Transportation Soldiers sharpen driver’s skills

By Sergeant 1st Class Pete Mayes
101st Sustainment Brigade
FORT CAMPBELL, KY, September 28, 2009 – Mike Johnson has never been in combat, but he wants to give Soldiers a leg up when it comes to sharpening their driving skills.
“I want my Soldier in my Army to have control of everything in every given moment, so when things break bad, they can get out of town as smoothly and aggressively as possible,” said Mike Johnson, a driving instructor with Evolution Performance Driving School.
Johnson and his team of world-class driving instructors recently helped Soldiers with the 106th Transportation Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division prepare to tackle the hazardous driving conditions that await them in their upcoming deployment.
The Soldiers spent one week at Saber Army Airfield learning the nuances of evasive driving … skills and techniques that promote offensive and defensive driving should the need arise.
Johnson said the key to being successful is to look at what a skilled evasive driver brings to the table … or behind the wheel.
“I look at this from a driver’s standpoint: if I’m the gunner, I want my driver to be aggressive, yet smooth so I can actually function with my weapon,” he said. “If the driver is jerking me all around inside the vehicle, I’m shooting the ground, in the air, and I’m not effective.”
Soldiers learn both offensive and defensive driving skills using a typical civilian Sedan, then graduating to the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle and the 1088 Fuel Tanker. Classroom learning was followed by hands-on driving on an obstacle course specifically designed to sharpen the driver’s skills.
Second Lieutenant Brandon Croke said it’s very likely that the Soldiers will have to put their training to use as they prepare for the rugged terrain of their next deployment.
“When Soldiers are driving around on post, it’s not at high speed and they learn how to get from point A to point B. To have this type of stressful situation, where you’re forced to maneuver, forced to brake, and the serpentine, it’s just preparing them for any type of danger they might see downrange,” he said.
Specialist Billy Ward said the most important thing he learned from the training was to look down the road well in advance.
“That was you can react quicker to any obstacle that might come up,” he said.