ALOHA!
Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, food and experiences while living in Oahu. Hope you enjoy our beautiful islands!
Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, food and experiences while living in Oahu. Hope you enjoy our beautiful islands!
Please scroll through all the sections. There’s info on Hawaii car rentals and transportation, shipping & picking up your vehicle in Honolulu, borrowing furniture for your PCS move in until HHGs arrive, and filing a HHGs claims and move INBOUND and OUTBOUND information.
Write down your mileage
Announcements
Oct 2021 Move.mil has moved to a new site, Militaryonesource.com
It's helpful to determine if shipping a second car is worth the more than the value of the car because you can easily just buy a car in Hawaii for the same price with lower mileage.
It was $2200 to ship our vehicle from East coast to HNL. That included: flat bed trailer to pick up at our house and have it dropped off at the nearest shipping port. During low season it took about 3 weeks to arrive in HNL and pick up 3 days later after in processing.
It's averaging about $870+ to ship to Hawaii from west coast and vice versa.
Here are some links to transporters in Hawaii
Hawaii Car Transport
https://www.hawaiicartransport.com
Pascha Hawaii https://www.pashahawaii.com/tools/vehicles/ship-a-car-to-and-from-hawaii
USHIP will allow shippers to bid on your shipment but you have to register.
http://www.uship.com/vehicles/hawaii
Searching for a rental car? You’re not alone. With 30K visitors arriving each day to Hawai’i it’s quite competitive but the rental car companies have set aside cars for those on Official orders.
RANDOM HAWAII CAR RENTAL COMPANIES
You can rent a used vehicle from $50-$150 a day TURO.com
In Kauai, last April, visitors were hitchhiking to get around. Now private companies have put together some transportation options for travelers.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority provided transportation info by island. Just click on the island you want to visit to see your options. Mahalo!
Uber Military Hawaii was launched in 2017. Active duty and retired members with base access moonlight on Uber during their off time. Uber Military is unique only to Hawaii.
Picking up your POV in Honolulu. Track your DoD shipped vehicle through their site by clicking on the button. Scroll down for info on registering your vehicle in Honolulu.
If you want to ask other DoD members about moving here you can join my Hawaii Military Life FB group.
International Auto Logistics COVID updates require a mask to be worn when conducting business at the facility and only the service member is allowed in the building.
IAL estimated TRANSIT TIMES (Required Delivery Date-they must deliver your POV no later than this). This might be longer than the average below due to COVID reduction in transportation to Hawaii.
14 days - Neighbor Island
39 days - Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle
47 days - Dallas, Denver, St. Louis, Atlanta, Orlando, Charleston, Norfolk, Baltimore, New Jersey
54 days - Anchorage & Fairbanks
59 days - Guam
96 days - Germany, Italy, Benelux
This VPC is located at: Pier 1, Forrest Avenue, Honolulu, HI, United States, 96813
Hours: 0700-1500
Phone: Local: 808-670-3095
Toll Free: 855-389-9499
Fax: 808-439-6847
email: Honolulu.VPC@ialpov.us
Schedule an appointment to pick up your vehicle at the VPC
Per DoD policy for POV Loss and damage, “Carefully and completely list any loss and or damage to your POV on your vehicle shipping document, DD Form 788, or commercial equivalent. Failure to do this may result in no payment for this damage.”
The Matson Vehicle Processing Center (VPC) is located at Matson Terminal's Sand Island Facility, Pier 51-B, 1411 Sand Island Access Road. Appointment is required prior to pick up or drop off. VPC phone (808) 848-8383. There’s more information on the Tripler Army website regarding shipping POV.
Note the transit times they predict 37 days from East coast to here. However, when I shipped my vehicle from Baltimore it took 25 days to arrive during low season.
Taxi Assistance
State of Hawaii: "All automobiles used on the highway must be registered with the state of Hawaii. If you are not a legal resident of Hawaii, you may keep your original vehicle license plates, but you must register your car to get a Hawaii vehicle permit sticker. To complete vehicle registration, you are required to have proof of ownership or certificate of registration; shipping documents; and Hawaii no-fault insurance coverage. Additionally, Hawaii requires an annual safety inspection for all vehicles; valid identification card; and Non-resident Certificate Form DSL50 (to be signed by your commanding officer verifying your home of record as reflected in your service record)."
