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How Far Can We Drive Each Day of our PCS?
Before permanent change of station (PCS) orders even hit your inbox you've likely already mapped out your route to your next duty station, and maybe even planned a detour to see friends or family along the way. But then you read the rules and feel confused: what is this talk about a 350 miles per-day limit?
The orders probably say something like, "Travel by privately owned vehicle is authorized....." followed by more details on reimbursement.
The orders may or may not have information on them about how many travel days you are allotted. But they will have the report date on them. A quick look at a map will show you how many hours of driving it will take to get there.
For example, if you're traveling Arizona to Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida, you'll be driving 1,573 miles. As you might guess, the military does not want you making this almost 23-hour drive in one go. They also don't want you to take two months getting there.
That's why the military created travel rules, with guidelines for how many days -- and overnight stops -- it should take a service member to get from point A to point B.
Related: 8 Tips to Prepare for Your First PCS Move
According to the Defense Travel website's FAQs , "A traveler who is authorized PCS travel by POV is allowed one day of travel for the first 400 miles between authorized points. For any distance greater than 400 miles, the traveler is allowed another day of travel for every additional 350 miles. See the JTR, par. 050205."
That's the calculation the military uses for determining how many travel days they'll pay for. For the 1,573 mile trip, you are authorized to take 5 travel days. (If the remainder of the mileage divided by 350 is more than 51, add a day.)
But what's really important is that you arrive and sign-in on your report date. If you take three days to get there or seven days to get there, it doesn't really matter. You'll get paid per diem for the five days.
Seasoned military spouses and service members have figured out that there's not much benefit to pushing the limits on this. The reason 350 miles is the recommended amount of miles a day is because that is approximately 6six hours a day at 60 miles-per-hour. That's not a lot if you are driving on the interstate at a higher speed than that. But it can really add up to long days if you're driving two vehicles, one of them hauling a trailer and the other with three kids, a dog and a cat.
Six hours of driving a day for eight days is a lot. The military doesn't want you to push it to the point of exhaustion. They want to give you wiggle room to stop early if you're tired and to allow for flat tires or vehicle repairs.
But that doesn't mean you can't manipulate the timeframe a little to your advantage. For example, on that trip from Fort Huachuca to Pensacola, you may be able to plan some longer days, and then take a day in San Antonio and hit up Sea World.
Most importantly, drive carefully, plan your stops ahead of time and make the most of where this journey takes you.
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Rebecca Alwine
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IMAGES
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Joint Travel Regulations. The Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) implements policy and law to establish travel and transportation allowances for Uniformed Service members (i.e., Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and Public Health Service Commissioned Corps), Department of Defense (DoD) civilian ...
THE JOINT TRAVEL . REGULATIONS (JTR) UNIFORMED SERVICE MEMBERS . AND . DOD CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES . ... Transportation Regulation, Chapter 301, Appendix C. Affects par. 010206. ... commuting distance are limited to expenses for travel to and from the IDT location. Affects par. 032304.
Service Member PCS Travel Time Computation when Travel Is by Mixed Modes - POV Travel Distance Less than Official Distance (050205.B) Service Member PCS Travel Time Computation when Travel Is by Mixed Modes with Leave - Actual Distance Greater than Authorized (050205.B) Per Diem Rate when New Permanent Duty Station (PDS) is a Ship (0509)
If the distance between authorized official points is greater than 400 miles, then divide by 350 to determine the number of authorized travel days. If the remainder is 51 or more, one additional travel day is allowed. The result determines the maximum number of authorized travel days. See the JTR, par. 050205. Other Mileage Rate
Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), Chapter 5, Part F ... one additional day of travel is allowed. When the total official distance is 400 miles or less, 1 day's travel time is allowed. Actual travel time in full days (e.g. 9 days and 3 hours is 10 days) ... your agency may authorize exceptions to the daily minimum driving distance when there is a ...
For any distance greater than 400 miles, the traveler is allowed another day of travel for every additional 350 miles. See the JTR, par. 050205." That's the calculation the military uses for ...
Federal Travel Regulation System. Part 302-4. Authority: 5 U.S.C. 5738; 20 U.S.C. 905(a); E.O. 11609, 36 FR 13747, 3 CFR, 1971-1975 Comp., p ... your agency may authorize exceptions to the daily minimum driving distance when there is a delay beyond your control such as acts of God, restrictions by Governmental authorities, or other acceptable ...
