www.huh? Lighten up and Save With Web 'It's Your Move' Booklet

This is just some of the advice Military Traffic Management Command officials offer military and civilian personnel and their families who are on the move. The weight of your household goods, stored items and unaccompanied baggage is important in a move because you pay all charges connected with the excess -- possibly hundreds to thousands of dollars, officials said.

The only way to avoid excess weight charges is to stay within your authorized weight allowance by estimating early and disposing of unnecessary possessions -- you may not know for months how much your shipment officially weighed, and then it's too late.

Download a copy of the Army "It's Your Move" pamphlet at www.usapa.army.mil/pdffiles/p55_2.pdf. It's the first listed link on the page. The pamphlet should be useful to members of all the services, with its weight allowance charts and wealth of other information about moving.

Your authorized weight allowances is also available at the end of this news article.

Weight allowances are established under provisions of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations and are the maximum weight you can move at government expense. Officials emphasize that weight estimates are planning tools only and in no way binding. You can't use an estimate to refute excess weight charges, for instance.

A successful move requires early planning and hard work, officials noted. Members must understand their entitlements and responsibilities concerning shipment of household goods, unaccompanied baggage, boats and firearms. Other tips of interest: 

• An easy and fairly dependable method for estimating the weight of household goods is to figure 1,000 pounds per room, not including storage rooms and bathrooms. Then add the estimated weight of larger appliances and items in the garage and storage rooms. 
   
• The weight of professional books, papers and equipment doesn't count against your allowance. You also may be eligible to ship under other provisions -- consult your local transportation office for help. 
   
• Get appraisals for expensive and valuable items, such as artwork, collectibles and heirlooms. The government will not pay to have appraisals done, but you'll need them if you full value for loss and damage claims. 
   
• Don't ship small, extremely valuable items such as stocks, bonds, jewelry, coins, coin collections, or items of great sentimental value, such as picture albums. Pack them in hand-carry luggage -- not as checked baggage. 
   
• Don't let the carrier off the hook by waiving your right to have him unpack your shipment. Transportation officials point out movers' contracts include unpacking and then removing all shipping materials and other debris. So, they said, you work free and make it harder on yourself -- if not impossible -- to prove losses and damages. Don't help load or unload the truck for the same reasons. 
   
• Take close-up still photos or record videotape pictures of the condition of furniture and other property before they're shipped. 
   
• Service members being assigned overseas should check with their transportation offices about possible weight restrictions. For instance, some places provide government furniture, and so the government won't pay to ship your full weight allowance. 
   
• If you're going to a weight-restricted area, the government will store the remainder of your household goods, up to your full weight allowance, or ship it to a designated location for the duration of your overseas tour.

GRADE	PCS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS	PCS WEIGHT DEPENDENTS	TEMPORARY ALLOWANCE
0-10	18,000	18,000	2,000
0-9	18,000	18,000	1,500
0-8	18,000	18,000	1,000
0-7	18,000	18,000	1,000
0-6	18,000	18,000	800
0-5	16,000	17,500	800
0-4/W-4	14,000	17,000	800
0-3/W-3	13,000	14,500	600
0-2/W-2	12,500	13,500	600
0-1/W-1	10,000	12,000	600
E-9	12,000	14,500	600
E-8	11,000	13,500	500
E-7	10,500	12,500	400
E-6	8,000	11,000	400
E-5	7,000	9,000	400
***E-4	7,000	8,000	400
**E-4	3,500	7,000	225
E-3	2,000	5,000	225
E-2	1,500	5,000	225
E-1	1,500	5,000	225

***Over 2 Years
**Less Than 2 Years