If you are moving to Fort Campbell and want to transport some or all of your household goods yourself, a DITY move may help you control your schedule and potentially receive reimbursement. The official military term is Personally Procured Move, or PPM, but many service members and families still call it a DITY move.
A partial DITY move allows the government to transport some of your belongings while you move the rest yourself. Before you rent a truck, load a trailer, or reserve a moving container, contact the Fort Campbell Transportation or Personal Property Office. You will need approval, accurate documentation, and certified weight tickets to support your claim.
Your moving plan should also be coordinated with your housing timeline in Clarksville, Tennessee, or Oak Grove, Kentucky. A truck full of household goods is not helpful if your lease has not started or your home purchase has not closed.
What is a DITY or PPM move?
A DITY move is a voluntary alternative to having the government arrange the entire shipment of your household goods. Under a PPM, you may move your belongings yourself, hire a commercial mover, rent a truck, or use another approved method.
There are two common approaches:
- Full PPM: You move all authorized household goods yourself.
- Partial PPM: The government ships part of your household goods, and you move the remainder.
Your reimbursement is generally based on the amount of household goods you personally move, your authorized weight allowance, and the government’s estimated cost to move that property between duty stations. Your transportation counselor will calculate the applicable estimate and explain your specific entitlement.
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service PPM guidance provides general information, but your Fort Campbell Transportation Office controls the approval and closeout requirements for your move.
How does a partial DITY move work?
A partial DITY move combines a government-arranged household-goods shipment with a personally procured shipment.
For example, you might ask the government to move:
- Large furniture
- Appliances
- Most packed household boxes
- Heavy or difficult-to-transport items
You might move personally:
- Clothing and children’s necessities
- Important paperwork
- Computers and electronics
- Specialty equipment
- Items needed immediately after arrival
- Belongings that fit in your personal vehicle or rental trailer
You must identify the government shipment and the PPM portion during the planning process. Do not assume you can simply decide after the movers arrive. Ask your transportation counselor how to separate the shipments and how the weight of each portion will be documented.
For a partial PPM, reimbursement is generally tied to the net weight of the property you personally move: not the total weight of your family’s household goods.
What should you do before moving?
Start with official PCS orders and a transportation appointment. Fort Campbell’s PCS Channel directs service members to installation relocation resources, including the Army Community Service Relocation Readiness Program.
Your initial steps should include:
- Confirm your PCS orders and report date.
- Contact the Fort Campbell Transportation or Personal Property Office.
- Decide between a full PPM, partial PPM, or government-arranged shipment.
- Complete the required PPM application, including DD Form 2278 if directed.
- Review your authorized household-goods weight allowance.
- Ask whether you qualify for a PPM advance and what documentation is required.
- Reserve your truck, container, equipment, or commercial mover only after approval.
- Create a written inventory of the property you will move yourself.
If you have a Government Travel Card, ask the transportation counselor how it should be used for authorized PPM expenses. Do not assume that a travel advance or reimbursement works the same way as your normal PCS travel voucher.
What expenses may be reimbursable?
Potentially eligible PPM expenses can include costs connected to moving your property, such as:
- Rental truck or trailer charges
- Moving containers
- Packing materials
- Equipment rental
- Fuel or other approved operating expenses
- Commercial transportation charges
Eligibility depends on current military policy, the type of expense, and your approved move. Keep every receipt and proof of payment. A cost that seems reasonable may not be reimbursed automatically.
Your final payment is generally based on the government constructive cost for the weight and distance of the move. If your actual moving costs are lower than the approved reimbursement, you may retain the difference, subject to applicable rules and tax treatment. If your costs exceed the approved amount, you may be responsible for the difference.
Your PPM reimbursement is separate from other PCS entitlements, including travel mileage, per diem, and temporary lodging benefits. Keep those records in a separate file so you do not combine unrelated expenses in your PPM packet.
Why are certified weight tickets important?
Weight tickets help establish how much property you personally transported. You will generally need:
- A certified empty, or tare, weight
- A certified loaded, or gross, weight
- The resulting net weight
The basic calculation is:
Gross weight − tare weight = net household-goods weight
For example, if a truck weighs 8,000 pounds empty and 12,500 pounds loaded, the documented net weight is 4,500 pounds.
