New Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign Designed To Reach Bus/Motorcoach And Other Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently launched its new human trafficking awareness campaign — “Your Roads, Their Freedom.” The campaign seeks to give the nation’s 8.7 million commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers the information needed to identify and report suspected human trafficking.

“Human trafficking is a heinous crime, and it has no place in the transportation industry,” FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson said. “But the hard-hitting reality is that our nation’s transportation systems are exploited by human traffickers every day, and FMCSA is working to help stop it.”

FMCSA is the federal leader in educating the CMV industry about road safety. Because human trafficking poses a threat to transportation safety, FMCSA is uniquely positioned to educate CMV drivers on ways to protect U.S. roadways against criminals perpetrating this crime. Additionally, FMCSA requires states and the District of Columbia to permanently ban drivers convicted of human trafficking from operating a CMV, which requires a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit.

Globally, an estimated 28 million people are currently subjected to human trafficking, and the crime occurs in every state of the U.S. As part of DOT’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking (TLAHT) awareness campaign, the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign will build on other federal efforts against human trafficking, including the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign and FMCSA’s grant programs, which awarded millions in funding to support state counter-trafficking efforts.

Through the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign and other federal agency efforts, DOT aims “to empower America’s transportation workforce, which is millions strong, to be the eyes and ears of our collective effort,” as highlighted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg in his remarks made to the President’s Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking in February of this year.

While the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign will be conducted nationwide, there will be a heightened emphasis across states with the highest reported number of human trafficking cases or a high volume of driver traffic. These states include California, Florida, Michigan, New York, and North Carolina.

For more information on the “Your Roads, Their Freedom” campaign, along with shareable resources, visit https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/stophumantrafficking.