How to Fill Out DA Form 461-5: Inspection, Repair Costs, and Approval

DA Form 461-5 is the Army’s vehicle classification inspection record, and completing it correctly means capturing the vehicle’s identification data, inspecting each component against its technical manual, assigning supply condition codes, estimating repair costs, and routing the signed form through the maintenance officer to the Major Army Command (MACOM) for approval. The blank form is available from the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil. Work through it in order: preinspection identification first, then the physical inspection, then the cost estimate, then signatures.

When You Need to Complete This Form

AR 58-1 requires a DA Form 461-5 for nontactical vehicles in a handful of specific situations: after an accident, when a unit identifies a vehicle as excess to its authorizations, when a major repair raises a question about whether the cost is justified, and when a unit requests to keep an over-age or over-mileage vehicle. Any retention request submitted to the MACOM must be accompanied by a completed form showing condition and estimated repair costs.¹

The form is also required whenever a serviceable or economically repairable NTV is reported as excess to the MACOM for redistribution. The inspection data lets decision-makers either reassign the vehicle to a unit with a shortage or retire it from inventory.¹

What to Gather Before You Start

Assemble everything before you touch the form. Chasing down a data plate reading or a missing maintenance log mid-inspection is how errors creep in.

The vehicle-specific technical manual, used to verify manufacturer specifications and confirm inspection standards for each component.
The vehicle identification data plate, which supplies manufacturer, model, serial number, and date of delivery to the government.
DA Form 2408-9 (Equipment Control Record), which supplements the data plate with age and delivery history.
Previous work orders and service records for the mechanical history.
Odometer readings, including any prior mileage from before a speedometer or odometer was replaced or reset.

Completing the Preinspection Section

The top of DA Form 461-5 captures identifying and administrative data. Technical Bulletin 43-0002-81 provides the field-by-field instructions. Work left to right across the top of the form.

Vehicle Identification

Enter the official Army nomenclature (for example, “Truck, Cargo, 5-Ton”) in the Nomenclature field. Put the Army registration number physically marked on the vehicle in Registration Number; if none exists, write “N/A.” Manufacturer and Model come from the data plate, using the exact model designation shown there (for example, M54A2C).²

Serial Number is the manufacturer’s serial number. If the vehicle uses a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) rather than a serial number, put the VIN in the remarks block on the reverse side of the form instead of in this field. Date of Delivery is the date the vehicle was delivered to the government, or issued from depot storage, whichever the data plate reflects.²

Age and Mileage

The Age calculation catches people out. Enter years from the date of delivery to the government, or date of issue from depot storage, whichever is less. Time in storage counts at half rate: one year in a depot equals six months of age. Time in active service counts at full rate with no allowance deducted.²

For Mileage, enter the current odometer reading. If the odometer was replaced or reset to zero at any point, add all previously recorded mileage to the current reading. For overhauled vehicles, count mileage accumulated since the vehicle first entered Army inventory. If no mileage was recorded and the odometer’s accuracy is questionable, enter your best estimate preceded by “Est” so reviewers know the figure is not verified.²

Reason, Maintenance Level, and Stock Numbers

Keep the Reason field concise. A few words: “accident,” “excess vehicle,” “major repair.” The inspection results supply the detail.

Echelon of Repair (printed as “Echelon of Rep”) is the lowest maintenance level capable of performing all needed repairs. Inspection Standards identifies the maintenance level under which the inspection was conducted, such as direct or general support, indicating that you followed the prescribed standards for that level.²

Enter the National Stock Number (NSN) and Line Item Number (LIN) in the upper margin of the form. If the vehicle is being reported as excess to the National Inventory Control Point under AR 725-50, also enter the document number of the excess report in that margin.²

Inspecting Components and Assigning Condition Codes

The body of the form lists vehicle components by row. Inspect each one, record your findings, and mark the condition column. If two or more components share a line, circle the specific item affected. Use the blank lines for significant items not already printed on the form; TB 43-0002-81 gives the kingpin on a towed vehicle as an example.²

Each component gets a Supply Condition Code (SCC). The Defense Logistics Agency defines these codes across DoD. The codes you will use most often on a classification inspection are:

Code A, serviceable and issuable without qualification: fully functional, whether new, used, repaired, or reconditioned.
Code B, serviceable and issuable with qualification: works for its intended purpose but carries a restriction, often due to short remaining service life.
Code F, unserviceable but reparable: broken and economically worth repairing.
Code H, unserviceable and condemned: beyond repair. This is the code that drives disposal decisions.
Code P, unserviceable but suitable for reclamation: the component itself is not worth repairing, but it contains serviceable sub-components worth salvaging.
Code S, unserviceable scrap: value only as raw material, and applied only to items being shipped to a DLA Disposition Services field office.

