Media Resources

We have created this page to assist reporters in their coverage of stories on Truckers Against Trafficking.

Facts about Truckers Against Trafficking

Mission: Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is a 501(c) 3 that exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize the trucking, bus and energy industries to combat human trafficking as part of their regular jobs.

Goals:

Saturate trucking, bus and energy industries with TAT materials.
Partner with law enforcement and government agencies to facilitate the investigation of human trafficking.
Marshal the resources of our partners to combat this crime.

Partnerships and Programs:

To date, 1,594,652 industry professionals are TAT Trained.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) reports that in the last five years over 41% of the cases truckers have reported to them involve victims that are minors.
National trucking organizations like the American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Truckload Carriers Association have entered into partnership with TAT, along with all 50 state trucking associations, and large companies such as Ryder, Werner, J.B. Hunt, TA/Petro, UPS, Bridgestone and more.
TAT is building coalitions between general managers of truck stops/travel plazas and the law enforcement that investigate trafficking cases on their lots (FBI, AG’s office, DHS, local PD, US Attorney, etc.), in order to close loopholes to traffickers who exploit industry businesses for criminal gain and to mobilize a local response. To date, TAT has held 86 coalition builds in 42 states and two provinces in Canada.
TAT works with the Iowa MVE/DOT, who created a statewide model in order to utilize/mobilize weigh stations, rest stops, and state patrol in helping to get the word out, train law enforcement and gain entry points into the trucking industry. Forty-nine states, and DC, have now adopted the model in part or in whole. In addition, OH, KS, TX, WA, IL, CO, OK, MD, VA, AL, WI and AR have all adopted TAT training for their CDL holders, with additional states considering following suit.
The Freedom Drivers Project (FDP), a unique, 48-foot mobile exhibit and museum, showcases information/training on domestic sex trafficking, the artifacts and stories of survivors and the actions of the trucking industry to fight this crime. The FDP is in high demand across the nation by legislators, anti-trafficking groups and trucking leaders, with over 62,122 people walking through its doors at over 265 events in 47 states and provinces.
Busing on the Lookout (BOTL) partners with private companies, state agencies, school districts, public transit providers and associations to get its training resources out to bus industry personnel in the US and Canada. To date, over 140 private bus companies, 2,100 school districts and 250 public transit agencies have been BOTL-training. TAT has honored bus industry employees twice with the Harriet Tubman Award (2019 and 2022) in recognition of direct actions they have taken to assist those victimized by human trafficking.
Replicating our model across borders, TAT Canada has already ensured dozens of Canadian carriers are TAT-training. To date, 17,000 Canadian industry professionals are TAT Trained, a 75% increase from the end of 2021. In addition, the formation of the TAT Canada Committee continues to serve as a growth accelerator across the country to achieve our partnership goals with both private and public entities.
Designed to train every segment of the energy industry to recognize and report human trafficking, Empower Freedom has already solidified substantial partnerships with Conoco Phillips, Marathon Oil, Phillips 66, Precision Pipeline, Crestwood, TC Energy and the Oil and Gas Trafficking Awareness Group.
TAT was awarded the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons in 2019, and the Suzanne McDaniel Memorial Award for Public Awareness as part of the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus Awards in 2015. It was also chosen as one of the 100 Best Practices to fight human trafficking by the United Nations (GIFT). It won the Norma Hotaling Award for Demand Reduction, the Award of Distinction from the OK Human Trafficking Task Force, the Linking Arms Award from In Our Backyard and the Sword and Shield Award from the Attorney General Alliance and UT Attorney General. The Motor Transport Association of CT honored TAT with their Good Buddy Award, the American Trucking Associations awarded TAT with their Mike Russell Trucking Image Award, and TAT was co-winner of the Truck Safety
Partner Award from the MI Trucking Association, and the recipient of the 2018 Humanitarianism Appreciation Award from Dow Chemical, presented by Dow Road Logistics.

Pay Attention to Language

There’s a methodology and a philosophy behind the language TAT uses. It’s specific and vetted with respected people within the movement, as well as a number of survivor advocates. We prefer this language be used whenever speaking/writing about those who have been trafficked:

Please do not use the words:

Prostitute
John
Lot Lizard
Rescue

Please do use:

Prostituted person
Survivor
Overcomer
Buyer
Victim
Recovered

Unless speaking about a specific victim/survivor, where you know the gender, age, etc., please keep the language gender neutral, ageless, and indicative that something was done to the victim … they aren’t what has been done to them. They aren’t prostitutes. They have been prostituted.

There is NO such thing as a “child prostitute” or a “teen prostitute.” Anyone under the age of 18 being sold for commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking. (TVPA).

Additional Resources

Footage: You may use our three-minute training video trailer. However, the video may not be altered in any way. Credit must be given to Truckers Against Trafficking. Click here to view the video on DropBox and look for the Download option in the upper right corner.

TAT’s Programs: A link to the “What We Do” page, explaining our programs

2022 Annual Report

Past Newsletters

For additional impact, click here.