The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA), a non-profit association that represents the interests of the less-than-truckload (LTL) motor carrier industry, announced today that it has signed the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking (TLAHT) initiative. As January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the initiative is comprised of travel and transportation industry professionals who are collectively working to maximize their shared impact in combating human trafficking.
“NMFTA is committed to doing everything in our power to be a source of aid for this cause,” said Debbie Sparks, Executive Director of NMFTA. “As a leader in the industry, it is our responsibility to contribute resources to help create a solution to this highly problematic trend that we are witnessing and is also impacting the transportation sector. When all companies unite, more can be accomplished, and further insight into this problem will create safer environments for statistically at-risk individuals.”
According to the DOT, over 27.6 million women, children, and men are trafficked into forced prostitution and labor. TLAHT prioritizes five critical aspects of human trafficking and connects transportation stakeholders to available resources regarding industry training and education, public awareness, policy awareness, information sharing and analysis, and industry leadership. The initiative strives to increase knowledge pertaining to the national crisis and create additional resources to support the efforts of directly combating the issue.
This month, Sparks officially signed the TLAHT pledge on behalf of NMFTA. First, the pledge calls for all participating companies to unite within the transportation industry against human trafficking. Secondly, all participants pledge to educate their employees and other stakeholders to recognize and report signs of human trafficking.
This effort will also raise awareness among the traveling public by utilizing common messaging in targeted outreach campaigns and measuring the collective impact on human trafficking by tracking and sharing key data points.
To learn more about NMFTA, its pledge to TLAHT, and to view a wealth of industry research and resources available, visit www.nmfta.org.
About NMFTA
Since 1956, the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.™ (NMFTA) has represented the interests of the less-than-truckload (LTL) motor carrier industry. The NMFTA publishes the National Motor Freight Classification® (NMFC®), assigns Standard Carrier Alpha Code™ (SCAC®), assignment of Standard Point Location Codes® (SPLC™), develops digital standards for the LTL industry, and safeguards those digital standards through cybersecurity research, dissemination of studies, and education. Membership in NMFTA is available to all for-hire interstate and intrastate motor carriers. For more information, visit www.nmfta.org.
Contact
Marli Hall
Director of Communications
marli.hall@nmfta.org
703-665-3559
