2027 DATES COMING SOON!
The Driving Company Off Road EVOC and off road Overland Driver training
Off road EVOC driver training for law enforcement, firefighters, search & rescue, public utilities, and now, overlanders.
About the driving company
Our Story
Professional Off-Road Training. Now Available to Everyone.
The Driving Company provides professional off-road driving and 4x4 training backed by decades of real-world experience. Our instructors have trained personnel and off-road instructors from more than 150 public safety agencies.
Our instructors are California POST-certified experts in off-road EVOC instruction, with real-world experience supporting fire strike teams, law enforcement operations, search & rescue teams, and emergency response. We train professionals to operate everything from Jeeps and 4x4 trucks to large off-road fire apparatus in demanding environments. Our instructors aren't weekend hobbyists. They are experienced off-road professionals with real-world emergency response backgrounds.
We don't believe in follow-the-leader training or large groups where students spend the day watching someone else's taillights. Our classes emphasize hands-on, highly interactive instruction with individual coaching designed to develop real off-road driving skills, judgment, and confidence.
There is far more to safe off-road vehicle operation than simply getting a vehicle down a trail. Terrain assessment, vehicle dynamics, traction management, route selection, recovery, mechanical sympathy, and sound decision-making all matter.
When recreational drivers and tour operators have an emergency, they call the professionals. We train those professionals.
Civilian Off-Road Training & Overland Adventures
That same professional-level expertise is now available to the public. Our civilian 4x4 and off-road driving courses are designed for overlanders, adventure travelers, and drivers who are new to off-road vehicle operation.
For those ready to take their skills beyond the training course, The Driving Company also offers multi-day overland adventure training in real-world backcountry environments. These guided adventures combine spectacular overland travel with hands-on instruction in off-road driving, route planning, vehicle preparation, recovery, communications, environmental responsibility, and the practical skills needed for safe, self-sufficient backcountry travel. These aren't simply guided off-road tours. They're real overland adventures with professional training built into the experience.
Learn to travel off-road safely, confidently, and responsibly from instructors who train the professionals who operate off-road when the stakes are considerably higher.
Select your class to see dates
Professional Off Road EVOC, Agency, or Private Company Off Road Driver Training
The Driving Company provides professional off-road driver training and off-road EVOC training for law enforcement, firefighters, public utilities, government agencies, and private companies whose employees operate vehicles off road. Our programs provide documented, professional, and defensible driver training designed for organizations where safety, competency, and accountability matter.
Civilian Off Road Driver Training and Overlanding
All Civilian Classes are at Hollister Hills SVRA
(Specialized Civilian Classes also at Oceano Dunes SVRA)
Gift Certificates Available
Professional, hands-on off-road driving and overlanding training for drivers of traditional 4x4s and today’s electric off-road vehicles. Our instructors can train you in any 4x4 vehicle.
Looking for Off Road EV Training?
We have trained hundreds of students in Rivian, Cybertruck, EV Hummer, and 4xe Jeep. Join any civilian class for specialized instruction.
Learn practical off-road driving skills, vehicle control, terrain assessment, traction management, and safe 4x4 operation in a highly interactive, real-world training environment.
Register early. Every civilian class has filled, with substantial waiting lists.
Winching & Recovery
When overlanding or traveling off road with others, knowing how to safely use a winch, kinetic recovery rope, and other 4x4 recovery equipment can make you a valuable member of the group, even if your own vehicle doesn't have a winch.
Vehicle recovery involves tremendous forces, and attempting a recovery without proper training can result in serious injury or vehicle damage. This hands-on off-road recovery training teaches you how to participate safely and effectively in winching and vehicle recovery operations.
No recovery gear is required to attend. You'll train using our equipment and you’ll learn what recovery gear you actually need to build a safe, practical recovery kit. We'll explain what different pieces of equipment do, when to use them, and what to look for when choosing your own gear.
If you don't already own recovery gear, don't buy anything before the class. Attend the training first. You'll leave with a much better understanding of what belongs in your recovery kit and what you can probably leave on the store shelf.
