Born in Connecticut to a Swedish mother, UN and freelance journalist, and an American documentary filmmaker father, OEX Founder Bruce Elfstrom has been driving 4x4s since the age of seven. At age 9 driving the woods of Maine; age 13 Ranger Rovers with 70mm roof mounted gun through Beirut and the Bekah Valley of Lebanon, age 20 backdoor to Libya. In the later 1980s, as a Biology graduate student, Bruce found himself teaching others how to get the best out of a 4x4 vehicle and do it without abuse to the vehicle, the environment, or to the bystanders or passengers. After years as a biologist publishing and teaching and leading field research, training off road driving and logistic, as well as leading ground based expeditions, Bruce decided to take what he loved and make a profession out of it – teaching, being outdoors, and making a science of off road and overland vehicle based movement. In 1998 he established Overland Experts off road driving school and expedition logistic company. Today, some 13 years later and hundreds of students, Bruce sees OEX moving forward as it always has, doing it right, real and pragmatically. Our off road and Overland training curriculum is based on real life experience. Well over 35 years in the field driving all imaginable terrains with the best 4x4 drivers in the world has resulted in a core curriculum that just cannot be matched. Well before the founding of OEX Bruce sought out the best trainers across the globe. From this experience he took the best information and techniques gleaned and combined it with his own wealth of experience; this began the development of the perfect curriculum. Every place we go to, or person we meet might have new and better ways of doing things. The physics and logic that they might have are tools of our trade; the ones that work well are rolled into our linear, methodical, and dynamic way of training. Tried and true techniques remain, of course, but only if they stand the test of time. Our overreaching theme is to teach the Science of Off Road and 4x4 driving and Overland travel so that the natural Art and Finesse of the new skill set is in your hands and mind when the going gets rough and the skill is needed in an instant. We divide our recreational training into two categories, 4x4 and Off Road driving and Overland Training. While there is massive overlap between the two, their focus and emphasis differs. OEX’s Overland training is based on years driving through countries and across boarders out of necessity and not always pleasure. It did not have a name then, but now we call it “Overland”. Simply stated our training is not based on a few 4x4 vacations. There is a dramatic difference. For the military moving in marginal areas under marginal condition means not only driving unfamiliar or non-standard vehicle, but also getting stuck and repairing vehicles. Proper "off road driving" is composed of these three main aspects: Driving, Recovering, and Repairing all under the umbrella of a well thought out and executed plan. The objective of our training is to create a team that will reliably operate 4x4 vehicles with Impunity, Reliability, and Safety. This skill set will be carried out habitually in all possible environmental conditions. The training will create a versatile, independent, and proficient individual able to drive through any terrain encountered. Proficient drivers must be able to drive any vehicle platform they encounter. An unfamiliar vehicle platform is a liability. Mastery of a variety of vehicle platforms is necessary. Through feedback from OEX graduates and military advisors, OEX has created a dynamic training curriculum that creates driver proficiency over a host of vehicles. As a result, our graduates are versatile "read and react" operators, exercising composure on all non standard platforms. We know this first hand. We have been there. We know what will be encountered. We have the vehicles your team will actually encounter. We don't produce single platform robots, but thinking, dynamic, and experienced operators. We produce out of the box thinkers. OEX prides itself in concentrating on consistency of our message and training methodology. No matter which one of our branches you go to, the message will remain the same - linear progress, method, repetition, practice, variation of platform, and an awareness of peoples' differing learning styles. It is the consistency of our curriculum, our trainers, our courses, and our vehicles that allows for a rapid learning process that cements the learned skill set into a person's long-term memory. We are also intent on keeping up with the changes in current technology and we are constantly looking for ways to bring in novel techniques or equipment. Attention to these details keeps people coming back to us for more advanced training, or just to travel with us, or use our skills on related projects. Many organizations with relief or emergency operations are becoming aware of the unacceptably high cost of vehicle accidents. For some it is the number one cause of employee fatalities. The full costs include personal injury, vehicle damage, job time loss and considerable legal liability. A small investment in OEX driver training can have a dramatic impact on accident rates. Join us on our purpose designed courses, with our specific curriculum and your organization can be assured your drivers will learn what their vehicles can and cannot do in extreme conditions and how to handle every emergency situation. OEX has spent years in extreme field conditions. We know all the risks and how to avoid or handle them. What is the cost of a down vehicle, a stuck vehicle or an injured staff member? With our thorough training vehicle damage will be drastically reduced, physical injury to field operators will be much less likely to occur and time table predictability will be more reliable. An ounce of preventative measures will pay for itself many times over by training with OEX. We have the résumé’ and record to prove it.
