Distribution Management Office(DMO)

Mission Statement

Provide efficient, responsive, and quality transportation services and ensure compliance with all governing laws, directives, and regulations for freight cargo, passenger movement, and personal property for all military and civilian members of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, and other DoD agencies moving into, within or out of the geographic area of operations.

• Arranging Commercial Travel
  • To plan for car rental and hotel accommodations under Temporary Additional Duty (TAD) or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, members should call the Commercial Travel Office (CTO) Scheduled Airline Travel Office (SATO) at 1-866-441-2987. Hours of operation are from 0800 to 1630. To request travel outside of DTS you must go to the Passenger Travel Office Bldg. 2263 and fill out a Travel Request form.
  • Once you have your ticket, you can view the itinerary at https://www.viewtrip.com/ViewTrip.asp
  • Reservations must comply with orders, and the use of contract carrier is mandatory.

• DMOs are directed by the Defense Traffic Management Regulation (DTR), MCO P4600.7A to comply with and enforce the policies, procedures and regulations pertaining to defense sponsored travel and transportation. This includes determining the availability or non-availability of government air transportation in connection with arranging international or transoceanic travel.               s

• Transportation is an entitlement for travel of civilians, military personnel and/or dependents. The nature (accompanied/unaccompanied) and duration of the individual's assignment to a particular station determine the legal right to one or more of the allowances. Travel and transportation allowances authorized at government expense for military and civilian personnel are prescribed by DTMO, Volume 1 and JTR Volume 2.
• The DTMO and DTMO are implemented by the Secretaries of the Armed Services in accordance with authority contained in public law. They are regarded as statutory regulations having the force and effect of law. The DTMO must be used in determining entitlement of military and civilian personnel of the Marine Corps to travel and transportation allowances at government expense.

• ​Marine Corps policy requires travel be directed only when it is in the best interest of the government.
• Official Orders

• Use of Contract Fares

Publications

"Joint Federal Travel Regulations" is the authoritative source for regulations pertaining to per diem, travel and transportation allowances, relocation allowances, and certain other allowances. Volume 1 applies to Uniformed Service members (including both regular and reserve components) while Volume 2 applies to civilian members.

Joint Federal Travel Regulations

(VOL 1 - Military Members)

Joint Travel Regulations

(DoD Civilians)

• Weight Allowance

Your weight allowance is established under provisions of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations and is the maximum weight you can move at government expense. This allowance includes the weight of household goods you ship, place in storage or send as unaccompanied baggage and goods you already have in storage. Your allowance is based on two factors; your paygrade and whether you have dependents.

You - not your DMO or the carrier - are responsible for staying within your weight allowance. If the weight of items packed, shipped, or stored exceeds your weight allowance, you must pay all charges connected with the excess weight. For this reason, estimating the weight of your household goods is very important. Estimates should start early, even before you visit your transportation office to set up the move. The counselor at your transportation office will need an estimated weight for each shipment you intend to make.

An easy and dependable method for making this estimate is to figure 1,000 pounds per fully furnished room (not including storage rooms or bathrooms) or 500 pounds per partially furnished room. Then add the estimated weight of large appliances and items in the garage, storage rooms, basement, etc. The weight of professional books, papers and equipment doesn't count against your weight allowance. The link below will take you to a more accurate weight estimator, but remember, it is only an estimate. Weight estimates are planning tools only and are not official. You cannot use estimates weight to refute excess weight charges.

Weight Estimator

To avoid excess weight charges, stay within your authorized weight allowance by disposing of unnecessary possessions. When you receive a notification for exceeding your weight allowance, check it carefully. Often you may not have received credit for professional books, papers and equipment or some other entitlement. If you have any question concerning your excess weight, contact your local DMO. You are entitled to have your shipment reweighed prior to delivery at destination. A request for a reweigh can be made through the DMO either at origin or at destination PRIOR TO DELIVERY.

PCS weight allowances do not apply when:

Vacating Government or Government-controlled quarters upon separation and retirement when ordered to vacate by competent authority and movement is to a local residence pending election of home of record/selection.

Moving to occupy Government or Government-controlled quarters.

Vacating local economy quarters in compliance with orders

Packing and Pick-Up Dates

The size of your household goods shipment determines how much time is need for packing and pick-up. The following rule of thumb will give you an idea how much time should be allotted for packing your household:

Carriers generally will not pack or pick up on holidays or weekends. During the peak moving season from June through August, available dates fill quickly, so contact your DMO early if you are planning to move during these months. Your preferred packing and pick-up dates should not be any sooner than 10 calendar days from the date you submit your paperwork.

Temporary Storage

Members are authorized Storage in Transit for up to 90 days in conjunction with a PCS move. The Transportation Office may approve additional periods of storage in 90 day increments, but these requests must be submitted in writing:

Intervening TDY or long-term training assignment
Nonavailability of suitable housing
Completion of residence under construction
Serious employee illness
Dependent
illness or death
Other circumstances beyond the member's control

If a mIf a member allows the Storage in Transit time to expire, storage charges and liability for loss and damage become the member's responsibility. The member pays for storage services directly to the storage company, however, the member is still entitled to a delivery and unpacking at government expense.

Members ordered on a PCS with TDY are entitled to have their property placed into non-temporary storage at origin for the period of the TDY. The property stored at Government expense under this provision may not exceed the member's PCS weight allowance. If the member does not use non-temporary storage at origin and elects to ship to destination, any storage utilized is chargeable to their entitlement of 90 Days.

Certain circumstances may warrant an extension of this temporary storage entitlement. You must apply for an extension by completing a DD Form 1857 if you need to keep your personal property in temporary storage beyond 90 days.

Excess Cost

You can unknowingly incur excess costs at your expence in shipping your household goods. The following list describes things you can do to avoid excess personal costs associated with your move:

Extra services - Avoid requesting specific routing, special loading, or any other service that is not routinely provided. Excess Weight - Members should be aware that the total combined weight of all shipments, including goods in storage, must not exceed your authorized weight as defined in the Joint Federal Travel Regulation.

Extra shipments - Multiple household goods shipments from the same point of origin to the same destination, may result be in excess cost.

Excess distance - Your orders determine authorized point of origin and destination. Deviation may incur excess cost. (For example auth point Oceanside, CA to Dallas, TX and you elect shipment from Oceanside, CA to Miami, FL You will incur excess cost.)

Unauthorized items - Avoid shipping unauthorized articles. If unauthorized articles are discovered in shipments after pickup, the member will incur additional cost to stop shipment to unload and remove the items.

Avoid attempt charges - Members or their designated representatives are required to be available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the scheduled pickup or delivery address on the date the packers and movers are scheduled to arrive. If you or your designated agent are not available during pickup or delivery or of your residence is dirty, you will be charged an attempt fee which may exceed $200.00.

Special Items and Situations - If movers determine pests are present at the pickup address and depart without a pickup, the members will be charged for an attempted pickup and once cleaned the move will be rescheduled which could take up to 2 weeks.

For OCONUS moves, boats that don't fit in a standard overseas container must be shipped One Time Only (OTO) rate. Almost all boats and/or boats with trailers won't fit in a standard overseas container, therefore must be shipped under an OTO boat rate, which would mean excess cost to the member. Any boat over 14' or with a trailer for CONUS moves will also mean excess cost to the member.