Truckers Against Trafficking Fight Human Sex Trafficking-You Can Too!

The following article was written by Natasha T Baker and posted on her blog this past October.  It tells an ugly truth about human sex trafficking; modern-day slavery that exists all over the world.  Already a horrific crime of brutality against children, teens and even young adults of all ages and genders, it's made even uglier by the involvement of a US funded private military contractor.  As advocates of the organization 'Truckers Against Human Trafficking", we have re-printed this article in its entirety.  We encourage you to take action in any way you can to help stop this epidemic. 

Truckers Against Trafficking

Human sex trafficking is a local crime.  Listen to Shari's story for proof.  

The other day I was listening to NPR and heard a story about an organization called Truckers Against Human Trafficking. My ears perked up because this is an issue that I find fundamental to human rights work; human trafficking is modern-day slavery and if that still exists – and here in the US, too – then we are not doing our duty as human beings.

How to say it? It’s unfortunately very simple: American teens, mostly girls but boys, too, are being kidnapped and pimped in the US. Why truckers are involved here is that the teens are often driven into truck stops, wearing skimpy clothes and are forced to go truck to truck offering sex in exchange for money – which is then handed over to their pimp, or more precisely, slave driver. Truck stops are just one popular spot for this kind of activity; bars, strip clubs, casinos and the street itself are prime spots for child prostitution

We’ve got a crisis on our hands; there are enough people in the US who are ok with the concept of child prostitution (and pay for it) that there are many people out there who make it their living to destroy our youth; these people brainwash them, making them wholly dependent on them for survival. They are beaten, raped, manipulated – add whatever adjective you want. It’s happening. And the issue deserves more attention.

Here’s more:

This child sex slavery isn’t just happening in the US. US tax dollars are funding it abroad, too:

Truckers Against Trafficking reminds me of a horribly frightening (yet true) film I watched called The Whistleblower that still haunts my mind to this day. Briefly, The Whistleblower is the story of Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac who takes a job as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia (late 1990′s) and ends up blowing the whistle on a huge child sex trafficking scandal that the UN has been covering up.

Essentially Americans and others who were brought into Bosnia to build and maintain peace (soldiers, UN peacekeepers, private contractors hired by the US government and the UN, etc.) are funding huge prostitution rings whereby minors are kidnapped from their homes and then used as toys for men – they are raped, maimed, shackled, beaten – you name it, it happened. Please don’t watch this film at night, or if you do, please have company. This film is very graphic in the abuse of these girls and includes a very detailed scene of a sexual assault on a very young girl.

But it tells the truth. And it’s ugly. The US funded DynCorp, a private military contractor, to outsource its peacekeeping work in Bosnia and instead they completely abused the population they were there to protect. And the “whistleblower” Kathryn Bolkovac was not taken seriously. Why? Because there were too many people (too many men we must say it) who stood to lose a lot of power if they were outed. Many of the key perpetrators were simply sent home; no punishment, no trial, no jail time, no fines, no restitution.

Part of the consequence of not fessing up to how sick this situation was, is that history is repeated. THE SAME US-FUNDED PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTOR, DYNCORP THAT SOLD CHILDREN INTO SEX SLAVERY IN BOSNIA ARE DOING IT AGAIN NOW IN AFGHANISTAN.

You read that right – they’re at it again: US government contractor DynCorp is currently using US tax dollars to fund sex with underage boys – yes boys – in Afghanistan.

So what can we do about it?

As American citizens, we have the right to tell our representatives to end child sex trafficking in the US AND defund companies like DynCorp who violate American values. This is just plain sick; and Congress funds them. And no one gets punished. Well, the beauty of living in a democracy is we have the power – through our vote, through our voice, through the media (like blogs), through our purchases, to send a message that this will NOT be tolerated.

My federal representatives are Congressman Mike Honda and Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein: Let me say to them here that the US should permanently defund DynCorp. Sure it’s a messy political move. But you’ve got to be kidding that profits are more important than ending child sex trafficking – paid for by US taxpayers like me (without our consent)!

Furthermore, if anyone in your family or anyone you know is involved in the trucking industry, talk to them. Find out what they’re doing to prevent this. Get them to join the Truckers Against Human Trafficking network. Get their truckers trained in how to spot and report human trafficking. Download the app. Call the hotline. Get the posters hung in the breakroom. Donate to Truckers Against Human Trafficking.

