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Explore the world of driver recruiting with the HireTruckers Podcast! Join us as we talk to recruiting experts, offering industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to enhance your recruiting skills. Whether you're a seasoned recruiter or just starting, our podcast is here to help you level up your game in the trucking industry.
Welcome to the HireTruckers podcast, where we interview experts in driver recruiting. We provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to help you level up your recruiting game. Before we start today's episode, we want to offer a trigger warning. Our guest story includes depictions of abuse and human trafficking. These topics can be distressing and triggering for some listeners.
Speaker 1:If you find this content difficult to hear, please take care of yourself and consider skipping this episode. Remember, your well-being is important and there are resources available if you need support. We will speak more about these resources throughout this episode. Welcome to the Hire Truckers podcast. I'm your host, Erin Craddock.
Speaker 1:And today, we have with us Micah Larson with Truckers Against Trafficking. I'm super excited about this chat today. And, yeah, I've been praying that we actually, you know, save lives, just as a result of this episode, like, in terms of raising awareness and even if it's just one life, getting them out of trafficking. Just a warning, this is sensitive content in that we're talking about trafficking, human trafficking. And so if you don't wanna listen, I would recommend dropping off now.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for joining us today. So a little bit of background on Micah Larson. So Micah joined, Truckers Against Trafficking a little while back and specifically works with the Freedom Drivers Project exhibit. And so I was first exposed to that exhibit with at the Mid America Truck Show years ago. And and I just remember how gripping it was, going in and, you know, seeing the different artifacts, from survivors and trafficking.
Speaker 1:And it's actually really cool. It's like inside a tractor trailer. And you can go in and see different videos about survivors and just learn a little bit about it. And so I'm super excited to This is a little bit different than our typical show. However, I just think it's important to the trucking industry.
Speaker 1:And I kinda share in this passion of just raising awareness, like hard things happen in the world And we should be aware of it. Like, we shouldn't, just live under a rock. We should know it's happening and be aware and be vigilant. Yeah. So I hope this inspires you today and makes an impact on lives.
Speaker 1:So let's start out, Micah, with just defining what human trafficking is. Like, what what does that actually look like?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Well, in short, we say that human trafficking is modern day slavery. That's the short definition. But the long definition, the actual definition is that human trafficking is the exploitation of human beings through force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of v berg, either commercial sex. And when I say commercial sex, I want you to think prostitution, stripping, pornography, brothels, and most typically pimps, as well as forced labor or labor trafficking and, you know, think sweatshops, agricultural fields, workers not being paid for their labor or being held against their will, or being forced to work long hours.
Speaker 2:And all of this is being driven by a trafficker or a victimizer. This is the person who is in control and is making a profit off of somebody else's labor. This is human trafficking, and it is indeed modern day slavery.
Speaker 1:Yeah. My first exposure to where I've kind of became aware that this was such a big problem was I did, I studied abroad and then did some mission work like in Thailand years ago. And it's just such a big industry there. I think the stat is, like, there is more brothels than schools and and, you know, just a multibillion dollar industry. And then I was kinda surprised when I got back to United States that it's the biggest consumers of child trafficking.
Speaker 1:I was reading a stat, yesterday with another organization that, like, the biggest consumers are are in the United States and of a 100 and 5th yeah. It's like a $150,000,000,000 annual industry. So, I mean, this is this is everywhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And that's I think a lot of people who don't understand human trafficking, right away think it's something that happens far away. When in actuality, like you said, it happens everywhere. It happens all over the globe. It's not you're right.
Speaker 2:It is a $150,000,000,000
Speaker 1:tell us a story. Like I want people to actually relate to this. And when we were chatting last week, you said you guys have, the program or award called the Harriet Tubman Award. And so if you can kinda tell me about our recent recipient of that and just a little bit about that story just so we can make this a little more little more personal.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Absolutely. The Harriet Tubman award is TATS' most prestigious award that is awarded to somebody who is nominated either through their company or somebody that they know every year who ended up using either TATS training or calling the National Human Trafficking hotline number, in order to recover a victim from the life of human trafficking. And so that's kind of the context behind this story is that, Joe Aguayo, who is a driver for Winco Foods, was our 2023 Tad Harriet Tubman award winner. And, he was driving in a part of the country in the mountains that was well known for its lack of cell phone service, and there's not many people up there, but it's a common truck driver's route.
Speaker 2:And so he was driving his route, and he's up in the middle of the of, you know, middle of the nowhere in the mountains, and he sees something that right away he knows was not correct. He saw a young woman whose head was shaved. The only thing that she was wearing was a beach towel, and she had no idea where she was. And so he very quickly obviously knew that something was not right about that situation. And while still adhering to his company's policy of not allowing anybody in the passenger seat who is an unknown passenger, He continued to drive down the road for a couple of more minutes until he saw a police, call box, pulled over on the side of the road, called it in, and said, hey.