Repair Cost Estimates and the Serviceability Decision

The inspection feeds the financial question at the heart of the form: is this vehicle worth fixing? Document the estimated cost of repair on the form so the chain of command can weigh it against the vehicle’s current value.

AR 58-1 sets the thresholds for nontactical vehicles. When estimated repair cost exceeds 15 percent of the current acquisition cost but stays below 50 percent of the current wholesale value, the repairs are classified as “extensive” and require a MACOM-approved waiver. The local commander must determine and certify that the extensive repair is necessary to meet mission requirements, and those repairs are subject to review by the Army Audit Agency and Inspector General. Any vehicle that receives extensive repairs must be retained in service for at least one year after the work is completed.¹

Exclude cosmetic repairs from the estimate. Dents and paint do not count toward the threshold. The figure on the form should reflect only what it costs to return the vehicle to a mechanically serviceable condition.¹

Signatures, Routing, and Approval

The inspecting officer signs the completed form to certify that the findings reflect the vehicle’s actual condition. The form then moves to the maintenance officer or commander for review and approval. Those signatures are the command’s agreement that the inspection followed regulatory guidelines and that the recommended classification is appropriate.

For a retention request, the signed form accompanies a written request from the installation or unit to the MACOM. For an excess vehicle being reported for redistribution, the form travels with the redistribution report so the MACOM can match serviceable vehicles against shortages elsewhere.¹

Disposal authority sits with the MACOM, not the local unit. AR 58-1 is explicit: under no circumstances may a vehicle be disposed of without MACOM approval. Once approved, the DA Form 461-5 becomes part of the vehicle’s permanent record jacket, creating the audit trail between the inspection and the disposition decision.¹

If the Vehicle Is Going to Disposal

When classification results in a disposal recommendation and the MACOM approves it, the vehicle moves to DLA Disposition Services for turn-in. Paperwork errors at this stage cause most delays, since Disposition Services will reject a vehicle that arrives without proper documentation.

Every vehicle turn-in requires a DD Form 1348-1A (the turn-in document) and the applicable service-specific inspection form. For Army vehicles, that means a DA Form 2404 or DA Form 5988-E in addition to the DA Form 461-5. Before the vehicle leaves the motor pool:

Remove all waste and debris from the interior and bed.
Remove fire extinguishers and all fire suppression devices.
Remove COMSEC equipment, radios, and antennas.
Remove any extra parts that did not originally belong on the vehicle.
Verify no ammunition or casings remain anywhere in the vehicle.
Remove batteries. DLA Disposition Services locations cannot accept them.

⁴

Vehicles turned in as battle-damaged, true scrap, or having no reuse or sales potential require additional certifications: a drain-and-purge statement for all fluids, a refrigerant removal certification if the vehicle has air conditioning, and the vehicle maintenance record. In a contingency environment, you also need a human remains certification, a mortuary letter signed by the appropriate authority, and an inert or MDAS certification for every vehicle turn-in.⁴

Vehicles used in combat, live-fire training, or on a firing range require an inert or MDAS certification confirming no ammunition or explosives are present. For vehicles never in those environments, put the clear-text statement on the turn-in document: “Vehicle does not require MDAS or INERT.” Omitting that statement is a common reason turn-ins get bounced back.⁴

Schedule the turn-in appointment through DLA Disposition Services before you transport the vehicle. The Disposal Service Representatives can flag missing documentation before you make the trip.⁵

1
Army.mil. AR 58-1 Management, Acquisition, and Use of Motor Vehicles
2
Tpub. Appendix A – Instructions for Preparation DA Form 461-5 (Vehicle Classification Inspection)
3
Defense Logistics Agency. Condition Codes
4
Defense Logistics Agency. Vehicle Turn-In
5
Defense Logistics Agency. DLA Disposition Services