◆ A nonprofit fatigue-awareness mission

Not all drowsy is the same thing.

Some of it you can sleep off. Some of it you can't — it's a disorder that steals your sleep while you're in it, and no amount of rest fixes it. Most commercial drivers can't tell which one they have. DrowsyRoads exists to change that, one driver at a time, for free.

Why this matters
28%
of commercial drivers have obstructive sleep apnea
Most
don't know they have it
2 min
private check, nothing leaves the phone
Fatigue
Is about last night
A short night, a rough sleeper berth, one push too hard. It comes and goes, and rest fixes it.
Sleep apnea
Is a medical disorder
You can take the full break, follow every rule, sleep ten hours — and still wake up unrested and impaired. Rest doesn't fix it. Diagnosis and treatment do.
The mission

Everyone tells drivers to get more sleep.

We tell them how to find out which kind of tired they have — because for one of them, more sleep was never going to work.

The conflation

One word, two very different problems

Headlines, safety meetings, and drivers' own heads collapse it all into one word: drowsy. So the driver with an undiagnosed disorder hears "get more sleep," tries harder, fails again, and decides something is wrong with him.

He doesn't get screened. He doesn't get treated. He stays on the road — not because he's careless, but because nobody drew the line between a bad night and a real condition.

What we do

Draw the line, then point the way

DrowsyRoads is a fatigue-awareness mission with a sharp center: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) — the most common, most missed, most treatable driver sleep disorder there is.

We reach drivers where they already are and offer a free, private OSA screening. It doesn't diagnose anything. It flags whether a driver is likely at risk, so he can walk into a doctor's office on his own terms — before a failed physical, a health crisis, or a crash decides for him.

Why we exist

Built by a driver, for drivers

"After 25 years in trucking as a driver and an owner — and as the father of two CDL drivers — I saw firsthand how sleep affects safety, health, and careers. The awareness campaigns never lived where drivers actually live."

DrowsyRoads takes the message to the fuel island, the terminal, and the barbershop — the places a Federal Register notice never reaches. Our screening is powered by CDLRisk™ technology and offered free to every driver who wants to know where they stand.

How the screening works

Two minutes. Private. Free.

The screening uses a validated instrument (STOP-BANG). It never diagnoses — it points a driver toward care when the risk is there.

1
Answer a few questions
A short, validated sleep-apnea risk check on any phone. Your health answers stay on your device — nothing is stored, nothing is sold.
2
See where you stand
Get a clear read on whether you're at higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Not a diagnosis — a flag, in plain language.
3
Take the next step
If you're flagged, you'll know it's worth talking to a provider — on your terms, before a DOT physical or a crisis forces the question.

Flagged as higher risk? The next step is a conversation with a provider. This finds sleep centers near you — DrowsyRoads has no financial relationship with any clinic and earns nothing from your visit.

The science

Grounded in peer-reviewed research

These are population-level findings — not predictions for any individual. We say what the studies say, scoped to what they actually found.

28%
OSA prevalence in commercial drivers
An FMCSA-sponsored study found mild-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in about 28% of commercial truck drivers — at the upper end of general-population estimates (roughly 9–38%; Senaratna et al., 2017). Drivers skew older, predominantly male, and higher-BMI — the strongest OSA risk factors.
Pack et al., FMCSA 2002 (DOT-RT-02-030)
1.2–4.9×
Crash risk with untreated OSA
Research shows untreated obstructive sleep apnea is associated with a 1.2 to 4.9-fold increase in motor-vehicle crash risk compared with drivers without OSA — a range reflecting severity differences across study populations.
Tregear et al., Sleep 2009 · NTSB MWL 2019
~0.28×
Treatment works — and drivers feel it fast
Obstructive sleep apnea is highly treatable. A meta-analysis found crash risk dropped sharply after CPAP therapy, and in one commercial-driver program, drivers who stuck with treatment had accident rates similar to drivers who never had apnea. Daytime sleepiness improves after the very first night — many drivers feel rested for the first time in years.
Tregear et al., 2010 · Burks/Prometheus program, 2016
For drivers who are worried

Getting checked shouldn't cost you your livelihood

A sleep apnea diagnosis doesn't end a driving career — untreated apnea is the real threat. Treated and adherent, most drivers keep their CDL and keep rolling, and they feel better doing it.

And the cost is lower than most drivers think. Discounted sleep studies, CPAP-assistance programs, and reduced-cost equipment already exist — part of our mission is helping drivers find them.

Help us reach the next driver

DrowsyRoads is a Texas nonprofit on a simple mission: get a free, private sleep-apnea screening into the hands of the drivers institutions never reach. The screening is free — and keeping it that way, and getting it in front of more drivers, is the work.

Support the mission
DrowsyRoads is a Texas nonprofit corporation. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status pending — tax-deductible giving will open once our determination letter is issued.
Almost there

Giving opens soon

DrowsyRoads is a Texas nonprofit corporation, and our 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is pending. As soon as our IRS determination letter is issued, tax-deductible giving will open right here.

Want to help before then? The most valuable thing you can do is get the free screening in front of a driver who needs it — or reach out about partnering.

Next step · find a provider

Find a sleep clinic near you

A screening flag isn't a diagnosis — only a clinician can make one. Enter your ZIP or city, or use your location, and we'll open a search for accredited sleep centers nearby.

Nothing is stored. Your location is only used to open a map search.

Free sleep apnea screening

Answer the questions below to check your STOP-BANG screening factors — a validated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening instrument used in clinical and occupational medicine. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

DrowsyRoads sleep risk check
What is your sleep risk indicator?
Your sleep risk indicator shows how many of the 8 STOP-BANG screening factors are present in your self-reported inputs. STOP-BANG is a validated OSA screening instrument (Chung et al., Anesthesiology 2008). Each factor is compared against its published threshold. This is not a diagnosis, does not predict your DOT physical outcome, and does not determine fitness for duty. Only a DOT-certified medical examiner can make those determinations.
Published research
28–33%
of commercial drivers have undiagnosed OSA
Pack et al., 2006 · Tregear et al., 2009
Your measurements
DOT medical card
Snoring & sleep symptoms
Medical history (select all that apply)

Your sleep health summary

Educational overview based on your self-reported inputs · Not a medical assessment

STOP-BANG screening factors
Based on the STOP-BANG screening factors present in your inputs.
Based on the 8-item STOP-BANG instrument (Chung et al., Anesthesiology 2008) with FMCSA Medical Expert Panel thresholds where applicable. Not a diagnosis, not a clinical measurement, not a prediction of individual outcome. Composite score is not shown. Only a DOT-certified medical examiner can make fitness-for-duty determinations.
BMI
Neck size
Snoring frequency
Card duration

The next step is a conversation with a provider

A screening flag isn't a diagnosis — only a clinician can make one. If you'd like, we'll help you find a sleep clinic near you.

Important: This summary restates your self-reported inputs alongside published screening factors. It does not diagnose sleep apnea, predict whether a medical examiner will require a sleep study, or determine your fitness for duty. Only a DOT-certified medical examiner can make those determinations. If you have concerns about sleep apnea, speak with your healthcare provider or medical examiner.