Speaker 2:I just saw something that I, you know, I'm I I suspect might be either human trafficking or such as something's not right. Gave police her description and the general location that he was in, and she ended up being recovered. And it turned out she was actually a victim of human trafficking, And the area in which she was at was a common dumping ground for a lot of human traffickers or victimizers, particularly for the indigenous community, of victims of human trafficking. And so she ended up getting some help. And because of that, and Tat vets all their stories, and we went through a a big vetting process with WinCo and with law enforcement.
Speaker 2:And because of that, he was nominated by WinCo Foods for the Harriet Tubman award, and we decided to award him with it for 2023.
Speaker 1:That's great. So is it usually that obvious, like, someone in a towel, or is it like, what are what are kind of the signs we should be
Speaker 2:Yeah. There are just
Speaker 1:watching out for it because I'm because I'm thinking if this is that prevalent and, you know, because I'm in the trucking industry, like, even in our our 4 wheeler, as they say, like, we stop at truck stops and Right. And then I'm in airports all the time. Like, what should kinda raise a flag where, hey. Something's off here. Like, what should we be looking for?
Speaker 2:Well, there's all sorts of different things. And I I like to always preface by saying that, you know, each instance in each case is gonna look different. You know what I mean? Like, not every case is the exact same. But you are right.
Speaker 2:Anybody who travels on a on a plane, anybody who goes on a road trip or goes to a gas station or a hotel is in the right spot to be more aware. And so we also like to say that, you know, we are we do focus on the truck and the bus and the energy industry, but really, it's anybody can be a trucker against trafficking. Anybody can be a tat. And so it it has different looks, but, some of the things in particular that we try to point out, especially in our law enforcement trainings, are those red flags or those or those indicators of human trafficking to look out for. You know, sometimes somebody has been branded with an inappropriate tattoo, because victimizers will brand their victims with either a tattoo or something like that that claims ownership around them.
Speaker 2:So, there have been several instances of a of a story of a police officer who has pulled over a car and and saw a really inappropriate tattoo that just doesn't really make sense for somebody as as young as they were to have it. It's also things like, you know, try and pay attention to the age of that person. Does this person look like they're maybe supposed to be out by themselves without their parents? Or we also like to say pay attention to the kind of clothes that they're wearing. What does the weather look like and do those two things correlate, right?
Speaker 2:If it's really cold outside and you see somebody who's really young and she's wearing not a lot of clothes or he's wearing not a lot of clothes or, you know, they've been caked in makeup. Right? Those kind of things are red flag indicators. That's what we call those those red flags to look out for because those are not normal, you know, things that you see on just about anybody out and about. So stuff like that, but it looks different in almost every case.
Speaker 2:But it's also just looking looking to see, does that person look like they're okay? That's a big one. And then how do you feel inside of your stomach? You know, is it a gut feeling that, you know, hey, something might be wrong. And anytime it does feel wrong, it's okay to call that national human trafficking hotline number.
Speaker 2:There's no consequences to calling it. We we and also every law enforcement officer that I've ever talked to about human trafficking is always like, we would rather you call the number. We would rather you call us so that we can check it out even if it is nothing, but it still could be something, which is why we wanna check it out. So
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. This makes me, you know, I'm always focused on, like, where I'm going and Right. What I'm doing and how to get there. I don't think I really pay enough attention just to, like, who's hurting around me, like, what could be off, and, yeah, like, just the yeah, just, I think the aim of this show is like, what if even, you know, one life could be saved, one person could be kinda brought out of this.
Speaker 1:And so hopefully everyone listening is thinking of what, like so first of all, save this number in your phone. I will make sure we have it in the show notes, but just just have it have it ready to go. And, and, again, in not all cases, something wrong is going on. But I like what Micah said about just trusting your gut. Like, does something seem off?
Speaker 1:Alright. Well, let's just raise awareness of it. You know, the people aren't gonna get in trouble if they're not doing anything wrong. And, yeah, we just gotta look out for people that can't look out for themselves. So, Micah, you know, when I was talking speaking with you and Brandy last week, which I really enjoyed speaking with both of you, just you said you've gotten to being a part of, like, your job within TAT or Truckers Against Trafficking is a little unique and that you get to work with the mobile driving unit and you actually get to talk to drivers at different truck shows like, coming up the Mid America Truck Show.
