More States Signing On To Enlist Truckers Against Human Trafficking

In truck driver lore it was common for truckers to be thought of as Knights of the Road. That sobriquet might not be so common these days, but drivers are increasingly being enlisted to aid damsels in distress by spotting and reporting instances of human trafficking.

More states signing on to enlist truckers against human trafficking

There was a recent report by SecState Pompeo stating that human trafficking in the US was the worst in the world.

The report itself paints somewhat of a different picture than the article (as far as sources), plus the influx of illegals across the border that are, in many cases being trafficked to offset the "cost" of bringing them across the border now makes up yet another increase in humans being held, transported or forced into the labor or sex trade against their will.

The largest percentage appears to be minors forced into the sex trade (from the article linked) - but other forms of trafficking are nearly as heinous.

Now - there is also a movement to LEGALIZE the "sex trade" - which goes along with all the other "political weirdness" of the last decade around sex/preference/gender preference/etc..

As far as TAT goes - they are doing a good thing. But I find their 990 Return (for 501's) states their expenses in "compensation", doesn't match up with their pie charts on their website, spending 50% of their revenue on this (though there is no breakdown, and the director seems to be the only one taking a $70K salary). Yes - I look at all the angles. This doesn't necessarily mean they're doing something sketchy, but with that much revenue I look at the numbers too.

Human Trafficking IS A REAL ISSUE. We as an industry, that is in a position to observe and report, can be of assistance in this problem. NEVER EVER approach or intervene in what you might suspect is a case of trafficking. ALWAYS note as much detail as you can (license numbers, descriptions, etc.) without being too obvious or putting yourself at risk.

Rick

My instructor during paid CDL School was just a fantastic guy and I still keep in touch with him. He told me about he was down in Atlanta probably at the Petro even though he didn't say so. He told the class he had a young girl that couldn't have been more than 14 or 15 knock on his door then he had her come into the truck and ask her if she was in trouble. She started crying and he called 911. He said before the cops got there the pimp was knocking on his door wondering what was taking so long. He told the pimp he wasn't sure what he was talkin about and that she didn't come into his truck. Moments later the cops were there. And he ended up saving three girls that night. The pimp got busted. He literally had tears in his eyes as he was telling us the story.

My instructor during paid CDL School was just a fantastic guy and I still keep in touch with him. He told me about he was down in Atlanta probably at the Petro even though he didn't say so. He told the class he had a young girl that couldn't have been more than 14 or 15 knock on his door then he had her come into the truck and ask her if she was in trouble. She started crying and he called 911. He said before the cops got there the pimp was knocking on his door wondering what was taking so long. He told the pimp he wasn't sure what he was talkin about and that she didn't come into his truck. Moments later the cops were there. And he ended up saving three girls that night. The pimp got busted. He literally had tears in his eyes as he was telling us the story.

The subject of TAT comes up here every so often. There is a free 45 minute "training course" on their website. The video simply goes over some clues you might see and things you can do to help rescue the exploited people.

Junkyard Dog's instructor did a good job to help the girl, but the TAT training stresses that you shouldn't take action on your own and be the hero. Generally the best action is to call 911 and also contact the truck stop manager.