How does one acquire a FMT600? What are the requirements? What does it permit me to do?
Ask to Drive stuff, have a civilian driving license, drive stuff your familiarised on.
Basically, that.
In a little more detail - ring your parent station’s MT Training & Licensing section and ask on which day they do their initial MT training; book a suitable one. Get a licence print out from the DVLA for categories, endorsements, etc (and I think you need to take an online theory test too).
You’ll do generally half a day on all the MT paperwork, vehicle maintenance requirements, etc and then go for a check ride, generally on the largest vehicle that you’re looking to drive (and have a licence for).
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It’s a one-day course run by MT sections, mostly classroom based covering H&S, booking processes, documentation etc. with a practical driving observation, not a test as such, just to make sure you are not an horrendous danger on the roads. Pre-requisite before attending is that you hold a full UK driving licence and have passed the MoD Matrix theory test. I booked mine through my wing HQ.
Once obtained, it allows the holder to use vehicles from MT, i.e. fleet white vehicles. It doesn’t allow you to hire a D1 minibus if you haven’t got that on your civy licence already.
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The Matrix test can be found here https://bfgnet.de/matrix-test.html you can do it online and print out a certificate once you pass it.
You also need to share your driving licence information with your local MT which you can do here https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence so they can check your categories and endorsements.
Make sure you get them to validate you on anything you are likely to drive. If you ever want to tow a trailer behind a minibus (you aren’t allowed luggage in the passenger compartment) make sure you ask them for that as it is a separate category on your FMT.
You need to do the licence checks every year, and the matrix test every 5.
Everything else you need to know has been covered by other posters I think.
We were told by DACOS A4 Cap at High Wycombe that we no longer needed a FMT600 in Dec 15 for white fleet vehicles unless we were deploying outside the UK.
They removed the need for a FMT600 for class B vehicles at about that time, but that just seemed to stretch to the physical card itself and all of the same processes (registered with MT, orders read annually etc.) still applied.
There was an email dated 16 Mar 16 that detailed it all.
It’s not a requirement anymore for those UK based, however an Annual Licence Check is still required, as such our parent station are still issuing FMT 600s in order to track this - at least for those of us in RAFAC
It’s been many years since I held a 600. You need to speak with your nearest MT to understand the process, as there may be a charge these days ('cos the MOD is broke). Ask your OC to speak with your Wing Adj to ensure you can claim any out of pocket expenses.
Spoken to the relevant man at my parent station’s MT section and the process is as Hactar described. Complete an online theory test, licence check, check drive with MT, and then finally go through all the relevant paperwork and processes. As far as I’m aware there’s no cost.
There definitely wasn’t at my parent station (Linton-on-Ouse) about 2 weeks ago.
But you will want your WEXO to approve travel costs (1771) and potentially pay if over an 8 hour day…
In our wing it all needs to be pre-approved…
Yeah my 1771 claim has already been pre-approved. I’m a CI so no pay for me regardless. (Plus the MT guy said it’d only take the morning).
Does anyone know how full on the driving check is?
some claim it is “just a lap of the airfield” for others up to an hour.
for me it was closer to the latter. the MT Cpl sits as the front seat passenger, the rest of my course sat on the back seats and we went around the local towns and villages. i doubt i was in the hot seat longer than 30 minutes.
why that bit is needed I don’t know given we hold a pink card issued by the Government body for all things driving saying we can drive (oh and drove to the MT section too!)
I think it’s to make the MT bods feel like they are important. Would you actually care if they “failed” you, as you say we have to have a driving licence and depending on your age you can just got to and hire vehicles, without any further “instruction”.
I’ve never held a 600, can’t see the need personally for what would be a few days each year pootling about on annual camp, but had a number of temporary ones where I’ve rocked up with my licence, signed the book as there has been a need for minibus drivers (age on my side) and they don’t have the time (or inclination) to faff about. I imagine for all those under about 36 would need a D1 extension given the greatest need is for minibus drivers, or do the variety of permits get around that?
It’s not like a proper driving test or anything though?
I think that the simple analogy would be would you let someone else borrow your car simply on the strength of their having a driving licence? Or would you want to see that they’re actually vaguely competent first?
When I did mine last year, we covered all the legal and paperwork stuff in the morning. In the afternoon we went to the minibus, got shown all the daily inspection stuff and other things to look out for on a minibus then the instructor drove us out to a nearby town where we took over driving for half an hour or so. There was a small theory test afterwards. Not really like a driving test but more to check that you’re not a danger on the road.
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