Natso’s Online Learning Program Offers Responses to Worst-Case Scenarios
Natso, the trade association representing the travel-plaza and truck-stop industry, said its foundation launched an online learning program to help teach members of the industry how to respond to requests for help from people in need of assistance in various life-threatening scenarios.
Alexandria, Virginia-based Natso said the first of four planned modules is “The Role of Truckstops in Combating Human Trafficking” and is intended to support National Human Trafficking Awareness month, which is January.
Foundation Chairman Jenny Love Meyer said in a statement, “We’re taking meaningful action to ensure that the truck-stop industry is prepared to respond. The truck-stop and travel-plaza industry takes seriously the fight against human trafficking, and our goal is to provide our members with the tools they need to train their staff so that those individuals are equipped to help if they encounter a victim of this horrible crime.”
A second module, titled “How Truckstops Help the Homeless,” will be available in coming weeks, the group said. Additional courses planned for the “How Truckstops Help People” series will focus on what to do for drivers who are suffering distress and how to respond during a natural disaster.
“Equipping truck stops and their staff with accessible online education will play a key role in helping truck stops improve and grow for the future, ensuring the vitality of the truck-stop industry as a whole,” Natso CEO Lisa Mullings said.
The course is available on the Natso Foundation’s new learning management system free of charge so that any member of the industry can leverage these educational resources, the group said.
The group added that a userID and password to Natso's website is required.