Use a certified scale and keep the original tickets. Ask your transportation counselor whether the tickets must include specific information about the vehicle, trailer, member, or move. Take photographs of your tickets and store digital copies with your PCS documents.
How should you coordinate the move with your housing timeline?
Your household-goods schedule should follow your housing timeline: not the other way around.
If you are renting in Clarksville or Oak Grove
Do not schedule delivery to an address where you do not yet have legal possession. Confirm:
- Lease start date
- Key-exchange appointment
- Move-in inspection requirements
- Whether the property has truck-access limitations
- Parking or neighborhood restrictions
- Whether the landlord requires advance notice of delivery
If your report date occurs before your lease begins, plan for temporary lodging or authorized storage. Your moving container, truck, or household goods may need to remain in storage until you can take possession.
Review Haus’s PCS to Fort Campbell housing timeline for Clarksville and Oak Grove before you finalize dates.
If you are buying a home
A closing date is not always the same as the date you can move in. Coordinate delivery with your lender, closing agent, and real estate professional. Delays can occur because of appraisal issues, final repairs, title work, funding, or recording.
Avoid committing a rental truck or moving crew to arrive immediately after an estimated closing time. Build in flexibility, especially if your family is traveling a long distance or your household goods are difficult to reschedule.
You may want to schedule delivery after:
- Closing has been completed
- Funds have been disbursed
- You have legal possession
- Utilities are active
- The home is ready for occupancy
If you are still choosing between buying and renting, review Haus’s Fort Campbell PCS timeline from orders to arrival.
When should you start looking for housing?
Begin your housing plan as soon as your orders are confirmed. A 60- to 90-day planning window gives you more time to compare Clarksville, Oak Grove, Hopkinsville, and nearby communities.
Your decision may involve:
- Your primary gate and duty location
- Expected commute time
- School assignment
- BAH and total monthly housing costs
- On-post housing availability
- Lease timing
- Closing and inspection schedules
- The delivery date for your household goods
A house-hunting trip can help you evaluate neighborhoods and housing options in person. If your schedule does not allow travel before arrival, a local professional can coordinate virtual tours, neighborhood drives, and remote communication.
Haus’s guide to house-hunting leave for a Fort Campbell PCS explains how families can prepare for a focused search while keeping military schedules in mind.
What documents should you keep?
Create one digital and printed PPM file containing:
- PCS orders
- Approved PPM paperwork
- DD Form 2278, if required
- Transportation counselor instructions
- Truck, trailer, or container contracts
- Certified tare and gross weight tickets
- Fuel and equipment receipts
- Packing-material receipts
- Proof of payment
- Storage documents
- Delivery records
- Copies of any advance paperwork
Keep your records until the claim is fully settled. Fort Campbell’s transportation staff can tell you where and how to submit your closeout packet and whether your current process requires an appointment or briefing.
Do not submit your PPM claim through the same process as your regular travel voucher unless the transportation office specifically directs you to do so.
Fort Campbell DITY move checklist
Before you begin, confirm that you have:
- Received official PCS orders
- Contacted the Fort Campbell Transportation Office
- Chosen full PPM, partial PPM, or government shipment
- Received approval before moving property
- Understood your weight allowance
- Confirmed advance and Government Travel Card rules
- Reserved appropriate equipment
- Planned certified weigh-station visits
- Saved receipts and proof of payment
- Coordinated delivery with your lease or closing
- Planned temporary lodging or storage if needed
- Scheduled PPM closeout after arrival
A DITY move can give you more control, but it also places more responsibility on you. Accurate planning and documentation are essential.
How Haus can help with the housing side of your PCS
A real estate professional cannot approve your PPM or determine your military reimbursement. Those decisions belong to the appropriate Fort Campbell and military transportation offices.
Haus can help you organize the housing side of the move by comparing rentals and homes in Clarksville and Oak Grove, coordinating tours around your report date, and helping you think through lease starts, closing dates, commute routes, and household-goods delivery timing.
If you are preparing for a Fort Campbell PCS, contact Haus to discuss your housing plan.
By Randy Whetsell
This article is general educational information and is not military reimbursement, tax, financial, or legal advice. PPM rules, reimbursement rates, documentation requirements, and installation procedures may change. Confirm your eligibility and current requirements directly with the Fort Campbell Transportation or Personal Property Office before committing funds.
