Driver-Mechanic
Requirements
- Driving licence of the relevant category
- Experience driving vehicles is an advantage
- Responsibility, attentiveness, technical literacy
- Fitness for service in terms of health and moral qualities
- Age 18 to 45
Responsibilities
- Driving transport or combat vehicles on routes and in combat
- Daily maintenance and inspection of vehicles
- Fixing minor faults in the field
- Keeping to the route and following safety rules while on the move
Terms
- Mobilisation until the end of martial law, or contract service
- Basic and specialist training as required
- Pay: base pay of UAH 21,000 + an additional bonus of up to UAH 100,000 for carrying out tasks in the combat zone — up to UAH 121,000 per month in total, depending on the duration and area of the tasks
- Full social package
- Full provision of protective equipment and military property
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Vacancy: Driver-Mechanic
Everything that reaches the unit gets there thanks to a driver. Ammunition, water, food, a relief shift for the position, vehicles on the route — behind each of these words is a person at the wheel.
A driver-mechanic is not just someone who drives. It is someone who knows their vehicle: hears when something is wrong, does a daily inspection, fixes a minor fault on the spot without waiting for a repair team. Vehicles that are looked after break down less often — and that is the driver's direct responsibility.
Work for focused, reliable people. What is valued here is not speed but that the person gets there and back, and that the vehicle will be running tomorrow.
Who can become a driver-mechanic
There is one main requirement — a driving licence. The category depends on the vehicles you are applying for, and this is discussed at the interview.
What else matters:
- Driving experience — any kind, from cars to lorries. The more the better, but no military experience is needed
- Technical literacy: understanding how a vehicle works and not being afraid to open the bonnet
- Attentiveness and responsibility. The route, the condition of the vehicle, the cargo — all of this is on the driver
- Medical fitness — determined by the military medical board (VLK)
Experience in a car service centre, with lorries or agricultural machinery, or any repair practice will come in handy. But we take you without it too — the main thing is a licence and the will to figure things out.
How a driver-mechanic differs from related positions: a driver-electrician is responsible for vehicles' electrical equipment, an ambulance driver transports the wounded, while a driver-mechanic drives and carries out daily maintenance of the unit's vehicles.
What a driver-mechanic does in the 141st SMB
Main tasks:
- Driving transport or combat vehicles on routes and during tasks
- Daily maintenance: inspection, fluid levels, fastenings, condition of components
- Fixing minor faults in the field, without sending the vehicle off for repair
- Preparing the vehicle to move out: refuelling, ammunition, cargo, camouflage
- Keeping to the route and traffic rules, including in conditions where you need to move quietly and unseen
A large part of the work is preventive maintenance. A vehicle that is inspected every day does not break down at the worst moment. That is why an experienced driver is valued not for their driving style but for the fact that their vehicle is always running.
How you will be trained
You will be trained. Even with a licence and experience on civilian vehicles, an army vehicle is different: different dimensions, different conditions, a different logic of movement. The path is the same for everyone: 51 days of basic military training, then the brigade's own adaptation course — 14–15 days, followed by specialist training.
The adaptation course is run by our instructors with combat experience, not by the textbook. These are not lectures: a 12–15 kilometre march with drills for different situations, including reacting to drones. Training continues at night too. Water and ration packs are dropped along the route by heavy drones — so that the skill of collecting cargo from the air is built in advance, in calm conditions.
Tactical medicine is drilled separately until it is automatic: tourniquet, bandage, helping a brother-in-arms — on training mannequins until the movements become habit. Our instructors' principle is short: the priority is to survive.
What you will be provided with
You will be fully kitted out. The brigade provides everything you need — from gear to tools. On top of the standard issue, 141st soldiers also receive what the brigade develops and tests itself: an enemy drone detector and anti-thermal camouflage. For a driver this matters directly — vehicles on the route are conspicuous, and anything that makes them less visible works for safety.
You will not be alone. A driver works as part of a unit where everyone covers everyone. The whole training system is built around the group coming back at full strength. "One for another" is not a T-shirt slogan but the way work is organised here.
What the terms include:
- Pay and additional payments for carrying out tasks
- Full provision of gear, protective equipment and military property
- The social package provided for service members
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Where you can grow
Driver-mechanic is an entry point, not a ceiling. The real steps up:
- Senior driver — more complex vehicles, greater responsibility
- Combat vehicle mechanic-driver — a separate specialty with higher base pay
- Squad leader — your own people, your own decisions, NCO positions
- A related field — vehicle repair, unmanned systems, other specialities. Transferring within the brigade is possible, and it is normal practice
In the 141st, rank is an entry in your military ID. What counts is competence, a cool head and readiness to take responsibility. Your career here depends on results, not length of service.
There is also a distinct culture of recognition: our patches are not handed out for length of service but earned for specific deeds — green for combat work and lives saved, blue for assault actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Logic and process: we answer the key questions about enlistment, training and status.
Apply for this positionWhich licence category do I need?
+It depends on the vehicles you are applying for. Most often it is B, C or C1. We discuss the specifics at the interview — we match the position to the category you hold.
Do I need repair experience?
+No, but technical literacy will come in handy. Daily maintenance and minor repairs are shown and taught on the spot.
How does a driver-mechanic differ from an ambulance driver?
+A driver-mechanic drives the unit's transport or combat vehicles; an ambulance driver works on casualty evacuation together with the medics.
I have no military experience. Can I still join you?
+Yes. Most of our best specialists were civilians yesterday. What matters to us is your motivation. We’ll match a role to your skills: if you understand machinery — you’ll go to the mechanics; if you know electronics — to UAVs or communications. Everything military — we’ll teach you.
How long does training take before deployment to the unit?
+Every recruit completes Basic General Military Training (BGMT) at a training center. After that — additional specialized training depending on the chosen role. We send only the prepared to the line of contact — that is our core principle.
What happens after I fill out the form?
+Your application goes to the recruiting center. Within 24 hours our specialist will call — it’s not an interrogation, just an introduction and answers to your questions. If we’re a match, the brigade issues an official request and our liaison helps you get through the TRC and MMB as fast as possible.
Can I transfer to the 141st SMB from another unit?
+Yes, we consider transfers — including via the Army+ app. Fill out the form and select the status “Active service member” — a recruiter will advise on your real chances and the steps involved.
I am AWOL (SZCh). Can I join?
+The law allows a return to service. If you’re motivated to fight in a sound team — fill out the form and state your status honestly. Our specialists will advise you individually on legal ways to return. Confidentially.
Do you provide uniform and equipment?
+Yes. The brigade fully provides basic kit, body armor, helmets and weapons. Plus — thanks to a strong volunteer network, we have additional technological support: drones, EW, transport.
Similar positions
Didn’t find your role?
The brigade has more specialities than the site describes, and some roles are not written up yet. If yours is missing, fill in the form and tell us which position you are looking for. A recruiter will check what is open right now and answer straight.
Tell us which role you wantWhat happens after you apply
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01
A call within 24 hours
Your application goes to the recruiting centre and a specialist calls within a day. It is not an interrogation — just an introduction and answers to your questions.
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02
Interview and choosing a role
Together we look at what you can do and where it is most useful. If we are a match, the brigade issues an official request for your transfer.
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03
Enlistment office and medical board — with support
Our liaison helps you get through the enlistment office and the military medical board as fast as possible. You do not navigate the queues alone.
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04
Training first, then the unit
Basic general military training takes 51 days, followed by the brigade’s 14–15 day adaptation course with instructors who have combat experience. We send only prepared soldiers to the front line.
