Military PCS guide

Moving a car during a military PCS: start with your orders

Updated July 26, 2026

The first step is not requesting a commercial quote. It is confirming what your orders authorize with your installation transportation office. Government-arranged POV shipment, reimbursement, and personally procured move rules depend on the orders and circumstances. SelectDrive cannot decide eligibility or promise reimbursement.

Planning status as of July 26, 2026: SelectDrive is accepting route details for planning estimates only while its federal interstate operating authority is pending. No interstate for-hire move will start until the required operating authority is granted and active, and the specific trip has current insurance, vehicle, driver, and signed agreement approvals. Any future trip will require an empty vehicle with no personal effects and no animal aboard.

Where a private driveaway can fit

For a move within the continental United States (CONUS), a family may still have an operable car to move privately: a second vehicle, a vehicle outside an official shipment entitlement, or a schedule the family is handling on its own. In a driveaway, a professional drives the car from pickup to delivery instead of loading it on a trailer.

That trade-off should be clear: driveaway adds the route distance to the odometer. It can be practical when a customer wants an assigned driver and a direct handoff. Any future SelectDrive trip would require the vehicle to be empty of personal effects with no animal aboard. A trailer is usually the better tool for an inoperable vehicle, a low-mileage collector car, or any car that should not gain road miles. Read the full driveaway vs auto transport comparison.

Before requesting a quote

1. Read the vehicle section of your orders. Do not assume another family's reimbursement applies to yours.
2. Ask your transportation office in writing. Confirm whether a POV shipment or personally arranged expense is authorized and what documentation is required.
3. Separate CONUS from OCONUS. SelectDrive does not offer overseas transport. Its planned model concerns possible road-based trips in the lower 48.
4. Build dates with margin. Report-no-later-than dates, housing access, leave, weather, and vehicle readiness can all affect the handoff.
5. Compare the complete cost. Look at the written quote, deposit, cancellation terms, mileage added, tracking, inspection process, and how the driver reaches and leaves the route.

Official starting points include Military OneSource and, when your orders direct you there, PCSmyPOV. Your orders and transportation office take priority over any general guide, including this one.

POV handoff checklist

• Vehicle starts, steers, brakes, and is safe for the full route
• Registration, insurance contact information, keys, and emergency contact are ready
• Pickup and delivery contacts are authorized and have confirmed the handoff window
• Fuel, fluids, tire condition, warning lights, toll devices, and charging equipment are reviewed
• Existing exterior and interior condition is photographed at pickup
• Personal effects are removed from the passenger compartment, trunk, cargo area, console, and door pockets
• No hazardous or illegal items, weapons, ammunition, official records, medication, cash, or irreplaceable valuables are packed in the vehicle
• All animals are removed before the vehicle is accepted

The broader vehicle preparation checklist explains the pickup inspection and delivery handoff. For personal-effects and animal constraints, see the current vehicle policy.

Questions to ask any private transport provider

• Who is the contracting company, and who will actually drive or carry the car?
• Is the quote binding, and what can change it?
• What current insurance documentation and operating identifiers apply to this trip?
• How are pickup and delivery condition documented?
• How does tracking work, and who is reachable during the move?
• What happens if orders or report dates change?

Use the full car transport provider checklist before paying a deposit.

Frequently asked questions

Will the military pay SelectDrive to move my car during a PCS?

SelectDrive cannot determine your entitlement or promise reimbursement. Your orders, service branch rules, and transportation office control. Confirm what is authorized in writing before hiring any private provider.

When can driveaway fit a CONUS PCS?

It can fit an operable personal vehicle you are arranging privately, such as a second vehicle or a move not handled through the official POV program. The vehicle is driven on its own wheels, so route miles are added.

Could a pet or belongings ride in a future SelectDrive trip?

No. Any future SelectDrive trip will require the vehicle to be empty of personal effects, and no animal may travel.

Does SelectDrive handle overseas POV shipments?

No. SelectDrive does not offer overseas transport. Follow the official process in your orders for OCONUS or government-arranged POV shipments.