Movers for Military PCS Moves in Killeen
A PCS move from Fort Hood is either arranged by the government or arranged by you. If you choose the second, the personally procured move, you can hire a commercial mover yourself and the government pays you an incentive based on what it would have cost it to move your things.
The two ways a PCS move happens
Government-arranged move
This is the default. You book the shipment through the Defense Personal Property System after counselling with the transportation office, and a moving company working under the government's contract packs, loads and delivers your household goods. You do not pick the company and you do not pay it. At Fort Hood the Personal Property Processing Office, part of the installation transportation office, handles counselling for outbound shipments.
Personally procured move (PPM)
Formerly called a DITY move. You move some or all of your goods yourself, and "yourself" includes hiring a commercial moving company of your choosing, renting a truck, using a portable container, or driving your own vehicle. Military OneSource describes it as a move you "perform or arrange yourself." A full PPM covers everything; a partial PPM covers some of it while the rest goes in a government shipment.
How the PPM incentive is worked out
For a member-elected PPM, Military OneSource and US Transportation Command describe the incentive as 100% of the government-constructed cost: what the government would have paid a contracted mover to move the same weight the same distance, including applicable extra services. It is based on the weight you actually move, supported by weight tickets, up to your authorized weight allowance. If the mover you hire costs less than the incentive, the difference is yours, and it is taxable. If it costs more, the government is not obliged to cover the difference.
The rate has been raised temporarily before. DoD paid 130% of the government cost for PPMs between May 15 and September 30, 2025, during a period of shipment backlogs. Rates and rules change, so the number to plan around is the estimate the transportation office gives you at counselling, not a figure from a website, this one included.
What the transportation office needs from you
- Approval of the PPM before you start, booked in DPS after counselling
- Certified empty and full weight tickets for every vehicle that carries goods
- Receipts for the mover, the truck rental, fuel and packing materials
- If you took an advance operating allowance, paperwork in within 45 days of the planned move start
- Explanations for anything missing, such as an accident report for a lost weight ticket
Those items come from Military OneSource's guidance on PPMs. Your service and your transportation office have the final word on the details.
Hiring a mover for a PPM in Killeen
A commercial mover you hire for a PPM works for you, not for the government. That means the protections are the ordinary civilian ones, and the checks are yours to do. For a move leaving Texas, the company needs a USDOT number and FMCSA authority, and you can check both on FMCSA's Protect Your Move site. For a move that stays in Texas, it needs a TxDMV certificate, which you can check in the state's database.
The paperwork matters twice over on a PPM, because you need it for your claim. Ask the company up front how it handles weight tickets. A mover that has done PPM jobs before will weigh the truck empty before loading and full afterwards at a certified scale and hand you both tickets, and will give you an itemized receipt. If the company sends your goods on a shared truck with other customers' loads, ask how your weight will be documented, because a shared load complicates the tickets.
Military OneSource also warns about rogue operators: movers who give a low quote, raise the price after loading, and hold belongings until the customer pays. Its advice is the same as TxDMV's: use a registered mover, get everything in writing, and be wary of cash-only or large up-front deposits.
When hiring your own mover makes sense, and when it does not
A PPM with a hired mover tends to suit families who want control over the date, who have items they do not want in a government shipment, or who expect to be close to their weight allowance and would rather manage it themselves. A partial PPM is popular for exactly that: the government shipment takes the house, and you carry the valuables, the medications, the things the children need on day one, and anything fragile.
It suits people less well when the move is long and the hired mover's price is close to or above the incentive, because then you carry the risk and the paperwork for little gain. The transportation office can give you an estimated incentive before you commit, and that estimate next to a written quote from a mover is the comparison to make.
Comparing a PPM against a government move? Get a written quote from a local company first, with weight tickets included, and take it to your counselling appointment.
Local moves around Fort Hood that are not PCS moves
Not every military move is a PCS. Moving from a rental in Killeen into on-post housing, between two rentals, or out of post housing at the end of a tour are often ordinary local moves, and are priced and handled like any other. Whether any of the cost is reimbursable depends on your orders and your service's rules, which is a question for the transportation office, not the mover.
Common questions
Can I hire my own moving company for a PCS move?
Yes, through a personally procured move. Get the PPM approved by the transportation office and booked in DPS first, then hire a registered mover and keep certified weight tickets and receipts for your claim.
How much does the government pay for a PPM?
For a member-elected PPM, Military OneSource describes the incentive as 100% of what the government would have paid to move the same weight the same distance. The rate was temporarily raised to 130% from May 15 to September 30, 2025. Use the estimate from your counselling session, because rates change.
Who gets the weight tickets, me or the mover?
You are responsible for them, but a mover experienced with PPM jobs will weigh the truck empty and full at a certified scale and give you both tickets. Agree how that will happen before you book.
Is a DITY move the same as a PPM?
Broadly, yes. DITY was the older name. A PPM also covers arranging the move yourself by hiring a company, which the old name did not capture.
Is the PPM money taxable?
Any incentive left over after your moving costs is generally treated as taxable income. Keep every receipt, and talk to a tax professional about your situation.
What if the mover holds my things until I pay more?
That is the rogue-mover pattern both TxDMV and Military OneSource warn about. Prevent it by booking only a registered mover with a written maximum price. If it happens, contact the TxDMV for a move inside Texas or FMCSA for an interstate one, and your transportation office and legal assistance office.
Other moves in Killeen
- Moving Company in Killeen, TX
- Local Movers in Killeen, TX
- Apartment Movers in Killeen, TX
- Furniture Movers in Killeen, TX
Also serving
Military PCS Moves is available beyond Killeen, across Temple , Harker Heights , Copperas Cove and Belton .
Get a quote for military pcs moves
Say where you are moving from and to, roughly how much is going, and the date, and a local moving company will get back to you within one business day. Answered Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm · after hours we call back the same day Or call (254) 244-8057 if you would rather talk it through.