Military Car
Shipping

What PCS means for your vehicle. A Permanent Change of Station move is one of the most logistically demanding personal events in military life — coordinating housing, household goods, family travel, and vehicle transport simultaneously, often with a firm report date. Vehicle shipping removes one of those variables: instead of adding a cross-country drive to an already-complex move, you ship the car and fly or travel separately.

Timing around report dates. The most critical planning question for PCS vehicle shipping is when you need the car at the new duty station. If you're driving to the new installation and living on base initially, the vehicle can arrive after you do. If your spouse and family are traveling separately and need the car, the delivery window becomes more important. Work backward from the date you need the vehicle and build in buffer: a 7-day cross-country transit plus a 5-day dispatch window means booking 2 weeks before you need it — ideally 3–4 weeks during PCS season.

Pickup before you leave. Many service members arrange vehicle pickup from the origin duty station or residence a few days before their own departure — the carrier picks up the car while the service member is still packing, and the vehicle arrives at the new station 1–2 weeks later. Alternatively, a family member remaining at the origin address can handle the pickup after the service member has already departed.

Delivery before final housing is confirmed. Don't wait for a confirmed on-base housing address to book transport. Book with the city and installation as the destination and update the specific address with your coordinator as it's confirmed. Many service members ship to a TLF address on base or a hotel near the installation initially, then update once permanent housing is assigned.

When orders change. PCS orders change — report dates shift, destinations change, and last-minute revisions happen. Contact your EZ Auto Movers coordinator immediately when orders change. With sufficient lead time (typically 48+ hours before scheduled pickup), adjustments can usually be made without additional charges. If the carrier has already been dispatched and is en route to pickup, rebooking may involve a scheduling fee — contact us as early as possible when orders change.

Carrier access to military installations varies. Commercial tractor-trailers carrying multiple vehicles cannot enter most military installations without visitor access clearance — the same restrictions that apply to other commercial vehicles. This means that pickup and delivery for military car shipping typically happens at or near the installation, not inside the gate.

Standard practice: gate-adjacent meeting points. The carrier and service member (or designee) coordinate a meeting point near the installation's main gate, at a nearby large parking area (major retailers, shopping centers, or hotels near the gate are commonly used), or at an off-base residence. This is the normal operating procedure for military car shipping — not a limitation, but an expected coordination step.

On-base residential pickup is often possible. For carriers with smaller vehicles (car-hauler pickups or single-car trailers), access to on-base housing areas is sometimes possible with a visitor pass arranged by the service member. If on-base pickup is important, discuss this with your coordinator at booking — the carrier's equipment type determines what's feasible.

Coordinate in advance. Inform your EZ Auto Movers coordinator of the specific installation at booking — some bases have specific commercial vehicle hours, gate procedures, or nearby staging areas that affect the logistics. Your coordinator will note installation-specific access information in the shipment details so the carrier arrives with the right expectations.

Short-notice military orders are a fact of life — report dates come in with less advance notice than ideal, deployment departures accelerate, and PCS orders arrive at the wrong time. Expedited military car shipping prioritizes your shipment in carrier matching to compress the standard 3–7 day dispatch window to 24–72 hours.

Realistic expectations for expedited dispatch: In most US corridors, a carrier can be matched within 24–72 hours of an expedited booking confirmation. Transit time remains the same as standard shipping (1–10 days depending on distance). An expedited premium of 20–40% applies to the base route rate. Call (888) 508-2175 directly for the fastest expedited coordination — phone bookings for urgent military situations are handled immediately.

When orders change at the last minute: If your pickup was already scheduled and your departure date moves up, contact your coordinator immediately. With 48+ hours' notice, the carrier pickup window can often be adjusted without additional charges. With less than 48 hours, it depends on the carrier's schedule — your coordinator will do everything possible to accommodate the change.