How do weight tickets work for a PPM move? If there is one thing that makes or breaks a Personally Procured Move, it is weight tickets. The military pays you on net weight, and the only proof of net weight is a certified empty ticket and a certified full ticket for every vehicle you move. Everything else in your PPM claim, the receipts, the forms, the DD 2278, rides on top of those two pieces of thermal paper. Here is how they work, in order.
The mechanism: empty first, then full
The formula your transportation office uses is almost insultingly simple:
Net weight, the only number that matters
Weigh empty first. This is the tare: your vehicle with a full fuel tank, your normal passengers and pets out of it, in the configuration it will be loaded in. Then load everything, drive back to a scale, and weigh full the same way. Consistency between the two weighings protects your net number. Different fuel levels, different passengers, a trailer you forgot on the first pass, any of that introduces noise that can cost you weight you actually moved.
Where to get certified weight tickets
A certified ticket is a printed, official weigh slip from a certified scale, signed or stamped by the scale operator. A bathroom scale or an estimate will not fly. The usual sources:
- CAT scales at truck stops and travel plazas, the default choice for most families
- Moving-truck rental locations
- Landfills, gravel yards, and feed stores
- Some grain elevators
Call ahead and ask specifically whether they issue certified weight tickets. Then photograph every ticket the moment you get it. Faded thermal-paper slips are the number one cause of PPM payment headaches, and the photo is free insurance.
What each ticket must show
Transportation offices check tickets for specific fields. If yours is missing one, add it yourself at the scale:
- Your name and last four of your SSN, or your order number
- The date of the weighing
- Vehicle and trailer identification (make, plate, or a description)
- The gross, tare, or net weight as applicable
- The weigh location and the scale operator's certification or signature
How do weight tickets work for a PPM move with multiple trips?
You need a separate empty/full pair for each vehicle and each trip. Two trailer runs means two empty tickets and two full tickets. A partial PPM in your own car still needs certified empty and loaded tickets for the car. And one detail that catches people: if you hire a moving company or use a container service and still want PPM reimbursement, you need weight documentation for those moves too, invoices plus certified weights, not just the mover's receipt.
How do weight tickets work for a PPM move?
You weigh your vehicle empty (tare) at a certified scale, then weigh it again fully loaded. The difference is your net shipment weight, and that net number is what the government pays you on at 100% of the Government Constructed Cost. Every vehicle and every trip needs its own pair of certified tickets.
Where can I get certified weight tickets for a PPM move?
CAT scales at truck stops and travel plazas are the most common option. Moving-truck rental locations, landfills, gravel yards, feed stores, and some grain elevators also provide certified tickets. Call ahead and ask specifically for a certified weight ticket, a printed official slip.
What must a PPM weight ticket show?
Your name and last four or order number, the date, the vehicle and trailer identification, the gross, tare, or net weight as applicable, and the weigh location with the scale operator's certification or signature.
Should I weigh with a full tank of gas?
Yes, and the same tank level at both weighings. Weigh empty first with a full tank, then weigh full the same way. Consistency between the two weighings protects your net number from disputes.
What if I lose a PPM weight ticket?
Contact your transportation office immediately, but generally you cannot re-weigh after unloading. Photograph every ticket the moment you get it: faded thermal-paper slips are the number one cause of PPM payment headaches.