Kevin Kimmel had a shaky feeling. As he busily scratched away at paperwork, he kept looking out the window of his truck at an RV. The longer he looked, the stranger it seemed. Black curtains. Old. Not very family-friendly.
Suddenly, a man appeared in his periphery. Kevin watched as the man approached the RV, his silhouette barely visible against the vehicle. The man entered.
Moments later, the RV shuffled back and forth, with some kind chase within the vehicle evident. Then, a “minor female” abruptly appeared from behind the curtain. As quickly as she appeared, something urgently snapped her head back into the vehicle.
Kevin had seen enough. He dialed the local sheriff and urged them to come quickly.
Police appeared on the scene, flooding the RV. A short time later, Kevin watched as a battered young woman emerged. A man and woman in handcuffs trailed her.
Kevin would later discover that the young woman had been subjected to assault, forced prostitution, and torture.
Because Kevin trained to identify suspicious behavior, he was able to rescue an innocent victim from the vile clutches of human trafficking.
The FMCSA is acting against human trafficking with a new initiative: Your Road, Their Freedom. If you feel inspired to help, read on to learn more about how you can get involved in this most critical cause.
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Your Roads, Their Freedom
The Your Roads, Their Freedom initiative aims to equip all 8.7 million CMV drivers with the tools and knowledge they need to identify and report suspected human trafficking.
The initiative includes:
- Training on identifying the signs of human trafficking
- Resources for reporting human trafficking
- Free materials to promote awareness, including:
- Indicator cards
- Awareness posters
- Social media content
- Digital screen graphics (for display at truck stops)
If you’d like to participate in the training or request free materials to promote awareness, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/stophumantrafficking.
How to Spot Human Trafficking
Human trafficking isn’t always obvious. Brush up on the tell-tale signs of human trafficking in this helpful infographic.
Infographic provided by the FMCSA.
What You Can Do to Get Involved
If you’re anxious to help, there are three things every trucker can do to make an enormous difference.
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Know the Number of the National Human Trafficking Hotline
Above all, keep the number of the National Human Trafficking Hotline on hand in case you spot anything suspicious:
1-888-373-7888
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Get Trained
Though Your Road, Your Freedom is a great place to get started, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is a fantastic resource for training. In some states, TAT training is even mandated.
Click here to start training with TAT.
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Share Your Road, Your Freedom Resources
The Your Road, Your Freedom initiative provides promotional materials at no cost. If you want to help spread the word, sharing indicator cards is a costless and powerful way to show your commitment.
Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes on the road. The Your Road, Your Freedom initiative is empowering all truckers with the tools they need to report human trafficking.
With wheels on the ground, truckers can help combat the 28 million victims of human trafficking worldwide.
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Looking for discounts on steer tires?
Claim special pricing on Michelin X® Line Energy™ Z+ steer tires and discounts on tires for your whole truck!
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