Day Twelve
The military will only ship one vehicle for the service member and their family. I think this makes a lot of sense because the cost of shipping a soldier’s possible car collection would be a whole boat load of money, literally! The distance of the PCS can determine when you go to ship the vehicle. Also, your ability to make troop movement with the one remaining vehicle should also be a consideration. When we shipped the car in Baltimore, getting down to the cargo loading company was pretty scary! It was way back near the freight ships and our little cars were dwarfed by the huge semi trucks hauling conex trailers to the boats. I have to hand it to the Baltimore shippers, though. They had a little toy room in their office building. I was extremely grateful for their facilities.
For this PCS, we shipped hubby’s car the week before we rolled out. We are taking some time off to drive across the country to see family, friends, and the US in general. There are several thing to keep in mind with shipping the car. Most moving companies have rules about what condition the vehicle ships. They have to be cleaned out and completely clean on the outside. This is because they inspect the vehicle completely before shipping to note any dings or dents that were already in place. With hubby’s little commuter car, the notes looked as if the poor car was on its last leg 😉 Thankfully, it runs, it’s great on gas, so we keep it despite the imperfections. Due the detailed shipping notes and inspection, this generally takes an hour to accomplish. Definite appointment times are very helpful for this task!
They also have rules about the fullness of the gas tank. The vehicle must have less than 1/4 of a tank of gas. We have had the unpleasant situation of having to do some joy riding to get the tank down to the acceptable levels 😉
Before this vehicle shipment, we made sure the headlights were all working and hubby replaced the air filter. It is simply amazing how salty sea spray can get into everything. It will need a good rub down, even on the inside, when we pick it up.
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This is part of a series Planning a Military Move.
Kay's Little Korner 