The badge is awarded to drivers, mechanics, and special equipment operators to denote the attainment of a high degree of skill in the operation and maintenance of motor vehicles.

[2][3] The Driver and Mechanic Badge is awarded to soldiers who have received training and have met specific qualification standards to operate or repair military motor vehicles.

[2][4] The badge is issued with a number of metal bars, suspended beneath the decoration, which denote the qualification received.

The current bars which are issued to the Driver and Mechanic Badge are as follows:[2] From November 1962 to January 1966, the U.S. Army awarded this badge to Army aviation mechanics and crew chiefs.

To distinguish them from other Driver and Mechanic Badges, aviation mechanics had a two-bladed propeller bar that hung suspended beneath the badge, just like the driver bars.