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Truckers Against Trafficking Newsletter

 

Volume 3, Issue 4
October 2012

Blog at Truckers

Against
Trafficking
If you haven't already, 
check out our blog.
It tells what we're
involved in and where we're speaking.
As seen on our Facebook page...
A call was made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline from Alabama when a truck driver saw two girls at a truck stop being prostituted. When asked why he called in, here's what he had to say:

 

 "I'm proud to say I stepped up and made that call, and I ask all drivers to step up and do the same. We travel the highways day and night. We see it every day, but we don't say anything. We turn our heads. I made that call to do what's right and to fight back. Most drivers, like myself, have said 'lot lizard'; I have. But in the long run, that's a person. The highways belong to us. We live out here and these highways and interstates end up at our front door where our wives and kids play and sleep. If we don't put a stop to it out here, it will make it to your front door. It's time to step up and protect what is ours. Make the call. I did."

--James Welborn 
Did you know??
As of July, the National Human Trafficking Hotline had received 134 calls from truckers and they've had reports of about 47 unique cases of potential trafficking at truck stops this year to date. Way to go! Keep up those calls!
Inside this issue
 
TAT Sports New Booth at Great American Trucking Show
  
 
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Hello friends and supporters,

We are heading into the final quarter of 2012. TAT has been privileged to be a part of many outstanding events and partnerships over the recent months that we hope will continue to grow supporters and partners in the fight against human trafficking. We appreciate your support as we continue bring awareness to the reality of human trafficking.
 
Truckers Against Trafficking

ATAATA Joins Truckers Against Trafficking to Combat Human Trafficking    

  

American Trucking Associations announced Oct. 7, 2012 that it has joined with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to raise awareness about human trafficking among professional truck drivers and the trucking industry and educate them on how they can help fight against the crime.

 

At a press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, prior to the ATA annual meeting, Dan England, ATA chairman and chairman of C.R. England Inc., Salt Lake City, said, "There are over 3.1 million truck drivers who travel over 408 billion miles each year. We are asking our motor carriers to include this important information in their training programs and to work with their customers and communities to help combat the problem. These professionals are the eyes and ears of the nation's highways, and with knowledge and guidance, they can make a big difference and save lives."

 

By joining with TAT, ATA hopes to not only raise awareness of this problem, but to educate the industry on what to look for if they suspect a human trafficking incident, what specific information is needed for local law enforcement and how to report any suspicions. 

 

"Truckers Against Trafficking exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize the trucking industry to combat human trafficking as part of their regular jobs...and the trucking industry is responding in amazing ways," stated Kendis Paris, TAT national director, at the press conference. "Examples of this are the hundreds of calls by truckers to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center reporting potential trafficking cases; rescue stories coming in; companies training their drivers; schools showing the TAT training DVD before drivers get their CDL and head out on the road; truck stops training their employees on how to spot human trafficking and then distributing materials from their locations to reach more drivers; loose coalitions forming between law enforcement and members of the trucking industry, so that both are working as a cohesive unit to capture traffickers and rescue America's children; and state trucking associations working to involve their member companies in this fight."

 

She continued, "And today provides even more evidence of the exceptional effort by this industry to stop this heinous crime... with the formal support of the American Trucking Association. We at TAT believe this level of national support will open even more doors and truly unite the industry behind this work. As the eyes and ears, the trucking industry can, and has begun to, deal a major blow to those who would rape, abuse and sell our children for profit along our nation's highways. With its reach, influence, and ongoing support, the American Trucking Association will make it increasingly harder for traffickers to make a profit out on the road, and will shine a light on this industry as the modern day abolitionists they are."

 

When he rose to speak, America's Road Team Captain and professional truck driver for FedEx Freight Dion Saiz identified himself as both an everyday hero (referring to the TAT poster calling for everyday heroes) and as a trucker against trafficking.

 

"As we travel the country we see a lot of different things, from cars in distress on the side of the highway to distracted driving," he said.  "Professional drivers like me have a family and want everyone to be safe.  Whether it is being safe around trucks or, in this case, being in a safe environment, we'll do what we can to help end human trafficking."

