belongings. Not only that, but we also had to go through a lengthy claims process for all of our damaged goods through the military move.

Another common reason why military families choose to self-move is the profit potential. The military generally pays you the rate they’d pay a professional moving company. Moreover, you might also get reimbursed for expenses related to truck or trailer rentals, packing materials, gas and toll fees, and more. The less furniture you have, the less work and heavy lifting you’ll have to do. Driving your belongings in a rental truck and already having a place to stay at your new duty station also removes the need for storage during your PCS move.

Self-Move: Cons

Before you jump straight into organizing your self-move, we need to mention the disadvantages that come with it. While many might picture massive piles of boxes scattered around the house, followed by hours of heavy lifting, the amount of work you’ll need to do yourself isn’t the biggest issue with a military PCS move.

When we did a DPS move, we had to go through the Transportation Service Provider (TSP) insurance policy to get reimbursed for our damaged furniture. With a self-move, however, you’re fully responsible and risk any damages without the backup of the professional company’s insurance. While this might not be a major concern for some, it’s important to keep in mind if you have luxurious, high-priced valuables during your military move.

Military Families’ Self-Move Experiences

After covering the main pros and cons of self-move, I also wanted to share the thoughts of some military families who’ve already gone through this process.

One service member, for example, shared that handling the logistics around the rental truck was the biggest difficulty he faced during both of his DITY moves. He further explained that “loading and unloading all items, as well as finding the weight stations at the old and new duty stations, were considerable challenges.”

A military family from Camp Pendleton who’s completed a few partial DITY moves also expressed how tough it was figuring out what was essential and what wasn’t. They also had to navigate “the amount of space for not only the items but for the kids to ride comfortably during the cross-country moves.” They both agreed that a partial self-move is the way to go since “the government can pack up your large household items and move them for you, while you and your family take the basic essentials.” Having these items immediately at the new duty station was a major plus, which you wouldn’t otherwise benefit from during your PCS move.

All interviewees agreed that doing a self-move can save you a lot of money, and you can come out ahead, as long as you don’t mind doing the work yourself!

Get Connected with ASYMCA

Weighing the pros and cons of self-move is your first step before embarking on the adventure called PCS. Regardless of whether you decide to do it yourself or not, though, you’ll inevitably make it to your next duty station. Getting settled into your new installation comes with another set of concerns. For example, you might need to help your kids adjust after a PCS move. Don’t forget you’re not alone! Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) is there to help through its wide range of services. From childcare and preschool programs to food pantries, their assistance is invaluable when it comes to connecting with your new community.

Learn More

Source:

¹ PCS: The Basics About Permanent Change of Station – https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-pcs/plan-to-move/pcs-the-basics-about-permanent-change-of-station/