Army Reserve Soldiers of the 443rd Transportation Company, 561st Regional Support Group, are currently training on the M1070 Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET), a ten-day course held at the National Guard Center in Hastings, Nebraska.

Instructors for the course were Sgt. Corbin Michal, Sgt. Arthur Morley, Sgt. Skyler Reed and Sgt. Tyson Smith, who have been convoy commanders for more than 250 combined HET missions.

The students come from a unit that utilizes the HET as part of their operational mission. Today in the Army Reserve, five units operate the HET system in order to move armored fighting vehicles and tanks to and from mission locations.

The HET is the largest, and most complex, vehicle used for transporting Army equipment, and can haul up to 70 tons over improved or unimproved roads.

The instructors covered key tasks including an overview of the tractor and the M1000 trailer, performing preventive maintenance checks and services or PMCS, changing tires, coupling and uncoupling the truck and trailer, and driving both the tractor and the full system with and without a load.

Students worked extensively on driving the HET system, utilizing the company's dedicated training area to navigate and mimic the Entry Control Points (ECPs) for future missions.

"The training is going well because the Soldiers are eager to learn, especially post pandemic," Morley said.

Morley also spoke about how different teaching methods were positively received by the students, commenting that, "We are keeping it pretty relaxed, and it seems to go well that way. The Soldiers like training that is informative, hands on, and less in the classroom. We teach them what they need to learn, and how to do things right."

The culmination of the course is for the Soldiers to complete a HET rodeo, where Soldiers receive a license to operate during live missions in the Army Reserve. This requires students to use all the knowledge learned in and out of class, from preparing their trucks and trailers for the mission, to loading the 60-ton M88 onto the trailer, to successfully navigating the training area with their load.

Sgt. 1st Class Palmateer will validate the class’s performance with a ceremony and certificate to all of the Soldiers, identifying them as trained HET operators that are ready to go out on the road for missions.