Every service runs its household goods moves under the Defense Personal Property Program, and the operative document above all the service regulations is the Defense Transportation Regulation part four, with the Joint Travel Regulation setting the entitlements. Each service then has its own instruction telling its transportation office how to execute it. The two things that most often go wrong on the member's side are separating professional books and high-value items from the main shipment, and letting contact details go stale in the movement system.
Readers asked this on CheckMyRegs and CheckMyAFI 4 times — this page answers it from the official catalogs and the publications’ own text.
| Branch | Controlling publication | Dated | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | DAFI 24-602V4 Current Air Force personal property movement, volume 4 | 2026-06-02 | Official link |
| Army | AR 55-48 Current Army personal property shipment and storage | 2024-03-19 | Official link |
| Marine Corps | MCO 4600.39 Current Marine Corps Personal Property Transportation Program | 2016-08-19 | Official link |
| DoD-wide | DoDI 2030.08 Current DoD-level policy above the service instructions | 2015-02-19 | Official link |
The installation transportation officer executes the personal property movement programme by following the Defense Transportation Regulation part four, so a service instruction that seems silent usually points there.
“1.6. Installation Transportation Officer/Traffic Management Officer (TMO). Follows DoD 4500.9-R, Defense Transportation Regulation, Part IV, Personal Property, to execute the personal property movement program. (T-0). Chapter 2 HHG SHIPMENT AND STORAGE UNDER TEMPORARY DUTY (TDY) ORDERS”
Where there is more than one shipment, the member is reminded to segregate their property and to separate professional books, papers and equipment and high-value items — doing it after pickup is far harder.
“14.7.1.2. Remind the customer to segregate personal property if there are multiple shipments, and to separate PBP&E and high value items. (T-1).”
Shipping offices are expected to counsel members on keeping the movement system updated — including in-transit addresses, phone numbers and email — because that is how the carrier reaches you.
“i. Are personal property processing offices ( PPPOs) counseling customers on keeping DPS updated or assisting customers in updating DPS to include in -transit addresses, phone numbers, email addresses? j. Do PPPOs inform customers on entitlements related to shipment or storage of personal property, PPMs, and POVs? k. Are PPPOs annotating DD Form 1299 "Shipment per JTR 052012" f or retirees and separatees?”
Travel orders must be prepared far enough ahead to allow a timely shipment and must carry the appropriate funding data; an order without it stalls the move.
“c. Order Writing Activities. Order writing activities shall ensure travel orders are prepared in sufficient time to effect timely shipment of personal property. All effective travel orders shall contain appropriate funding data. Normally, orders shall be prepared and issued to Marines or civilian employees a minimum of 180 days prior to the earliest detachment date to ensure Marine Corps sponsored personnel are afforded ample time to coordinate arrangements for shipment and/or storage of personal property. 19 AUG 2016 1-6 Enclosure (1)”
Marine Corps policy warns explicitly that the Joint Travel Regulation changes at least monthly and that the paragraph numbers cited in the order and its references can change at any time — verify the current JTR rather than a quoted paragraph.
“e. Responsibilities of the Personal Property Office (PPO) Under the Defense Personal Property Program (DP3). Note that the JTR changes at least monthly and the referenced paragraph numbers throughout this Order and other references may change at any time. Therefore, it is required that all personnel assigned to perform personal property office duties become thoroughly familiar with the JTR. Additionally, reference (b) prescribes the duties and responsibilities of DoD personal property offices. Installation commanders are responsible for assigning adequate personal property counselors, shipment managers and quality assurance personnel to conduct individual and group counseling sessions, manage shipment and storage requirements, process invoices, manage local personal property contracts, execute quality assurance actions and other administrative procedures needed to perform effective”… (paragraph continues in the PDF)
A member charged an excess cost for shipment or storage of property or a privately owned vehicle has a defined rebuttal route rather than simply owing the bill.
“12.4. Member/Employee Responsibilities. A member/employee presenting a rebuttal for an excess cost charge for shipment/storage of personal property or a privately owned vehicle ( POV) should:”
Need this narrowed to your branch or a specific paragraph? Ask it here — free, and the answer quotes the regulation text where we have it indexed.
Updated 2026-08-01. CheckMyRegs is an unofficial index — always cite the official publication.