The Life of a SAF Driver
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Hi all. Just need some advice on certain matters as i am very confused now.
I was put OOC around my (supposed) POP date because i was hospitalised. Monday i am going to my new unit. This is weird because my company's POP date was last week. I am being posted out exactly the same time and same pattern (go www.miw.com.sg to get eposting) as my platoon/company. It's like i never OOC sia. Is this typical?
My vocation is a driver. In tekong, i didnt complete my BMT, so i didn't attend range/field camps etc. I have no combat skills and very little useful knowledge learnt from BMTC school. This is my greatest worry. Can someone with no military training (because of OOC) cope with driver vocation? I always have the impression that OOC people are sent to be clerk/storeman. This is why i am worried. Very worried.
Some questions to ask. I am posted to HQ 8 SAB (Keat Hong Camp 1 at chao chu kang) as a driver. Anyone from there?
Can i roughly know what to expect as a driver (besides driving duh)
1. Once i get my license and everything if i pass, i might be sent back to a BMT recourse in future. Will i be posted to a new unit after my recourse? If yes, wont it be a waste of the driving license and training i went through. (I assume most people are posted to other units after they pass their recourse).
2. Anyone have any idea how long it takes to get the license. Will you be posted out again after you get license?
3. Why am i posted to Keat Hong camp 1 when my vocation is driver? That is the scary part. That is an armor camp isnt it.
I know thats alot of questions i was asking. But i am really confused. Really appreciate if people can help answer some of my questions. Thanks! -
haha. u had came to the right place for all your questions. i will try my best to answer your doubts.
1st of all. OOC personals are normally posted to vocations which doesn't require physical or combat fixness. been a driver is 1 of it.
u said that u are post to tekong as a driver right? but before that u are posted to Keat Hong camp where u will take your driver course. upon graduating from the course only will be be a official driver in your unit, tekong MT line.
there is a saying of been a driver, "1 leg in DB". cos any accidents, mirror or major might have u end up in DB. but it all depend on your officer in charge lah. if he's is good, he won't place charge. if he's nasty, be prepared to extend your ORD.
there's 2 type of drivers, combat driver and sevice driver. combat driver must drive outfield and comou the whole tonner in the jungle, which is not easy. while sevice driver's job is to drive clerks for dispatch, or safety driver for runs or exercise. in your course, i think u most properly is a sevice driver.
there's also reward in been a driver, if u are courteous and careful in driving and is without any accidents in the 1st year or so and have finished a certain amount of distance, your officer might nominate u for a courteous driver badge, which u can proudly put on your left arm. and with this badge, u will also be able to have a civilian driver license, which the SAF will apply for u.
ok, that's all u need to know, any more question or any1 of u "liao jiao" wanna add on. -
Thanks.Originally posted by Gordonator:haha. u had came to the right place for all your questions. i will try my best to answer your doubts.
1st of all. OOC personals are normally posted to vocations which doesn't require physical or combat fixness. been a driver is 1 of it.
u said that u are post to tekong as a driver right? but before that u are posted to Keat Hong camp where u will take your driver course. upon graduating from the course only will be be a official driver in your unit, tekong there is a saying of been a driver, "1 leg in DB". cos any accidents, mirror or MT line.
major might have u end up in DB. but it all depend on your officer in charge lah. if he's is good, he won't place charge. if he's nasty, be prepared to extend your ORD.
there's 2 type of drivers, combat driver and sevice driver. combat driver must drive outfield and comou the whole tonner in the jungle, which is not easy. while sevice driver's job is to drive clerks for dispatch, or safety driver for runs or exercise. in your course, i think u most properly is a sevice driver.
there's also reward in been a driver, if u are courteous and careful in driving and is without any accidents in the 1st year or so and have finished a certain amount of distance, your officer might nominate u for a courteous driver badge, which u can proudly put on your left arm. and with this badge, u will also be able to have a civilian driver license, which the SAF will apply for u.
ok, that's all u need to know, any more question or any1 of u "liao jiao" wanna add on.
I am not posted to tekong as a driver. I am posted to this "Keat Hong camp 1" which isn't a place to learn driving
This is why i am puzzled.
Also, i will really like to know if after recourse theres a posibility i will be posted to another unit, despite having a driver license. -
oh i must hav see it wrongly. in that case u are posted to Keat Hong camp 1 as a driver. they will most likely send u for driver course soon as soon as the course become avaliable. at the mean time, u might be doing sai kang at the camp 1st.Originally posted by AheadOnOurWay:Thanks.
I am not posted to tekong as a driver. I am posted to this "Keat Hong camp 1" which isn't a place to learn driving This is why i am puzzled.
Also, i will really like to know if after recourse theres a posibility i will be posted to another unit, despite having a driver license.
regrading reposting to a new unit, that will hav to depends. under normal circumstances, i dont think so. waste of driving license... -
There is still chance for going for signallers course perhaps, there is the comms system operators signaller course which require signallers to dual vocation as a driver.
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Lots of fatigue work usually await OOC personnel.However, HQ 8 SAB seems to be quite a good place, to the best of my knowledge.They have a MT line there which supports BDE level ops, so you may be quite a busy driver...
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Yup 8SAB is in a very good location..enjoy your time there..
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Sorry, i am kind of a newbie. What does "MT line there which supports BDE level ops" means?Originally posted by LazerLordz:Lots of fatigue work usually await OOC personnel.However, HQ 8 SAB seems to be quite a good place, to the best of my knowledge.They have a MT line there which supports BDE level ops, so you may be quite a busy driver...
Fatigue work = sai kang i suppose. -
MT = motorised transportOriginally posted by AheadOnOurWay:Sorry, i am kind of a newbie. What does "MT line there which supports BDE level ops" means?
Fatigue work = sai kang i suppose.
so MT line provides such transport for BDE = brigade (quite a large number of people) level operations. -
Ah. Does that mean it is sort of like first transport at sembawang there?Originally posted by wuming78:MT = motorised transport
so MT line provides such transport for BDE = brigade (quite a large number of people) level operations. -
yup.. on a smaller scale of course.Originally posted by AheadOnOurWay:Ah. Does that mean it is sort of like first transport at sembawang there? -
If your Brigade has an exercise, the combat drivers will be very busy.For your case, perhaps you might have a number of dispatches to do every day or alternate days.Mostly, you might end up doing document dispatch, safety vehicle driver, report sick detail(if they have a report sick vehicle), and ration collection vehicle(if the unit collects rations from a cookhouse quite far and has lots of other units within its camp and if your unit has the CCO responsibility.)
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all drivers these days are trained to camouflage vehicles. While you may not do it during your active NS days, the time will come when you're an NSman and you will have to do it anyway.
Trying to camouflage some of these 5 tonners or a Battalion Command Post vehicle, even if you have some help, is no joke!