New DoD Vehicle Shipment Contract Benefits Customers

American Auto Logistics Inc. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., recently won the two-year, $394 million DoD contract that started Nov. 1. The company is expected to ship about 75,000 vehicles each year, said Frank Galluzzo, Military Traffic Management Command assistant deputy chief of staff for transportation services.

"We now have a single contractor responsible for the movement of vehicles from turn in to delivery. This gives us a single line of responsibility," he said. That's a mammoth change from having up to eight independent contractors handling one vehicle, he noted.

Under the old system, each shipping segment might involve a different carrier -- an ocean carrier, perhaps, and carriers for each segment of land travel, no matter how many or how short, Galluzzo said. "Each contractor was only responsible for his own segment," he said. "That's not an efficient system."

Some shipments involved so many contractors, "part of our problem was distinguishing where damage happened and who was liable," he said. "The government was only collecting about $5 for every $100 we paid in claims. Quite often customers also got the run-around. When they called one contractor he'd say, 'That's the way it was when I received it.' The second, third and fourth contractor would say the same thing."

Having a single contractor responsible for everything eliminates that problem, he noted. "And the customer can call the contractor and find out the location of the car, the estimated date of delivery, the delivery site and, if necessary, settle a minor loss or damage claim," Galluzzo said.

The shipping system includes 13 U.S. vehicle processing centers are close to major airports, such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Honolulu and Seattle, he said. "We've tried to combine vehicle processing center sites with the Air Force Air Mobility Command gateways for international travel. These cities are near the largest concentrations of service members and are within 25 miles of an international gateway city.

"Shortly after returning from overseas, customers can pick up their vehicle near the airport. The same applies when they're shipping a car," he said. "That's a big convenience feature for customers. We think the on-the-spot settlement of minor damage claims up to $500 and one-hour in-and-out processing are other big features. And the contractor has 800 numbers, or the overseas equivalent, so customers can call in and check on their vehicle."

For more information about moving in general, visit the Military Traffic Management Command's Web site at www.mtmc.army.mil/. You can track shipment status by keying in your order number and last name at the American Auto Logistics Inc. Web site at www.whereismypov.com.

Another improvement is the increased number of overseas processing centers, Galluzzo said. Germany has eight, in Baumholder, Boeblingen, Grafenwoehr, Kaiserslautern, Mannheim, Schweinfurt, Spangdahlem and Wiesbaden. Other centers in Europe are in Aviano, Livorno and Vicenza, Italy; Schinnen, Netherlands; Chievres, Belgium; and Lakenheath/Mildenhall, United Kingdom, with satellite feeder sites in West Ruislip, St. Mawgan and Menwith Hill.

South Korea has a center in Pusan with satellites in Seoul and Taegu; Guam and Puerto Rico have one each. Japan and Panama are not included in this shipping contract.

The maximum size vehicle a member can ship at government expense is 20 measurement tons (one equals 40 cubic feet). There are exceptions for medical reasons, Galluzzo noted.

"A compact car averages about nine measurement tons, and a full- size car, about 15," he said. "Oversized vehicles include large pickup trucks with extended campers in the bed and quasi mobile homes. Customers pay transportation costs for anything over the limit. The contractor will measure the vehicle at the port areas and tell the customer how much they'll have to pay."

Only self-propelled, wheeled motor vehicles can be shipped, which includes automobiles, station wagons, jeeps, motorcycles, motor scooters, vans and pickup trucks. Customers should check with their transportation offices concerning exceptions for shipping other types of passenger-carrying, multipurpose vehicles, Galluzzo said.

Customers should remove personal items from their vehicles before arriving at the processing center, he said. "A lot of families take a day or two journey to the processing center and leave personal items -- small electronic gear like tape recorders and small radios in the glove compartment," he said.

All household items and camping equipment must be removed from the vehicle before shipment, Galluzzo noted. "Flammable and hazardous substances such as waxes, oils, paints, solvents and polishes should be removed," he said. "Propane tanks must be purged and certified before the vehicle is turned in for shipment."

He said customers can leave items in the vehicle they may need when they pick up their vehicle. This includes jacks, tire irons, tire chains, fire extinguishers, nonflammable tire inflators, first aid kits, jumper cables, warning triangles, trouble light and tools valued at less than $200. A spare tire and two snow tires, portable cribs and children's car seats and luggage rack also can be left in vehicles.

The location, address and telephone numbers for Military Traffic Management Command vehicle processing centers are listed below. Visits the command's Web site for driving directions to the sites along with information about lodging, hours of operation, local transportation and more.

