Which statement correctly describes the DoDAAC portion of the Transportation Control Number?

Which statement correctly describes the DoDAAC portion of the Transportation Control Number?

• A. 17 characters; first four are the DoDAAC
• B. 17 characters; first six are the DoDAAC
• C. 19 characters; first six are the DoDAAC
• D. 15 characters; first six are the DoDAAC

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the DoDAAC is a six-character identifier that starts the Transportation Control Number, and the entire TCN is a fixed length of 17 characters. Because the DoDAAC uses six positions, it must occupy the first six characters of the TCN. The remaining 11 characters encode the shipment-specific details (such as serial or routing data), giving a complete, uniform 17-character identifier for tracking. That’s why the correct description is that the TCN is 17 characters long and the DoDAAC portion is the first six characters.

The key idea is that the DoDAAC is a six-character identifier that starts the Transportation Control Number, and the entire TCN is a fixed length of 17 characters. Because the DoDAAC uses six positions, it must occupy the first six characters of the TCN. The remaining 11 characters encode the shipment-specific details (such as serial or routing data), giving a complete, uniform 17-character identifier for tracking. That’s why the correct description is that the TCN is 17 characters long and the DoDAAC portion is the first six characters.