Household goods delay Published July 12, 2011 By Col. Rose Ramirez Personal Property Activity Headquarters commander SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Many Department of Defense customers are experiencing unexpected delays in Continental United States household goods pick-up and delivery during this busy summer season. Those families moving during the next 60 days should initiate their moves early, anticipate possible delays, be flexible in their pickup dates and consider doing a personally procured move when feasible. Joint Personal Property Shipping Offices are working hard to move everyone to meet their requested move dates, but some dates cannot be accommodated. The entire CONUS and all military services are experiencing limited capacity for government-arranged moves in some markets and delayed deliveries out of storage in others. Outbound shipments are up, so it appears government volume is up as well, particularly due to base realignment and closure moves. Unfortunately, local agents can't accept some shipments because they are out of warehouse space that is filled with shipments pending line haul transportation. Since the last peak season, Surface Deployment and Distribution Command worked with the service headquarters in adopting capacity mitigation strategies recommended by industry. These strategies were set in place prior to the start of the peak season in mid-May. However, in order to further combat the CONUS capacity crunch, SDDC worked an additional mitigation strategy that was disseminated to field offices on June 13. U.S. Transportation Command and SDDC senior leadership are fully aware and engaged in this summer's peak season shipment challenges. We ask that base-level offices ensure shipments are loaded into data processing system at least 21 days before desired pickup dates. That gives the CONUS JPPSOs more time to arrange a carrier. The CONUS JPPSOs are proactively working hard to head-off issues and handle individual customer problems on a case-by-case basis. They are working through their list of options for each and will do everything possible to move DoD families on their requested pickup dates. They are also working hard to balance the customers' desires with industry realities. Some shipments are going directly into storage at origin, which could inconvenience members as they will likely wait for delivery at their destinations. Clear communication and patience are the keys to success. A very viable option for members to consider is to perform a personally procured move. This option allows them to control their move dates and ensures they have ready access to their property upon arrival at the new location. Members can discuss the benefits and different types of PPMs with their local personal property processing offices who can provide an estimate of the cost factors, describe the particulars of the programs and help determine if this option will work for them. As the JPPSOs work to move each challenging shipment, they may find themselves out of options. The last resort is for the JPPSO to request AF/A4LE issue a letter of non-availability. These letters allow customers to do a PPM where they are reimbursed for actual costs to move property up to their shipping entitlement. This is a costly option that is generated by the JPPSO not the base or the customer. They will evaluate each shipment on a case-by-case basis considering the member's report no later than date and verifying all means were exhausted to secure a GAM. Should that be the case, the JPPSO will request PPA HQ approval/endorsement of a letter of non-availability for approval in accordance with the AF Supplement to the JFTR, para A14.2.1.1. We put out additional guidance to the base-level PPPOs to ask their help in keeping customers informed. We are also pushing out information via the AF Portal and to the bases to ensure the customers are aware of the challenges and understand the need to be flexible in their dates. We thank everyone in advance for their patience and flexibility as we work to move everyone the best way we can.