DOT Doubles Progress In Human Trafficking Fight

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) more than doubled a goal staked out earlier this year to get 100 pledges in 100 days to raise awareness of human trafficking in the transportation sector.

Over 200 companies and organizations answered the call for the effort that DOT Secretary Elaine Chao made in January. Those that have signed on to the effort “are joining the Department to ensure that America’s transportation systems are not hijacked to facilitate human trafficking,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao on May 7. “These companies are on the frontlines of helping to ensure the safety of our traveling public.” A goal of the effort is to get one million employees trained to help fight the crime, according to DOT.

The federal government considers human trafficking “modern-day slavery, affecting nearly 25 million adults and children in the United States and worldwide. Victims are of every age, race, gender, background, citizenship and immigration status. Some are trafficked within their own communities, while others are transported to new locations using America’s roadways, airways, railways and waterways.”

The list of signatories includes over 180 airports and airlines, 104 transit agencies, 33 motor carriers, 9 railways, 9 ports, 49 state departments of transportation, 8 states, and 14 cities. They include the American Trucking Associations, American Association of Port Authorities, J.B. Hunt, U.S. Xpress, UPS Freight, CN Railway and Atlas Air Worldwide.

To read the full article by John Gallagher on American Shipper: Click Here

Category: US Government