 

Also speaking at the press conference were Elisabeth Barna, ATA vice president, industry and outreach advocacy; Paul Enos, president, Nevada Trucking Association; Lt. Karen Hughes, Las Vegas Metro Police; Nevada Assemblyman John Hambrick; and George Jacobson, senior regional sales representative, TA-Petro.

 

American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking associations and industry-related conferences and councils, ATA is the voice of the industry America depends on most to move our nation's freight. Follow ATA on Twitter or on Facebook. Good stuff. Trucks Bring It!  

 

 

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GATSTAT Sports New Booth at Great American Trucking Show

 

TAT unveiled our new booth at the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) in Dallas, TX in August. We were thrilled to meet so many more of you and to touch bases with old friends. Our new booth was able to share even more of the educational literature we've created to spread the word about human trafficking, show clips of videos and allow people to get a better understanding of what TAT is.

 

Thank you to Randall Reilly for donating the booth to us for our time at GATS.

 

  

 

  

 

  

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GRANTTruckers Against Trafficking Given $50,000 Matching Grant Opportunity
 

A reminder that until the end of the year, we have a matching grant opportunity generously given to us by The Greenbaum Foundation. So far, you've donated $15,680! Thank you so much!!

 

The Greenbaum Foundation will provide a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for any and all donations made to Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), up to $50,000. Your $10 will be $20. Your $50 will be $100. If we reach $50,000, that will be $100,000. TAT's annual budget continues to grow as more and more individual truckers, trucking companies and state trucking associations come on board, and we supply them with materials, including training DVDs, wallet cards, brochures and vent window decals.

 

In 2011, TAT provided 180,000-200,000 wallet cards and over 7000 DVDs, in addition to posters and vent-window decals. This year, the numbers are even greater, with state trucking associations like California, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Wisconsin and Minnesota coming on board (with others in the process), as well as the Iowa 80 truck stop group, and with the three trucking shows and numerous events and speaking engagements where we've handed out materials as well as filled individual requests for materials. And we've learned that our DVD is being used for training in 22 foreign countries as well.

 

In addition to paying for the materials we provide to everyone who asks, TAT also incurs hefty shipping costs, travel costs to speaking and training engagements and administrative costs.

 

But the money is well spent from the standpoint that:

  • The National Human Trafficking Resource Center is receiving more and more calls on possible human trafficking activity from truckers, and a significant percentage of those are actionable items where law enforcement has been involved.
  • The trucking industry is beginning to receive excellent publicity for the work they're doing to fight human trafficking. They've already been featured in at least two national television news stories and more are in the works.
  • There is a growing awareness among members of the trucking industry about human trafficking and what they can do to fight it effectively.
  • What the trucking industry is doing in working with TAT is providing a model for other members of the transportation industry to follow in the fight against human trafficking.
  • New liaisons are being created between the trucking industry and law enforcement to engage in the fight against human trafficking together.

 

"I fund and work with many of the best nonprofit organizations throughout the world," said Jim Greenbaum, founder and managing director of The Greenbaum Foundation. "Few accomplish so much with so little as does Truckers Against Trafficking. The work and accomplishments of Kendis Paris and her team are awe-inspiring. And, with sufficient funding, there's no telling how much greater of an impact they will have in the fight against human trafficking.  I am delighted to make this matching grant offer for Truckers Against Trafficking."

           

Please consider helping us match this $50,000 grant. Share this opportunity with others and make a donation on our website www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org by Dec. 31, 2012.

 

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TATWhat is TAT?

 

Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is a non-profit organization that exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize the trucking industry to combat human trafficking as part of their regular jobs. To a great extent, domestic sex trafficking occurs along our nation's highways and at its truck stops, where traffickers can sell their victims to a transient population they believe are less likely to attempt rescue. In response, TAT is asking the 3.5 million domestic truckers, as well as other members of the trucking industry, to become aware of this issue, and, when they suspect a human trafficking case, to call the national hotline and report it.

 

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