A new organization combatting sex trafficking is giving an entirely new meaning to the words “truck stop.”

Truckers Against Trafficking has recruited nearly 250,000 truck drivers committed to spotting and reporting sex trafficking on the road.

Truckers are especially helpful allies when it comes to spotting cases of sex trafficking because they see areas of the United States that most people don’t, and at times when illegal activity might occur under the cover of darkness. 

 Truckers Against Trafficking trains drivers  to identify red flags of sex trafficking. This includes looking for children and young adults who appear hopeless, are dressed in revealing ways or have tattoos that imply ownership.

If a driver sees a potential victim-survivor, they can call a hotline to report their location, and the direction the suspect is headed.

While I whole-heartedly support this cause, the group’s growing popularity has led to production of stickers, posters and wallet cards that might run counter to the group’s intentions. 

If more truck drivers have bumper stickers advertising Truckers Against Trafficking, I fear sex traffickers will take even more precautions than they otherwise would, making them harder to spot.

Forget stickers — learn how best to spot sex trafficking. If you believe you’ve seen a victim-survivor of sex trafficking, you can call the Truckers Against Trafficking hotline at 1-888-3737-888.

It would also be useful to include training on how to identify sex trafficking during truck driving school. Ohio already incorporates this into its curriculum, but sex trafficking is a problem across the entire nation. 

Human sex trafficking is an enormous issue, and Truckers Against Trafficking is a helpful combat program. But it’s necessary that we take matters a step further by educating ourselves on how to spot potential victim-survivors.