I follow the example of Skills in T2k13 for my Skills System. The Wheeled and Tracked Vehicle skills include both automatic and manual transmissions up to 5-Tons in Wheeled and 10-Tons in Tracked. I could teach ANYONE in this forum to drive an M939 5-Ton in about an hour. For vehicles weighing OVER 5 Tons (or 10 Tons for Tracked), the player must buy a Heavy Wheeled (or Tracked) Vehicle Qualification. This is essentially "a skill within a skill." You must buy it to drive the bigger vehicles. It gives you the skill to negotiate terrain with the longer and heavier vehicle as well as the ability to drive more sophisticated transmissions such as 8,9,10,13,15,18 and 20 speed "ranged" and "split" unsynchronized transmissions. I do the same for boating and piloting skills (Multi-engine, Heavy).
A Qualification is bought exactly the same as the driving skill, but THE QUALIFICATION CANNOT BE HIGHER THAN THE DRIVING SKILL IT IS LINKED TO. Whenever a Qualification is used, BOTH the Qualification AND the Driving Skill gain Experience (I use "Skill-Specific" Experience points). If ONLY the Driving Skill is used, The Qualification DOES NOT gain any experience. I allow my players to select a number of vehicles equal to their "Raw (non-asset) Skill" as vehicles they have personal experience with. They must pick HALF of these from their own Army's vehicle list. This also applies to any Vehicle Qualifications as well. I then give the character a small bonus during game play when they driving a vehicle he or she has prior knowledge of.

I give modifications to tasks during game play for driving a "stick" or an "automatic." An automatic will allow an automatic success in an acceleration under enemy fire. A "Stick" will require a roll. A "stick" will give you a bonus driving "off-road" because of the greater control it imparts. My players seem to agree with the way my Skill System works.

That may have been the official stance, but it is not true. I joined in 1993 right out of OSUT I got sent to HHC for a tank battalion, all of our 2 1/2 tons, and 5 tons were manual, we still had some jeeps (again manual), I forgot about the HEMMETT but yes they were also automatic. The hummers we had did not have the tire inflation system, I do not know about eh HEMMETT's as did not ever use them. Heck when I deployed in 2003 all of our 5 tons were still manual. The first time I was in a unit with out a manual transmission was when I reclassed to EOD in 2005.

Ooh, that's cool! Aircraft isn't something I've attempted. That'll be an exciting new phase in your life I'm sure :) . I can sail, and competently operate small to medium-sized watercraft, dinghys, inflatables, fishing trawlers.

I used a very similar system in my Gunmaster: 2000 conversion.

Recent Examples
 

I've been thinking more about this recently, as the PCs in my 1e timeline/4e rules solo campaign are rolling around Poland in a former Polish army OT-64 SKOT seconded to the US Army.

The war in Ukraine is an interesting case study in vehicle recognition practices. Both sides use a lot of Soviet-era AFVs. Very few of the Russian AFVs I've seen bear any sort of national markings. By this point in the war, they seem to have semi-officially adopted the Z symbol (painted in white) for most of their AFVs, even though it was originally used by Russian troops in only one particular area during the initial invasion.

The Ukrainians, on the other hand, do make use of some roundels in national colors. Some vehicle don't use blue and yellow markings, and instead use a simple white cross (often spray-painted on). I've seen some UAF AFVs with both blue and yellow roundels, and the white cross symbol.

We know from canon (Plate G2 in the Soviet Vehicle Guide) that the US used captured Soviet AFVs, as did various marauder groups (Plate H2 in the SVG). It's common sense that, by 2000, with functioning AFVs of all types in extremely short supply, that both combatants would be making use of captured enemy AFVs. IMHO, a white or black star (US), and a red star (USSR) just wouldn't cut it for battlefield recognition. Surely, other symbols were used to ID and differentiate.

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1 example could be like the 83rd division in world war 2 nicknamed the ragtag circus. They used alot of captured vehicles to keep up to the armored units ahead of them. Mostly repainted OD green and having a white star added. I vehicle I saw had USA in big lettering.

National Symbol/flag and a Chevron?
 

For a captured BTR, once through Pact lines, a US symbol or flag and depending on the Unit or orders a Chevron ala' IDF armor markings? Perhaps a white or red recognition stripe around the turret or on top of the turret (similar to what the Soviets were doing near the end of World War 2.)
You would run a risk no matter how well marked the vehicle is-but it is better than walking and could beef up whatever formation you made contact with. My .02