Texas Truck Drivers Urged to Fight Human Trafficking
Semitrailer drivers are being asked to keep their eyes on more than the road as state and local officials continue their fight to end human trafficking.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with city, county and trucking industry officials, promoted the statewide Truckers Against Trafficking campaign Feb. 23, urging truck drivers to report any suspicious activities they see at truck stops or out on the road.
“In the face of evil, it is often too easy to become overwhelmed by what we cannot change,” Paxton said. “For the sake of men, women and children caught within the nightmare that is human trafficking, I ask that we as a state focus instead on what is in our power to control. Sometimes all it takes is one person, one moment, one act to save an innocent person. That is the power each and every one of us possesses as a member of the community.”
Red flags truck drivers should be looking for include if the victim has a lack of knowledge of the area, has restricted or controlled communication or has tattoos or dog tags with their trafficker’s name.
"At any given time there are more truck drivers on the road than law enforcement officers," Truckers Against Trafficking Deputy Director Kylla Lanier said. "They are the eyes and ears of our highways. … Therefore, the trucking industry is critical in this fight against human trafficking.”
Truckers who suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking are asked to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