Take action today. Call your representative. Email them. Write to them. Post a blog post. Share this with friends. Post a link to Facebook or Twitter. Get people talking about it. Everyone is talking about how to fix the economy right now; well how about starting by saving US taxpayers billions of dollars that are currently going to funding modern slavery?

The average age for a girl to enter the US sex-for-sale industry is 12. Remember that this happens because there are people among us who pay for this, who enjoy it, who get away with it. We have to change this. There is change that needs to happen at the individual, governmental and global level.

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1.888.373.7888

Six Proven Ways Truck Driver Owner-Operators Can Find Regular Jobs

Owning and operating your own trucking rig can be a highly rewarding and lucrative career. You can choose your own clients, set your own prices and control your own delivery schedule. You can also have the satisfaction of keeping the profits for yourself, rather than doing all the work for an hourly wage or commission fee.

However, OTR owner-operators have many expenses such as paying for your own truck, your benefits, and fuel and repair expenses to keep your truck running. Your livelihood depends on many things including being dependent on an income that is dependent on your customers paying on time.

But at the very top of the list for an independent truck driver is finding regular jobs. So let's discuss the world of truck driver owner-operators and how you can find jobs.

We've titled this article "Six Proven Ways Truck Driver Owner-Operators Can Find Regular Jobs", but actually, we have at least 8 tips and suggestions.  There should be at least one or two that are helpful even for the most experienced otr owner-operator!

Thanks to the Internet, today's OTR owner-operators are able to get good paying jobs from a variety of sources, ranging from Craigslist to industry networking channels.  Here are some ideas to help you market your services and find regular work.

Considering A Truck Lease Purchase Option? Look Before You Leap !

"Oops ... I leaped before looking..."

At first glance, a lease-to-purchase contract seems like a no-brainer.  There's no down payment, no credit check and minimal start-up costs.  However, it's important to do your homework and completely evaluate all of your options before signing on the dotted line. 

In other words, look before you leap into a Lease Purchase arrangement with a trucking company.

Of course, the practicality of a lease-to-purchase agreement will vary from trucker to trucker.  To fully understand this type of contract, let's first look at it from the trucking company's perspective.

What The Trucking Company Claims

For many years carriers have been heavily marketing and promoting leasing options  as a way for truckers with low credit scores and limited financial means to become owners.  New drivers especially are vulnerable to the concept of Lease Purchase and some companies exert considerable pressure on their student drivers-in-training, convincing them that they will make a lot of money, be their own boss and own their truck. 

Here's what many companies claim to offer truckers who sign a leasing agreement:

• Low or zero down payment
• No long-term commitment to the company (walk-away leases)
• Low deposits
• No credit check or flexible credit standards

Basically, companies claim to give drivers a first-hand taste of ownership while also mitigating the associated financial risk.

How Truck Drivers Can Reduce The Risk Of Driving Distractions



from damncoolpictures.com



This photo seems rather improbable, so we can laugh at the silliness of it.  But in real life, accidents are no laughing matter.  And an accident involving an 18-wheeler is a frightening event, and often one that could have been avoided.

Over the last few years, there's been a surge of research and studies on the dangers of distracted driving.  In 2010, the federal government banned truck drivers nationwide from texting while driving, although some states had already implemented laws banning all drivers from texting behind the wheel.

But cell phone use isn't the only activity that is considered distracted driving and can lead to an increased risk of crashing.  A recent truck and train collision reminds drivers about the dangers of taking their focus off the road. 

On February 7, a truck driver was adjusting his electronic navigation system and ran off the highway, landing his tractor-trailer onto railroad tracks.  As he tried to locate his cell phone in the overturned truck's cab, his rig was rear-ended by a freight train.  When the train crew saw the truck ahead, they immediately applied emergency brakes and managed to slow down from 45 mph to 17 mph by the time the train hit the truck.

Although no one was injured in the crash, the impact peeled apart the empty trailer.  According to the state patrol, the truck driver will be charged with second-degree negligent driving.

Although it is generally accepted that cell phone use and texting is dangerous, research shows that eating, drinking, reaching for objects, and adjusting controls also divert the driver's attention away from the road and can increase the risk of an accident.  A study revealing that eating or drinking in the car is responsible for 80 percent of all car accidents and 65 percent of near misses.