Many years ago, I enjoyed flying various types of aircraft – from single propeller planes to mighty passenger jetliners. A popular flight simulator game was a fun way to live my piloting dreams behind the safety of a desktop computer.

Line up the airplane on the runway, apply full power, release the brakes, accelerate to rotation speed and gently raise the nose to climb. All this was done with the help of a joystick plugged into the computer. A good set of headphones added to the illusion. Taking off was easy, and flying around was fun.

Landing was the problem. I could never line up the aircraft with the runway. On the odd occasion that this miraculously happened, I’d smack the aircraft down hard and it would be destroyed. Or I’d put it down in a nearby field. Fortunately, no real aircraft were wrecked, and no lives lost.

I have a healthy respect for pilots. They undergo rigorous real-life training along with regular stints on simulators. Their skills are honed with years of experience.

I also respect truck drivers and the skills they need for their job. The first place they learn these skills is at a truck driving school.

Would you be comfortable driving next to a trucker who learned their skills on a phone game? A couple of schools in Peel Region in Ontario are getting their students to learn backing and on-road driving on their phones. They also encourage their students to watch YouTube videos on backing.  

Trainer tells student to watch videos

One student was having trouble backing, and instead of providing skills gap training, he was told to play a truck game on his phone and watch videos. He told me that playing games and real-life driving are very different. No kidding!

Not comfortable with this kind of training, he decided to up his game, pardon the pun. He approached a “reputable” school for help. The trainer there also advised him to play games. He did, and failed his road test.

Four months later, he’s training with another school, and is getting the hours required behind the wheel.

And then there’s the case of a student who failed a road test. Normally, such students are eager to book another test, but not this guy, the driving school owner told me. A couple days later he saw his now former student at another school down the road, teaching a bunch of students how to perform a pre-trip inspection.

It looks like this guy found a way to pay for his next road test. Some schools don’t care how they save a buck or two. The students and their training be damned.

Just enough training to pass road test

Some schools teach students enough to pass a road test at a particular location. For example, some DriveTest locations only test for off-set backing, so that’s all the students are taught. The first time they have to perform a 90-degree backing maneuver, they freeze.  

Truck driving games are a fun experience, and videos are a great tool to enhance knowledge. But if schools are encouraging students to use their thumbs on smartphones instead of keeping hands on steering wheels, the industry has a problem. And if “trainers” have not even passed a commercial driving road test — let alone possess years of experience — carnage on our roadways is certain.

The crashes I experienced on the flight simulator game only bruised my ego. A loaded commercial vehicle in the hands of a game-trained driver next to you on the highway can cause a lot more damage.