{"id":66736,"date":"2025-05-22T00:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T00:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainanddevelop.ca\/where-rubber-meets-the-road\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T09:50:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:50:14","slug":"where-rubber-meets-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trainanddevelop.ca\/fr\/blog\/where-rubber-meets-the-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Rubber Meets the Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Spencer<\/p>\n

He Got Laid Off and Walked Into a New Career – Now He\u2019s Training the Trainers<\/h2>\n

Most people don\u2019t stumble into their life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s exactly what Spencer McDonald did.<\/p>\n

Back in 1983, he was wrapping up his final shift at a motorcycle shop in British Columbia. His job was gone, just another casualty of a slow sales year and he had no plan beyond locking the door behind him.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when fate walked in.<\/p>\n

A regular customer asked him what was next. Spencer didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018You ever think about teaching motorcycle riding?\u2019\u201d Spencer recalls. \u201cHonestly, it hadn\u2019t even crossed my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guy gave him the name of a school. Spencer made a call. One application and a few training hours later, he was certified and standing at the front of a parking lot, coaching students on throttle control and lane discipline.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t realize it then, but that one moment kicked off a 40-year journey in safety education.<\/p>\n

Learning to Teach, Teaching to Lead<\/h2>\n

That first job was with the BC Safety Council, a respected organization at the time. They saw something in Spencer beyond just technical skill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess they figured I could do more than just run a class,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Soon he was overseeing programs, mentoring instructors, and representing British Columbia at the national level. His work caught the attention of the Canada Safety Council, where he became a lead facilitator for defensive driving programs.<\/a><\/p>\n

But Spencer\u2019s influence didn\u2019t stop in the classroom. He became a voice in the larger conversation about how safety training<\/a> should be done, how to move beyond checklists and into real behavioral change.<\/p>\n

The ICBC Challenge<\/h2>\n

Today, Spencer is the founder and president of Thinking Driver,<\/strong> a B.C.-based firm that delivers defensive driving and instructor certification programs across the country.<\/p>\n

His latest project? A driving instructor certification course authorized by ICBC<\/a> British Columbia\u2019s motor vehicle licensing authority.<\/p>\n

What makes this a big deal? This course gives Thinking Driver the ability to train and license new instructors<\/strong> for the province. Only a handful of organizations in B.C. have that kind of accreditation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s extremely difficult to get,\u201d Spencer says. \u201cYou have to prove you can build a curriculum that meets regulatory standards and produces results.\u201d<\/p>\n

The approval process is long, technical, and demanding. But Spencer\u2019s done hard before.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, that\u2019s the easy part,\u201d he adds. \u201cThe hard part is teaching someone how to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not Just About Driving<\/h2>\n

Spencer\u2019s whole approach to training rests on one core belief: knowledge isn\u2019t enough.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can explain something all day,\u201d he says. \u201cBut unless someone experiences it, it won\u2019t stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why his programs go far beyond basic instruction. Whether he\u2019s working with a new instructor or a seasoned commercial driver, Spencer insists on hands-on learning. Practice. Repetition. Mistakes, followed by coaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want people to learn what risk feels like before they face it for real,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

And that philosophy bleeds into how he trains instructors. It\u2019s not about memorizing content, it\u2019s about reading people, responding in the moment, and creating the kind of experience that actually changes behavior.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters Now<\/h2>\n

Driving is the most dangerous routine activity most Canadians do. But most people treat it like a chore, something to get through, not something to master.<\/p>\n

That mindset frustrates Spencer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing casual about a two-ton machine moving 80 kilometers an hour,\u201d he says. \u201cBut we drive like we\u2019re on autopilot.\u201d<\/p>\n

What he\u2019s trying to build isn\u2019t just safer drivers, it\u2019s better instructors.<\/strong> Teachers who understand that their job isn\u2019t to push someone through a test, but to reshape how that person thinks behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

And in Spencer\u2019s view, that matters more than ever. With roads getting busier, distractions increasing, and driver education stretched thin, we need more than compliance.<\/p>\n

We need conviction.<\/p>\n

The Long Game<\/h2>\n

Spencer\u2019s trained thousands of instructors and commercial drivers over the years. He\u2019s contributed to safety standards<\/a>, built partnerships across Canada, and advised organizations on program design.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s he chasing now?<\/p>\n

\u201cSustainability,\u201d he says. \u201cNot in the green sense, in the people sense. I want this work to outlast me.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what drives his effort with the ICBC course. He\u2019s not looking to dominate the training market. He wants to elevate it, <\/strong>to bring new instructors into the fold who are thoughtful, well-prepared, and committed to doing the job right.<\/p>\n

He wants to raise the floor. And the ceiling.<\/p>\n

A Fluorescent Office and a Big Mission<\/h2>\n

When we spoke, Spencer was sharing a cramped office space, taking meetings under flickering fluorescent lights.<\/p>\n

Halfway through the conversation, he stood up and unscrewed a bulb just so he could see his screen without the glare.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glowing like a saint over here,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a small moment. But it says a lot.<\/p>\n

Spencer doesn\u2019t need a fancy office or a perfect setup. He just needs space to build and people willing to learn.<\/p>\n

Because if he\u2019s learned anything in the past four decades, it\u2019s that the best teachers are often the ones who got there by accident\u2026 and stayed there on purpose.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Goggles, gloves, and respirators are often avoided, but essential. Learn how these forgotten safety tools protect workers from injury, illness, and death.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1445],"tags":[1566,1881,1882,1883,1884],"class_list":["post-66736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-field-safety","tag-frontline-application","tag-practical-safety-action","tag-real-world-safety","tag-theory-vs-practice"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t