What to Do After Receiving DD Form 1408: Reporting, Points, and Appeals

If you just received a DD Form 1408, the Armed Forces Traffic Ticket, here is what to do: report the citation to your commander and first sergeant within 24 hours, verify the details on the form, and prepare a short account of what happened for the command inquiry that follows. The 1408 carries no monetary fine. What it does carry are points against your installation driving privileges, and enough points will get you barred from driving on base.1Joint Base Andrews. 316 SFS Explains Traffic Citations

One boundary worth naming up front: the 1408 is the form used for active-duty service members and Guard or Reserve personnel on active status. Civilians, DoD employees, dependents, retirees, and contractors typically receive a DD Form 1805 instead, which is a federal traffic ticket with fines and, sometimes, a magistrate court appearance.2Joint Base Charleston. Security Forces Implements Traffic Citation Changes The 1408 stays inside the command structure. There is no courtroom to go to.

Report to Your Command Within 24 Hours

The standard expectation at most installations is to notify your commander and first sergeant within 24 hours of the citation, or immediately upon returning to duty if you were ticketed off-shift.1Joint Base Andrews. 316 SFS Explains Traffic Citations Your local base traffic regulation may set a tighter window, so check it if you’re unsure. Waiting on the theory that no one will notice does not work: a copy of the form is routed through command channels to your commander regardless of what you do.

What to Check on the Form Before You Report

Take a few minutes with your copy of the citation before you walk into that meeting.

  • Verify the violation code, date, time, and location. Errors on the face of the ticket matter during the command review.
  • Note the issuing officer’s name and badge number. You will need this to address specific observations in any written statement.
  • Gather your military ID, current vehicle registration, and proof of insurance to confirm you and the vehicle were in good standing at the time of the stop.
  • Pull the base traffic regulation from the Provost Marshal Office or the legal assistance office. Knowing the exact rule you are alleged to have violated puts you in a better position to respond.

The Command Inquiry

Once the commander’s copy of the 1408 comes through channels, your unit commander or a designated supervisor conducts an inquiry into the violation.3eCFR. 32 CFR 634.46 – Point System Procedures This is where you present your side. Bring anything that supports your account: a written statement, photos of the location, or documentation that addresses the facts on the ticket.

The commander decides what action to take, which can range from a verbal counseling to recommending that points be assessed against your installation driving record. Commanders are required to return an endorsement on the DD Form 1408 confirming what action was taken.4eCFR. 32 CFR 634.32 – Traffic Violation Reports If nonjudicial or judicial proceedings are involved, that endorsement waits until those are final. The completed paperwork then goes to the base traffic office for recording in the installation driving database.

How Many Points the Violation Will Cost You

Points are assessed only after the violation is confirmed by the commander’s inquiry, a court finding, or payment of a fine or forfeiture.5eCFR. 32 CFR Part 634 – Motor Vehicle Traffic Supervision The point values from Table 5-2 of 32 CFR Part 634 include:

  • 1 to 10 mph over the posted limit: 3 points
  • 11 to 15 mph over: 4 points
  • 16 to 20 mph over: 5 points
  • More than 20 mph over: 6 points
  • Reckless driving: 6 points
  • Fleeing the scene of an accident (property damage): 6 points
  • Driving while impaired, BAC between 0.05% and 0.08%: 6 points
  • Speed contests (racing): 6 points

When two or more violations occur on a single occasion, points can be assessed for each one separately.6eCFR. 32 CFR Part 634 Subpart E – Driving Records and the Traffic Point System Attempting to elude a law enforcement officer carries no set point value; instead, the installation commander has direct discretion to suspend or revoke privileges.

Suspension and Revocation Thresholds

Accumulating 12 points within any 12 consecutive months, or 18 points within 24 consecutive months, triggers a suspension or revocation of your installation driving privileges.7eCFR. 32 CFR 634.46 – Point System Procedures Any point-based revocation must last at least six months, and the installation commander sets the exact length beyond that floor.

Some offenses skip the point system altogether and carry mandatory revocation. A first intoxicated-driving offense triggers a minimum one-year revocation of installation driving privileges, and refusing a chemical test carries the same one-year mandatory revocation.8GovInfo. 32 CFR Part 634 Subpart B – Driving Privileges

If Your Privileges Are Suspended: Your Due Process Rights

You do not lose your on-base driving privileges overnight. For most violations, federal regulations require written notice and the opportunity for an administrative hearing before a suspension takes effect.9GovInfo. 32 CFR 634.11 – Administrative Due Process for Driving Privileges The process runs like this:

  • You receive written notice that your driving privileges face suspension or revocation.
  • You have 14 calendar days from that notice to request an administrative hearing. If you do not request one, the suspension takes effect automatically.
  • Requesting a hearing stays the pending suspension while you wait. You may bring counsel at your own expense and present evidence and witnesses.
  • If the hearing results in suspension or revocation, you have 14 calendar days to appeal through command channels to the installation commander. The suspension stays in effect during that appeal.

Intoxicated-driving cases run on a faster track. Your privileges are suspended immediately once reliable evidence is presented to a designated official. You then have 14 calendar days to request a hearing, and the suspension remains in place while you wait for the decision.9GovInfo. 32 CFR 634.11 – Administrative Due Process for Driving Privileges

Does It Show Up on Your Civilian Record?

Points from the military traffic point system are tracked in the installation’s own database and do not automatically transfer to your state driving record. The 1408 is an administrative tool internal to the DoD, not a state-court citation. Some installations do share information with state DMVs for serious offenses like DUI, and a state may act on that information under its own laws. The safest working assumption: a routine speeding ticket on base stays on base, but anything involving alcohol or a serious safety offense can follow you off post.

Getting Legal Help

Because the 1408 is administrative rather than judicial, the representation picture differs from a federal court case. At an installation traffic hearing, you have the right to bring a spokesperson if one is available at the time of the hearing.10Marine Corps Base Butler. General Information for Traffic Court For service members E-4 and below, unit representation is required regardless of branch.

The Defense Services Organization generally does not represent service members at the traffic hearing itself. You do keep the right to legal assistance for any disciplinary action that grows out of the citation, so if your commander pursues nonjudicial punishment or another administrative action beyond point assessment, JAG help may be available for that separate process. If you are unsure where the line falls, start at the base legal assistance office.