Question for the army/ex army lads and ladies. Is it possible to join the army as a driver or would you have to join as infantry for a certain length of time first?
Baldy91:
Question for the army/ex army lads and ladies. Is it possible to join the army as a driver or would you have to join as infantry for a certain length of time first?
Pretty sure you have to complete basic training before they let you specialise.
You can join as a driver, but with the way things are going and considering how much they contract out to the civvy market, not sure how many vacancies will be out there.
When you pass the selection process you will then be able to choose your desired role. So you would then complete your basic soldier training and go to RAF Leconsfield to do your driver training. If you already have your class one license then you will just do the ADR training and learn how to operate various military vehicles. That should take about 4 weeks then you would get posted to a transport regiment somewhere of your choosing. If you don’t have any or some licenses then you will obtain them before doing Adr training but no there is no requirement to be an infantry soldier before becoming a driver.
With the exception of every personel is a “Soldier First”, “Trade Second”, And if your in the engineers “Artisan Trade Third”
Ok thanks for the replies, yeah I already have my class one license. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do in the back of my mind.
im ex royal engineers (the best i my opinion), you do 12 weeks basic 12 weeks phase 2 Combat engineer, then do all your driver training, then do your third trade, then get to specialise like i did in EOD amphibious armoured etc… the best thing is after phase 2 you’re allowed to wear your stable belt as your one of the vey few regiments that have had to earn the right to wear it…
In the Army you go off and do whatever the Army is short of at the time!
You are a Soldier first and foremost andany and all trades are secondary…
and any trades will almost certainly bear absolutely no relation to your previous experience, qualifications or abilities what-so-ever!
nigelw1982:
im ex royal engineers (the best i my opinion), you do 12 weeks basic 12 weeks phase 2 Combat engineer, then do all your driver training, then do your third trade, then get to specialise like i did in EOD amphibious armoured etc… the best thing is after phase 2 you’re allowed to wear your stable belt as your one of the vey few regiments that have had to earn the right to wear it…
Is the stable belt not bought out your own money out of the PIR Shop like any other Tom ■■■■ and Harry.
In the modern day Army since MTP was brought in as opposed to DPM it’s very rare you see stable belts nowadays.
I still got my original belt, no longer fits now though.
Yes it is lol but you don’t get it till pass out parade lol I still got my original lol
Win-Stone:
In the Army you go off and do whatever the Army is short of at the time!You are a Soldier first and foremost andany and all trades are secondary…
and any trades will almost certainly bear absolutely no relation to your previous experience, qualifications or abilities what-so-ever!
^ This.
My dad was conscripted in WW2 as a soldier just like the others.It was just a coincidence that they needed his engineering skills more than needing another soldier.
Which ironically in the field then turned into being more of a driver than an engineer,which even more ironically being a job he ‘didn’t’ really like or want to do. 
Which even more ironically saved me a lot of grief in having to buy myself out like a lot of those I left school with did who weren’t lucky enough to get the advice I did.When having told him I was thinking of joining up to be a driver he first told me I’d be an idiot to do it because the army is all about being a soldier first in which your life belongs to the army on or off duty and the odds are you’ll be put on the job you least want to do.Let alone not approving of me wanting to be a driver wether civilian or military. 
As for these days the fact is more military transport is probably done by civilian contractors than in house military. 
nigelw1982:
Yes it is lol but you don’t get it till pass out parade lol I still got my original lol
Still got mine (REME) but it gets more use opening beer bottles than keeping me trousers up these days!
Mine had more use doing that when I was wearing it lol
nigelw1982:
Mine had more use doing that when I was wearing it lol
Off topic; few years ago I went to the Ride To The Wall in my capacity as president of my bike club. Decided it would be a nice touch to wear my old stable belt, so I dug it out of its drawer, extended it to its limit to allow for the passing of three decades, and…
… "Jesus Christ, was I ever THAT thin?
Wore me beret instead. 
I know the feeling there lol
chester:
nigelw1982:
im ex royal engineers (the best i my opinion), you do 12 weeks basic 12 weeks phase 2 Combat engineer, then do all your driver training, then do your third trade, then get to specialise like i did in EOD amphibious armoured etc… the best thing is after phase 2 you’re allowed to wear your stable belt as your one of the vey few regiments that have had to earn the right to wear it…Is the stable belt not bought out your own money out of the PIR Shop like any other Tom ■■■■ and Harry.
In the modern day Army since MTP was brought in as opposed to DPM it’s very rare you see stable belts nowadays.
I still got my original belt, no longer fits now though.
the stable belt is worn under the shirt on the new MTP (peacock system) and yeh you have to earn to wear the belt (hard work) then you gota buy it…
lewis1991:
When you pass the selection process you will then be able to choose your desired role. So you would then complete your basic soldier training and go to RAF Leconsfield to do your driver training. If you already have your class one license then you will just do the ADR training and learn how to operate various military vehicles. That should take about 4 weeks then you would get posted to a transport regiment somewhere of your choosing. If you don’t have any or some licenses then you will obtain them before doing Adr training but no there is no requirement to be an infantry soldier before becoming a driver.
Not necessarily ‘infantry’ but definitely soldier put on whatever job the army sees fit.With I think like submarines tanks being one of the only jobs being volunteer only ?.
But if that was the case,then all of those who I knew,who bought themselves out,having not been told what my dad told me,before joining up,when they realised that the trade of driver was an over subscribed job in the Army,would have stayed in.
hedg70:
chester:
nigelw1982:
im ex royal engineers (the best i my opinion), you do 12 weeks basic 12 weeks phase 2 Combat engineer, then do all your driver training, then do your third trade, then get to specialise like i did in EOD amphibious armoured etc… the best thing is after phase 2 you’re allowed to wear your stable belt as your one of the vey few regiments that have had to earn the right to wear it…Is the stable belt not bought out your own money out of the PIR Shop like any other Tom ■■■■ and Harry.
In the modern day Army since MTP was brought in as opposed to DPM it’s very rare you see stable belts nowadays.
I still got my original belt, no longer fits now though.the stable belt is worn under the shirt on the new MTP (peacock system) and yeh you have to earn to wear the belt (hard work) then you gota buy it…
Are you saying in 2015 soldiers are still required to buy their own kit which they are expected to wear on a daily basis?
Don’t know I been out of the green mob for a while so can’t comment on the way it is now lol
You can do It wIthout joining as a regular,
FTX logistics part of KBR, your officially a reservist but you drive the Oshkosh tank transporters as a civilian but when the MOD requires it your a full time soldier.
You come under all military regs and last i seen it advertised the money isnt that good.
When your not driving the Oshkosh your doing agency work for FTX, no extra money.