Army - Combat Driver

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.

About the role

Logistics & Administration

Entry type

General entry

Under training

$68,860

Location

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 and licence endorsements.

The New Zealand Army uses a huge variety of vehicles : motorbikes, cars, the Pinzgauer Light Operating Vehicle, 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.

Requirements

Basics

• Must be 18 years old by the time you graduate from recruit course.
• You will need an NZTA Restricted Class 1 Drivers Licence and should have no traffic convictions. Any other licence is an advantage i.e. motorbike.

Education

Note, qualifications may be used to assess trade suitability.

We offer guidance on entry requirements in our eligibility section. Apply if you're uncertain, as we’ll work through the criteria with you to determine if you can proceed.

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

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.

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 :

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 :

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.

Future potential earnings

$98,000

Am I fit enough?

If you want to be part of the NZ Defence Force you need to be medically and physically fit for military duties worldwide.

Your step‑by‑step guide on what to expect at various stages of the application process, specifically for military roles.

Protect lives and mission critical assets as part of our Aviation Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) teams at airfields and bases.

You make the Army an effective force by getting them from A to B efficiently. Organise the transport of troops, equipment and vital supplies to places worldwide, including Antarctica, South‑East Asia, the Pacific Islands and the USA.

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