How to Fill Out and Submit DA Form 346: Government Vehicle Operator’s Card

The OF 346 government vehicle operator card is the identification card federal employees carry to prove they are authorized to drive a government-owned or leased vehicle on official business. To get one, you fill out the Optional Form 346 with your personal information and the vehicle classes you need to operate, show a valid state driver’s license, document medical fitness on the companion OF 345, pass a road test if one applies to your vehicle, and route the package through your supervisor to the agency official who signs the card. Authorization happens inside your agency, not through any central office.¹

Who Needs One

Any federal employee whose duties include driving a government-owned or leased motor vehicle needs the OF 346 or an agency-issued equivalent. The regulation covers two groups: “operators,” who drive as a primary duty (couriers, bus drivers, vehicle dispatchers), and “incidental operators,” who drive occasionally as part of a broader job. Both carry the card; the road test rules differ slightly between them.¹ Some agencies issue their own version of the card, but the OF 346 is the government-wide standard maintained by GSA.

What to Have Ready Before You Fill It Out

Three things need to be in place before your agency will process the form.

A Valid State License

You must hold a current, unexpired, unsuspended driver’s license from one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico. If your assignment involves a vehicle that requires a commercial driver’s license (generally anything over 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight), your state CDL must cover that class.¹

A Driving Record Your Agency Can Review

Your agency will check your state driving history for violations, at-fault accidents, and license actions. That check often runs through the National Driver Register, a federal database that flags drivers whose privileges have been revoked, suspended, canceled, or denied in any state.² You may be asked to provide a certified copy of your state record; state fees typically run between $2 and $20.

OF 345 Physical Fitness Inquiry

You must show you are physically able to drive safely. Most agencies use the companion Optional Form 345 to document this, capturing information about conditions that could affect driving such as vision or hearing problems, seizure disorders, or cardiovascular issues. Your supervisor reviews the OF 345 alongside your OF 346.³ If any question remains about your ability to drive, the agency can refer you for a formal medical examination under 5 CFR Part 339.⁴

Road Test (Sometimes)

Federal rules require applicants to pass OPM Test No. 544 or a comparable agency-developed driving evaluation, but OPM waives the road test in several common situations:¹

Light vehicles of one ton or less, if you hold a valid license from the state where you live or work — unless you will drive a bus, transport hazardous materials, or operate a law enforcement or emergency vehicle.
Heavier or specialized vehicles, if you already hold a state license for that class. OPM waives the test for operators automatically, and agencies may waive it for incidental operators.
Any operator whose driving competence is established by past record, when the agency head determines a road test is impractical.

Most employees who will drive a standard sedan or SUV and already hold a clean state license will not sit for a separate federal road test. The requirement matters most for heavy trucks, forklifts, buses, and emergency vehicles.

Where to Download the Form

GSA lists the OF 346 on its forms page and points users to the Department of Defense Washington Headquarters Services website, which offers both a standard PDF and a digitally signable version. The current revision is dated June 2020.⁵ Your fleet management office or motor pool likely keeps blank copies too, so ask before hunting online.

Filling Out the Card

The form asks for two categories of information.

Personal Identification

Enter your name, sex, date of birth, height, weight, hair color, and eye color.⁶ These details let law enforcement confirm that the person driving matches the card, so use what is accurate today. If your license lists brown hair and you are now gray, describe yourself as gray.

Vehicle Classes

The form specifies the government vehicles you are authorized to drive. Categories range from basic passenger vehicles under 10,000 pounds to heavy commercial motor vehicles over 26,000 pounds, plus specialty equipment.³ Your supervisor requests authorization only for what your duties require. Additional classes beyond basic vehicles may require documented training or a refresher course.

Restrictions

Any restriction on your state license must appear on the OF 346. Corrective lenses is the most common. Others include hearing aids, hand controls, or daylight-only driving. Match the OF 346 to your state license exactly; failing to disclose a restriction can cost you your government driving privileges.

Submitting the Form and Getting Signed Off

Authorization happens inside your agency. There is no central federal office that issues the card. The typical path:

Your immediate supervisor reviews the completed OF 346, your state license, and your OF 345, and confirms that the requested vehicle classes match your duties.
An agency official verifies your state driving record, often through the National Driver Register or a direct request to your state motor vehicle agency.
If a road test is required for the vehicle class, you complete it before the form is signed.
The designated agency official — typically a fleet manager, safety officer, or authorized examiner — signs the form. That signature is the authorization.¹

Once the card is signed, keep it on you whenever you drive a government vehicle. The regulation is explicit: you must have the identification card in your possession while operating the vehicle, and you must produce it if asked by law enforcement.¹

Keeping the Card Valid

Your authorization does not last forever. Federal regulations require your agency to review it at least once every four years. Renewal is not automatic. The agency has to confirm two things: you remain medically qualified, and your driving record still shows competence for the vehicle types on your card.¹ The medical piece uses the same four-year cycle, either through a refreshed OF 345 or a more formal examination if your health has changed.⁴ Some agencies apply shorter cycles for high-risk assignments like emergency vehicle operation or hazardous materials transport.

The card can also be pulled mid-cycle. Losing your state license — suspension, revocation, expiration — immediately disqualifies you, because a valid state license is a baseline requirement. A serious at-fault accident, a DUI, or a pattern of violations can prompt revocation as well. A new medical condition that affects safe driving works the same way: the agency can refer you for an immediate evaluation rather than wait for the next scheduled review.

Do not keep driving on an expired card. If your authorization has lapsed, you are operating without proper credentials and exposing yourself to discipline and personal liability for any accident.

What the Card Actually Authorizes

Carrying an OF 346 lets you drive a government vehicle for official purposes only. Federal law limits use of government passenger vehicles to official business and prohibits home-to-work transportation except in a narrow set of exceptions, such as field work or law enforcement and intelligence duties approved in writing by the agency head. Personal “comfort or convenience” is never a sufficient reason.⁷

Penalties for misuse are heavy. An employee who willfully uses, or authorizes someone else to use, a government vehicle for an unauthorized purpose faces a mandatory suspension without pay of at least one month, and the agency head can impose a longer suspension or remove the employee from federal service.⁸ Employees are also personally responsible for costs stemming from unauthorized use.⁹ Personal errands, family passengers, and out-of-the-way stops are the scenarios that most often lead to discipline. Many agencies now use GPS fleet tracking, so treat the vehicle as if a supervisor were watching every mile.

1
eCFR. 5 CFR Part 930 Subpart A – Motor Vehicle Operators
2
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Driver Register
3
U.S. Forest Service. Application for Authorization to Operate Government Vehicles and Equipment
4
eCFR. 5 CFR 930.108 – Periodic Medical Evaluation
5
General Services Administration. U.S. Government Motor Vehicle Operator’s Identification Card
6
United States Army Garrison Humphreys. AK Form 385-1-E – Request for GOV Vehicle License (OF346) Worksheet
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 1344 – Passenger Carrier Use
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 31 USC 1349 – Adverse Personnel Actions
9
eCFR. 41 CFR Part 301-10 Subpart C – Government Vehicle