Can an Army unit force you to utilize a specific mode of travel when traveling somewhere on orders?

Schedule is probably more of the issue than funds

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.

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!

The can do it (not sure why) because your travel is at the convenience of the government.

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.

PFC (Join to see) SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SSG(P) James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" LTC Stephen F. CPL Dave Hoover SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SSG (Join to see) Capt Dwayne Conyers CPT Jack Durish