I don't think he is the exception. How many cars have you seen that are 12 years old with hundreds of thousands of miles on them with no wheel bearing issues? If a wheel bearing is properly greased when installed, and not run submerged in water, they should last a very long time.
And don't forget you never have people come on a forum and say how good things work, you mostly hear of posters with problems.
Most of the problems with bad wheel bearings on trailers seem to be improper installation and a lack of grease when installed. Of course the low grade bearings used don't help matters any.