To fill out DD Form 1387-2, Special Handling Data/Certification, work through its nine blocks in order using the shipment’s Transportation Control Number, consignment gross weight, and consignee DoDAAC, record the Transportation Protective Service designation and the physical handling instructions in the correct fields, and have an authorized representative sign the pre-printed certification at the bottom. The form travels with the cargo and tells every handler in the Defense Transportation System what the shipment requires. Completion rules sit in Chapter 205 of Defense Transportation Regulation 4500.9-R, Part II.
What to Gather Before You Start
Pull the current fillable PDF (November 2004, updated May 2024) from the Executive Services Directorate at the Washington Headquarters Services site, or grab a blank from your installation’s transportation office.1WHS Executive Services Directorate. DD Form 1387-2 Special Handling Data/Certification Before you type anything, have three pieces of data in front of you:
- The 17-character Transportation Control Number for the shipment unit. The TCN is built from the shipping activity’s DoDAAC or CAGE code, a Julian date, and a serial number.
- The consignment gross weight, which the airlift or vessel load planners will rely on.
- The consignee’s six-position alphanumeric Department of Defense Activity Address Code, which uniquely identifies the receiving unit.2Defense Logistics Agency. DoDAAD – DOD Activity Address Directory
You’ll also need to know the Transportation Protective Service level the cargo requires, and the DTR paragraph that authorizes the special handling.
Filling In the Nine Blocks
Each block on the form maps to a specific piece of information. Here is what belongs in each:1WHS Executive Services Directorate. DD Form 1387-2 Special Handling Data/Certification
- Block 1, Item Nomenclature. The standard name or description of the commodity. Use the correct National Stock Number or technical designation so handlers can identify exactly what’s in the container.
- Block 2, Net Quantity per Package. The net quantity in each package. For ammunition or explosives, this is the net explosive weight, not the gross shipping weight.
- Block 3, Transportation Control Number. The full 17-character TCN assigned to this shipment unit.
- Block 4, Consignment Gross Weight. Total gross weight of the consignment. Accuracy here matters for aircraft and vessel load planning and balance.
- Block 5, Destination. The consignee’s DoDAAC and the full shipping address of the receiving activity.
- Block 6, Supplemental Information. The Transportation Protective Service level or other special service designation. Classified cargo would carry a designation such as Constant Surveillance and Custody Service or Signature and Tally Record Service in this block.
- Block 7, DTR Reference. The specific DTR paragraph or regulation that authorizes the special handling requirement.
- Block 8, Handling Instructions. The actual physical handling the cargo needs. A required temperature range for perishables goes here. Fragile, shock-sensitive, or keep-upright instructions go here as well.
- Block 9, Address of Shipper. Full address and contact information for the shipping activity.
The distinction between Block 6 and Block 8 is where completions most often go wrong. Block 6 is the administrative category of protective service. Block 8 is what the handler should physically do. A classified shipment might list Constant Surveillance Service in Block 6 and “Do not leave unattended; maintain visual contact at all times” in Block 8.
Signing the Certification
The bottom of the form carries a pre-printed statement in which the signer declares that the materials are “properly classified, described, packaged, marked and labeled, and in proper condition for transportation according to the applicable regulations of the Dept of Transportation.”1WHS Executive Services Directorate. DD Form 1387-2 Special Handling Data/Certification The form also carries the mandatory notice: “THIS IS A U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SHIPMENT!”
Only a person with delegated authority to certify the cargo may sign. Type the signer’s full name, obtain their ink signature, and enter the date in YYYYMMDD format. The signature is not a formality. Knowingly certifying inaccurate information about hazardous cargo exposes the certifier to civil penalties under federal transportation law of up to $75,000 per violation, or up to $175,000 per violation if the error results in death, serious injury, or substantial property destruction.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. U.S. Code Title 49 Section 5123 – Civil Penalty
When You Also Need Companion Forms
DD Form 1387-2 rarely travels alone on a special handling shipment. Two other forms show up most often, and their entries have to line up with what you put on the 1387-2.
Hazardous Materials: DD Form 2890
If the cargo includes hazardous materials, you also need DD Form 2890, the DoD Multimodal Dangerous Goods Declaration, also prescribed by DTR 4500.9-R, Part II.4Defense Logistics Agency / WHS. DOD Multimodal Dangerous Goods Declaration Enter the same TCN in Item 4 of the 2890 that you entered in Block 3 of the 1387-2; that shared number is what links the two documents in the tracking chain.
The commodity description on the 2890 must align with the Hazardous Materials Table in 49 CFR 172.101, including UN number, proper shipping name, hazard class and division, and packing group. It also has to be consistent with what you wrote in Block 1 of the 1387-2. If the shipment requires a DD Form 2781 Container Packing Certificate, it must be signed and attached to the 2890 to satisfy Coast Guard and Customs requirements. Any mismatch between the 1387-2 and the 2890 will hold your shipment at the terminal.
Protective Service Shipments: DD Form 1907
When the cargo requires a Transportation Protective Service such as Constant Surveillance and Custody Service, Dual Driver Protective Service, Protective Security Service, or Satellite Motor Surveillance Service, DD Form 1907, Signature and Tally Record, accompanies the 1387-2. The 1907 is the chain-of-custody record: each person accepting custody prints and signs their name, records their company and station, and logs the time and date.5Washington Headquarters Services. Signature and Tally Record The 1387-2 tells handlers what to do with the cargo; the 1907 records who actually had it.
Exterior containers on classified shipments are not marked with security classifications. The 1387-2 is what communicates the TPS level to handlers without advertising the cargo’s sensitivity on the outside of the box.6Defense Technical Information Center. DOD 4500.9-R Defense Transportation Regulation Part II Cargo Movement For military airlift, the form must show the required TPS.
Attaching the Form to the Shipment
Three copies of the completed 1387-2 go into a packing envelope attached to piece one of the shipment when the shipment has multiple pieces under a single TCN. The form must also appear on the outside of each container.7Dover Air Force Base. Shipping Instructions
MIL-STD-129R governs placement. The form goes on the same side of the container, palletized unit load, or unpacked item as the address marking, inside a transparent, waterproof envelope or packing list pouch so it survives transit.8Defense Logistics Agency. MIL-STD-129R Military Marking for Shipment and Storage The attachment has to hold up under high-velocity air movement on aircraft pallets and rough handling at sea. Adhesive pouches or mechanical fasteners on a flat surface of the container are the standard approach.
When the Form Is Required
The 1387-2 is not just a classified-cargo document. MIL-STD-129R requires it for non-hazardous shipments moving by military-controlled aircraft that need special handling or protective services, for items subject to damage by heat or freezing, and for life-or-death shipments.8Defense Logistics Agency. MIL-STD-129R Military Marking for Shipment and Storage If any of those apply, complete and attach the form, even if the cargo carries no security classification.