We all know what DITY means— Do IT Yourself. Sometimes it's a fun craft project…other times it's a creative way to save (or even earn) some money while moving.
Can you actually save money during an Army DITY move? Since this is a moving blog, you've probably guessed that we'll be talking about the latter of the 2 examples given. When moving under any branch of the military, you're typically given 2 options:
Let the military coordinate and pay for your entire move.
Do parts of the move yourself, turn your costs in for reimbursement by the military, and pocket what's left over.
How to make an Army DITY move Army families will probably find that it's now officially called "The Personally Procured Move Program," but we'll still call it an Army DITY move for old-times' sake. A meeting with your Transportation Management Office (TMO), in the Outbound Properties Section will let you know the moving options specific to your situation. Here are the steps for making an Army DITY move with U-Pack:
Since the military reimburses DITY moves based on weight, find out what your authorized weight allowance is from the TMO so that you'll have an idea how much you can move and still stay under budget. This will help you gauge which cherished items to take with you, and which can be sold in a garage sale or donated.
Call U-Pack for a free moving quote and let your U-Pack representative know that you will need weight tickets. A flat $150 charge includes both empty and full weights, plus U-Pack's dedicated military specialist to monitor your Army DITY move to make sure the weight tickets are correct.
Check in with your TMO regularly to make sure that you have filled out all of the necessary forms. When your belongings arrive at your new home, the delivery driver will present the certified weight tickets to you
Submit the weight tickets to your TMO for reimbursement.
One of the best things about an Army DITY move is that if your reimbursement amount (determined by your TMO) is higher than the price you paid to move, you get to keep the rest of the cash. That's a pretty sweet deal!
Choose a moving option that costs less, without the extra time and effort of driving a rental. Have any questions about do-it-yourself moving? Leave a comment or call 800-413-4799.
Name: Westview Moving Company Date: 3-17-2011
Thanks for the tips. Before relocating, questions should be answered like: Do you need more room? Are you relocating because of a new job?
Name: Michael Date: 3-30-2011
What is a weigh ticket suppose to look like? I weighed mine twice just to make sure it all was the same and I got back two different weights. So which one do I turn in. We had a 3 bedroom house with every room furnished plus washer dryer sectional couch. Just don’t want to get screwed like it seems I normaly do.
Name: Becky Date: 3-30-2011
Michael, Weight tickets look different from weigh station to weigh station. First, you'll need to make sure that they are certified weight tickets. Then, commonly what you'll see is a certificate number, the gross weight, the tare weight, weighmaster's signature, date, carrier, trailer number, tractor number (or license number). When you say you weighed yours twice--is that a full and an empty weight? If so, you'll turn both of those in (they're both required). If you weighed the full twice and got two different weights, my best advice is to turn in the one with the weight that you believe is correct. When you do a DITY move with U-Pack, the ABF driver weighs the trailer at a certified weigh station before you start loading and again after it's loaded, then you're provided weight certificates at the destination, or you can retrieve them online.
Name: Sara Teague Date: 7-7-2011
Be Careful. Our driver knew noting about weighing a trailer which meant for us no weigh tickets and no payment from the military which means we paif for our entire move because of ABF U-Pack mistake. They will take your money no problem and not car a thing about you or your property after that.
Name: Autumnn Date: 7-7-2011
Sara, I sincerely apologize for any problems with your move. I've confirmed that should the military not accept the documentation we submit on your behalf, we have offered to refund the full transportation costs of your move due to the absence of weight tickets. Again, I am so sorry to hear of any issues with your move and would like to help with any questions or concerns. Please feel free to contact me directly at publicrelations@upack.com.
Date: 3-17-2011
Thanks for the tips. Before relocating, questions should be answered like: Do you need more room? Are you relocating because of a new job?