Moving industry backs MTMC pilot methods

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Mike Bellafaire

As the Military Traffic Management Command's re-engineering pilot for personal property has ended, the moving industry has voiced its feelings on the three-year test.

"This is the base for the future," said Terry Head, President, Household Goods Forwarders Association of America, Inc., of Alexandria, Va., referring to the pilot.

"This will serve as the transition for whatever the future program will be."

A fellow personal property association official echoes the same support.

"There is some frustration the test has to come to an end," said Scott Michael, Assistant to the President, American Moving and Storage Association, of Alexandria, Va.

"Most people have been pretty happy with the three-state pilot."

Michael's reference to the three-state test refers to the three-year-long MTMC pilot that handled approximately half of all eligible military outbound moves in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

The two men spoke at a final meeting of MTMC program managers and pilot contractors Nov. 28 at MTMC Headquarters, Alexandria, Va.

The pilot concluded in January, when the last year of the contract extension ended. In its three years of life, the MTMC pilot demonstrated exceptional results--with a remarkable overall 89-percent customer satisfaction rate. During the pilot's run, participating contractors moved 23,400 shipments.

Annually, MTMC moves more than 500,000 personal property shipments.

MTMC's program managers have been upbeat about the results.

"I hate to see the pilot come to an end," said Col. Patty Hunt, Deputy Chief of Staff for Passenger & Personal Property. "But a lot of things in the pilot will be incorporated in a future program."

Hunt told contractors that full attention should now be directed to the remaining shipments flowing in the system.

The MTMC pilot emphasized a number of quality-of-life enhancements, including:

* Full replacement value to service members for lost or damaged goods,

* Moving companies selected on the basis of "best value" rather than lowest cost, and

* A toll-free phone number available for service members to contact their movers.

Among those present at the final meeting of MTMC's pilot contractors was Morrison Stevens Sr., President, Stevens Worldwide Van Lines, Saginaw, Mich.

"The MTMC Pilot is the most successful of all the programs they've had," said Stevens. "It's more efficient than the Full Service Moving Program.

"We've fared well as a company."

At one time, the fourth-generation family business was participating in three different military moving programs--the MTMC Pilot, the Full Service Moving Program, and the existing military moving program.

"We tried to do the best job with each," said Stevens, who is serving a one-year term as Chairman of the Board of the American Moving and Storage Association.

The MTMC Pilot?

"By far the most efficient," said Stevens.

Stevens Worldwide Van Lines has moved 989 MTMC Pilot shipments within the past year. On average, the firm conducts 15,000 domestic moves a year and 5,000 international moves.

"It worked well," said Stevens. "As our score (customer satisfaction rate) went up, we got more business."

The U.S. Transportation Command is in the process of reviewing the results of all pilot programs and will submit its evaluation and recommendations to the Secretary of Defense in February.