The Foreign Service Journal, October 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2020 19 SPEAKING OUT Stop Shipping Your Personal Vehicle! BY WARREN L E I SHMAN I am not a “car guy.” While I enjoy the freedom of the open road and appreci- ate the large SUV that has followed our family from post to post, courtesy of the federal government, it is the “util- ity” of the SUV that is key for me and, perhaps, for many others in the Foreign Service. Although we might really enjoy our particular ride, we recognize that the hazards of overseas life are likely to bring scratches, dents, fender benders and definitely a lot of hard miles. One best not become too attached. Yet under current practice, foreign affairs agencies are spending millions of dollars each year shipping privately owned vehicles (POVs) around the world for members of the Foreign Service like me. I would prefer to purchase a vehicle on arrival at post but have chosen not to repeatedly because it doesn’t make economic sense. Simply put: The lack of good informa- tion about the relatively closed and quite limited markets for expat cars at most posts makes it difficult to find the right car at a fair price. Rather than risk it, many FS members choose the default approach of ship- ping a vehicle to post. This can result in, to use my latest experience, shipping a well-used vehicle with an optimistic Kelly Blue Book value of $7,000 from Amman to Accra at a shipping cost to the U.S. gov- ernment of $2,400, not including demur- rage and in-country transport. This is not the economic decision I would make if I were footing the transport bill myself. By my rough estimate, the State Department spent more than $21 million shipping POVs in 2018. Based on data from the Transportation Management Office, Foreign Service members shipped more than 4,500 POVs to and from over- seas posts that year. The costs are enor- mous, and they do not take into account the substantial in-house administrative and logistical work hours required to get all those vehicles from point A to point B. Another Option What if FS members were given a choice when planning a permanent change of station (PCS): ship your vehicle to post at government expense, or receive a POV stipend? That stipend could be used for the purchase of a new car at post, applied toward public transport costs or used however you see fit. The stipend could be calculated as a flat rate depending on destination (e.g., from continental U.S. [CONUS] to West Africa, one to Europe, one to South America) or as some portion of the quoted shipping cost. Either approach would result in substantial cost savings for the government, and the increased flexibility would reduce some of the hassles associated with the PCS process. Adding this allowance would not require any major regulatory changes or legislative fixes. The Secretary of State already has the authority to pay expenses related to a PCS under 22 U.S.C. Section 4081. The stipend could become part of the benefits package administered by the Office of Allowances. Like the Foreign Transfer or Home Service Transfer Allowances, the POV election would be another section of the SF-1190 to com- plete at the time of transfer. This new approach would shift some burden to FS members to more carefully consider their options at the new post. On a practical level, everyone would ben- efit from a more formalized method for gathering and sharing information about the local duty-free vehicle market. So often, transitioning officers and specialists are guided only by a handful of classified ads in the post newsletter and anecdotal chatter. The uncertainty this Warren Leishman is a USAID Foreign Service officer serving as the super- visory resident legal officer at the agency’s regional mission in Accra (although currently teleworking from West Virginia). Previous assignments include Jordan, Ethiopia and Washington, D.C. This article reflects his personal views and not necessarily those of USAID or the Department of State. On a practical level, everyone would benefit from a more formalized method for gathering and sharing information about the local duty-free vehicle market.