Speaker 1:I know you guys will be at that. Shout out. I hope you all go, see see Micah and Brandy at the at the booth. But you you get to talk to truckers and, like, hear their stories. Like, what's something that kinda jumps out?
Speaker 1:Either a pattern of kinda what different truckers have shared, like what they've seen or been exposed to, or gotten out of a situation, like some type of personal story? Just like, what what have you kinda noticed just firsthand talking with drivers?
Speaker 2:Well, I would say, number 1, the first thing that I've noticed with truck drivers and and those industry professionals is that they're some of the best people I've ever met. I mean, truckers are so passionate about what they do, and the transportation industry is such a big industry, and they're so proud to be a part of it. So that's I would say that's the first thing I noticed. But the other part of it is that they're always willing to go through the trailer again or to, oh, hey. I know about y'all.
Speaker 2:Let me go grab the rest of my family, and we'll go through the trailer. You know? Truckers one of the reasons that the founder of Tat really identified with the trucking industry was because she knew that they would take the matter personally. She knew that they would take this issue upon themselves to, you know, to take up arms, if you will, and join the fight against human trafficking. You know, take that training and really take it seriously.
Speaker 2:And I would say that has been the truth in every in every way that I've experienced it. There have also just been so many interest instances in which, truckers, you know, they'll go through the trailer and they'll say, you know, I wish I had known about this. I wish I had known about you guys years years ago because there have been times where I've been at a truck stop, or there have been times when I've been out on the road or, you know, at a hotel or at my drop zone, and I've seen something that's not right or I've had a knock on my cab door. And I'm so glad that I know about you guys now and that I've taken your training or, you know, I'm so glad that I've discovered about you guys today so that I can go and and be really passionate about this.
Speaker 1:So, Micah, my next question is, I know you, you and Brandy get to talk a lot to survivors as you you guys are at at the show in that mobile unit. What are some takeaways, whether it's patterns that you've noticed in talking with different drivers or, yeah, just what's something that kinda sticks out from talking with truckers at the different shows?
Speaker 2:They're very passionate, and a lot of them are so funny. But, every time I noticed at a truck show that they'll go through the trailer or, you know, that they're like, oh, Truckers Against Trafficking. We've heard of you guys, or I take your training every single year. They're always like, let me go grab the rest of my family to come through the trailer and, so we can get as much exposure as we can or they just really care about the issue. And so, you know, having them say, you know, like, hey.
Speaker 2:I wish I had known about your guys' training years before, or I wish that I had, you know, heard about you guys, like, 10, 20 years ago because I've had somebody knock on my cab door, or because I've seen something that I just didn't feel right a long time ago. It just goes to show that, you know, the training that we have created for the trucking industry and and the bus in the energy industry are are being put to good use, and it shows that it's working, in the real world, which is always really great to see. Because I forget that a lot of the other members of our our staff don't get to experience talking to truckers on a day to day basis. And so it's a great reminder every time I get to talk to somebody from the transportation industry that our work is being put into action.
Speaker 1:That's huge. Yeah. And you really don't know like, you'll never really know the scale of the impact. Because you know a lot of people never share their story with you or I mean it is it, you know, just kind of a work of, like, hey. We're gonna put the training out there.
Speaker 1:We're gonna raise awareness, and and we don't know exactly what's gonna happen. But it's just cool that that you guys have been doing that for a long time. And and how many people does Tad or Truckers Against Trafficking have have on your team?
Speaker 2:We have about 20 people, so we're a very small but mighty force.
Speaker 1:Yeah. That's awesome. That's that's just cool that you have 20 people just dedicated to to a cause like this. So speaking of that, like, how long has Truckers Against Trafficking been around? And, like, give me a little bit more history and context of how the organization first began.
Speaker 2:100%. So we've been around since 2009, and the original creator, the original, founder of Truckers Against Trafficking was a woman who read a book called Not For Sale, which is about human trafficking still being a a rather large issue in the United States, but really around the globe as well. And she was mortified, to to say the least about how big the issue still is in the modern day age. And it really touched her, and so she she called her 4 daughters up, and said, hey, I'm I'm telling you to read this book. I I really want you guys to read it so that we can get together and kinda discuss what we can do about it because I truly think that we just as people, we we could do something about this issue.
Speaker 2:So the 4 daughters read the book, they all got together, And that idea, like I said, that that idea of the trucking industry being a a good industry to start with came from her in her mindset because when she was really little, her parents owned a, a bed and breakfast in Texas, and a lot of truckers would stop to to have breakfast and hang out with her parents. And so there were a lot of truck drivers around her childhood that were always so nice to her, and that she always said that they had kind of felt like family. You know? And so she knew that, again, they would take the matter personally, and they would do everything they could as a as an industry to, you know, back the mission of what she was trying to do. So it started as a, a Christian ministries called chapter 61 ministries, and they did they worked really, really hard to get it off the ground.
