Military car shipping is one of the few parts of a PCS move with clear rules once someone explains them. For most moves inside the continental United States, the government does not ship your car. You drive it, or you pay to have it shipped and claim whatever reimbursement your orders allow. For overseas moves, the government generally ships one privately owned vehicle through a port, and anything beyond that is on you.
Big Apple Car Shipping handles PCS vehicle shipping from New York every week, from Fort Drum soldiers heading to Fort Liberty to Fort Hamilton families bound for San Diego. College cars follow the same calendar logic, so this page covers students too. Both groups get the same 5 percent discount, applied at booking with a valid ID.
What the government pays for in a PCS vehicle move, and what it does not
The general rule: for a PCS within CONUS, the government does not pay to ship a privately owned vehicle. Your orders authorize travel by POV and reimburse mileage. Shipping instead is out of pocket, though in some cases it can be claimed under personally procured move rules. DITY and PPM rules shift from year to year, so check with your transportation office before you book and keep every receipt.
For OCONUS moves to Germany, Japan, Korea, or Hawaii, the government generally ships one POV through a vehicle processing center. A second car or a spouse's car is not covered. On CONUS moves the second car is the most common case we see: one spouse drives the family SUV with the kids, the other car ships, and the family arrives together instead of convoying across six states. The pricing guide shows what that typically costs from New York.
Timing military car shipping around report dates and lodging windows
The report date on your orders is fixed. Everything else bends around it. Temporary lodging expense on a CONUS move covers a limited number of days, usually 10 to 14, and the car should arrive inside that window.
Work backward. New York to Fort Liberty or Camp Lejeune is two to four days on the truck, Fort Cavazos or Fort Bliss four to six, San Diego or Joint Base Lewis-McChord seven to nine. Add two to five days for pickup after booking. If the report date is in three weeks, book now. If it is in a week, ask about expedited pickup, which usually gets a truck to you within 48 hours from the NYC metro.
Summer is the hard part. Every branch concentrates PCS moves between May and August, standard pickups stretch to a week or more, and prices run $100 to $200 above off-season. If orders arrive in spring for a summer report date, book early.
Installations New Yorkers use military car shipping to and from
Out of New York the home installations are Fort Drum near Watertown, the biggest source of military car shipping in the state; West Point and the United States Military Academy on the Hudson; Fort Hamilton in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, the only active Army post in the city; and, just over the lines, Naval Station Newport and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Our Bronx office handles most Fort Hamilton and West Point pickups.
The destinations are the big posts everyone rotates through: Fort Liberty and Camp Lejeune, Norfolk, Fort Moore, Fort Campbell, Fort Cavazos and Fort Bliss, and on the west coast, San Diego and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The North Carolina route is the busiest military lane we run. Most installations do not let a car hauler onto post, so the driver usually meets you at a shopping center or hotel lot outside the gate; tell us which gate at booking.
The military discount, deployed members, and power of attorney
Active duty, reserve, Guard, veterans, military spouses, and college students get 5 percent off the quoted price. The discount is applied at booking when you provide a valid ID such as a CAC, DD-214, dependent ID, VA card, or student ID. It comes off the quote the quote tool shows, before the deposit, and applies to enclosed transport too.
Cars ship while the owner is deployed all the time. A spouse, parent, or anyone with a power of attorney can book, sign the inspection report at pickup, and receive the car. Neither the title nor the owner needs to be present, so a car in a Watertown driveway can be shipped to the family home in Texas with a few phone calls. A general or special POA from the legal assistance office covers most situations; bring it to pickup in case the driver asks.
Shipping to a port for an overseas move
For an OCONUS PCS, the government-paid POV goes through a vehicle processing center at a port. We handle the domestic leg: pickup in New York and delivery to the VPC at Baltimore, Newark, Jacksonville, Charleston, or wherever your orders specify. We do not arrange the ocean freight; the VPC takes it from there under the turn-in appointment your transportation office gives you.
