How to Fill Out DD Form 626: HAZMAT Vehicle Inspection and Placarding

DD Form 626, the Department of Defense’s Motor Vehicle Inspection checklist, must be completed before any vehicle carrying placarded hazardous materials loads or unloads at a military installation. The form has three sections — documentation, vehicle condition, and post-loading checks — and it is filled out twice: once at the origin before loading and again by a second inspector at the destination.¹ Every item on the checklist must be marked satisfactory before a load moves.

The form applies to any motor vehicle that must display hazmat markings or placards under 49 CFR — not only explosives carriers, but also trucks hauling flammable liquids, corrosives, oxidizers, poisons, and radioactive materials once the quantity or packaging triggers placarding under 49 CFR 172.504.²³⁴

Where to Get the Current Form

Download the fillable PDF from the DoD Forms Management Program run by Washington Headquarters Services.⁵ The current revision is dated May 2024. Individual installations sometimes host their own copies, but the WHS portal is the authoritative source and always carries the latest version.

Section I: Documentation

Section I is the administrative gate. If anything here is incomplete or expired, the inspection stops before the inspector ever looks at the vehicle. Fill in the following before the inspector arrives:

Carrier or organization name and the installation or facility where the inspection is happening.
Date and time, recorded at the start of the inspection.
Driver’s full name, commercial driver’s license number, and state of issuance.
Vehicle number: bumper number for military tactical vehicles; VIN or company-assigned number for GSA and commercial tractors and trailers.¹
Confirmation that the driver’s CDL carries a hazardous materials endorsement, plus any other endorsements required under 49 CFR 383, and an OF-346 where applicable.
A current medical examiner’s certificate showing the driver meets federal motor carrier physical qualification standards.
The written route plan, for loads that require one.

An outdated medical card, a CDL missing the hazmat endorsement, or no route plan for a Division 1.1 shipment ends the inspection right here. Handle the paperwork before the truck arrives.

Section II: Vehicle Inspection

Section II is the mechanical walkaround. The inspector physically checks every component in Item 11 of the form, with separate columns for the origin and destination inspections. Every item must be satisfactory before loading begins.¹

Steering, Brakes, and Tires

Steering is checked for excessive play and worn parts. Brakes are checked for proper adjustment, air leaks, and cracked or damaged drums.

Tire tread depth has hard minimums under 49 CFR 393.75: 4/32 of an inch on the steering axle, 2/32 of an inch elsewhere.⁶ Flat or leaking tires are an automatic rejection. So are visible cuts down to the cord, sidewall damage, and mixing bias-ply and radial tires on the same steering axle.¹ Wheels and rims are checked for cracks, unseated locking rings, and missing or damaged lug nuts.

Lights, Reflectors, and Other Equipment

Every required lamp and reflector must work. Federal standards under 49 CFR 393.11 mandate front and rear turn signals, tail lamps, stop lamps, and clearance lamps on commercial motor vehicles, among other lighting.⁷ The inspector also checks the horn, windshield and wipers, mirrors, warning triangles or flares, coupling devices, landing gear, and tailgate or door security. A single burned-out brake light can hold up the shipment.

Fire Extinguisher

The vehicle must carry at least one serviceable fire extinguisher with a UL rating of 10 B:C or higher, whether military or commercial.¹ That matches the federal requirement under 49 CFR 393.95 for placarded hazmat loads.⁸ The extinguisher needs an intact inspection seal or a gauge reading a full charge. Some installations and service-specific regulations, such as DA PAM 385-64 for Army shipments, require two extinguishers. Check local requirements with the shipping installation’s transportation office.

Section III: Post-Loading Inspection

Section III is the hazmat-specific check that runs after the cargo is on board. This is where a sloppy loading crew or a missing placard stops a shipment cold.

Cargo Space and Load Securement

The floor of the truck or trailer must be clean and free of holes, protruding bolts, nails, or screws that could puncture hazmat packaging, and it cannot be permeated with oil or other substances.¹ The load itself must be braced and strapped to prevent movement in transit, in accordance with DOT tie-down rules and any applicable ammunition load drawing.

Placarding

Placards must appear on all four sides of the vehicle: front, rear, and both sides.¹ The placard symbols and colors must match the hazard class shown on the shipping papers. The inspector verifies that placard holders are in place and that the placards are securely affixed. Missing or mismatched placards are a frequent rejection point, and the fix is simple: match the shipping papers, cover all four sides, secure them so wind and road vibration will not tear them off.

Destination Re-Inspection

When the vehicle arrives, a second inspector runs the checklist again on the same form. The destination inspection covers Section I items 2 through 7 (carrier information, date and time, location, operator credentials, and route plan), every vehicle component in Section II, and every post-loading item in Section III.¹

The origin inspection is not time-limited, and the destination inspection is mandatory no matter how short the haul. Army installations require inbound explosives and ammunition vehicles to be inspected at a designated station located away from populated and hazardous areas.

Signatures and Record Retention

Both the inspector and the driver sign the form at origin, certifying the vehicle is in safe operating condition. At destination, a second inspector and the driver sign again.¹ The driver keeps a copy with the shipment as proof of inspection for law enforcement and weigh stations along the route.

Federal motor carrier rules require driver vehicle inspection reports to be retained for three months from the date they were prepared.⁹ The driver, the motor carrier, and the origin shipping office should each keep their copy for at least that period after delivery.

When a Vehicle Fails Inspection

If any item is marked unsatisfactory, the vehicle cannot be loaded. All defects must be corrected before loading, and the shipment will not be released until they are.¹ The reason is noted in the Remarks section.

Inbound shipments are handled more carefully because the truck is already loaded. Under Army DA PAM 385-64, a vehicle with a defect that could endanger the ammunition area or the load itself is never allowed into it. A defective commercial tractor may be disconnected from its trailer and sent off-post for repair while the installation provides security for the loaded trailer until a safe tractor is substituted. No repairs involving flames or spark-producing tools may be performed on an explosives-laden trailer, and an explosives-loaded truck known to be defective is never permitted to leave the installation.

Penalties for Moving Hazmat Without a Valid Inspection

Federal civil penalties for hazardous materials transportation violations reach up to $102,348 per violation, and up to $238,809 per violation when the violation results in death, serious injury, or substantial property destruction. Training-related violations carry a minimum penalty of $617.¹⁰ Each day a continuing violation persists counts as a separate offense. FMCSA and PHMSA can also issue compliance orders, pursue criminal penalties, and bring civil actions in federal court.¹¹ For commercial carriers on DoD contracts, repeated safety failures can also cost future contract eligibility.

1
Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 626 Motor Vehicle Inspection
2
eCFR. 49 CFR 172.504 – General Placarding Requirements
3
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 397 – Transportation of Hazardous Materials
4
eCFR. 49 CFR 397.101
5
Washington Headquarters Services. DD Form 626 – Motor Vehicle Inspection
6
eCFR. 49 CFR 393.75 – Tires
7
eCFR. 49 CFR 393.11 – Lamps and Reflective Devices
8
eCFR. 49 CFR 393.95 – Emergency Equipment on All Power Units
9
eCFR. 49 CFR 396.11
10
Federal Register. Revisions to Civil Penalty Amounts, 2025
11
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Federal Hazmat Law – An Overview of Federal Laws for Hazardous Materials Transportation