Speaker 2:Because like anything in the beginning, it's tough for something to, you know, to take off. And so once they they started really, you know, hit hitting the ground running, it quickly became too big to be just a Christian ministries anymore. And so that's when it became a nonprofit and became Truckers Against Trafficking. And so we've been around since 2009, which is just it's crazy to see the amount that the company has grown from that time to now and seeing all that we've done, but also seeing all that's still left to be done too.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Where where do you get funding? Like, is this government funded through grants? Or or how do you
Speaker 2:That's a really good question. So we we actually don't have any government funding whatsoever. We're fully sponsored through our corporate sponsorships. So, you know, UPS, Amazon, you know, any of our our corporate sponsors that we have, that's how we are able to do everything that we can do in all of our training and afford to, you know, travel the country and do presentations on human trafficking and stuff like that. Is all done through our corporate sponsors.
Speaker 2:So we are very thankful for them pretty much every day for their gift to us and and their belief in our mission statement and the work that we do. Because that is exactly that is exactly how we operate on a day to day basis.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And our audience for this podcast is is generally like directors of recruitment, recruiting directors, retention, but also c level executives, VPs, you know, at some of the top fleets in the country. So so hopefully somebody listening to like, if you feel if you feel like you should reach out and and wanna be more of a part of this, like through your fleet, just reach out to them. Like, if somebody's wanting to be a corporate sponsor for TAT, like, what is the best way for them to reach out to you guys?
Speaker 2:Well, the best way is to go to our website at www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org. And our our full staff and all of our information is is on there, and so you can reach out to any one of us as a staff member. You could reach out to me and my my email or my phone number and say, hey. We're we're this company, and we are we heard you guys on the on the podcast, and we would love to do something about it or become a corporate sponsor. And absolutely, we would love to make that happen.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Another thing that we had talked about, Micah, was just the education piece. Like in a couple of different states, it's required that people actually watch the drivers watch your training. Like, how does that how does that work also if fleets wanna implement that training and that education, like, with all of their drivers just to just as an initiative?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Absolutely. And that's actually that's a good point. A lot of companies before they're even a corporate sponsor, will just say, hey. We're just interested in your training.
Speaker 2:We wanna implement your training, and that's how we wanna support you, and that is totally okay as well. We we love that people wanna use and utilize our training. And it's it's same thing. You reach out to any of us on staff, and and we'll get you set up and started with that. But it's it's fairly simple process.
Speaker 2:You download it to your your ELD or whatever system that you use and, make it a part of your regular training. And, we have we have got a lot of positive feedback on our training and how easy it is to use and implement it into their systems.
Speaker 1:So one of the things you you had mentioned, Micah, in our pre call is the different industries that you that you work in. So it's expanded a little bit outside of trucking. So can you talk a little bit more about just the industries you guys are working in now? And just what different what different programs, does TAT do?
Speaker 2:Yeah. That's a great question. So even though our name is Truckers Against Trafficking, and we did start in the trucking industry, we're really so much more than that now. TAP recognized the importance of the bussing and the energy industries as well. And so we have full full on different programs for those, industries as well.
Speaker 2:So, like, for instance, I was just recently at a coalition bill, which is another thing that we do in, Carrizo Springs, Texas, which was an energy coalition bill. So there were members of a bunch of different energy companies in the area that are, you know, in the area for oil. And it was near the borders. There was border security, and there were FBI agents and local law enforcement that had gotten together. So our energy industry is a is a very important one.
Speaker 2:But then we also have our busing on the lookout program, as well as our youth on transportation because we recognize that, you know, like you said, human trafficking is a big problem everywhere, even in the United States. And so there are kids who are being, you know, a victim of human trafficking on a day to day basis, and those kids have to go to school. Right? So training school bus drivers to be able to recognize if maybe something's off with one of the students that drives on their bus is something that, you know, one of the initiatives that we've taken on. We also train law enforcement officers as well.
Speaker 2:And that's another big part of what TAT does is, we've traveled around the country for the better part of a decade with all sorts of different law enforcement offices and agencies, just training them on those red flag indicators. And it's it's it's usually I've been fortunate enough to attend one myself, and it is crazy to see, you know, 60, 70, 80 cops all in one room listen to, you know, 1 person from TAP or 2 people from TAP because typically it's somebody who does the presentation, and then the other half of the presentation is a survivor that shares their story. And so, you know, sharing good instances with, you know, law enforcement and also some not so good instances with law enforcement. So that, you know, those officers can get that perspective on what human trafficking is like for the victim. So those are kinda just all the different things that that we kind of have our fingers in, but TAP also likes to make sure that anything that we do aligns with, you know, with our mission statement as a company, which is basically those 3 sectors.
