MEET CLAY HARRELL
For 33 years, Clay worked for one of the largest transportation companies in the world. He was most passionate about his position as an Expert Driver Trainer. Clay taught new drivers how to drive tractor-trailers defensively and professionally. As one of the top trainers in the country , he also had the responsibility of teaching managers and supervisors at the corporate school.
When Clay read the stats on Teen Driving, he was determined to do all he could to prevent his children from becoming another statistic. He employed the same knowledge and skills from teaching defensive driving professionally into teaching his own children. Because of the success his kids had, other parents asked Clay to teach their teens to drive. His children are now teaching the same skills to his grandchildren.
Clay always regretted that he could not reach more parents and teens. The leading cause of death in teenagers 16-19 years old is injuries from car crashes. With the right skills, so many of these deaths could be prevented.
When Clay retired, he took up photography and videography as a hobby. He soon realized he could reach parents and teens with the skills they desperately need to stay safe on the road. Through “in car” ride alongs with a real teen driver , he created short but in-depth instructional videos. These give parents the tools they need to ensure they equip their children to handle life’s most dangerous situation: The Road. Â
Most accidents that occur are avoidable if we know what to look for and how to avoid those hazards. Clay knows that these videos will give parents and adults the confidence they need to teach young drivers how to drive, not only safely, but defensively.Â
Meet the family behind the course
Professional Experience.
A Personal Family Mission.
Before we shared these skills with other families, we used them with our own. Behind the Wheel Skills helps parents turn supervised driving practice into patient, purposeful coaching.
Clay Harrell · Course instructor and professional driver trainer
Meet Clay Harrell
Decades of Training, Brought Home.
During a 33-year career with a major transportation company, Clay trained professional tractor-trailer drivers in defensive driving. His work also included teaching managers and supervisors at the company’s corporate school.
When it was time to teach his own children, he brought that same attention to awareness, judgment, and preparation into the passenger seat. Other families began asking for help, and those lessons are now reaching another generation—his grandchildren.
After retirement, Clay combined his training experience with photography and videography to create short instructional lessons and real-world ride-along examples that parents and teens can review together.
Meet Michael Harrell
Helping Families Put the Lessons Into Practice.
Michael is the Executive Director of Behind the Wheel Skills and Clay’s son. A pastor and communicator for more than two decades, he leads the organization’s vision, curriculum development, content creation, and outreach.
Clay provides the driving instruction. Michael helps make that experience understandable and practical for families.
The goal is to help parents move beyond counting practice hours to intentionally teaching observation, decision-making, and defensive driving habits.
What this means for your family
A Course You Use Together.
Watch Before You Drive
Review one skill with your teen so you both know what you will practice.
Build in Four Phases
Start with parking lot fundamentals and progress through residential, intermediate, and advanced driving.
Coach With a Plan
Use the videos, downloads, and commentary driving guidance to support calm, specific feedback.
Return as You Grow
Revisit lessons at your family’s pace with lifetime access, including other children in your household.
BTWS supplements driver’s education and supervised practice. Follow your state’s permit, supervision, and licensing requirements.
From our family to yours
Turn Driving Practice Into a Clear Plan.
18 video lessons · Four training phases · Lifetime family access
$177 once or 3 monthly payments of $67
Installment total: $201. One purchase covers multiple children in the same household.
30-Day Parent Confidence Guarantee
Complete the Parking Lot phase and begin applying the lessons with your teen. If you do not feel more confident and prepared to train your teen safely, contact us within 30 days for a full refund.
We’d rather be remembered as the family who kept our word than the family who kept your money.
Meet Michael Harrell
Michael Harrell is the Executive Director of Behind the Wheel Skills and the driving force behind its mission to make America's roads safer by equipping parents to confidently train their teens to drive.
As a pastor and communicator for more than two decades, Michael has spent his life helping people learn practical skills that change lives. While he isn't the driving instructor in the course, he works alongside his father, Clay Harrell, to bring decades of professional driver training into a format that every family can understand and apply.
Michael's passion for this mission is deeply personal. Like many families, he has experienced the devastating impact that traffic crashes can have. After losing his brother in a car accident and watching other loved ones suffer similar tragedies, he became convinced that better training—not simply more practice—can save lives.
Today, Michael leads the vision, curriculum development, content creation, and outreach for Behind the Wheel Skills, helping parents move beyond simply logging driving hours to intentionally teaching the awareness, judgment, and defensive driving habits that prevent crashes before they happen.
His goal is simple: help every parent become their teen's best driving coach so more young drivers make it home safely every day.
