I spent a total of two weeks with my trainer. I don't think he could have done his job any better than he did. There weren't any more incidents that I can recall and I'd have to say those two weeks were a complete success. I was fortunate enough several years later to cross paths with him again in a truck stop in central Ohio. He remembered me and I was quite happy to tell him how thankful I was for the knowledge he had passed on to me and the patience with which he had done it.

I told him I gave him credit for being a big part of the reason I had had several years of safe driving under my belt and he was quite appreciative of the gesture. I never saw him again after that but to be honest I never expected to. It was truly a miracle that we had even crossed paths that one last time and for that I was very thankful.

It's not often you get to learn important lessons from people that last you a lifetime and years later get to thank them for it. This was one time I was just really lucky to have that chance.

If you attend a private school, your trainer may be the first person who gets to teach you the REAL way things are done on the road. What the hell do I mean by that? Well, schools are simply a place you attend to acquire enough knowledge to be given a job. The vast majority of the skills you will learn in any trade will be learned on the job. What knowledge your trainer will give you will depend a lot upon his attitude and approach.

Some trainers are hardcore company men that believe in teaching everything strictly by the book. If the law says you have only two hours of driving available before needing a ten hour break but you have three hours left to your destination a hardcore trainer may insist that you stop after two hours. The reality for most drivers is that you get the job done and get to your destination if you feel you can do it safely.

Both types of schools really have little choice but to teach things strictly by the book. They are scrutinized and would be in all kinds of trouble if they were found to be teaching you ways to cheat the logbook or run with a load that is slightly overweight. But life is simply not that black and white.

For starters, you are being paid by the mile. The more miles you run the more money you make. So when faced with the choice of continuing to run even though you are out of hours or giving up that paycheck and shutting down the truck, often times you aren't going to want to give up the money to sit around and watch TV at a truck stop.

You want to make all the money you can make...safely.