If you already own a winch or recovery equipment, bring it. We'll teach you how to use your own gear safely and effectively.
Whether you're an overlander, off-road enthusiast, or new to 4x4 travel, understanding safe winching and vehicle recovery techniques is an essential backcountry skill.
You don't need to own a winch to benefit from recovery training. When traveling with others, you may be called upon to assist when another vehicle is stuck, or when a winch or other recovery equipment is being used. This class teaches you how to safely participate in a recovery operation, understand the equipment being used, recognize hazards, and effectively assist the person conducting the recovery.
Want to explore remote backcountry but aren't completely confident you have the skills, knowledge, or experience to do it on your own? That's why we created The Driving Company's Overland Adventure Training Trips.
Spend four or five days traveling through some of the most spectacular and remote landscapes in the American West while learning the skills experienced overlanders use to travel safely and confidently beyond the pavement. And you'll be traveling with instructors who have been professionally training off-road drivers since 2002. Our instructors don't just lead trips. They train the emergency responders and professional drivers who operate off road when the consequences of getting it wrong are considerably higher.
You'll learn off-road driving, route planning, navigation, vehicle preparation, communications, weather planning, recovery, convoy travel, backcountry decision-making, environmental responsibility, and what to do when the trip doesn't go according to plan. Our evening Campfire Classroom sessions turn what happened on the trail that day into lessons you can use on future trips.
Along the way, we'll search out the places that make overlanding worth doing: remote canyons, mountain passes, old mining roads, ghost towns, historic sites, ancient rock art, hidden backcountry destinations, and landscapes most travelers will never see.
These aren't tours where you simply follow a guide for a few days and go home. You'll go home a more knowledgeable, capable, and confident overlander.
Every Adventure registration also includes your choice of a FREE 1-Day Basic Off-Road Driving Course or 1-Day Winching & Recovery Course. Attendance is encouraged but not required.
Small groups. Limited trips. Very few spaces.
2027 Adventures — Dates & Destinations Coming Soon
Come for the Adventure. Leave with the skills to find your own.
Pictured is Instructor Dave Storton with Adam and Jamie of Mythbusters
The Driving Company's instructor team brings more than 20 years each of professional off-road training experience to every course we teach.
Every TDC instructor is certified by the State of California in off-road EVOC instruction. We are the only private off-road training provider in California that can make that claim.
Our instructors bring real-world experience from law enforcement, fire service, emergency response, search and rescue, and professional off-road vehicle operations. They have trained personnel from more than 150 public safety agencies, from drivers of Jeeps and 4x4 trucks to operators of large off-road fire apparatus.
When things go wrong in the backcountry, people call emergency responders and search and rescue. We train the people who come to get you.
Whether we're training emergency responders or civilian overlanders, you are learning from instructors whose experience goes far beyond recreational off-roading.
Experienced. State Certified. Proven in the Field.
FREE Fun Trips for TDC Students
Your Training Doesn't End When the Class Does.
You've taken an off-road class. You're ready to use what you've learned. But now comes the question we hear all the time:
Where do I go, and who do I go with?
Two or three times each year, The Driving Company invites previous students to join our instructors for a FREE overnight off-road adventure.
These are not training courses and they're very different from our multi-day Overland Adventure Training trips. We're going out to have fun, and you're invited to come along.
We'll meet Saturday morning at a predetermined location, head off pavement, and spend the day exploring somewhere worth discovering. We'll camp together Saturday night, continue the adventure Sunday morning, and typically reach pavement around lunchtime so everyone has time to make the drive home. There is no charge. Bring your family. Bring your dog. Bring your sense of adventure. You simply need to be completely self-sufficient with your vehicle, food, camping equipment, and personal supplies.
It's a chance to put your training to use, gain experience in the backcountry, meet other TDC graduates, and discover places you might not yet be comfortable exploring on your own.
These trips are exclusively for previous TDC students and are announced through our private student Facebook group.
And they're popular. So popular, in fact, that available spaces are awarded by lottery.
Take a class. Join the community. Then come explore with us.