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Human Trafficking in the News
Human trafficking survivor: 'We're the girls you find dead 
in rivers and dumpsters.' 
It's the "Super Bowl of horseracing" but the Kentucky Derby has a dark side so disturbing it almost defies belief. Louisville is a sleepy city on the Ohio River in the midwest state of Kentucky, US. It's the kind of place where locals call strangers "sir" or "ma'am" and tip their hats as they pass by.

Hospital staff find themselves on the front lines of war on human trafficking
Dawn Culp has been an emergency room nurse at Bayhealth for more than 25 years but says she never had enough resources to focus on human trafficking -- until now. Throughout the hospital's hallways are small stickers and flyers with the national hotline number for human trafficking. "I post them everywhere," Culp said.
 
Fire lieutenant arrested for human trafficking, sex crimes against children 
An East Lake Fire Rescue firefighter was arrested on human trafficking and other charges on Thursday. Matthew Doyle, 39, was arrested by FDLE agents in Spring Hill. He faces charges of human trafficking, lewd and lascivious behavior on a victim between 12 and 16 years old and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
Iowa MVE continues to gain traction across the country

TAT's Iowa MVE (Motor Vehicle Enforcement) model continues to gain traction across the nation as law enforcement carefully consider the actions they can take to fight human trafficking by working more closely with transportation. Forty-six states have now adopted TAT's Iowa MVE model in part or in full, up from 40 states at the end of 2018. Nineteen of those have adopted the model fully, up from five states at the end of last year.
 
On TAT's State Agency Initiatives page on the website, an interactive map provides  a progress report for each state regarding the model. By clicking on the icon in each state, a reader can learn if the state has had a Coalition Build (CB) as well as the top three actions being taken in the state. If there was a CB, the CB impact report is provided, along with a state impact report. Law enforcement (LE) training reports will soon be available through the interactive map as well, but until then, those reports are available on the law enforcement training page .
 
Examples of some of the most recent state action steps to comply with the model include:
  • Utah went from adopting one to adopting six of the seven model components, only lacking the distribution of wallet cards when CDL A and B are issued and renewed.
  • Missouri went to full implementation and has already distributed TAT materials to 22 of the state's truck stops. Pretty quickly, this distribution resulted in two tips of human trafficking being relayed to law enforcement.
  • One of Vermont's DMV representatives attended TAT's session at the St. Louis meeting of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), and the state went from no implementation to full implementation within two months. They even sent TAT photos of their industry days outreach where TAT materials were distributed.  
  • New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut and other northeastern states have either initiated or renewed their participation with TAT by implementing the MVE model. 
  • Kentucky only lacked one component of the MVE model to fully implement it and has now achieved that. Alabama moved from adopting two components to full implementation.
  • Delaware has required TAT's state agency webinar for every employee of DelDOT. 
As law enforcement begins Iowa MVE implementation, new LE trainings are often requested. Indiana and New Hampshire have requested TAT's four-hour trainings, while Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada and other states are looking at potential dates that would work for their officers. 
 
"By implementing the different elements of the Iowa MVE model, state agencies and state patrols are able to use the purview of their offices to raise awareness about human trafficking, recognize it themselves and help transportation industry professionals do the same," asserted Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director. "It is critical to helping close loopholes to traffickers who rely on no one noticing them or their victims. Our goal is to see each state in the US implement the model completely ... or as many of its components as possible. When the messaging is consistent throughout our nation about what this crime is, and the information is specific to the industries receiving it, we will see impact."
TAT honors Ryder with TAT Champion Award in the Organization Category

Laura Cyrus, TAT director of corporate engagement, presented the award to Ryder Chairman and CEO Robert Sanchez.
In this inaugural year of the  TAT Champion Awards , TAT honored Ryder System, Inc. in June as the TAT Champion in the Organization category, presenting the award at Ryder's 22nd Annual Carrier Quality Award event with more than 150 nationwide carrier representatives in attendance.
 
Laura Cyrus, TAT director of corporate engagement, presented the award to Ryder Chairman and CEO Robert Sanchez, and spoke about the many ways Ryder has "gone above and beyond" to help champion TAT's anti-human trafficking message and mission, since TAT became a 501c3 in 2011. 
 
In addition to having had a Ryder representative on TAT's board of directors since 2011, Ryder has consistently been a high-level sponsor, a "best-practice example" for a carrier and has championed TAT's cause through introductions to other industry leaders and events.
 
Among its best practices with TAT, Ryder has:
  • Created tailored training and marketing materials and Ryder-branded wallet cards to more than 1,700 contract carrier partners.
  • Distributed training materials and wallet cards through Ryder's TalentMap training tool for tracking and compliance.
  • Administered awareness training to 1,500 Canadian employees and more than 23,000 U.S. employees (all levels - technicians, drivers, management, executive team).
  • Distributed letters to all 50 state trucking associations asking for support of TAT.
  • Generated a co-branded Ryder/TAT banner that has been used in several industry events where Ryder vehicles are prominently displayed.
  • Included the TAT mission and its commitment to the cause as part of their conference exhibit materials used in various industry events.
  • Engaged primary service and equipment suppliers to also join the cause of supporting TAT (ongoing).
  • Provided financial support directly to TAT through the Ryder Charitable Foundation.
Cyrus stated, "Last winter, our small team carefully deliberated who the winners of this first round champion awards should be. When we came to the Organization category, I'll be honest, we've had incredible support from carriers, corporations and industry professionals over the years. However, Ryder stood head and shoulders above the rest. Thanks to the early adoption and support of the program by long-standing TAT board member Scott Perry, who was the former Chief Technology and Procurement Officer of Global Fleet Management Solutions at Ryder, Ryder was one of the very first companies that caught our vision and understood how industry could come around and support this work, long before other organizations did. Ryder led by example, and there were many who followed, because Ryder is an industry leader and recognized as such. The influence and impact Ryder has leveraged on our behalf are truly exponential."
 
