Closing the Gap in Driver Health and Wellness in U.S. CDL Schools
The Missing Piece in CDL Education
While truck driving schools across the U.S. teach the necessary technical skills to operate a commercial vehicle safely, there’s a glaring oversight in most curriculums: driver health and wellness. With long hours, sedentary routines, poor nutrition, and rising stress levels, drivers are facing a health crisis that starts before they even hit the road.
The Current Standards—and What’s Missing
Federal and state CDL training standards cover safety, equipment, and road readiness, but rarely include education on how to stay healthy behind the wheel. The result? Burnout, chronic pain, mental health struggles, and preventable medical conditions are pushing good drivers out of the industry too early.
According to the CDC, 69% of long-haul truck drivers are obese, and over 50% report back pain. These statistics start with a lack of preventative education before the first haul.
Introducing the Driver Lifestyle Wellness Training Academy
That’s where the Driver Lifestyle Wellness Training Academy – Starting Out Healthy Certification comes in. Built by Mother Trucker Yoga and rolled out in partnership with CVTA, this first-of-its-kind self-paced certification fills the void in traditional CDL education by addressing:
- Movement and stretching for pain prevention
- Stress management and breathing techniques
- Nutrition and hydration strategies
- Sleep hygiene and fatigue prevention
No classroom time is required—students complete it independently during downtime or between driving modules, without interfering with your core curriculum.
Ready to Bridge the Wellness Gap?
Make your school stand out and prepare your students for the long haul—literally and figuratively.
👉 Contact us here to enroll your school or learn how your new drivers can begin the Starting Out Healthy Certification.