Trucks (and the truckers syndicate)

[Stimo]

For some reason, I have been placed in command of a Russian Motor Rifle battalion. Bad karma most likely.

It includes a mortar battery.
There is one ammo truck for each mortar platoon, packed with many nice mortar rounds.

When the truck with its original driver parks near the mortars, they add its load to their ammo count.
When the driver is ordered to disembark to be sent on some errand, the truck lists as "dismounted" and the ammo available to the mortar platoon drops as if the driver had put a lock on its freight and placed a "biohazard" sticker on the tailgate.

I ordered the platoon leader to embark, but the ammo count remained on the low side.

I ordered a driver back into the truck (not sure it was the original driver but should it matter anyway?). The truck remained "dismounted", the ammo is still out of reach of my mortar squads, while the little guy shows as a "driver".

Am I facing the first stages of a drivers uprising? Can they claim tenure on their trucks?

Thank you for your insight.

Edited July 30, 2022 by Stimo

[Erwin]

Have been playing CM2 since 2007 but I only recall playing with German and WAllied mortar vehicles - and I never dismount the driver.  But, yes, the original driver in his original vehicle may well matter.  

Edited July 31, 2022 by Erwin

[womble]

I think that the "organisation" that the truck is part of depends on its driver. Since the driver is part of the platoon, "automatic sharing" occurs between the platoon's truck and its mortar crews when the driver is at his post. Otherwise, you'll have to send some other element of the platoon into the truck to grab rounds, which will be shared with any nearby platoon elements.

You should be able to tell whether the driver is the right one to make a truck supply "organically" to the platoon, as they will "highlight" when you select a platoon element. I would expect that you can find which truck the driver belongs to by mounting him into trucks until the one he gets into becomes not-"dismounted".

However, you might prefer to not have the trucks share organically, since the mortars will use rounds from the truck until they are all gone, if you aren't on the ball. If, instead, you have "ammo carriers" acquire enough rounds from the truck for the shoot you want to make and keep the truck's rounds out of reach of the platoon, you can be sure the mortars won't use more than that. Don't know how many rounds a driver can carry...