The International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems (ISTVS) was founded in 1962 at the request of the General Assembly of the First International Conference on the Mechanics of Soil-Vehicle Systems held in Turin, Italy. The motivation behind this was to acquire and advance knowledge of the mechanics of terrain-vehicle systems and machinery interacting with soils in all environments.

ISTVS is an educational, non-profit, non-political, organization incorporated in the State of North Carolina, USA.

The mission of the ISTVS is to advance the knowledge in terrain-vehicle systems for improvements in engineering practice and for innovation; in the terrain-vehicle domain, to promote the transfer of advanced knowledge to the user for the benefit of society at large in environmental protection, energy conservation, and sustainable development.