well if he is retiring from the military he should be able to take what they call "terminal leave" which means he can request up to 60 (or more days) of leave and still collect all his pay. So even though SNI might not pay while he is training, he will still collect his active duty pay up until his retirement date.
Anybody you go with that pays for lodging while you're there tends to buddy you up at the motel. That's just good business. Some companies (like Central Refer here in SLC, Utah) have bunk-like rooms for their trainees. When I was with Werner (lasted 2 whole days...), I buddied up in the motel near their Denver lot. Training is by far the worst part of becoming a driver. The time spent in school is nothing compared to the ordeal of going OTR with someone you've never met for 30+ days. I don't care how nice the person is, the time spent as a trainee cooped up in that truck with someone else will S-U-C-K. I got lucky and had a pretty good trainer - one who I still talk to all the time and consider a good friend. There are plenty of bad ones out there too, though. Not to scare anyone off. Once you finish the break-in (heck, you made it through Navy boot, you should be OK with this), the job is frikkin' awesome! Well, most of the time, anyway. lol
