Role model? Me?

It's foggy tonight.

I'm in a rest area overlooking the Interstate, watching the headlights go by, cloudy cones of white leading the way for them. I can see to the buildings--a hundred yards or so, maybe--but things are a little vague at that distance. I can actually see the trucks go by more clearly, at about the same distance. I think the wind from their passing is stirring the air over the road more. Or something.

I had to fuel the truck this afternoon. Had a hard time of it, for several reasons. But the joys of fuelling I will leave for a later date. There will always be another fuelling comedy. Today I had an odder experience.

Because of one interesting thing that happened at the gas pumps, I ended up having to pull away from the pumps and park. As you've probably figured out by now, parking one of these rigs is no small thing. Having to do it when you weren't expecting to can spoil a mood pretty effectively. But if it has to be done...I had found an open space and was getting ready to line myself up when another driver came up to my door.

"Are you backing in?" he said, looking at the parking place behind me.

"Yeah," I said, a little puzzled.

"I'm a trainer.* And I was wondering if you'd mind if my student watches you. I'd be talking him through it, giving him some tips. Seeing an experienced driver do it might help him figure a few things out."

A bit scary, that. Especially since I was about to back to my blind side.** I had room to ALMOST straighten out before I started backing, but still, it wouldn't be fun. And with a critical audience...

But that's not the kind of request you can refuse and still look like a tough, confident trucker. So I said "Sure," and put the truck in gear.

I didn't disgrace myself, and when I turned off the motor and climbed out he thanked me. Said I'd given him lots of opportunities to point things out to his trainee--and he was especially grateful for one moment, when I'd gotten real nervous about what was behind me. He'd been telling the kid how important it was to know if he was safe to move. "If you're not sure, get out and look!" he'd say. And now there they were, watching a real live professional driver--and when he got to a ticklish spot he got out and looked, by gum!

Real live professional driver. I like the sound of that.
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*Trainer--It occurs to me that I may not have explained that term before, even though I've used it several times. So here goes.
A lot of "professional driving schools" will help you get your Commercial Driver's License (CDL from here on)--but that's pretty much all they do. You'll get barely enough training to pass the test. And once you've gotten your CDL, you're a public menace. You're not safe on the road, you're not safe backing up to loading docks, you're not safe parking--I'd rather share the road with a kid who just "borrowed" Dad's car to celebrate getting HIS license.
(And I can say that. I'm describing myself a year ago.)
The company that hired you knows this. So before they turn you loose with a truck, you'll spend several weeks (at least) with an experienced driver who's willing to risk life and limb for a trainer's bonus. He finishes teaching you how to drive. He helps you figure out the paperwork. And he tries to help you develop some judgment. If he does his job right, you might live long enough to finish learning the job on your own. At least that's the idea.
A trainer who takes his job seriously is a blessing indeed. I had one. And it looks like I met another one today, working for another company. Which brings up back to our story...

**See the entry for 11/15/2008--"Progress, backwards"--to learn why this is scary...