DoD, movers try to ease the heavy lift for troops moving this summer 

As military moving season shifts into high gear, service members and their families should be seeing the results of changes aimed at improving their household goods moves.

And for those experiencing issues, there’s a direct line to DoD’s new Personal Property Activity, where service members can ask for assistance. Since that call center was set up in August of last year, the volume has reached 20,121 calls and emails, said Army Maj. Matthew Visser, spokesman for the Personal Property Activity.

That includes calls received into the center, as well as calls made from the center.

“We often see issues arising, and we can be proactive at reaching out to folks who we know may be impacted,” Visser said.

That number has increased by about 4,000 since March.

“The feedback we get from the families and the people we talk to, is that they like the fact they’re talking to another service member who understands what they’re going through, and they call them back if they can’t immediately answer the question,” said Army Col. Mike Ashton, director of operations for DoD’s new Personal Property Activity.

As of June 30, there had been 138,570 pickups of household goods in 2026, compared to 134,282 at this time in 2025, Visser said. This year, because of PPA changes, service members could start booking their summer moves as early as March, if they had PCS orders in hand.

The change was designed to help service members in their planning and preparation — and to help spread the load for moving companies during the peak season, which generally runs from mid-May through August.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated the PPA as a special activity in January, giving it the authority to take action to improve the household goods process for service members.

For decades, military families have complained about broken, damaged and lost belongings, delayed pickups and deliveries and onerous claims processes. Families have complained there’s nowhere to turn for help with these problems.

This moving season marks a stark departure from last year, when a number of moving companies were considering getting out of the business of making military moves because of the U.S. Transportation Command’s effort to privatize the management of military moves.

Movers complained about the amount of compensation for moves, among other things, and were turning down shipments, leaving military families to scramble at the last minute. DoD terminated the Global Household Goods Contract in May 2025.

“This peak season, movers have done a really good job of saying, ‘All right, we’re going to step up to the plate. … We are bringing our best drivers, our best crews.’ They’re working really hard to make this summer successful for service members,” said Katie McMichael, executive director of Movers for America, a coalition of over 1,000 moving professionals and independent owner-operators who haul household shipments for military families.

PPA has improved DoD’s relationship with moving companies to the benefit of all, especially service members, according to those in the industry.

The PPA and the actions of its commander, Army Maj. Gen. Lance Curtis, have been “a breath of fresh air,” said Ryan McConnell, president and chief operating officer of Atlas Van Lines. PPA has worked to better understand the military moving industry and to build better communications, he said.

“In the end, this is all of us getting the business component lined up with PPA so that we can provide that service to families,” McConnell said. “Ultimately, that’s what this is all about.”

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This season, movers have seen an earlier start to the peak season, beginning in early May, said Steve Weitekamp, president of the California Moving and Storage Association.

“We’ve been talking since the beginning of time almost, to try to spread out the peak season from such a short period of time to a longer period, which we’ve kind of seen this season,” he said. “I think it’s been to the benefit of both military members and moving companies.”

A few tips

Weitekamp’s advice to service members: “When you get your orders, you should book your move early to ensure the best possible service. … The sooner the military member gets in the queue, the more apt they are to get the top quality service.”

Because installation security has been tightened because of what’s happening in the Middle East, movers urge families who live on installations to be aware of some of the consequences, said McMichael. Movers are trying to prepare families for the reality that getting on base is going to be difficult this year.

“We’re not the only tractor trailer truck coming through the gate. There are lots of deliveries. … In a lot of cases it’s not necessarily because our trucks can’t get on base,” she said.

If they’re behind other trucks that are having issues, she added, “the only thing we can do is sit there. This is for everyone’s safety. But please be mindful that for pickups and drop-offs, there are going to be some circumstances where there will be delays.”

More suggested tips for easing military moves include:

• Checking out PPA’s new website, www.ppa.mil, where they’ve consolidated a patchwork of different websites to support service members and families, DoD civilians and industry. It offers a link to start setting up the move, step-by-step guidance through the move process with checklists for every stage, as well as tips for overseas shipments, filing claims, shipping personally owned vehicles and other topics.
• Doing what you can to prepare early. For example, start clearing out items you don’t want to go to your new location.
• Organizing your items and make sure you separate important documents, medicines, uniforms and other items that you want to carry with you.
• Asking questions of the movers. If you don’t get an answer, take it to someone else, including your local transportation office on base. You can contact the PCS call center at any time with questions or problems at 1-833-MIL-MOVE, operated 24/7 during peak season. Or email [email protected].
• Fill out the customer-service surveys to provide feedback to help DoD decide whether a company gets more business in the future.

Have you made a military move this year and want to talk about your experience with Military Times? Email staff reporter [email protected].