USDOT Praises Trucking’s Efforts in New Trafficking Report

Werner, UPS, ATA Among Those Recognized for Counter-Trafficking Work

The report highlighted the transportation sector’s vital role in combating human trafficking. (coldsnowstorm/Getty Images)

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The U.S. Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking has issued a new 175-page report detailing challenges and successes in combating sex and forced labor trafficking in the transportation sector.

The report, three years in the making and made public on Sept. 6, lauds the trucking industry for its efforts to join the fight at high-level federal and state government agencies, as well as keeping an eye out for illicit activity at the nation’s truck stops and on its roadways.

The report highlighted the transportation sector’s vital role in combating human trafficking. It noted that the industry’s widespread presence in people’s lives provides significant opportunities to prevent this crime. The report emphasized that when properly trained, transportation workers and travelers can act as a frontline defense by recognizing and reporting suspected trafficking.

Additionally, the report stated that since the advisory committee’s 2019 publication, “USDOT has seen counter-trafficking efforts among transport stakeholders increase significantly across the transportation sector.”

The report, mandated by the bipartisan infrastructure bill, said the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that at the federal level, 1,343 individuals were prosecuted for human trafficking in U.S. district courts in 2020. In 2023, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 30,162 “substantive signals” nationwide and reports of 9,619 potential human trafficking cases referencing 16,999 potential victims, the new report said.

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While the hotline does not systematically track transport-related reports, the venues for sex trafficking reported in 2023 included 36 truck stop-based cases, according to the report.

The committee issued 123 recommendations in total to seven separate groups: 15 to Congress, 29 to the Department of Transportation, four to other federal agencies, 24 to states, 25 to private and local transportation agencies, 15 to law enforcement, six to nongovernmental organizations, and five to technology companies, said Rabbi David Saperstein, chair of the Advisory Committee.

“Far more is yet to come,” Saperstein told the committee at its Sept. 6 meeting. “Let me be clear. This is not something that exists in the abstract and gets filed away. It already has had an impact.”

The report, which addressed trafficking issues in all sectors of transportation, gave specific credit to a number of motor carriers and trade organizations, including:

American Trucking Associations amplified Truckers Against Trafficking’s messaging by providing speaking opportunities at their conferences, making key introductions to industry leaders, assisting with media promotion, and openly encouraging their members to become TAT-trained.
Werner Enterprises Inc. became a Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking member in 2020 and dedicates over 15,000 hours of training annually, in partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking, at all levels across the organization — from its C-suite to more than 10,000 professional drivers. These employees are trained on how to prevent, identify and report human trafficking at its intersection with the trucking sector. Werner ranks No. 16 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America and No. 30 on the TT 100 list of the largest logistics companies.
UPS Inc. partnered with TAT to train truck drivers on how to recognize signs of human trafficking, established and published an Anti-Trafficking in Persons policy for global access, initiated international conversations on human trafficking in transportation through TED talks, and launched awareness campaigns that reached over 184,000 drivers and supervisors. UPS ranks No. 1 on the TT 100 for-hire list and No. 4 on the logistics list.
The Truckload Carriers Association has amplified counter-trafficking messaging among its membership through recommended policies, education, training and awareness efforts.
Natso launched an online learning tool to educate truck stop owners, operators and employees on how to respond if they suspect human trafficking. Natso also released a Combating Human Trafficking toolkit to offer truck stops and travel centers a road map for implementing a counter-trafficking education and awareness program at their individual locations.
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators developed model counter-trafficking programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement and highway safety. AAMVA also partnered with TAT on its Commercial Driver’s License manual, which is distributed to all 51 jurisdictions, as well as handouts for states to consider in bringing awareness to human trafficking.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, in addition to a Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative, received grant funding from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to develop and air public service announcements.