Non-resident active duty military personnel must submit a Non-Resident Certificate, Form CS-L (MVR) 50*, for each registration, renewal, or transfer transaction and the form is available from your military personnel office or your unit.
DMV guidance during COVID19. Most DMV (Satellite) offices are open by appointment only and there are several kiosks for renewal only across Oahu in select Safeway and Foodland stores. At the kiosk you can pay and print a whole new registration card. See the full list of locations here.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Vehicle Registration Office (closest to Tripler and Fort Shafter), 1705 O'Malley Blvd., Bldg 192H Pearl Harbor, HI 96853. Open by appointment only. Schedule your appointment online.
Near Schofield. Wahiawa Satellite City Hall, 330 N Cane St., SCH, Wahiawa, HI 96786.
Schedule your appointment online at AlohaQ.
Make sure you are turning in the correct non-residency form when you register. Unit S-1s can pick up the new forms at the U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii Forms Center. Call 808-656-0334 for questions about form pickup.
SAFETY INSPECTION
Hawaii state registration requires a safety inspection. Safety inspections can be done at the Schofield auto skill center or Fort Shafter auto skills center. And here’s a link to the MWR site.
Safety inspections can also be done on Hickam Auto skills center by appointment only and in Pearl Harbor Moanalua auto skills center next to the Navy Marine Golf Course.
Moving is
so much fun!
Not.......
I bought this inexpensive Olee Sleep 14 Inch Foldable Metal Platform Bed Frame, Twin Size for $62 and I put a folding Futon on it. It’s more comfortable than an inflatable bed. It folds in half and it’s easy to store away. Because Hawaii homes are small, there sometimes isn’t a dedicated guest room and bed so this portable one can be set up anywhere.*
Navy: Aloha Furniture at the Housing Service Center: (808)474-1820/1821
AirForce: Tunista Furniture located near the back (Kuntz) Gate: (808)448-0300
Loan Closet: Shipped your household goods? Don’t buy temporary things when you can borrow! 655 VickersAve, Bldg 1105, Honolulu. For more info call: (808) 449-0319
Filing a move claim (Claim report) for HHG's? It has to be done within 2 years from when you received your HHG's. The items you found damaged during the delivery (Loss and Damage report) need to be reported in the first 75 days after delivery. Here is the DPS instructions on how to file a claim for every lost or damaged item.
You file it though the DPS application and below is some information you need prior to sitting down and doing this.
TIP: Take a photo of each damaged item but also include the inventory box #. You need that number to file a claim for each item or you'll have to go back through the bill of lading sheets to find the #
TIP: When starting your initial claim in DPS, enter the Government Bill of Lading# first and it will repopulate some of the other fields.
TIP: After you add a photo to the claim hit "save". Then hit "add" since it was not intuitive on how to add additional photos.
TIP: Make sure you don't fix anything before the estimator comes out to your house to assess the damage or it may lessen the claim.
TIP: Make sure items in your Loss and Damage report doesn't record a duplicate item in the Claims report filed 9 months later.
Unable to access DPS? Call the DPS Help Desk.Call: 800-462-2176 (toll-free)
Email: Message DPS
For those stationed near Pearl Harbor, The JPPSO is located in the same office as the Navy housing office Pearl Harbor. They also manage short term storage and extensions. It's located near Pearl Harbor NEX at 4825 Bougainville Dr., Bldg 2652, Honolulu, HI 96818. (808)-474-1820
For Marine families here is the PCS TOOLKIT. You must follow the instructions and start at the Distribution Management Office (DMO) 808- 257-3566. DMO is located on K-bay in bldg. 209 on the corner of 2nd street and C street (or at Camp Smith , MARFORPAC building, 808-477-8840). Visit Marines Corps Community Services Hawaii for more information.
“The Joint Personnel Property Shipping Office (JPPSO) is for ALL BRANCHES OF SERVICE and DoD CIVILIANS INBOUND AND OUTBOUND shipments stationed on Oahu.”
Transportation moves are scheduled through move.mil. After you have your Transportation training you can enter in your move yourself through the application. You would list the first four of these as separate pickups in DPS.
