Posted on Nov 18, 2019
SSG(P) Photographer/Owner
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I'm going on orders to Fort Bragg. I wanted to drive, but my unit is forcing me to fly. Driving costs less than flying would according to DTS. Can they do this?
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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Yea. They can pretty much dictate. It's their funds. Probably someone took a look at a DRA and figured there is less risk in you flying in comparison to driving and would rather pay extra for the flight.
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SSG Intelligence Analyst
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If you are on orders to Bragg, whether it be for PCS or TDY, the unit has to account the distance needed to be traveled and the amount of travel days authorized. Per Army regulations, you are "not allowed" to drive more than 400 miles per day. If the total distance is greater than 400 miles, they would have to give you an extra travel day which may not be cost efficient, hence why 90% of CONUS PCS moves give you 2-3 days unless its to the west coast. TDY is almost always more cost efficient to fly the individual to the location.
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LTC Jason Mackay
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Edited >1 y ago
Yes, Government may specify mode, especially if there is a specific arrival time and there is not an authorization for in and around travel by government auto or POV. The purpose of travel (like a school) may specify NO POVs. What you can do is engage the travel approval authority from the DTS chain and show the lower constructive cost of POV travel Vice commercial air and commercial ground transport. If the answer is no, then it is no. Yes they can do that.
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Can an Army unit force you to utilize a specific mode of travel when traveling somewhere on orders?
CPT Owner
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Sure they can. Your orders authorize specific modes of travel.
Sometimes, like in certain trainings, they dont want you to have a vehicle.
Life happens. Drink water and carry on
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SGT Retired
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SSG(P) (Join to see) - “ They government wonders why we are in a deficit sir and this is a prime example. Make a soldier fly when it's cheaper for him to drive. And they won't even give me a rental to boot. Now I'm being forced to change my hotel room to a double and allow someone else in there...”

Well, all the money they overpay on your mode of travel, sounds as though they are more than recouping by not providing a rental and making soldiers double up in a room. I rarely defend the ridiculous of Army spending, but instances like this really aren’t the reason that the, “.. government wonders why we are in a deficit”.

One of the top pieces of advice that junior soldiers need to learn. When asking questions that start with, “Can the Army do....XYZ?” Just about always, and certainly almost every time, the answer is usually ‘yes’.
Another quality pro-tip. Gripe less. Listen more. Before even thinking, “I’m getting f*cked”, you need to ask yourself, “Even if I legitimately am, is this the hill I’m willing to die on?” Junior joes could save themselves so much angst and frustration by doing so.

Anyway, good luck at Bragg. As a last tip, I might not recommend making too much, if any, of an issue out of this situation while there. The Ft. Braggamites aren’t exactly known for soft compassion.
Best of luck.
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MAJ Javier Rivera
MAJ Javier Rivera
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You got screwed SSG (Join to see)
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MSG Intermediate Care Technician
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MSG (Anonymous) - Wouldn't be the first....and I'm sure it won't be the last.
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SGT Retired
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SSG(P) (Join to see) - I have to ask. A day ago, you wrote, “And for the record, I'm not a CPL anymore because my unit doesn't have slots for CPLs”.
Did your unit open up CPL slots in the past 24 hours?
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PO1 H Gene Lawrence
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You’re in the Army now. It doesn’t have to make sense. If they are giving you money to do the traveling, then do what you think is right. If your goal is to have your vehicle with at the next post, then drive. If they are not giving you money and you are expecting reimbursement then fly. If you don’t want reimbursement, then drive.
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SSG Darrell Peters
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yes, they can. However, I know of some who put in for leave before they had to report. They drove to their new duty station while on leave. Not a good idea as they did not receive travel pay to my knowledge. Be mindful of your leave time when you arrive to your new duty station. By making you fly their has to be a process in place to get your car to your new duty station you should inquire about the process before you depart.
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SPC John Decker
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Why would they care? It seems to me that if your reporting date allowed for the time to drive, from wherever you started, they would have no say in how you got there.
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CSM Richard StCyr
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Yes, pull up the joint travel regulation. Even as a DA Civilian the organization can select our mode of travel.
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MAJ Javier Rivera
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SSG(P) (Join to see), if you really want to drive then submit a cost comparison to whomever is your approval authority showing how driving is more advantageous rather than fly. Keep the Joint Travel Regulation in mind as you perform the exercise since it has to be well articulated and the cost benefits easily identified.

That been said, approval is not always guaranteed since the unit might have a reason to justify their decision regardless of savings.
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SSG Tom Montgomery
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Again, these are questions best answered by your chain of command. There are too many variables. Are you transferring to a Post with limited parking? Is having a POV detrimental to the mission? You may be deploying and not returning to the same location.
My answer: Yes they can.
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LTC Program Manager
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Schedule is probably more of the issue than funds
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SPC Casey Ashfield
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There are other factors here. Personal vehicle or rental? Getting DA to pay for a rental is like pulling teeth. And this all boils down to money. The Army doesn't care how long you can drive without resting, they won't risk a soldier getting in a wreck if they can avoid it. Ever hear of the Army problem solving matrix? They want your travel to be as low risk as possible, even if it means spending more on a flight that they pay for. You cannot factor non reimbursable expenses into your travel like parking fees at airports. If you have a POV, you have a shot at getting your orders amended for land travel. A very slim chance I might add.
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CPT Advisor
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Edited >1 y ago
From some of your comments, it appears that you do not have a good grasp of Joint Travel Regulations (JTR). Per JTR, one day of travel is allotted for 350 miles of driving (regardless of the fact that you could rip some lines of No-Doze and drive 2000 miles in 24 hours). The cost for an extra day of orders for travel is not just the pay you will receive. It is also the cost of the hotel you would be authorized, it is the per diem you would be authorized, etc. etc. An order is not "unlawful" unless it breaks a legal statute, and commanders have wide latitude on what they can authorize or restrict. So, can you be ordered to fly instead of driving? YES, absolutely.

Now, that being said, almost every training NCO or travel official I have ever dealt with doesn't really care how you get there as long as they aren't paying more than they need to or giving you an extra day of orders for travel. Complete an accurate CTW and submit it with your request to drive your POV. Drop the sense of entitlement; educate yourself on the JTR and the necessary expenditures if you are granted your preferred mode of travel. If you come off as ignorant when they start asking you questions, you are quickly going to be shut down. In the past when dealing with a particularly stubborn training NCO, I have completed two different authorizations (without signing) in order to show the difference in reimbursement between the two modes. If you need some other ideas, feel free to hit me up; I've dealt with this similar situation several times. Best of luck!
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CAPT Patrick Mulcahy
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The can do it (not sure why) because your travel is at the convenience of the government.
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SSgt Geospatial Intelligence
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SSG(P) (Join to see) We just went through this briefing this past drill. So, the gov't appears to default to flying. You can ask to drive POV, but travel rate to be paid will be what is most affordable for the gov't. So, I would talk to you Finance folks & let them know that you would like to drive your POV, and that it is more cost effective than a plane ticket, from your research. They may have different numbers, but it can't hurt to find out. If they don't want you to drive, then your unit DOES have the final say. There may be (& probably is) more to the request than they are telling you at first.
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