How to Fill Out and Submit AF Form 4392: Sections, Briefing, and TRiPS

AF Form 4392, the Pre-Departure Safety Briefing, is the Department of the Air Force worksheet you complete before traveling by privately owned vehicle for leave, a permanent change of station, or temporary duty. You fill in your route, daily mileage, rest stops, and vehicle condition, then walk through it with your supervisor, who signs off before you leave. The process is aimed primarily at Airmen age 26 and under, though a commander can require it of anyone when the trip warrants extra scrutiny.

Who Has to Complete the Form

DAFI 91-202, The Department of the Air Force Mishap Prevention Program, sets up the Pre-Departure Travel Safety Program for service members under 26 traveling by private motor vehicle for leave, PCS, or TDY.¹ The instruction itself calls the program “recommended,” but wings and installations routinely make it mandatory through local policy. If you’re 26 or younger and heading out on a road trip for military reasons, plan on completing the form.²

Older Airmen aren’t exempt by default. A commander or supervisor can direct anyone to complete the form when the trip involves higher risk, such as motorcycle travel, long winter drives, or routes crossing multiple time zones.

The trigger is usually travel beyond your installation’s local area. There’s no Air Force-wide mileage radius; each base sets its own. Some draw the line at 100 miles, others at 250.³ Ask your first sergeant or orderly room what applies at your installation. Trips inside the local area can still require the form if a supervisor flags a specific risk.

Where to Get the Current Version

Download AF Form 4392 from the Department of the Air Force e-Publishing website.⁴ Search the product index for “4392” and pull the PDF. Orderly rooms and first sergeants often keep blank copies on a shared drive, but forms are updated periodically, and an old photocopy can cost you a trip back to the printer. Pull the current version straight from e-Publishing.

Filling Out the Four Sections

The form has four sections. You fill in the itinerary; your supervisor handles the review. Gather your route details, weather forecast, and vehicle status before you sit down with it.

Section I: Instructions

Ground rules for the form. No data entry, but read it. Skipping it means missing guidance that may apply to your specific trip.

Section II: Briefing Guide

This is the list of topics your supervisor will cover with you. Review it in advance so you can answer honestly rather than guess:

Trip planning: whether the route and timeline are realistic for the distance.
Weather and road conditions: DAFI 91-202 requires travelers to check the forecast and road conditions for the entire route before departure.¹
Fatigue management: no more than 10 hours of driving in any 24-hour period, shorter for motorcyclists, with seven to eight hours of sleep planned each night on the road.¹
Vehicle condition: tires, fluids, lights, and seatbelts checked before departure. Motorcyclists need helmets and personal protective equipment.¹
Late-night driving: the guide discourages driving during hours when fatigue-related mishaps spike.
High-risk activities on the trip itself, beyond the driving.
Emergency contacts, including your unit’s command post number.

Section III: Proposed Travel Itinerary

The specifics go here. Enter your mode of transportation, final destination, departure date, and for each day: departure point, arrival point, approximate mileage, and planned rest-period length. Be realistic. A 14-hour day with no stops will get pushed back, and the briefing will run long. The section must be reviewed by your unit commander, first sergeant, flight commander, immediate supervisor, or military training manager before you leave.

Section IV: Other Information

A catch-all your unit can customize. Some installations add base-specific emergency numbers, local road hazards, or reminders about state traffic laws on common travel corridors. Fill in whatever your unit requires.

The Supervisor Briefing

Filling out the form is only half of it. You sit down with your supervisor for an actual conversation about the trip. They review your itinerary, decide whether the risks you’ve identified are acceptable, and offer advice tailored to the route and conditions.² If the plan looks too aggressive, like a 16-hour solo drive squeezed into a four-day weekend, they can push you to split it over two days or shift your departure time.

Once you’re both satisfied with the plan, the supervisor signs. Keep a copy in your vehicle, printed or on your phone. It puts emergency contacts within reach and documents that you followed procedure if anything happens on the road.

Using TRiPS Alongside the Form

The Air Force runs an online Travel Risk Planning System that analyzes driving risk for cars, trucks, and motorcycles.⁵ TRiPS asks about fatigue, road type, time of day, and weather, then produces a risk score you can share with your supervisor. Many units now expect a TRiPS assessment alongside AF Form 4392, especially for long-distance drives. Even when it isn’t formally required, running it before the briefing gives you concrete numbers to discuss and usually speeds the review.

After You Return

Your supervisor keeps the completed AF Form 4392 for 30 days after you return from leave, check in at a TDY location, or arrive at your new duty station following a PCS.² That window covers safety audits and any mishap investigation. If nothing surfaces in 30 days, the form is disposed of through your unit’s records procedures.

Mistakes That Delay Approval

The form is short, but the same errors keep turning a 15-minute task into a multi-day back-and-forth:

Vague itineraries. Writing “driving to Florida” with no daily breakdown. Your supervisor can’t assess fatigue without day-by-day mileage.
Skipping the weather check. DAFI 91-202 requires you to review the forecast for the route. Show up without it and you’ll be sent back.¹
Waiting until the last minute. Walking in the afternoon before a Friday departure leaves no room to adjust a risky plan. Start the form a couple of days out.
Using an outdated version. Old copies circulate. Pull the current one from e-Publishing.
Skipping the vehicle check. If you can’t confirm tires, lights, and fluids, the supervisor has grounds to flag the trip.

The cleanest path through AF Form 4392 is preparation. Download the current version, map realistic driving days, check the weather, and walk into the briefing with answers ready. Your supervisor is looking for evidence you’ve thought the hazards through, not a perfect trip, just an honest plan for managing the risks.

1
Department of the Air Force. DAFI 91-202 – The Department of the Air Force Mishap Prevention Program
2
Yokota Air Base. Airmen Under 26 Required to Complete Travel Training
3
Defense Information School. Department of the Air Force Leave Travel Policy
4
Department of the Air Force E-Publishing. Department of the Air Force E-Publishing
5
TRiPS. Air Force TRiPS