In receiving the award, Sanchez said, "Ryder employs 9,500 professional drivers. That's a lot of eyes out there on the highways and at truck stops and rest areas ... those remote spots where it's easy for the wrong kind of behavior to go unnoticed or unreported ... and where a single person making the decision not to look away, not to turn a blind eye to what they see, can make all the difference to someone in need. Ninety-five hundred truckers at Ryder alone, and it's still not enough. That's why we're all fortunate to have a group like Truckers Against Trafficking that leads the charge, organizes the transportation industry, and turns 9,500 drivers at Ryder and thousands elsewhere into a reconnaissance army of thousands of trained professional drivers committed to ending human trafficking."
 
He continued, "I'm personally very proud of the relationship Ryder shares with Truckers Against Trafficking. Not only our drivers but also our technicians, managers, and executive team have gone through TAT training on how to identify the warning signs of human trafficking and how to report it. It works out to about 25,000 employees in all, more than half of Ryder's total workforce, spread across the U.S. and Canada. Our own Stephanie Wicky sits on the TAT board of directors. And we're proud to support TAT directly through the Ryder Charitable Foundation.  Sex trafficking can only exist in the shadows or when good people choose to do nothing. TAT is shining a spotlight into the dark places where trafficking thrives, and they're inspiring an industry to get involved and do something good."
 
In addition to the award presentation, Ryder gave Cyrus presentation time to speak about TAT's work to those in attendance, helping once again to raise awareness and support of TAT's mission.
 
Earlier this year, the Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement Agency received the TAT Champion Award in the Agency category.
Thanks to your generosity, TAT met and exceeded its matching grant goal!


To help TAT celebrate its tenth anniversary, the Greenbaum Foundation and Change a Path put up $125,000 in matching grant money and gave TAT two months to match it. That period ended June 18, and thanks to the generous giving of our donors and sponsors, TAT received $294,988 during that period, of which $155,759 was "new money," which means it came from completely new donors or sponsors or from donors and sponsors who increased their regular giving.
 
"This is very exciting to all of us at TAT," said Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director. "With our planned expansion into Canada this year, a new training video for our Energy Program, new materials for Busing on the Lookout, and the continual need to provide training materials nationwide to trucking and busing, our budgetary needs are demanding, and this incredible outpouring of support to obtain this matching grant will really help. Thank you to everyone!"
Upcoming Events

July 5 - South Carolina Association for Pupil Transportation, Myrtle Beach, SC, Louie Greek, TAT training specialist, presenting

July 11-13 - Iowa 80 Jamboree, Walcott, IA, FDP and Susan Dold, TAT systems administrator, attending

July 12 - Houston Council of Safety Professionals monthly meeting, Houston, TX, Ashley Smith, TAT oil and gas program manager, presenting

July 12 - Vistar Tradeshow Southeast, Atlanta, GA, Helen Van Dam, FDP director, exhibiting

July 15-19 - Law enforcement trainings across Oregon, Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director, and Annika Huff, TAT field trainer and survivor-advocate, presenting

July 16 - Tennessee School Bus Driver Train-the-Trainer In-Service, Nashville, TN, Annie Sovcik, BOTL director, presenting

July 16 - Bridgestone Women's Initiative Network Luncheon, Nashville, TN, Annie Sovcik, BOTL director, presenting

July 25  - Maine Pupil Transportation Association Annual Conference, Sugarloaf, ME, Annie Sovcik, BOTL director, presenting

July 29 - Student Transportation News, Reno, NV, Louie Greek, TAT training specialist, presenting

July 29 - Motor Vehicle Criminal Interdiction Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director, presenting

July 30 - Idaho Transportation Department Annual Summit, Boise, ID, Louie Greek, TAT training specialist, presenting
TAT's work is made possible through the generous support of our corporate sponsors, foundation partners and individual donors. Our education, training, legislative engagement, and advocacy efforts would not exist without those who invest in the change that we work towards each day. If you are interested in learning more about how you can provide financial support, please visit our corporate engagement webpage 
or contact Laura Cyrus at 612-888-4828 or lcyrus@truckersagainsttrafficking.org to explore our giving opportunities.
Thank you to our copper level and above individual donors!
Diamond:
Douglas Kegler
Platinum:
Anonymous
Gold:
Andy and Karin Larsen
Silver: 
Bob Paris,  Lou and Ronda Leeburg, Anna McCoy, Scott and Terry Koch
Bronze: 
Scott Perry,  Mark and Julie Mihevc,  Dan and Emily Dykstra, Michael Mowat and Janet Runbeck
Copper:
Grayling Klunker,  George Cravens,  Mike and Karen Kuykendall,  Wayne Watkins,  Lindsey England,  Karen Rasmussen,  Patti Gillette,  Courtney Hill,  John McKown,  Don Blake, George Bunker, Todd Miller
Truckers Against Trafficking 
PO Box 816 | Englewood, CO 80151
tat.truckers@gmail.com

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