ATA to Congress: Don’t Let the Military Freight Game Get Hijacked

by TRUCKERS VA
(UNITED STATES)

Introduction – Big Changes Coming to Military Moves… and Truckers Ain’t Feeling the Transparency

You ever get handed a load where the pickup location, rate, and route all feel like a mystery? That’s how the **American Trucking Associations (ATA)** says this new government contract is shaping up — and now they’re asking Congress to step in before it wrecks the whole moving game.

The issue? It’s called the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) — a Department of Defense (DoD) program that aims to centralize and streamline how military families’ belongings are moved. Sounds great in theory… but truckers, carriers, and moving companies are worried it’s about to become a bureaucratic disaster with one company calling all the shots.

Let’s break it down.

Key Points – What the GHC Is, and Why ATA’s Blowing the Horn

📦 What’s the GHC? The Department of Defense wants to consolidate all military household goods moves under **one massive contract**. That contract has been awarded to a single entity — a private logistics company tasked with managing thousands of military moves every year.
🚨 ATA’s Concerns:

Too much power, not enough oversight. If one company controls the entire military moving network, what happens when things go wrong?

Lack of transparency. There’s still confusion about how subcontractors (like movers and drivers) will be chosen or paid.

Shutting out small players. Independent carriers, local moving companies, and long-time DoD partners might get boxed out if they’re not on the chosen contractor’s list.

📢 ATA to Congress: We need answers.**
ATA is urging lawmakers to demand clarity, hold hearings, and make sure the program doesn’t crush competition or cause major disruptions for military families.

Multiple Perspectives – The Good, the Bad, and the ‘Who Knows?’

🔹 The DoD’s View: The military says the GHC is about improving service. Too many complaints from families about broken items, delays, or missing furniture. They want one system, one standard.
🔹 Big Logistics Firms:
Of course they’re happy — winning a contract like this is the

freight version of hitting the lottery. Control the pipeline, control the payouts.

🔹 Small Business and Truckers:
This is where things get dicey. If you’ve been hauling for base families for years, what happens when you’re not on the preferred vendor list? Do you lose that work entirely?

🔹 Military Families:
Ironically, the group this program is supposed to help is just as in the dark. Will this improve quality, or just create more red tape?

Industry Response – ATA Isn’t Alone in Raising the Flag

ATA isn’t just complaining — they’re making moves:
Pushing for public hearings to get facts out of the shadows.

Calling for amendments to the contract that ensure open bidding and protect small operators.

Connecting with movers and regional carriers to collect feedback and show Congress what’s really at stake.

Some smaller associations and independent carriers are speaking up too. They want to know how to stay in the game if the rules change mid-play.

Bottom Line – One Contract Shouldn’t Control the Entire Moving Industry

This ain’t just about military families — it’s about the future of **how freight contracts are awarded, who gets the work, and who’s forced out**.
If the government sets a trend of mega-contracts with one vendor, that could stretch beyond military moves. Imagine this in food distribution, fuel hauling, or other federal contracts. It could be the beginning of the Uberization of trucking — one app, one company, and no room for independents.

ATA’s sounding the alarm — not just for headlines, but for survival.

Call to Action

If you’re a small carrier, a mover near a base, or just a trucker who believes in fair freight — now’s the time to pay attention.
👉 Follow the fight and stay informed: LifeAsATrucker.com
👉 Want to build income before contracts and politics squeeze you out? Start learning how at RetireFromTrucking.com

Because if you don’t prepare for changes like this? You could wake up and realize your load’s been reassigned… and you weren’t even told.