Combat Driver

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About the role Career progression and training Salary and benefits Entry requirements

Get behind the wheel of vehicles you wouldn’t drive in any other career. Take your driving skills to some of the world’s most interesting places.

Service Army Specialisation Logistics and Administration Location Linton, Burnham Starting Trade Training $64,177

About the role

As a NZ Army Combat Driver you will operate all of our general service vehicles, from motorbikes through to articulated trucks. You will be a member of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistics Regiment (RNZALR), and within that you’ll operate in a Combat Service Support unit as part of a close-knit transport section (four to six vehicles).

You will be trained to operate your vehicle by day and night, in all weather conditions and terrain, from convoy driving on sealed state highways to tactical, off-road navigation. You will drive, operate, service and maintain your vehicles, gaining a range of licences, licence endorsements, and NZQA unit standards towards New Zealand Road Transport Industry National Certificates.

The New Zealand Army uses a huge variety of vehicles: motorbikes, cars, the Pinzgauer Light Operating Vehicle, the Unimog U1700L truck, the new technologically advanced family fleet of MAN Medium Heavy Operational Vehicles (MHOV,) and Heavy Equipment Transport (HET). You will be taught how to safely operate all these vehicles in all kinds of operational situations, such as passenger transport, distribution of supplies and hazardous goods transportation. You will also learn basic mechanic skills for operator servicing and routine maintenance.

Job on base

Your day to day responsibilities will be passenger transportation in a variety of scenarios ranging from community groups, VIP, humanitarian disaster relief, and driving soldiers to training exercises.

You will service vehicles and develop military driving skills such as tactical mobility and navigation, multi-vehicle convoy operations, driving in formation, loading stores and equipment, and vehicle recovery. You will also practise vehicle deployments and concealment of vehicles.

As well as your day to day Combat Driver tasks, you will also continue developing soldier skills including tactical operations, weapons, specialist soldier systems, medical and radio/communications training.

Job on deployment

Combat Drivers deploy on a variety of overseas deployments and postings with large contingents. Our regular taskings include ship off-loading in Antarctica (annually, usually Feb/Mar), and a six month deployment to the Sinai, Egypt, as a Combat Driver for the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO). Here you will work with other international forces driving heavy articulated truck and trailers between Sinai and Israel, moving supplies and providing logistics support.

Combat Drivers have also been deployed to East Timor, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. While in these locations you could be driving infantry patrols and providing logistics support. When you are not doing your primary role of driving you will be doing your normal responsibilities as a soldier such as foot patrols and support to the local community.

The most memorable experience so far for me as a Combat Driver was helping the people of Kaikoura during the earthquake.

Private Khan

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Career progression and training

Career Progression

Basic Training

Job Training

Initially you will train as a Combat Driver, then progress to Driving Instructor and Section Commander positions. Although you initially remain within a specialised transport company, as you progress you may be posted to an embedded logistics section within other military unit, such as engineers or infantry. Here you may be employed as a Combat Driver, and as you gain more experience, a Fleet Manager in charge of 50 - 100 vehicles. You could also train to be a Driving Instructor where you will teach general and military driving and vehicle operation skills.

As your career progresses, you will gain experience in the different positions within the driver trade. You will perform military command and leadership duties, holding command positions within a section (around 7 trucks and 14 personnel).

Later, as you progress in rank to Sergeant, you could hold the position of Platoon Sergeant where you will be in charge of three transport sections, or Transport Sergeant where you will manage around 30-40 vehicles.

Up to this level opportunities and training to develop leadership and personnel management skills will enable you to become more effective within the wider organisation. As you progress further in your career you will begin to fill more strategic roles, gaining responsibility for transport compliance, procedures, and driver safety and training.

Upon successful enlistment into the Army you will be posted to Waiouru Army base. Here you will do 16 weeks of basic military training to find out if you have what it takes to be in the Army, and learn various subjects including:

Organisation and AdministrationArmy Customs and ProtocolDrill and ParadesMilitary Field Skills and Weapon TrainingFirst AidPhysical Fitness

RNZALR BASIC TRAINING

(2 Weeks) Location: Trentham Military Camp (near Upper Hutt)During this course you will be introduced to basic RNZALR skills including:

Understanding operational Combat Service Support conceptsOperating in-service communications equipmentCamouflaging and concealing equipmentOperating vehicle recovery equipmentBasic loading onto vehicles, and vehicle guidingYou will also learn about all military vehicles and their functions.

DRIVER LICENSING AND VEHICLE OPERATOR COURSE

(8 Weeks) Location: Linton Military Camp (near Palmerston north)This course will give you the basic driving knowledge you require. You will learn a variety of skills including on-road convoy driving, defensive driving, vehicle dynamics and off-road driving in light 4WDs and Unimog trucks. You will finish this course with a Full Class 2 (truck) licence.

RNZALR JUNIOR TRANSPORT

(6 Weeks) Location: Trentham Military CampHeld at the Trade Training School, the Junior Transport Course will introduce you to advanced RNZALR driver skills:

Vehicle Familiarisation on the MAN HX60 & HX58 MHOV (depending on the class of licence you hold on completion of the Vehicle Licence Operator Course above)Deployment as part of a transport organisationHelicopter under-slung load procedures and air delivered storesTactical night drivingAdvanced vehicle recoveryNavigation using in-service navigation aidsParticipation in Combat Service Support distribution procedures

Salary and benefits

Careers in the Army are well-rewarded, diverse and exciting. As you become more experienced and move up through the ranks, gaining additional skills and qualifications, your salary will rise accordingly.

$50,597

Under Initial Training

$64,177

Starting Trade Training

$119,462

Future Potential Earnings

Figures updated on July 1st 2023

Benefits and allowances

Earn a competitive salary while training or learning your trade, along with additional allowances for time spent in the field, at sea, overseas, or deployed on operations.

In addition to salary and allowances, other benefits of joining the New Zealand Defence Force include:

Access to your Service marae or tūrangawaewae

Sponsored tertiary study programmes at all levels

Free access to gyms and swimming pools on camp and bases

Opportunities to travel

Free and subsidised medical and dental care

Subsidised food and accommodation on camps and bases

Free and subsidised insurance cover

Help to buy a home and save for retirement

Entry requirements

Basics

Education

Fitness and Medical

Citizenship

Period of Service

You must be at least 17 years of ageMeet the citizenship & security requirements to gain CV security clearance for this tradeYou will need a restricted Class 1 driver's licence and should have no traffic convictions. Any other licence is an advantage i.e. motorbike

Being able to show that you are a team player and have some mechanical ability will make you a more competitive applicant.

3 years secondary school.

Note, that qualifications may be used to assess trade suitability.

 You must be medically fit for service.Colour perception restrictions may apply

There are strict citizenship and security requirements to gain the required CV security clearance for this trade.

Find out if you’re eligible here.

A Return of Service obligation will be required after you have completed your training.

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