The Defence School of Transport (DST) provides driver and transport management training to Services personnel.
The Defence School of Transport (DST) was formed up in 1996 as the "Centre of Excellence" for driver training of personnel from the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines. DST provides 140 different courses delivering transport management and operation training, for approximately 19,000+ trainees a year.
At any one time the DST is able to train up to 1500 personnel. This makes the DST probably the largest residential driver training school in the world.In addition to core training of military personnel, DST provides specialist training to the Police, Fire Service and overseas training to Defence Attachés, bespoke courses for foreign customers, and additional courses to support operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.
Training is delivered by an establishment of 230 military, 850 civil servants and support staff and some 250 contract staff. The Defence School of Transport (DST) has 9 satellite locations in the South of England providing car licence acquisition.
The scope of courses is impressive:
Driver Training Wing (DTW) delivers licence acquisition for all types of vehicle from motorcycle to LGV and conversion to military vehicles, and an introduction to operating military vehicles in the field.
Advanced Training Wing (ATW) provides training to newly commissioned Logistics Officers, Driving Examiners and Instructors, "Blue Light" Emergency Vehicle training, transport management courses, signals training and driving and instructor courses on a wide range of military specialist vehicles.
In addition to classrooms, lecture theatres and demonstration areas, the DST has 16 km of road training circuits which includes roundabouts, junctions, manoeuvring area and a purpose built hill, allowing trainees to develop basic road sense and driving skills prior to going onto local roads.
There are 26 km's of cross country training circuit on site, consisting of forty man-made obstacles, including two water crossings, a wading lake, 9 km's of defined cross country tracks, and five combat woods used for training in concealment and camouflage. There is also a Railhead distribution point. The 1:8 hill on our training area allows students to practice and be tested on the hill manoeuvre.
To increase the utility of our driver training circuit and increase time students spend on the area, it has been enhanced to provide hazards and manoeuvres encountered during the driving test. Enhancements reduce time spent on local roads and reduces levels of congestion.
With approximately 50 acres of tree plantations, planted from 1997 onwards, giving the biggest tree plantation in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the DST works closely with the Environment Agency which has a holding lake for fish stock on site. DST also has a large specimen area of wildlife and flora. There is a large and active conservation group at DST.
We currently spend over £55 million per annum on pay, local goods, services and contracts such as catering and building maintenance.
"Producing Combat Drivers trained for the harshest conditions worldwide"