March 15, 2012

Resources for the Field

Truck Stop At-A-Glance

This document by Polaris Project provides a brief overview of the presence of sex trafficking at commercially-operated truck stops as well as state-operated rest areas and welcome centers in the United States. These locations are often insulated from local communities, making it a convenient place for transient customers to purchase sex with minimal concerns of detection.

Anti-trafficking trucking organizations and truckers play an important role in alerting law enforcement to the presence of sex trafficking at truck stops.

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Truckers Against Trafficking

Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) recognizes the reality that sex trafficking occurs at truck stops throughout the U.S., and strives to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking and travel plaza industry to combat domestic sex trafficking.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center frequently receives reports about potential human trafficking originating from TAT members. These reports provide invaluable information used to safeguard victims of sex trafficking and prosecute traffickers.

Visit the Truckers Against Trafficking website for free resources and information on how you can help the National Human Trafficking Resource Center combat sex trafficking at truck stops.

Also, mark your calendars for the upcoming Mid-American Trucking Show, held from March 22-24 in Louisville, KY. This is the largest trucking show in the country and you can help TAT spread the word among corporate trucking companies, state associations, dealers, and truckers about how to end sex trafficking at truck stops in the United States.

You can contact TAT at tat.truckers@gmail.com.

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Featured Hotline Callers: Truckers

From December 7, 2007 through January 31, 2012 the NHTRC received 300 calls from callers identifying as truckers and 189 calls from truckers and other diverse caller types reporting potential cases of human trafficking at truck stops.

These calls corresponded to 119 cases of potential human trafficking, 53 of which had high levels of trafficking indicators. The following data reflects these 53 cases.

Please note that these statistics are not meant to total to 100%; cases may involve both males and females, and in some situations demographic information is not reported. 

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Vignettes of the Month

While stopping to sleep for the night at a truck stop near an interstate, a trucker saw a young girl and boy approaching several of the trucks parked in the lot. The girl appeared to be younger than 16 years old and the young boy was around 13 years old. The trucker initially thought that the children were waiting for a parent until they approached his cab and offered him sex for money. Read more.

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Late one night, a truck driver observed a man who appeared to be in his late thirties with a young girl who appeared to be around 13 years old. After observing the man and the young girl approach several other truckers, the driver became increasingly suspicious. Read more. 

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Early one morning, a truck driver contacted the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) to report a situation involving several young girls. A few days previously the truck driver had been at a truck stop in Arkansas, and had observed three teenage girls offering commercial sex. Read more.

Note: Vignettes are based on hotline calls received by the NHTRC. Names, locations, and other identifying information have been changed and/or omitted to preserve the confidentiality of the populations we serve. Vignettes are meant as examples of the types of calls received by the hotline and are for informational purposes only.

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© Copyright Polaris Project, 2012. All Rights Reserved.

This publication was made possible in part through Grant Number 90ZV0087 from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, Office of Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, Office of Refugee Resettlement, or HHS.