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Shockingly the decision of whether to do a DITY move, or let the military move you is a hard one for many military families.
Why do I say shockingly?
For me the choice was easy. Let the military do all the work! PCS’ing is hard enough so why add packing and physical labor into the mix. However, many military families prefer DITY moves and even partial DITY moves for several reasons such as avoiding wait times for delivery of your household goods, or having access to your goods right away.
Here are some things you need to know and think about when deciding what type of military move to do a military move.
DITY and Partial DITY
A DITY move (Do It Yourself) is when a military family moves themselves without the help of the military. A Partial DITY is when you let the military take a portion of your household goods, and you move the remainder yourself. The official name for these moves are Personal Procured Moves.
Many families like the option of Partial DITY because it allows you to start setting up your home right away, and gives you access to some of your household items. Naturally, a DITY allows you to completely set up at your own convenience. It also allows the military to move the bigger items.
Things to know when deciding to do a DITY or Partial DITY.
— For both DITY and partial DITY’s you have to weigh empty and then full at a certified weigh station on base, or at a truck station which you normally see off of highways. On the day of the move, you will need to have weight tickets to reflect the weight of the moving vehicle[s] before loading and after.
Click HERE to learn the formula to calculate the weight of your shipment.
Use Truckerpath app to find weigh stations nearby.
— Applying for a DITY or Partial DTY: As soon as you receive your orders you will need to apply to do a PPM with your base transportation office by filling out DD Form 2278. According to AHRN.com you will need the following information in addition to your form:
- Copy of your orders
- Form 1038 Advance of Funds Application (if an advance is needed)
- Copy of trailer registration (if using a personally owned trailer)
- Rental agreement (if using a rented trailer)
— Upon arrival at your new duty station, you will need to present the transportation office there with weight/gas receipts, proof of mileage, and any transportation paperwork you have.
— It’s important to know that you will not be reimbursed [or receive limited reimbursement] if your DITY moves were not authorized by the Personal Property Transportation office.
—Make sure you have the money to actually do a DITY or Partial move. In most cases you will not be reimbursed until AFTER the move is complete. We all know the military has a hurry up and weight mentality.
— Expenses that exceed the governments limit such as overweight goods will be at your own expense. You should also be sure to learn about what moving expenses are not covered or authorized.
What Milspouses Are Saying
We love hearing what military spouses are saying about these topics in our Army Wife 101 group, so here are some thoughts from milspouse readers.
“I highly recommend mapping your route, and reserving your hotels in advance. We’ve done this with every move and it takes a lot of stress off. Always have something in savings, we’ve used a GTC with our moves but sometimes it doesn’t work so we had to pay out of pocket. Obviously keep all of your receipts. I got an accordion binder, and I also kept a copy of my husband’s orders, just in case. Reimbursement depends on the duty station when we moved to Ft. Campbell it took 3ish months, when we moved to JBLM, it took over a year so…yeah”
“Weight the moving truck empty and don’t fill up gas yet and same for your POV. Weigh full and with full gas later (gas can weigh a bit in those big trucks).
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Army Wife 101
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market.
She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.