Keys to successful delivery of household goods during Summer Peak PCS Season

By Brandon Von Willer, chief of Plans and Operations, BASOPS Trans, 405th AFSBJuly 24, 2025

Keys to successful delivery of household goods during Summer Peak PCS Season
Base Support Operations Transportation recommends customers stay in contact with their assigned Transportation Service Provider and check in with their local Personal Property Processing Office to ensure their emails and phone numbers are up to date along with their delivery address if they’ve secured a residence. This will help with communication when their shipments arrive and help to accommodate direct deliveries versus Storage-In-Transit. (Photo Credit: Courtesy graphic) VIEW ORIGINAL

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – The Consolidated Personal Property Shipping Office (CPPSO) under Base Support Operations Transportation (BASOPS Trans), 405th Army Field Support Brigade (405th AFSB), is committed to providing exceptional support to military members serving in Europe, and this support is extra important during the Summer Peak PCS Season.

The dedicated BASOPS Trans CPPSO team understands the challenges associated with Peak PCS Season, and the team works diligently to ensure smooth and efficient processes for Soldiers and their Families, even with the heightened demand on inbound and outbound transportation services during these summer months.

The CPPSO and the local Personal Property Processing Office (PPPO) recommend customers stay in contact with their assigned Transportation Service Provider (TSP) and check in with their local PPPO to ensure their emails and phone numbers are up to date along with their delivery address if they’ve secured a residence. This will help with communication when their shipments arrive and help to accommodate direct deliveries versus Storage-In-Transit (SIT).

Other important considerations for successful inbound deliveries are:

  • Be flexible when setting up deliveries from SIT – with the peak season and location, there can be extended times to receive deliveries from SIT. Also, be available from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the scheduled delivery dates.
  • Space is important – make sure the residence can accommodate all the personal property that is being shipped.
  • One opportunity – regulatory guidance stipulates a one-time placement of items when the designated TSP delivers and unpacks the household items and personal goods.
  • Part of the required support – the TSP must reassembly any items shipped upon delivery and items at origin must be disassembled unless waived by the customer.
  • Also included – the TSP is required to perform a complete unpack to include debris removal, such as boxes and packing material, unless waived by the customer. If a customer waives this, the TSP has no further obligation to come back to pick up these items, however most TSPs will work with customers to pick this material up the next time they’re in the area.
  • Before you sign – be sure the TSP has performed all their duties and met all requirements and expectations before signing the delivery documentation.
  • Double check – check and double check the inventory sheets to ensure everything is accounted for before signing the delivery documentation. If at any time an item is discovered missing or damaged, immediately identify the discrepancy and include it when filing a claim.
  • Know your rights – customers receive step-by-step claims procedure instruction during their transportation briefings but if they didn’t receive clear information or have questions, the transportation team is always available to assist.
  • Help – at the time of delivery, a quality assurance representative from the nearest PPPO will often contact the customers to see how the move is going and sometimes even visit the household during delivery to assist.
  • In case they aren’t available – if quality assurance representation isn’t available during the delivery and an issue come up, reach out to the local PPPO, Installation Transportation Office or the CPPSO team for immediate assistance.
  • Help us improve the service – the transportation team would also like to remind customers of the importance of completing their Customer Satisfaction Surveys, a collaborative effort to measure and improve the performance of the TSPs.

With its Consolidated Personal Property Shipping Office and European Travel Branch, Base Support Operations (BASOPS) Transportation is a field operating activity under the 405th AFSB providing back-office support functions for personal property shipping, official travel services and quality control for the U.S. military communities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, and more. Go to the BASOPS Trans webpage for more information.

The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces.

Visit the 405th AFSB’s official website for further information and assistance with personal property shipments or contact your local installation transportation office. By staying informed and being prepared, servicemembers can significantly increase the likelihood of smooth delivery of their household goods during Peak PCS Season moves and year-round.