If Joan Macdonald could have a word with Johnny Paycheck, she’d probably want to discuss his attitude. Paycheck is perhaps best-known for his country music hit, “Take This Job and Shove It,” the theme song for disgruntled workers everywhere. Macdonald, on the other hand, is rapidly becoming known as the Miss Manners of the trucking industry.

As president of JVI Commercial Driving School in Slemon Park, P.E.I., Macdonald is leading a personal crusade to improve driver retention rates by teaching drivers the importance of having a good attitude and strong moral fibre.

“The trucking industry is unique in that people are away from home for weeks at a time, exposed on a daily basis to all kinds of things which other people are not exposed to,” she says. “The temptations are always there: strip clubs, prostitutes, gambling, drugs, alcohol, illegal log books, poor diet, the list goes on and on. You need the right tools if you’re going to survive in this industry.”

And the first tool in a driver’s philosophical tool kit is a good attitude, she insists.

Macdonald’s trademark “Attitude” class-a 15-hour supplement to the regular trucking curriculum-is sort of a cross between Sunday School and civics class. She freely admits it was inspired by a meditation on attitude by the religious writer Charles Swindoll (see sidebar).

“That’s page one of the binder,” she says. “We talk about attitude toward your career, your attitude toward your family, your attitude toward life. They’re all interconnected. Your attitude impacts everything you do, whether you’re dealing with dispatchers, shippers, receivers, or other drivers on the road.”

The other tools in a driver’s philosophical tool kit, by the way, are behavior, commitment, decision-making, and excellence. In addition to being conveniently alphabetical, they are represented by the fingers on your left hand. The fingers of your right hand, Macdonald explains, represent the disciplines in your life that require balance: mental, physical, spiritual, social, and financial.

The “Attitude” course is full of mnemonic devices like these, intended to help aspiring truckers remember what Macdonald feels is truly important. A strict disciplinarian in class, she tolerates no disrespect: wandering attention, untied boots, or feet up on the desk. And she makes no apology for her sometimes moralistic tone. Her ultimate goal is to help drivers get on a path of self-preservation-and avoid a path of self-destruction.

“Unrealistic expectations of what a trucker’s life is all about is a very, very big part of the driver retention problem in North America,” she says. “There is a lot of discouragement in this industry, a lot of relationship break-ups. They come into it with stars in their eyes. If they knew the down side, and realized what’s expected of them, the retention rate would be far higher than it would be otherwise.”

Macdonald believes her course will create drivers who, by their very nature and strength of character, will improve the image of the trucker. Her students become “her boys” and she hears from them frequently, even long after they’ve embarked on their trucking career. They call on her toll-free line, at her insistence, whenever they need encouragement.

One of the most prized characteristics she tries to instill in her students is what she calls “stickintoitness,” a mixture of resilience, determination, and persistence that borders on the obsessive. Several of “her boys” have emblazoned the word on the visor in their cab as a constant reminder.

“If you learn to quit, you’ll quit everything. You’ll quit university, you’ll quit your first job, you’ll quit your marriage. If you’re having a bad day, you’ll just say, ‘I’m out of here!'” she says.

Stephen Livingstone, now a driver/trainer for TTR Transport, in Oshawa, Ont., is a JVI graduate. He says the course gave his career an excellent start. “I’ve met drivers who’ve been on the road for 10 years and more who don’t know what I learned at school,” he says. “Practical stuff, basic stuff, stuff that will save your life.”

In addition to the practical stuff, however, the Attitude class made an indelible impression on him.

“It does you good to hear what she tells her students,” he says, “because when you’re out there you have to choose how you’re going to live.” He was so impressed by the discussions about morals and ethics that he rejected his first job placement, and the next two jobs as well, because all three companies insisted he keep a false logbook.

But is the fascination with morals, ethics, and emotional well-being confusing to students who are there simply to learn how to shift gears? “Not by the time they finish,” Macdonald says. “You give them a piece of the puzzle each day. By the end of the three weeks, they get it.”

C.M. Gillis Trucking Ltd., of Truro, N.S., has hired JVI graduates for years and been so impressed that they sent one of their best drivers to see how the course is taught so he can provide on-site refreshers to all of the company’s drivers. What they’re hoping for is drivers with good customer-service attitudes who stick around for a while.

“So far, it’s working,” says Roger Blais, manager of safety and compliance for C.M. Gillis, and the appointed JVI coach-trainer. “I find that JVI graduates are happier, better adjusted, more professional, and fit in quicker. They also have more energy and show a real willingness to learn.”

He says he hopes their positive attitude will give them some staying power with the company. “Morals and ethics are important in real life,” he says. “You certainly cannot show yourself at a customer’s place with a strict or angry demeanor in the performance of your duties. That’s not the way to conduct business. If you do things abrasively, you’re not going to retain customers, you’re going to lose customers.”

Macdonald says she pities those who cannot summon a good attitude toward their daily duties. “They’re just going to work. They’re never going to have fun at it,” she says. “Others are out there having the adventure of their life.”