This is your opportunity to learn off-road driving and overlanding skills from the same professional instructors who train search and rescue personnel, firefighters, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and other professional off-road vehicle operators.

The Driving Company has been providing professional off-road training since 2003 and has trained personnel and instructors from more than 150 public safety agencies. We even train personnel who work at California's off-road parks, including Hollister Hills SVRA and Oceano Dunes SVRA.

When things go wrong in the backcountry, people call emergency responders and search and rescue. We train the people who come to get you.

There are plenty of experienced recreational off-road drivers and clubs offering instruction. The Driving Company is different.

Every TDC instructor is certified by the State of California in off-road EVOC instruction, and our instructors have completed professional instructor-development training. The Driving Company is the only private off-road training provider in California whose entire instructor team holds this state certification.

Our Lead Instructor, Dave Storton, holds a Master's Degree in Adult Education, and our instructional methods are based on how adults actually learn complex driving skills, not simply having students follow an instructor through obstacles.

The Driving Company has maintained an exceptional safety record since we began training off-road drivers in 2003.

Our 1-day civilian off-road driving course at Hollister Hills SVRA is designed around you, your experience, and the vehicle you actually drive.

Bring your stock Jeep, pickup, SUV, modified 4x4, or electric off-road vehicle. We'll teach you how to understand its capabilities and use the equipment and technology you already have.

You'll learn practical skills including 4WD operation, terrain assessment, vehicle placement, traction management, hill climbing and descending, spotting, tire pressure, approach and departure angles, braking techniques, weight transfer, obstacle negotiation, trail etiquette, and Mechanical Sympathy.

The objective isn't simply to get you through an obstacle during class. It's to give you the knowledge and confidence to make better decisions when you're exploring off road on your own.

You can attend the class on your own with your own 4x4, or two students can share one vehicle. Either way, you'll get plenty of hands-on driving time and individual instruction throughout the day.

If two people share a vehicle, you'll alternate between driving and learning spotting: safely guiding a driver through terrain and obstacles that may be difficult or impossible to see from behind the wheel.

Coming by yourself? You'll learn the same spotting skills. We'll make sure you have opportunities to practice both driving and safely guiding other vehicles through obstacles.

Spotting is an important off-road and overlanding skill. If you regularly travel with a spouse, partner, family member, or friend, having both of you understand the same techniques and communication methods can make you a much more capable team on the trail.

Come solo or share a vehicle. Either way, you'll spend the day driving, learning, and building practical off-road skills.

Own a Rivian R1T or R1S, Tesla Cybertruck, GMC HUMMER EV, or Jeep 4xe? Bring it.

Electric 4x4s are welcome in our regular civilian off-road classes, and you'll receive instruction specific to your vehicle.

The Driving Company has trained hundreds of drivers in electric off-road vehicles, including numerous Rivian-only classes and Rivian owner groups. Our instructors understand that an electric 4x4 behaves differently from a conventional mechanical 4WD system, and we'll help you understand how your vehicle's technology works when the pavement ends.

Rivian owners will learn how Independent Wheel Drive (IWD) responds to cross-axle situations, changing traction, steep grades, and uneven terrain while learning how to use the vehicle safely without unnecessarily abusing a very expensive truck. You bought a remarkably capable vehicle. We'll teach you how to use that capability.

One of the biggest misconceptions in recreational off-roading is that a new 4x4 immediately needs bigger tires, a lift, suspension upgrades, and thousands of dollars in accessories before it can venture off pavement.

For most overlanders, it doesn't.

We've encountered heavily modified vehicles on our trips whose drivers were genuinely surprised to discover that our stock vehicles reached exactly the same destination.

If your goal is to explore beautiful and remote places rather than build a rock-crawling vehicle, you may already own considerably more capability than you realize.

Before modifying your vehicle, learn what it can do in stock form.

If you're wondering what the lockers, sway-bar disconnect, traction-control settings, hill-descent control, drive modes, suspension settings, or assorted buttons on your new 4x4 actually do, we'll show you.

Already modified your vehicle? That's fine too. We'll teach you how to take advantage of those additional capabilities and safely tackle more challenging terrain.

Our philosophy is Mechanical Sympathy: understanding what your vehicle is doing, choosing the right technique, and getting through terrain without unnecessarily beating up the machine.

A single avoided repair can easily pay for the cost of professional training.

• Off-road safety for stock SUVs, pickups, EVs, and modified 4x4 vehicles
• 4WD systems and off-road vehicle technology
• Ascending and descending steep terrain
• Approach, departure, and breakover angles
• Tire pressure and traction management
• Proper off-road braking techniques
• Weight transfer and vehicle dynamics
• Vehicle configuration and drive modes
• Spotting and driver-spotter communication
• Negotiating common off-road obstacles
• Terrain assessment and line selection
• Mechanical Sympathy and vehicle preservation
• Trail etiquette and responsible off-road travel
• 
  

You've learned the fundamentals. Now it's time to take those skills into more challenging terrain.

The Driving Company's Intermediate Off-Road Driving Course is designed for drivers who already have a solid understanding of basic 4x4 operation, have completed our 1-day Basic course, and want to develop the skills and confidence to safely tackle more difficult trails and obstacles.

