When you receive Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, you don’t have time to guess. Between coordinating with your TMO, managing reporting dates, and keeping your family calm, the logistics of the actual move can feel overwhelming — especially if you’re doing it under the Department of Defense’s Personally Procured Move (PPM) program, still commonly known as a DITY move.

New Jersey is home to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Fort Hamilton (just across the Hudson), and numerous reserve and Coast Guard facilities. Every year, thousands of active-duty service members and their families move to, from, and within the Garden State on PCS orders. If you’re one of them, this guide is for you.

What Is a DITY Move (PPM) in 2025?

The term “DITY” (Do-It-Yourself) is the legacy name for what the DoD now officially calls the Personally Procured Move (PPM) program. The concept is the same: instead of using a government-contracted carrier (a GTC move), you take responsibility for your own household goods — renting a truck, hiring movers, or a combination — and the government reimburses you based on the incentive payment rate.

The incentive is calculated at 95% of what the government would have paid a contractor to move your weight allowance. If you move your household goods for less than that amount, you pocket the difference. For many service members with smaller households, this means a few thousand dollars of extra income during a PCS cycle.

Key PPM eligibility rules:

• You must get advance authorization from your TMO before starting the move
• You need empty and full certified weight tickets from a certified scale
• Actual costs (receipts for truck rental, moving labor, packing materials, fuel) must be documented
• Moves must be completed within your authorized move window
• Partial PPM (split with GTC) is allowed — some service members ship high-value or oversized items via the government while handling the rest themselves

Why New Jersey PCS Moves Are Uniquely Challenging

Moving in and out of New Jersey comes with its own set of logistical challenges that service members from the Midwest or South may not anticipate:

• Traffic and urban density: NJ corridors — Route 1, Route 9, the Turnpike, and the Garden State Parkway — can add 60–90 minutes to any move during peak hours. If you’re loading a truck in Woodbridge and heading toward Joint Base MDL in Wrightstown, morning rush can turn a 45-minute drive into two hours.
• Apartment and condo restrictions: Many NJ apartment communities near military installations require elevator reservations, COI (certificate of insurance) from movers, and move-in/move-out scheduling days in advance. Missing these requirements can cost you your move window.
• Weight station locations: Certified CAT scales for weight tickets exist throughout the state, but you need to map your route in advance. Common locations include TA Travel Centers on the Turnpike and several truck stops on Route 22.
• Short-notice orders: NJ installations sometimes issue PCS orders with 30–45 day timelines. That’s tight, and it means your moving company needs to have availability — not just capability.

Liberty Transportation operates throughout New Jersey from our Berkeley Heights, NJ base of operations. We keep calendar availability specifically for military families on PCS timelines and understand that “30 days” doesn’t mean “schedule whenever.”

PPM Move Step-by-Step: What to Expect

If you’re doing a full or partial PPM in New Jersey, here’s the process from orders to final reimbursement:

• Step 1 — Get your orders and report to the TMO: Your Transportation Management Office or Personal Property Office will brief you on your weight allowance, authorized move dates, and PPM paperwork requirements. Don’t skip this step — you cannot get reimbursed without prior authorization.
• Step 2 — Get a PPM Counseling appointment: The TMO will walk you through the incentive calculation and what documentation you’ll need for the actual payout (receipts, weight tickets, itemized invoices).
• Step 3 — Hire your movers: If using a professional moving company like Liberty Transportation for the labor portion, make sure they provide a detailed invoice you can submit with your PPM claim. Get their USDOT number — it may be required by your branch’s PPM processing office.
• Step 4 — Weigh your vehicle/truck empty: Before loading, get a certified empty weight ticket from a CAT scale or equivalent certified scale. Keep the receipt.
• Step 5 — Load and move: Execute the move during your authorized window. Keep all packing supply receipts, fuel receipts, and mover invoices.
• Step 6 — Get a full weight ticket: After loading your vehicle, get a full weight ticket at a certified scale. The difference between empty and full is your payload weight — this drives your reimbursement calculation.
• Step 7 — Submit your PPM claim: Submit all documentation to the TMO at your gaining installation within 45 days of your move completion date. Reimbursements typically process within 30 days.

Full DITY vs. Partial PPM: Which Is Right for You?