Atlanta:
2579 Campbell Blvd.
Ellenwood, GA 30049
Tel: 404 363-4449
Fax: 404 363-1858
Toll Free: 800 965-9155

Baltimore:
2501 Broening Highway
Baltimore, MD 21224
Tel: 410 631-5751
Fax: 410 631-5756
Toll Free: 800 631-5751

Charleston:
1599 Oceanic St.
Charleston, SC 29405
Tel: 843 805-6667
Fax: 843 805-6671
Toll Free: 800 747-9223

Dallas:
617 East Main St.
Lewisville, TX 75067
Tel: 972 436-8864
Fax: 972 436-9043
Toll Free: 800 438-2046

Honolulu:
Sand Island Parkway
Pier 51-B
Honolulu, HI 96820
Tel: 808 848-8383
Fax: 808 853-2116
Toll Free: 800 896-7745

Los Angeles:
23803 S. Wilmington Ave.
Carson, CA 90745
Tel: 310 549-0687
Fax: 310 549-7438
Toll Free: 800 887-3344

Metro New York/New Jersey:
301 Supor Blvd.
Harrison, NJ 07029
Tel: 973 485-8164
Fax: 973 485-6925
Toll Free: 877 269-3702

New Orleans:
5481 Crowder Blvd.
New Orleans, LA
Tel: 504 246-2102/0770
Fax: 504 246-2111
Toll Free: 800 721-9632

Norfolk:
3015 Airline Blvd.
Portsmouth, VA 23701
Tel: 757 465-4127
Fax: 757 465-3970
Toll Free: 800 810-7480

San Francisco/Oakland:
1301 Canal St.
Richmond, CA 94804
Tel: 510 231-6831
Fax: 510 237-4046
Toll Free: 800 704-2444

Orlando:
2255 North Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32804
Tel: 407 648-3677
Fax: 407 648-3650
Toll Free: 800 758-5998

Seattle:
2302 Ross Way
Tacoma, WA 98402
Tel: 253 272-1712
Fax: 253 272-2375
Toll Free: 800 597-1833

St. Louis:
4236 Crescent Drive
Pontoon Beach, IL 90745
Tel: 618 931-2888
Fax: 618 931-2892
Toll Free: 800 275-3706

Overseas:

Chievres, Belgium:
Commander, 80th Area Support Group
Base Aerienne
7050 Chievres, Belgium
Tel: 32(0) 68665999
Fax: 32(0) 68665948
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Schinnen, Netherlands:
254 BSB
Nutherweg 60
6365 ER-Schinnen, Netherlands
Tel: 31(0) 464432851
Fax: 31(0) 464432865
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

England:
Lakenheath/Mildenhall:
40 Wimbledon Avenue
Brandon, Suffolk, England
Tel: 44(0) 1842813999
Fax: 44(0) 1842812981
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Germany:
Baumholder Military Community
Am Bahnof, Bldg 8724
55774 Baumholder, Germany
Tel: 49 6783-2445
Fax: 49 6783-3377
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Panzer Kaserne
Blgd 2930
71032 Boeblingen, Germany
Tel: 49 7031-222453
Fax: 49 7301-222561
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

U.S. Grafenwoehr Base
Saratoga Ave., Bldg 515
92655 Grafenwoehr, Germany
Tel: 49 9641-8480
Fax: 49 9641 3597
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Kapaun Air Station
Bldg 2806
67661 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Tel: 49 631-98517
Fax: 49 631-98518
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Taylor Barracks
Bldg 348
68309 Mannheim, Germany
Tel: 49 621 7140511
Fax: 49 621 7140711
Toll Free: 800 Transcar(87267227)

Conn Barracks
Custer St., Bldg 35
97421 Schweinfurt, Germany
Tel: 49 9721-803618
Fax: 49 6721-85224
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Spangdahlem Air Base
Bldg 139A
54529 Spangdahlem, Germany
Tel: 49 6565-4484
Fax: 49 6565-4469
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Wiesbaden:
Mainz Kastel Housing Area
Bldg 7513
55252 Mainz Kastel, Germany
Tel: 49 6134 69303
Fax: 49 6134 63579
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Guam:
Naval Forces, Marianas
Code N83
PSC 455, Box 190
FPO AP 96540-1500
Freight Terminal Department
Tel: 671 339 2205
Fax: 671 564 2105

Italy:
Via Ellero 1
Zona Industrial
33081 Aviano, Italy
Tel: 39(0) 434661419
Fax: 39(0) 434661420
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Leghorn Army Depot (Livorno)
Kelly St., Bldg 5138
56018 Tombolo, Italy
Tel: 39(0) 50579920
Fax: 39(0) 50579919
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Casern Ederle
Bldg 61
36100 Vincenza, Italy
Tel: 39(0) 444303924
Fax: 39(0) 444303959
Toll Free: 800 Transcar (87267227)

Puerto Rico:
Avenida J. F. Kennedy, Km 2.5
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00920
Tel: 787 792-1233
Fax: 787 781-0688
Toll Free: 888 872-6064

South Korea:
837th Transportation Bn.
Pier 8
Kamman-Dong
Nam Ku
Pusan, Korea 608-070
Tel: 051 801 7177
Fax: 051 801 7859

Seoul:
Camp Kim
Bldg 1230
APO AP 96205
Tel: 02 7915 7011
Fax: 02 7915 7000

Taegu:
20th Support Group
Bldg 1415
Camp Henry, Korea
APO AP 96218-0562
Tel and Fax: (82)53 470 8173