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Life got easier March 1 for DoD members moving their privately owned vehicles to or from Turkey.
The Military Traffic Management Command on March 1 added Turkey to its Global Privately Owned Vehicle Contract. American Auto Logistics Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., the single contractor, now handles all aspects of vehicle movements from vehicle processing centers in Incirlik and Izmir and a quality-of-life center in Ankara.
Lt. Col. Victoria Leignadier, commander of the Izmir-based 840th Transportation Battalion, which manages DoD freight operations in Turkey, said service members no longer have to deal with a succession of movers. This will simplify processing time to an hour or less and make damage claims easier to prove and resolve, she said. In addition, service members can instantly locate their vehicle in transit via a Web site or a toll-free phone number.
She said the contract also means service members should see immediate improvements in vehicle shipping. For example, she said, the contractor's Izmir facility is new and has state- of-the-art equipment. Members previously used a 50-year-old facility 15 miles away down bad road.
At Incirlik, the changeover was almost transparent because a temporary contract there called for the mover to do everything except agriculture inspections. On March 1, 840th Battalion inspectors turned over that last duty to American Auto Logistics.
Leignadier said personnel assigned to the Office of Defense Cooperation/American Embassy in Ankara and the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul will see the biggest changes. The new quality-of-life center in Ankara performs the pickups and deliveries by appointment. Prior to the contract, vehicle owners had to fly or drive to Izmir for processing.
About 75,000 vehicles move each year under the global contract, which, Leignadier said, enjoys a 99 percent customer satisfaction rate.
"It is working great," American Auto Vice President Bill Antonelli said. "We are really pleased. We truly understand our roles here as being customer focused." His company took over the contract in November 1998. He said the company plans to open vehicle processing centers in Rota, Spain, and other nearby areas this spring.
(From a Military Traffic Management Command news release.)
Story by Special to American Forces Press Service
| Date Taken: | 03.20.2000 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2025 23:12 |
| Story ID: | 526328 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 0 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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