Official Distances (DTOD). 2. You must reduce your mileage allowance by your usual commute mileage or cost. The two types of mileage applicable to local travel are: • En route mileage - official mileage to, from, and between your home or Permanent Duty Station (PDS), and one or more alternate duty locations.
As of October 1, the Joint Federal Travel Regulations, Volume 1 (JFTR) and the Joint Travel Regulations, Volume2 (JTR) officially merged into a single set of regulations called the "Joint Travel Regulations." Please update your bookmark to the new URL:
Calculation of Standard CONUS Per Diem: (Effective 1 Oct 19) Drivers of vehicles moving on different days receive $151.00 per travel day. If traveling by "convoy", a second driver counts as a family member. Family member(s) 12 years or older receive $113.25 and family member(s) under 12 receive $75.50 per travel day.
Official Travel Time: Generally, 1 day of travel time is allowed for each 350 miles of official distance of ordered travel. If excess is 51 miles or more after dividing the total number of miles by 350, one additional day of travel time is allowed. When the total official distance is 400 miles or less, 1 day's travel time is allowed. See chart ...
Defense Travel Management Office Saved or printed copies may be obsolete. 4 2. Complete the Section 1. Travel Itinerary chart to reflect the transportation mode the AO would have authorized or directed. The first row is for the outbound trip to start your TDY. The second row is for the return trip to your PDS.
Joint Travel Regulations. Implements policy and laws establishing travel and transportation allowances of Uniformed Service members and DoD civilian travelers. Travel Policy Compliance. Ensures travel claims are reasonable, compliant, and accurate. DoD Instruction 5154.31.
conflict between this publication and the Joint Travel . Regulations (JTR) is resolved based on the JTR and not . this publication. Revision : 2BDoD 7000.14-R Financial Management Regulation Volume 9, Chapter 4 ... $75.00 or more, a statement showing the official distance driven must be attached to the claim. 6.3. Leisure Use With Official Use
a. Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR) / Joint Travel Regulations (JTR ) b. DoD 4500.36-R, Management, Acquisition, and Use of Motor Vehicles, 16 Mar 07 . c. Army Directive 2007-01 (Travel by Department of the Army Officials), 25 Jan 07 . d. AR 58-1, Management, Acquisition, and Use of Motor Vehicles, 12 Jun 14 . 3. General Rule.
Travelers must comply with the Federal and Departmental ethics rules when accepting travel benefits (i.e. goods, services, or payment) from non-Federal sources. For DoD personnel, see Joint Ethics Regulation, DoD 5500.7-R, Chapter 4. Travelers may keep items of nominal value (as defined in applicable ethics regulations).
All POV travel on a PCS order, either from the old PDS to the TDY location, between TDY locations, or from the TDY location to a new PDS, is paid at the MALT rate, using the official distance determined by the Defense Table of Official Distances [transport.mil]. The traveler receives the standard mileage rate for each authorized POV.
By Crystal Washington July 26, 2021. From the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) website: The Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) implements policy and law to establish travel and transportation ...
Joint Travel Regul ations (JTR), par. 020206-M, commercial air is the preferred mode for official travel more than 400 miles one-way or more than 800 miles ... entering your transportation mode and the official driving distance. The Approver will not limit your transportation reimbursement. 3. Government transportation is authorized or directed.
Travel Policy Mission. Ensure Federal agencies spend travel dollars wisely, efficiently, and effectively while accomplishing their missions. Committed to ensuring that government travel policy follows all relevant laws, while applying innovative technology and implementing industry best practices. Federal Government is among the largest travel ...
The locality per diem rate at the TDY location is $141 ($95/$46). The Service member departs the TDY location on September 4, and spends 1 night at the stopover point, returning to the PDS on September 5. Total traveled mileage is 930 miles. The mileage rate used in this example is $0.535. Note: One day of travel time is allowed for each 400 ...
3.6 Finance Defense Travel Administrator. A Finance Defense Travel Administrator (FDTA) is a person in the budget, resource management, accounting, or finance field that is responsible for assisting in the management and support of DTS at the organizational level as designated by the responsible commander.
When a traveler must travel between the residence or PDS and an alternate work site, an authorizing official may authorize or approve the use of a POV, and the traveler receives mileage for the distance that exceeds the commuting distance. See the JTR, par. 0206 for more information.