Auto transport for a military town
Jacksonville is home to Little Rock Air Force Base, the Air Force’s main training base for C-130 crews. Orders set the calendar here. A lot of the car shipping in town is tied to PCS dates, temporary duty, and deployments, and plans can change with one phone call.
We ship vehicles for active-duty members, Guard and Reserve, civilian employees, contractors, and military retirees who have settled in the area, along with everyone else in Jacksonville who simply needs a car moved.
Shipping a vehicle during a PCS
On most moves within the continental United States, the military expects you to drive your own vehicles and pays mileage instead of shipping them. Government-paid vehicle shipping is mainly for overseas orders, and it is usually limited to one vehicle. Your transportation office can tell you exactly what your orders cover.
That leaves a gap many families fill with a private carrier. The common cases:
- A second or third vehicle. One adult drives, the other flies with the kids, and the extra car goes on a truck.
- A car you cannot take overseas. It can be shipped to a relative’s home in another state for the length of the tour.
- A motorcycle or project car that is not up to a long highway trip.
- A split move. The member reports first and the family follows later with fewer vehicles to drive.
Book once you have orders in hand and tell us your report date. A pickup window of a few days, instead of one fixed day, gives us more carriers to choose from and usually a better price. Our service is private and paid by you, so keep your receipt in case your finance office can reimburse part of it.
Getting a carrier on and off base
Car haulers are commercial trucks, and a driver without base access cannot simply roll through the gate. Most people who live or work on base meet the carrier off base, a few minutes from the Vandenberg Boulevard gate. Loading usually takes 20 to 30 minutes once the truck is parked.
If you live in base housing and need the truck to come to you, tell us when you book. The driver would need a visitor pass arranged in advance, and not every carrier will take a job that requires one. Meeting outside the gate is nearly always faster.
If you have already left for training or your next assignment, a spouse, friend, or supervisor can release the vehicle for you, as long as they are an adult you have named on the order.
Around Jacksonville and up the freeway
Away from the base, Jacksonville is an easy stop for carriers. The city sits directly on I-57, the freeway most locals still call 67/167, about 15 miles northeast of downtown Little Rock and its I-40 and I-30 junctions. Neighborhoods such as Foxwood and Stonewall have ordinary residential streets, and the shopping centers along the freeway give drivers room to load when a street is too tight.
We also cover Cabot, Austin, and Ward farther up I-57, where many base families live, along with Gravel Ridge and Sherwood to the southwest.
One practical note: there is a much larger Jacksonville in Florida. Enter ZIP code 72076, or 72099 for the base, so your quote is for Arkansas.
Sample routes to other duty stations
Approximate mileage and typical transit times from Jacksonville to cities near other installations.
| Destination | Distance | Typical time on the truck |
|---|---|---|
| Biloxi, MS (Keesler AFB) | About 450 miles | 2 to 4 days |
| Abilene, TX (Dyess AFB) | About 510 miles | 2 to 4 days |
| San Antonio, TX (Joint Base San Antonio) | About 600 miles | 2 to 4 days |
| Dayton, OH (Wright-Patterson AFB) | About 700 miles | 3 to 5 days |
| Tampa, FL (MacDill AFB) | About 960 miles | 3 to 5 days |
| Washington, DC area (Joint Base Andrews) | About 1,010 miles | 4 to 6 days |
| Las Vegas, NV (Nellis AFB) | About 1,480 miles | 4 to 6 days |
| Tacoma, WA (Joint Base Lewis-McChord) | About 2,260 miles | 7 to 10 days |
Mileage is approximate. Transit times are typical ranges once the vehicle is loaded, not guarantees. Weather, traffic, and other stops on the truck can shift them.
Getting the vehicle ready
- Take everything out. Carriers are licensed to move vehicles, not household goods, and their cargo insurance generally does not cover items left inside.
- Leave about a quarter tank of fuel. It is enough to load and unload without adding weight.
- Remove toll tags, and take off or secure loose parts such as bike racks and antennas.
- Photograph all four sides, the roof, and the odometer on the day of pickup.
- Hand over one working key and keep the spare with you.
- Tell us about anything unusual: a dead battery, low ground clearance, or an alarm that trips easily.
Jacksonville car shipping questions
Does the military pay for private car shipping?
Usually not on stateside moves. Some families put part of their relocation allowances toward it, and the rules differ for overseas orders. Your transportation or finance office is the right place to confirm what applies to you before you book.
Can someone else release my car if I have already left Little Rock AFB?
Yes. Name any adult you trust when you book. They meet the driver, hand over the key, and sign the inspection report. You get the paperwork afterward.
Can the car be delivered to base housing at my next duty station?
It depends on that base’s access rules. In most cases the driver meets you just outside the gate or at the visitor center. Tell us the installation when you request a quote and we will plan the handoff with you.
My orders came late. How fast can you pick up?
Choose “As soon as possible” in the quote form or call us. Jacksonville is on I-57 and a short drive from the I-40 corridor, so carriers are usually not far away, but a same-week pickup cannot be promised in every case.
Can you ship a vehicle that has been sitting in storage?
Yes. If it does not start, steer, or roll, tell us which, and select “No, it is not operable” in the form. We will send a carrier with a winch. Let the storage facility know the truck is coming so the gate is open.