You'll spend the day on more advanced terrain, learning new driving techniques while building on the fundamentals of vehicle placement, traction management, weight transfer, terrain assessment, and Mechanical Sympathy.

But there's another important difference.

In a Basic Course, your instructor frequently helps you determine how to approach an obstacle. In the Intermediate Course, we begin shifting more of that responsibility to you.

You'll learn to read the terrain, identify hazards, select your own line, determine the appropriate vehicle configuration, and make decisions before committing to an obstacle.

Training includes steeper climbs and descents, more technical terrain, complex obstacles, advanced line selection, traction management, cross-axle situations, spotting, vehicle positioning, and techniques for negotiating difficult terrain without unnecessarily abusing your vehicle. The objective isn't to turn your 4x4 into a rock crawler. It's to make you a better driver.

The Intermediate Course is intended for drivers who have completed our 1-Day Basic Off-Road Driving & Overlanding Course. You should be comfortable with basic 4WD operation, ascending and descending hills, vehicle placement, spotting, and negotiating common off-road obstacles before attending.

More challenging trails. More advanced techniques. More decisions behind the wheel.

Take what you learned in Basic and find out what you and your 4x4 can really do.

Sand changes everything. Traction, momentum, tire pressure, steering, braking, vehicle load, and even seemingly simple decisions about where to stop become considerably more important when you're driving in deep sand.

The Driving Company's 2-Day Sand Driving & Recovery Course at Oceano Dunes SVRA gives you two full days of hands-on training in one of California's most unique off-road environments.

You'll learn how to read sand and terrain, select appropriate tire pressures, maintain momentum and flotation, climb and descend dunes, negotiate changing sand conditions, recognize areas where you're likely to get stuck, and use driving techniques that reduce unnecessary strain on your vehicle.

And because getting stuck is part of learning to drive in sand, vehicle recovery is built into the course. You'll gain practical experience with sand recoveries and learn how to safely recover vehicles when traction disappears and digging deeper with the accelerator has ceased to be a particularly brilliant strategy.

There's an important difference between visiting Oceano Dunes and professionally training there. The Driving Company trains Oceano Dunes park personnel, as well as the paramedics who respond to off-road emergencies at the park. When you train with us at Oceano Dunes, you're learning from the same professional instructors trusted to prepare the people who work there and the emergency responders who come when something goes wrong.

No. Our 1-Day Winching & Recovery Course is recommended but not required before attending the Sand Driving & Recovery Course.

Students who have already completed the Recovery Course will arrive with a stronger understanding of recovery equipment, safety, and techniques, but we'll provide the instruction you need to safely participate in the recoveries conducted during the Sand Course.

Whether you're preparing for desert travel, beach driving, overlanding, or simply want to become a more capable 4x4 driver, sand is a skill worth learning properly. Learn to drive it. Learn to read it. And when things don't go according to plan, learn how to get out of it.

Getting through difficult terrain is only part of becoming a capable overlander. Eventually, someone is going to get stuck. Our 1-Day Winching & Vehicle Recovery Course provides hands-on training with winches, kinetic recovery ropes, recovery points, rigging, and safe vehicle recovery techniques.

You don't need a winch or any recovery equipment to attend. Use ours, learn what works, and find out what you actually need before spending money building your own recovery kit. Even if your vehicle doesn't have a winch, you'll learn how to safely assist when another vehicle in your group needs recovery. See the Winching and Recovery page for more details and to sign up.

1-Day Winching & Recovery Course — $350 per person

→ EXPLORE WINCHING & RECOVERY TRAINING

Have a group that wants to train together?

Custom course dates are available for groups of eight or more at Hollister Hills SVRA, Oceano Dunes SVRA, and selected other locations.

Contact us to discuss your group's training needs and available dates.

Go beyond the day trip. Explore remarkable places while building the skills and confidence to create adventures of your own.

Our multi-day Overland Training Adventures combine incredible destinations with professional instruction and real-world experience. You'll learn practical skills such as trip planning, vehicle preparation, navigation, off-road driving, group travel, trail decision-making, and Mechanical Sympathy while putting those skills to use on an actual overland adventure.

You're exploring with the same professional instructors who train public safety professionals, backed by experience dating to 2003. You get the freedom and excitement of a true multi-day adventure with experienced professionals there to guide, teach, and help you make better decisions along the way.

We train the professionals. Now we train you.

Every Overland Training Adventure also includes, at no additional cost, your choice of one 1-Day Basic Off-Road Driving & Overlanding Course OR one 1-Day Basic Winching & Recovery Course at Hollister Hills SVRA, on any available class date. We recommend taking your complimentary course before your adventure when possible, but it is not required.

Come for the destination. Leave with the skills and confidence to plan the next adventure yourself.

Looking for class meeting locations, start times, what to bring, vehicle requirements, cancellation policies, guests, EV information, or other course details? We've put the answers to our most frequently asked questions in the FAQ section on our Home Page.

Please check the FAQs before using the Contact Form. There's a good chance your question is already answered there, including important information you'll need before attending your class.

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