The VPC has strict acceptance rules, and a car that fails them gets turned away. It must be clean inside and out, including the undercarriage, at or under a quarter tank, with no personal items at all, no cracked windshield, no leaks, and a working parking brake. The VPC also wants the title or lien holder authorization, registration, and orders. Have it in that condition before our driver picks it up, because he delivers it exactly as received. A second car going overseas at your own expense can ride with us to the port; the ocean leg is a separate contract.
Student car shipping on the semester calendar
Students get the same 5 percent discount and follow a calendar almost as rigid as a PCS. Cars head to campus in late August, home in mid-December, back in mid-January, and home again in mid-May. We ship into and out of SUNY and CUNY campuses, Stony Brook and Hofstra on Long Island, the University at Buffalo, Union, and RPI, plus New York students heading to Florida, Texas, and California. West Point parents ship cadets' cars for the summer and back in the fall.
Campus loading rules are the thing to sort out ahead of time. A hauler cannot stop at a dorm; most campuses route commercial vehicles to a loading zone or a large peripheral lot, and some want campus police notified. Stony Brook and UB have big commuter lots; Union and RPI are tight, and the driver usually meets at a lot off campus. The student needs to be reachable by phone and present with keys, or a roommate can stand in. Our Buffalo office covers the western New York campuses directly. Late August and mid-May need at least a week of notice; if a parent is driving the student up, time pickup so the car arrives a few days after move-in. The shipping checklist covers what to leave in the car.
Common PCS lanes from New York, open carrier, running sedan, before the military discount
| Lane | Transit on the truck | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Drum or NYC to Fort Liberty, NC | 2 to 4 days | $550 to $650 |
| NYC to Camp Lejeune, NC | 2 to 4 days | $550 to $650 |
| NYC to Norfolk, VA | 1 to 3 days | $450 to $550 |
| NYC to Fort Moore, GA | 3 to 5 days | $650 to $750 |
| NYC to Fort Campbell, KY | 3 to 5 days | $700 to $800 |
| NYC to Fort Cavazos or Fort Bliss, TX | 4 to 6 days | $1,000 to $1,150 |
| NYC to San Diego, CA | 7 to 9 days | $1,350 to $1,500 |
| NYC to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA | 7 to 9 days | $1,400 to $1,550 |
| NYC to Baltimore or Newark port VPC | Same day to 2 days | $250 to $400 |
Questions about military car shipping and PCS vehicle shipping from New York
Does the military pay to ship my car on a PCS move?
Inside the continental United States, generally no. Orders authorize driving the car and reimburse mileage. Shipping is out of pocket, though some of the cost may be claimable under personally procured move rules. For overseas moves the government usually ships one vehicle through a port. Rules change, so confirm with your transportation office.
How does the military car shipping discount work?
Active duty, reserve, Guard, veterans, spouses, and students get 5 percent off the quoted price. It is applied at booking when you show a valid ID such as a CAC, DD-214, dependent ID, VA card, or student ID. It comes off the same quote the quote tool shows and applies to enclosed transport too.
Can my spouse ship the car while I am deployed?
Yes. A spouse, parent, or anyone with power of attorney can book, sign the inspection report at pickup, and receive the car at delivery. The owner does not need to be present and the title is not required. Bring the POA to pickup in case the driver asks, and give us a number for whoever is at each end.
Can you deliver my car to the port for an overseas PCS?
We handle the domestic leg to the vehicle processing center at Baltimore, Newark, Jacksonville, Charleston, or wherever your orders direct; the VPC handles the ocean shipment. Have the car clean inside and out, under a quarter tank, with no personal items, and bring the title or lien release, registration, and orders.
Can the truck pick up or deliver on base or on campus?
Usually not. Most installations do not admit car haulers, and campuses route commercial vehicles to designated lots. The driver typically meets you at a shopping center or hotel lot outside the gate, or a large commuter lot on campus. Tell us which gate or lot you prefer and we put it on the dispatch sheet.