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Speaker 1:Visit truckingclicks.com or call 512-982-0816 today. So I know you mentioned the story of Joe Agayo earlier, winning the Harriet Tubman award. Do you have kind of another example that sticks out to you that you've heard in one of those presentations? You can use the name or not, but just kind of another one that that sticks out in your mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Absolutely. This next story is one that we usually use in our presentations just as a just as a way to let people know how ugly the crime of human trafficking really is, because it is not it's not a pretty crime. It's one of the, the greatest human rights violations of all time. And so even though this story is does have some sensitive content in it, we do find it to be a very important story to share.
Speaker 2:It's actually a pretty, popular case in terms of the fact that it it made big news. But there were, there was a couple named Laura Sorensen and Aldair Hadza. And in January of 2015, they had pulled their RV into a TA truck stop, and police were quickly called to the scene. And when troopers arrived, they immediately knew that something was wrong. Sorensen and Hadza were almost giddy with law enforcement over answering their questions.
Speaker 2:They were offering them cookies and even insisted that they sit down and relax, and really, this is not really normal behavior for someone who's being investigated by police. And there was a third person in the RV, and she wasn't talking. Her hair was pulled up into a greasy bun on the top of her head. She was very pale, and very heavily made up with makeup, which is one of those indicators that we had talked about. And she kept her eyes down the entire time.
Speaker 2:And at one point, Sorensen and Hadza pointed out of the front of the RV to a landmark that they had said they wanted to visit later that day. And at that point, the young woman had looked up and signaled to the officer that she needed help. She was removed from the RV, and when she got outside, that's when she told them her really horrific story. She's 20 years old. She had been kidnapped from her her home in Iowa 2 weeks ago by these two people.
Speaker 2:She had been beaten, raped, and her entire body had been burned with instruments that were heated up on the RV stove. She had been branded, tortured, and at one point, she had managed to get away. But when Sorensen and Hadza had tracked her down, they actually jammed nails into her feet so that she wouldn't be able to run away again. She was being sold through Craigslist ads that they were posting of her, and men were just coming to the RV that had paid to have sex with her. She hadn't eaten in a week and couldn't remember the last time that she had had anything to drink.
Speaker 2:And at that point, she felt as though she was literally going to die. And if that call had not been made to bring law enforcement out to the RV, the doctors actually said that she would have died from malnutrition and the torture that she had suffered. And, again, it's a brutal story, but that is what sex trafficking looks like in our country, which is why it's a really important story that we do share.
Speaker 1:Yeah. That's hard, yeah, hard for me to hear. And I think we should just think about just, like, this is reality. Like, this isn't, like, a TV show that you're watching. Like, a lot of times we become desensitized.
Speaker 1:Like like this is real. That's like a real life saved. And so I would say like if this, you know, story grips you and you have, you know, like run a recruiting department or an executive, like reach out to Truckers Against Trafficking, go to their website, connect. Also in the show notes, we'll have, Mica's info, and how you can get in touch with them. But yeah, that's kind of the next step is it's one thing to like get all the kinda like in the recruiting world.
Speaker 1:Like, we get all this info, like, how can we improve our recruiting processes? How can we hire more drivers? And then, you know, sometimes we don't execute. Well, this is a similar thing. I mean, but this is more important than that.
Speaker 1:Like, this is more important than growing your fleet. Like this is about saving lives. And so, and, you know, helping people that don't have a voice. And so, yeah, I would just encourage all of you guys like to just, hey, if you feel prompted, like reach out to these guys. You might not now know how you can implement their training or if you should have them come in and speak or if you your fleet can give financially.
Speaker 1:Like, but it doesn't really matter. I would just say reach out to Micah and his team. You know, I had great conversations with Micah and Brandy. And, yeah, I just encourage you guys to reach out. So, well, thank you so much, Micah, for your time today.
Speaker 1:And, yeah, just for supporting this this amazing cause and and doing this as your career. That's just really cool. I look forward to seeing you. I don't know if it'll be at the mid mid America Truck Show or some other event coming up this year, but look forward to sitting down and chatting more and talking about how we can have a bigger impact through our network. So thanks again, Micah.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me on the podcast. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:I appreciate it. Thank you for joining us today. Our goal with the Hire Truckers podcast is to provide industry insights, marketing trends, and motivation to level up your recruiting game. If we added value, take a few seconds to share this with your network. Have a great week.