Clans

Larger than Teams, clans are an organizational structure that can have numbers as small as only two teams, but may grow to the size of dozens or many more. To sustain their many members, they fight over territories and infrastructure in much more elaborate ways than the in comparison savage free teams do.
Clans can be found all over the Known World, but more dominantly in certain parts of it that have been clan territories for a long time and merely switch owners over time.

Territories

A clan usually holds a particular territory, which is where their members live. They are involved in a constant struggle to keep these territories, as other clans usually have their sights set on them. Therefore, a territory may get invaded and either just raided or annexed. Infrastructure such as storages, power plants, taverns, or even mines and refineries can be found in clan property. Vehicle factories, on the other hand, typically aren't aligned to any clan.
Trading posts are usually located at the borders of the territories to allow unaligned travellers to buy the clans' goods. Many clans allow neutral travellers to cross their territory. Most charge fees for this.
Similarly to many teams, clans use symbols (usually their clan insignia) painted on trees, buildings, rocks, or just the ground to mark their territory.

Structure

The exact structure of a clan varies greatly from clan to clan. They tend to be similar to teams' organization, with some member count related differences. Often, they can resemble a crowd of allied teams, with respective leaders that answer to a common superior (or multiple ones).
Clans form alliances more commonly than teams do. These tend to be very unstable however, especially when power games are involved. Most alliances crumble under infighting caused by intrigues or a different idea of the involved clans' goals. It is also common for clans to split or just completely fall apart under the power struggles caused by so many vehicles being in one place, with an often poor sense of team spirit.

Joining a clan

Becoming a member of a clan can be very difficult, or easy. It depends on the clan and how much of an elite it thinks itself to be. Some clans accept very young and inexperienced members - especially new clans that are still forming and desperate to increase their force. Many clans however only accept skilled and experienced individuals. Approaching them can be tough. Usually one needs to know certain people or become locally famous to be approached by recruiters.
A clan member can also be the member of a team, but never the member of two clans except in extremely odd individual cases. Having a clan member among their ranks is usually a honour for teams, but there are also cases where teams don't allow it, so the member may dedicate their full time to fighting with their team. But generally, it is considered a benefit - clan members have easier access to upgrades and tutoring, and often the returnees bring presents with them when they take a break from their clan duty.

Economic Significance

Without the clans, the free teams could most likely not exist. Clans are the ones who hold the infrastructure - refineries and electricity plants, for example. They produce the resources. The surplus is traded to other clans or free teams, but resources are also often stolen by teams raiding the trade routes and less well protected storages.

Customs

Clans usually have their very own insignia that all members wear. (On many occasions, two clans choosing the same or similar insignias have led to bitter conflicts.) Some teams also do this.
To save soldiers and resources, many quarrels among clans are solved by ritual battles - in layman's terms, pretend battles - where no one gets killed.

Examples of clans and clan members

CH Clan - A big clan that has been holding the Confoederatio Helvetica ever since the apocalypse. They are extremely wary of strangers and joining the clan is impossible for outsiders.
Inferno - Member and general of the Legion.