Driving a Ural full of pallets earns you roughly 300 XP per run, delivery completed. Do three runs in 15 minutes and you’re still scraping toward Driver level 10. Meanwhile, pilots rack up XP twice as fast flying the same route. The gap is brutal. But with the right strategy, you can cut that grind in half. Here’s the fastest known route to Driver 35 — backed by the game’s own numbers and the latest early access patch.
Why the Driver Grind Hit a Wall
The developers at Bulkhead acknowledged in their launch patch notes that they “slowed levels down 10 to 20 and flattened curve from 35 onward.” For driver specifically, they moved the heavy tank from Career 35 to Driver 35. That’s a massive gate. You now need to grind driver XP exclusively — no mixing in recon or support tasks.
The Ural (Earl) unlock dropped from Driver Level 4 to Level 3. That’s good news: you can start pallet delivery in your first match if you focus on driving. But the Kodiak flatbed, which used to unlock at Level 2, jumped to Level 10. That vehicle is now useless for early grinding.
So your only real option from Level 3 onward is the Ural. Cost: 35,000 in-game cash. That’s steep when you start with 10,000. But it’s the most efficient XP generator per minute.
Step 1: Buy the Ural Immediately
After your first supply run or two, you should have enough cash. If not, ask a teammate to spot you or run a quick assault loadout for one match to build capital. Do not waste money on the Kodiak or dune buggy. They give worse XP and slower turnaround.
The Ural fits two pallets. One pallet of building supplies or ammo gives about 150 XP when delivered to a Forward Operating Base (FOB). Two pallets = 300 XP. A round trip from base to FOB takes roughly 5 minutes on a good map. That’s 60 XP per minute — not great, but consistent.
Step 2: Always Double-Stack Pallets
The most common mistake is buying one pallet and then having to navigate the menu again. From the “7 Things” source: after buying the first pallet, the menu resets to the top. You then have to scroll through again for the second. This wastes time.
Fix: after buying the first pallet, immediately press the back button once, then re-enter the purchase menu. The game remembers your previous category. You save about 10 seconds per buy. Over a 2-hour session, that’s nearly 10 minutes saved — enough for two extra runs.
Step 3: Drive the Short Route, Not the Safe Route
Most players take long, winding roads to avoid enemy ambushes. That kills XP per hour. Instead, memorise the shortest road from your base to the nearest active FOB. The risk of getting blown up is real, but if you die, you lose only the time, not the XP you already banked. And the pallets can be recovered.
From the developer comments: “if you aren’t willing to learn from those deaths, you’re going to have a bad time.” Aggressive driving pays. After three trips, you’ll know which hills give you cover and which open fields are deathtraps.
Step 4: Level Up to Ural Attack as Early as Possible
The Ural attack variant, unlocked at Driver 25 (was 40, now 25 per patch notes), gives you a mounted machine gun. That allows you to defend yourself at the FOB while unloading. More importantly, it means you don’t need a gunner — you can solo-run supply missions without relying on passengers.
Until you reach Level 25, consider bringing a friend who can sit in the gunner seat. Split the XP? No — only the driver gets driver XP. Your friend gets nothing, so they’re doing you a favour. Offer to pay them in-game cash or run recon for them next match.
Comparison: Best Vehicles for Driver XP
| Vehicle | Unlock Level (Driver) | Cost (in-game) | XP per Full Run (approx) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ural (Earl) | 3 | 35,000 | 300 | Two pallets; best early option |
| Kodiak Flatbed | 10 | 35,000 | 200 | Only one pallet; not worth it |
| Ural Attack | 25 | 50,000 | 300 (same) | Adds self-defense; same XP |
| Heavy Tank | 35 | 500,000 | N/A (not for logistics) | Combat vehicle; no supply XP |
The Ural is your workhorse until Level 35. After that, you can buy the heavy tank — but it’s purely a combat tool. If you want to continue earning driver XP, stick with the Ural. The heavy tank gives kills and assist XP, but those are lower than supply runs.
Step 5: Use the “Repair Reset” Trick
Vehicles that are idle for too long get blown up by the game’s clean-up system. From the source: “the only way to do it is to be really cognizant of the Ural and listen for it taking damage and then getting in to reset whatever time route it is.” After you deliver pallets and start building at the FOB, your unattended Ural will have roughly 2-3 minutes before it starts taking damage.
The fix: after unloading, get back in the driver seat for 5 seconds. This resets the timer. Then you can continue building without worrying about your ride disappearing. Losing a 35,000 vehicle to cleanup is a massive setback.
The One Trick Most Players Miss
You can earn driver XP without owning a vehicle. If a pilot in a helicopter drops supply crates near a FOB, you can drive a borrowed or team-owned Ural to pick them up. The game counts any vehicle driving as driver XP as long as you are in a vehicle class (Ural, Kodiak, etc.). So if someone else bought the Ural but leaves it parked, hop in and run deliveries. The XP goes to you, not the vehicle owner.
This works best when the pilot is cooperative. In early access, many pilots are happy to carry supplies. Ask in team chat: “Need a driver for these crates.” You’ll get a free Ural to grind with. Just be careful — if the owner returns and reclaims the vehicle mid-run, you lose access and the cargo. So only use this method with players you trust or in squad voice chat.
Final Warning: Avoid the Logi Crate Trap
Small logistic crates are tempting at Driver Level 1-2 because the Ural isn’t available. But from the developer’s own admission: “it’s an incredible faff.” You have to manually unpack items into your backpack and move them into the FOB piece by piece. This takes 3-4 times longer per crate than a pallet delivery. The XP is also lower because it’s based on item value, not crate delivery.
Skip the small crates entirely. If you’re below Level 3, focus on earning cash through other roles (recon, assault) and then buy the Ural. The 2-3 matches of non-driving are faster than grinding 10 matches of logi crate misery.
