Overland Experts provides professional off-road training for all.

STORY BY BRYON DORR

PHOTOS BY BRYON DORR, MATT GIRGIS AND OEX

There are few organizations in the off-road and overland industries that exhibit the level of professionalism and expertise as the aptly named Overland Experts (OEX). OEX is an off-road driving and recovery school with four locations around the United States that train just about everyone. From weekend warriors to rally raid competitors and elite Special Forces military—and everyone in between—OEX has the off-road expertise to train them all.

While we’ve seen the OEX team in action at overland events across the country for a decade now, we wanted to fi nd out more to share what makes this company unique.

For one, OEX guys show up to events with unobtainable vehicles such as brand-new Toyota Hilux and 70 Series Land Cruisers.

To fi nd out more, we connected with OEX’s Tony Cerruto.

TREAD:What’s your role at OEX, and what led you to this professional pursuit?

Tony Cerruto: I found out about OEX when I was the NCOIC (noncommissioned officer in charge) of the Combat Mobility Detachment for 3D SFG(A). I needed to take my team through a course that would teach us how not to break stuff (that is, our vehicles) while conducting operations. I instantly fell in love with the OEX methodology and saw a correlation in the OEX curriculum and how we conducted our own unconventional training.

I’ve always been a geek for all things off road. I’ve been driving in dirt ever since I could reach the pedals. I’m currently the director of military training for OEX but also love to teach civilians. There’s no greater satisfaction for me (and my colleagues) than seeing a student’s eyes light up and get that “aha moment.” The excitement when a client cleans a particularly difficult line or obstacle is incredibly rewarding.