Dear TAT Supporter:

What an amazing year 2012 has been! The trucking industry is certainly owning this work and making considerable strides against those who would target their industry for criminal activity. Thanks to each and every one of you for your tremendous support of TAT; without your efforts, the following advances wouldn't be possible:

Leading the Way

In 2012, the trucking industry, in conjunction with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), ramped up for the long haul in the battle against human trafficking and received national recognition for their efforts. Both Fox News national and National Public Radio ran stories on the pro-active steps the trucking industry is taking as they currently lead all segments of the transportation industry in this fight.

This leadership can be measured by:

• Increasing calls - The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) reported on Oct. 30, 2012 that between Dec. 7, 2007-Oct. 30, 2012, they had received 469 calls from truckers, with a significant increase in calls from truckers referencing truck stop incidents between 2009-2012 (185 calls were made in 2011 alone, and over 200 calls in 2012). To date in 2012, truckers rank 14th out of 38 different caller types for all calls. They rank 8th for calls referencing potential human trafficking. These calls have originated in 41 states and Alberta, Canada as well as along the United States border with Mexico.

One of these calls came from a trucker in Birmingham, Alabama, who was approached by a trafficker in a car that pulled alongside him at a traffic light. He was offered an underage girl for $150. He turned down the offer and then followed the car with the trafficker and four young girls into a truck stop parking lot where he took down the license plate number and then made the call to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC).

Another trucker at a truck stop in Texas was approached by a labor trafficking victim who'd escaped from her situation. He pulled out his wallet card and they called the NHTRC together. The NHTRC got her in touch with Catholic Charities in the area who provided her with care. The trucker also helped her find transportation back to her home state of Missouri.

After going through TAT training on the job, Tracy Mullins, the general manager of a Petro in Spokane, WA spotted two young girls (one about 12, the other about 14) come into the diner area with a much older man. When the man left for the men's room, she questioned the girls, who said he was a relative and that they were a-ok. Tracy didn't buy it. She got law enforcement involved, and both girls, who were hitch-hiking their way to Seattle with only $5 between them, were able to return home safely.

• Increasing awareness - TAT followers on Twitter and Facebook have increased from 11,000 and 3000 in 2011 to more than 23,000 and 9000, respectively, at the end of November 2012. Visitors to www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org have increased from 21,332 in 2011 to 32,588 in 2012 as of Nov. 27, 2012.
• Increasing participation - More and more organizations and associations officially joined with TAT in 2012, pledging to have internal awareness campaigns as well as use their influence to promote TAT goals and use TAT materials with clients and constituents. These include the American Trucking Association, OOIDA, the Iowa 80 Group, the state trucking associations in California, Colorado, Nevada, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana and Oklahoma and trucking companies, including Ryder, Unigroup, Werner and a host of others. 
• Additionally,
• TAT received financial support in the form of corporate sponsorships in 2012 from Innovative Delivery Systems, C.R. England, the Idaho Trucking Association and the Minnesota Trucking Association.
• TAT participated in a truck stop/trucker appreciation event at TA Knoxville, TN with food, music and the opportunity to talk with drivers about human trafficking and hand out TAT materials. Some 200 drivers attended.
• The first TAT cruise, put together by Carols Travel Time, attracted 122 participants and netted TAT a donation of $7529.53. Raffle prizes were donated by TA/Petro, OOIDA, Idle Air, Double Coin, Tenstreet, Street Vehicle Recorder, Centramatic, Video Dashcam; and NASTC sponsored a Bon Voyage party.
• Trucking companies, like Brenny Transportation and Lone Mountain Truck Leasing, did fundraising for TAT and gave $700 and $2151, respectively.
• Tony Justice, a professional driver and country music artist, put the TAT poster on the sleeve of his CD.
• Trucker Rick Youngquist, founder of CBRY Trucking LLC, hauled 25,000 used bras from Colorado to Chicago to be shipped to Mozambique, Africa for sale by women rescued from sex slavery there so they can make a living.
• Increasing work with law enforcement - As law enforcement becomes more aware of the commitment of the trucking industry to fight human trafficking, they are anxious to form partnerships-loose coalitions-between themselves and key members of the industry. To that end, TAT conducted its first "coalition building" conference in California in September 2012, is participating in its second in Ohio in December, and is currently planning one for the Colorado area.
• Additionally,
• TAT presented at the Illinois Truck Enforcement Association. As a result, a DOJ human trafficking training is being planned for February 2013 for 340 law enforcement in that area.
• TAT will present in January at the North Carolina State Highway Patrol law enforcement training conference as well.

TAT Gaining Ground

In 2012, TAT received an invitation to work with the US Department of Transportation on the development of an anti-human trafficking initiative that would reach across all segments of the transportation industry.

TAT's Everyday Heroes poster was included on page 391 of the U.S. Government's 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report.

Canada and Brazil have created their own "truckers against trafficking" programs and modeled them after TAT. We've also received word from the European Freedom Network that 22 European countries have used our trucking-industry-specific training DVD in their anti-human trafficking training.

iEmpathize provided a new booth exhibit for TAT for trucking shows which can be used in either a 10x20 or 10x10 booth and features a recreation of the Everyday Heroes poster as well as a new 2.5 minute version of the TAT DVD to effectively engage truckers at places like MATS, GATS and the Great West trucking shows.

TAT Vision

• In 2013 TAT would like to see at least half of America's trucking industry officially come on board, i.e. commitments made by industry leaders to adopt our training on a regular basis, keep this information in front of their employees/drivers, partner with us to assist law enforcement when needed, begin to fund this work.
• We also plan to continue to build loose coalitions between law enforcement who investigate trafficking cases on lots and the general managers of said lots. In five years, we would like to have a coalition exist in every major city where an anti-trafficking task force is present.
• In three years, we would also like to see TAT expand internationally. While TAT's model might be replicated in full in certain parts of the world, in other countries it may be just the idea that comes into play as we work with our international partners to discover what specific role the trucking industry can play in that region to combat human trafficking.
• In addition, beginning as early as next year, but extending into the foreseeable future, TAT will work with the trucking industry to marshal its resources to continue to combat the crime of human trafficking on a variety of levels, but also roll out an awareness campaign to the general public. 

There is so much on the horizon for TAT, but we can't do it without your financial support. Every cent of TAT's budget comes from private donations, people just like you who give generously to the work they believe in. And there is no better time to give to TAT than right now, as the Greenbaum Foundation has offered TAT a matching grant up to $50,000 on anything we raise until the end of 2012. We are $20,000 away from reaching our goal and ask that you would consider helping us meet it through a personal donation of your own. To do so, you can either donate on our website, www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org, or make checks payable to Truckers Against Trafficking and send to Truckers Against Trafficking, PO Box 816, Englewood, CO, 80151. All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you again for believing in the power of the trucking industry to combat human trafficking; 2013 holds even greater opportunities for growth, and TAT is excited to partner with an industry that truly can affect lasting change.

Kendis Paris

TAT National Director