Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command and U.S. Transportation Command are using transportation experts this week to address the challenges and concerns military customers are facing when shipping their privately owned vehicles.
On May 1, International Auto Logistics, known as IAL, assumed responsibility for the Global Privately Owned Vehicle Contract, also known as GPCIII. Under the terms of the contract, IAL is responsible for processing, transporting and storing vehicles owned by military personnel and Department of Defense civilian employees bound for, or returning from, overseas duty assignments.
Military personnel and DoD civilian employees who are experiencing delays with their vehicle arrival time should call IAL at 1-855-389-9499 and choose Option 2, or visit IAL’s website at http://www.pcsmypov.com.
Stanley said authorized members be reimbursed for rental car fees incurred if their vehicle’s original required delivery date is missed.
While the first seven days of rental car fees are handled by the member’s local military or government claims office, he added, rental car fees incurred after the initial seven-day period will be reimbursed by IAL via an “inconvenience claim.”
For military claims, eligible personnel may rent a car at government expense for up to seven days if their privately owned vehicle transported at government expense for their use does not arrive at the authorized destination by the required delivery date. Reimbursement is limited by law to $30 per day, with a maximum reimbursement of $210. Stanley said that authority expires on the date their POV is available for pick-up at destination.
“IAL will review each claim on a case-by-case basis and, based on the circumstances, reimburse the member accordingly,” he said.
According to the IAL website, there are three options for filing a claim, including “Site Settlement,” “IAL Claims,” and “Inconvenience Claims,” with each option offering a different level of service and convenience. For more details on each option, visit the website’s FAQ section.
Stanley said that in an effort to further reduce the customer’s financial burden, if a customer is inconvenienced because of a missed delivery date and cannot pay for a rental car, IAL has coordinated with Avis and Budget for direct billing from those rental car companies to IAL.
SDDC officials acknowledge the transfer to the new POV contractor did not go as smoothly as it could have. The SDDC is aware of and understands the issues some of them have experienced while shipping their POV, adding that solving those issues is the command’s No. 1 priority.
“We are well aware that our customers continue to experience challenges in shipping their vehicles,” said Navy Capt. Aaron Stanley, personal property director for SDDC.
The TRANSCOM contracting office and the SDDC program management office continue to provide program oversight, while daily performance is monitored by contracting officer’s representatives assigned to vehicle processing centers.
Stanley said about three dozen of the contracting officer’s representatives are globally dispersed to provide daily oversight of IAL operations. “According to the [representatives], IAL is responding to their feedback and has begun to make improvements,” he added. “That said, we believe that one unhappy customer is one too many. We want to assure our military and civilian partners and their families that SDDC, U.S. TRANSCOM and IAL are actively taking steps to improve the POV shipping process for them.
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