TCN Wizard
In many instances the Government will provide the Transportation Control Number (TCN) they want to be used for a specific shipment. The TCN is often provided on requisitions or transportation instructions provided by DCMA, or through VSM via the DLA web site or MIL-Comply's VSM Automation.
In the absence of a Government-issued TCN it is permissible to create your own, but it should be compliant with the Defense Transportation Regulations (DTR). MIL-Comply's TCN Wizard generates a DTR-compliant TCN automatically.
Most of the TCN Wizard's process is automatic, though it does require that the Shipment Date and Ship-From CAGE be already completed, as they are components of the TCN.
For shipments of multiple containers there are two methods of differentiating one shipment container from another, which is one purpose of the TCN. One is to increment the TCN itself. TCNs provided by VSM use this method (as does the MIL-Comply VSM Automation).
The alternative method, prescribed by Mil-Std-129, is use of the Piece Number barcode found on the Military Shipment Label (MSL) in conjunction with the TCN. The DLA depots, and other receiving locations, use these two barcodes together to differentiate containers received for a shipment.