Not every military family has to choose between doing everything themselves or letting the government handle it all. The partial PPM (also called a split shipment) is an underused option that can work well in several situations:

• You have specialty items: Pianos, artwork, wine collections, and antiques are risky to move yourself. Ship these via GTC while handling standard household goods via PPM.
• You’re moving a long distance: For moves from NJ to the West Coast, California, or Hawaii, a full PPM with a truck rental is physically exhausting and logistically complex. A split — ship heavy furniture via government, PPM the everyday items — is more manageable.
• Your family is at the new duty station already: If your family has already relocated and you’re closing out the old residence solo, a full PPM lets you operate on your own timeline.
• You want to maximize reimbursement: If your household goods weigh well below your weight allowance, a full PPM often generates the highest incentive payment.

Our team at Liberty Transportation can help you think through which option makes the most financial sense for your specific orders, family size, and destination. We’ve moved military families for over 100 years — we know how to read the math.

What Liberty Transportation Provides for Military Families

Since 1920, Liberty Transportation has been helping New Jersey families move with care and precision. For military families specifically, we offer:

• Short-notice availability: We block calendar time specifically for PCS moves. When you call with a 30-day window, we don’t tell you we’re booked.
• Itemized invoices: Every Liberty Transportation invoice is formatted to meet PPM documentation requirements — line-itemized, USDOT included, ready for TMO submission.
• Full packing services: We pack everything from kitchens to garages. All packing materials are receipted and documented for your reimbursement claim.
• Secure storage: If your move-in date at the new installation doesn’t align with your move-out, we offer short- and long-term storage at our Berkeley Heights facility.
• Long-distance moves: Our services cover all 50 states. PCS orders from McGuire to Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, or Fort Lewis? We cover it.

We also have experience working with the VA for disabled veteran relocations and with civilian defense contractors who move frequently across the country. If you’re in the military community in NJ, we likely know your situation well.

Common PPM Mistakes NJ Service Members Make

After decades of working with military families, we’ve seen the same PPM mistakes cost service members time and money:

• Not weighing the vehicle before loading: If you forget your empty weight ticket, you cannot calculate your payload. You’ll have to dispute or estimate — and the TMO may reject the claim. Always weigh empty first, then proceed to load.
• Using non-certified scales: Only CAT scales or other certified commercial scales are accepted. Your bathroom scale, a truck stop scale that only reads axle weight, or a junkyard scale won’t work.
• Waiting too long to file the claim: The 45-day post-move window is real. Missing it forfeits your reimbursement. Set a calendar reminder the day your move completes.
• Not documenting packing materials: Boxes, tape, bubble wrap — it all counts as a reimbursable expense. Keep every receipt. Movers like Liberty Transportation provide receipted packing supply invoices automatically.
• Underestimating weight: A three-bedroom household in NJ often weighs 8,000–12,000 lbs. Your reimbursement is based on actual weight, not perceived weight. Never assume you’re light — weigh everything.

Weight Allowances by Rank (2025)

Your authorized weight allowance determines the cap on your PPM reimbursement. Here are the 2025 allowances for service members with dependents (without-dependent allowances are lower):

• E-1 to E-3: 8,000 lbs
• E-4: 8,000 lbs
• E-5 to E-6: 11,000 lbs
• E-7 to E-9: 13,000 lbs
• O-1 to O-3 / WO-1 to WO-3: 12,000–13,000 lbs
• O-4 and above / WO-4 and above: 14,500–18,000 lbs

If your actual household goods weight is under your allowance, you only get reimbursed on the weight you actually moved. You cannot “top up” to your maximum allowance with items you wouldn’t otherwise take. Accuracy matters.

Getting Started: Your NJ Military Move Checklist

• ☐ Receive orders and report to TMO within 5 business days
• ☐ Attend PPM counseling appointment — get advance authorization in writing
• ☐ Book Liberty Transportation for labor (short-notice slots available)
• ☐ Map certified CAT scale locations on your route
• ☐ Obtain empty weight ticket before loading day
• ☐ Save ALL packing supply and fuel receipts
• ☐ Obtain full weight ticket after loading
• ☐ Execute move within authorized window
• ☐ Submit PPM claim to TMO at gaining installation within 45 days

A PCS move doesn’t have to be the most stressful part of your service. With the right planning, the right documentation, and a moving partner who’s worked with military families for over a century, it can actually go smoothly — and even put money back in your pocket. See how our residential moving services can support your next PCS.