Preparing your vehicle for shipping during the PCS season

Photo By Roland Schedel | Before bringing in your car for oversea shipping, make sure that it is clean and take advantage of a quick and helpful vehicle pre pre-inspection.  

WIESBADEN, HE, GERMANY

06.28.2022

Story by Roland Schedel 

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden   

WIESBADEN, Germany – The U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Transportation Office assists in preparing community members’ POVs for PCS shipping, but how does it actually work? It’s easy, but some necessary steps need to be followed.

Military PCS vehicle shipping is only available for certain members of the U.S. Army, when they are assigned to a new duty station. Only one POV may be shipped at the government’s expense, according to Department of Defense policies. Alternate port requests must get approval from the Military Traffic Management Command. The military will ship the car free of charge for active duty service members who have received permanent change-of-station orders.

The first step in processing a vehicle for the reason of a permanent change of station, is to contact the Transportation Office in Building 1023 West on Clay Kaserne. Appointments can be made at https://www.pcsmypov.com/TurnIn.

“We strongly recommend a vehicle pre-inspection at the Wiesbaden vehicle processing center in Mainz-Kastel-Station,” said Michael Fuhr, a traffic management specialist at the USAG Wiesbaden Logistic Readiness Center Wiesbaden.

Required Documents

Several documents are required for shipping, which includes the PCS orders, proper identification of the owner and a copy of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa registration. Additionally, a lien holder release letter or vehicle title is also required. If someone other than the service member is shipping the vehicle, a signed and witnessed power of attorney is required.

Car cleaning is the key

Before the car is turned in, the owner needs to wash the exterior of the car and remove all personal items from the glove compartment, doors, trunk, and underneath and in between the seats. This also means removing all accessories that are not permanently installed, including: all non-permanent audio/video/navigation equipment, any liquids or pressurized cans, any flammable, combustible or hazardous substances and CB radios.

Additionally, the entire vehicle has to be vacuumed properly, especially underneath and in-between all seats, between the seat and seat backs, all storage compartments such as glove compartment, seat pouches, door panel compartments, trunk and any storage drawers und seats. Why are these cleanings important? The U.S. Department of Agriculture needs to ensure no severe diseases are imported to the U.S.

After vehicle cleaning is complete and all documents are collected, the last things left to do at the VPC are:
• Ensure the gas tank is only a quarter full or less.
• Provide a complete set of keys to the VPC.
• Ensure the vehicle is in safe operating order.
• Ensure the parking brake is fully functioning.
• Ensure the vehicle does not have any leaks.
• Lastly, ensure the vehicle does not have any unresolved “recalls” from the manufacturer.

Questions: Reach out to the VPC at 06134-6019144 or DSN 548 548-7849 or [e-mail]
Appointments can be made online at https://www.pcsmypov.com/TurnIn

• Date Taken: 06.28.2022
• Date Posted: 06.29.2022 03:58
• Story ID: 423906
• Location: WIESBADEN, HE, DE