Instructions on how to register with DPS
The Defense Personal Property Program, or DP3, will be managed by U.S. Transportation Command starting in Fall of 2020. Improvements to the move.mil and DPS systems will be coming so that’s good news.
For scheduling your move you need to know your dates for all the different pickups you are authorized:
Unaccompanied baggage (UB)
Household goods (HHG)
Non Temp storage (NTS) - long term (if applicable)
Professional Gear (ProGear PBP&E)
Alternate drop off shipment address if applicable
And the DPS application only works on Explorer so we couldn't use my Mac.
Since you won't know your delivery address you can chose storage in transit (SIT) and log back in and update it when you get an address. I found it easier to just talk to the carrier directly to change the address and change dates of delivery as well. And through email I was able to communicate with Transportation folks in Hawaii.
Military PCS also includes Professional Gear (PBP&E) shipment up to 2000 pounds which is not counted against your total weight allowance. PBP&E/Pro-Gear is defined as: HHG in a member's possession needed for the performance of official duties at the next or a later destination.
The following items are considered Pro-Gear:
(1) Reference material
(2) Instruments, tools, and equipment peculiar to technicians, mechanics, and members of the professions
(3) Specialized clothing such as diving suits, flying suits; astronaut’s suits, flying suits and helmets, band uniforms, chaplain’s vestments, and other specialized apparel not normal or usual uniform or clothing
(4) Communications equipment used by a member in association with the Military Affiliated Radio System
(5) Individually owned or specially issued field clothing and equipment
Unaccompanied Baggage (UB) shipment is an authorized move pick up for Military members during PCS. It is a separate pick up you arrange through DPS. We were authorized 500 lbs to ship up to 60 days prior to reporting. I think it only took 3 weeks to arrive so you'll have some things you need when you get here that are too big to fly with.
The 500 lbs counts as part of your total HHGs weight limit (up to 18,000 lbs depending on your rank). You normally use UB to include clothing, kitchen items, etc. that you do not want to haul with you when you travel but you need right away while you wait for your HHGs. UB can be delivered anywhere you want (TLA, hotel, etc.) when you report to your new station and before you find a new house.
Here is some info on UB:
Erroneously called “Express Shipment,” unaccompanied baggage transportation is authorized by an expedited mode when necessary to enable the member to carry out assigned duties or to prevent undue hardship to the member and/or dependents.
Here are some very helpful PCS tips from Move.mil.
Outbound from Hawaii with no destination address, your vehicle can only be shipped to Seattle or LA.
Shipping a 2nd POV? The OPPORTUNE LIFT (OPLIFT) program might be just what you need. There may be a lengthy wait list for this process and wait time to receive the vehicle at the final destination but if you can get in early it’s FREE for DoD on orders from those PCSing from San Diego to Hawaii.
For USAA members transferring their car insurance to Hawaii it's a unique situation. It was required that I have my USAA auto insurance white card (with watermarked seal) with Hawaii "no fault" on it in order to pick up my vehicle. You call USAA first to change it to Hawaii before you arrive. Also my rates went up, no surprise, everything in Hawaii is more expensive.
The Vehicle processing doesn't accept a paper print out of your card. Instead you must either have it mailed or if you can't wait, pick up the white card in town near Ala Moana shopping center.
USAA said this is where you pick up hardcopy:
Crawford & Co.
711 Kapiolani Blvd., 9th Fl, Ste 920
M-F 8-4 but...lunch from 11-12
***Must call first to confirm docs ready***
Three ladies assist with these docs:
Tina, Cheryln, Simone
808-591-2376 x 323
You have to park in the basement of a high rise building. Also don't go during rush hour the traffic is pretty solid.
Thanks for reading and please share your experiences with me on my FB group, HAWAII MILITARY LIFE, so we can help others. I mainly post Local Hawaii events and information in that group. And if you are retiring or transitioning, please join our HAWAII MILITARY RETIRED VETERANS LIFE Facebook group.
We just created our new INSTAGRAM account Hawaiimilitarylife808. We try to look for a lot of FREE events or discounts for Military. We also post PCS info, buying a car, pet info, BAH, and anything related to Military command events in Hawaii. You can search through our Facebook site in the Announcements section has all the reference information there. Mahalo and welcome to Hawaii!
