Wave Auto Transport954-228-0705Get a quote
GlossaryRegulatory and compliance

What Is a POV in Auto Transport?

The government pays to ship your car, or it doesn't, depending on where your move starts and ends. POV is military shorthand for a service member's privately owned vehicle in a Permanent Change of Station move.

The term comes from U.S. military and Department of Defense usage, not from the auto-transport industry itself, and a car-shipping company that uses it is borrowing military terminology rather than defining a service unique to itself. A POV can be a car, truck, SUV or motorcycle, and it counts as a POV whether a service member or a service member's dependent owns it outright or holds it on a lease of twelve months or longer.

Also called
privately owned vehicle, POV shipment, military POV shipping
Sources
3
Last updated
An ordinary privately owned passenger vehicle ready for transport. Illustration of a privately owned vehicle prepared for shipment.

Why POV shipping matters when you ship a car

Whether the government pays to ship your vehicle depends on where your move starts and ends. The government pays to ship one privately owned vehicle when a move involves a duty station outside the contiguous U.S. states — Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico or an overseas posting, a category the military calls OCONUS; for a move between two duty stations inside the contiguous states, a category the military calls CONUS, shipping cost is largely the service member's own responsibility, except when a medical condition prevents driving or the report date does not leave enough time to drive. For a specific move, confirm the details with your base's local transportation office.

When POV shipping happens during a move

POV shipping happens on the timeline set by your Permanent Change of Station orders, not on a date you pick independently. Orders determine both the entitlement you're eligible for and when the move must begin, and arrangements for shipping a POV get made against that fixed schedule rather than around it.

POV vs PCS

A POV is the vehicle and a PCS is the move, and the two terms are used together so often that they sometimes get swapped by mistake.

POVPCS
What it namesThe vehicle itselfThe military-ordered move to a new duty station
What it stands forPrivately Owned VehiclePermanent Change of Station
Where it appears on paperwork"POV shipment" or "POV entitlement""PCS orders"
Can it exist without the otherA POV can be owned without any PCS move underwayA PCS move can happen without shipping a POV, if the service member drives it or has none to move

Frequently asked questions about POV shipping

Does the military pay to ship every POV?
No. The government covers one privately owned vehicle at government expense when your move involves a duty station outside the contiguous U.S. states (OCONUS). A move between two duty stations inside the contiguous states (CONUS-to-CONUS) is largely your own responsibility to arrange, except in narrow medical or scheduling exceptions.
What is the difference between POV shipping and a PCS move?
A POV is the vehicle being shipped. A PCS is the military-ordered move itself. A single PCS move can involve shipping a POV, driving it, or not moving it at all.
Is a leased vehicle a POV?
Yes, if it's leased to you or your dependent for twelve months or longer. A short-term rental doesn't qualify.
Can I ship more than one POV at government expense?
Rarely. Government-funded shipment is limited to one privately owned vehicle per move. Additional vehicles are your own arrangement and expense.

Sources and last checked

  1. Supports

    Retrieved directly from the live Military OneSource PCS moving FAQ page (fetched September 2026): for a CONUS-to-CONUS move, 'the cost of transporting your POV to your new duty station is largely your responsibility,' with exceptions for a medical reason or insufficient time to drive; for a move involving OCONUS (to, from or between OCONUS duty stations), 'only one POV owned or leased for personal use may be shipped at government expense.' Military OneSource's published PCS guidance separately defines a POV as owned by, or on a lease of twelve or more months to, a service member or a service member's dependent.

    Military OneSource (U.S. Department of Defense) — Military PCS and Moving FAQs

    Checked

Related terms

Glossary entries
Pages using this term

All glossary terms