Southern California · military move
PPM / DITY weight tickets in Southern California
A Personally Procured Move pays on the difference between empty and full certified weights. In California, that usually means a printed weighmaster certificate with a weighmaster signature — not a phone PDF. Confirm every field with your Transportation Office before you pull onto a scale.
This page describes how public scales and CAT talk about tickets. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for your branch’s PPM instructions. If a ticket is wrong, finance offices are not gentle. Start with your Transportation Office, then weigh.
Empty, then full, same combination
You need at least two tickets: empty (tare) before household goods go on, and full (gross) after. Same vehicle and trailer combination both times. Fuel the same way both times. People and pets out. CAT’s DITY FAQ says no appointment is required at a CAT Scale: split the vehicle on platforms 1 and 2, use the intercom, then go inside for the ticket and check the weighmaster signature before you leave the lot.
What CAT will print for a military move
CAT publishes the prompts the cashier asks and the answers many service members use (verify with your TO — branches differ):
- Truck/Tractor # — license plate
- Company name — branch of service
- Trailer # — rank
- Commodity — name and last four of SSN
CAT: the weighmaster must sign; signatures usually print automatically; tickets cannot be edited after printing. If you lose a CAT ticket, CAT says it keeps electronic records of sold tickets for seven years and has a ticket-copy request form.
Source: CAT Scale FAQ, “What do I need printed on my scale ticket for a Military Move (DITY Move)?”
California printed certificate vs Weigh My Truck PDF
Weigh My Truck will email a PDF that CAT says is certified in every state except California. California Weighmaster Certificates need information the app does not capture. If you weigh in California for a PPM, go inside and get the printed California Weighmaster Certificate. CAT’s CA FAQ (checked 29 Aug 2026) lists $30.50 for a first weighmaster certificate and $10.50 for a same-location reweigh within 24 hours. Confirm the number on the booth sign.
weighmytruck.com/Help · CAT California Weighmaster Certificate FAQ
CAT vs CDFA public house vs on-base
- CAT (Montebello, Pilot Castaic): axle weights, national brand, often the easiest Saturday option if you are over 2,000 lb. Get the printed CA certificate. Do not treat the app PDF as enough in California.
- Dedicated CDFA public houses (Certified Scales LLC, Rawlins, Santa Fe Springs, Allstate Logistics): licensed weighmasters on the state list; better for light combinations and for people who want a clerk used to DMV and military certificates. Allstate’s operator page explicitly lists DITY/PPM. Certified Scales’ operator site mentions military DITY/PPT certificates. Hours are weekday-heavy — Rawlins Mon–Fri 6–6, Santa Fe Springs Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–midnight, Allstate North Hollywood Mon–Fri 8–5.
- On-base scales: often free and familiar to finance, with short hours and peak-season lines. Ask your TO. We do not list installation scales here.
Industrial CDFA listings (Covestro, Linde, quarries, scrap) are a poor PPM plan. They may refuse you, and a handwritten or incomplete ticket is a claim problem.
A longer independent guide
PCS Pay It Forward publishes a detailed walkthrough of certified weight tickets for a PPM, including branch quirks and common mistakes. Read it as a guide; we are not copying their text into this page. Your Transportation Office still owns the requirement.
pcspayitforward.com — How to Get Certified Weight Tickets for a PPM Move