Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that occurs in every state, including Arkansas and Oklahoma. As logistics providers, truck drivers can be a key line of defense in reporting this problem. In Arkansas alone, approximately 600 calls have been made to authorities reporting suspected human trafficking activities. In Oklahoma, the count is much higher at nearly 1,200 calls. Both of these figures are since 2007.
Here is an excerpt of a message that our founder and owner Steve Jones sent in our August newsletter regarding this issue:
“We at On Time Logistics are joining the fight against human trafficking through Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT). Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is a 501(c) 3 that exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize the trucking industry to combat human trafficking as part of their regular jobs.
According to TAT’s website, “modern-day slavery, or human trafficking exists whenever people are bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Around the world, there are an estimated 20.9 million slaves today. Human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states, and the number of victims in the United States is estimated in the hundreds of thousands.”
It would be easy to think that “things like this” don’t happen near where we live but the truth is, it does. Our own drivers have reported being approached by people who are being prostituted right here in Northwest Arkansas. We want to be proactive about helping stop this problem.
Since I founded this company, our mission has been to provide quality service to each customer. Our dedication to excellence also translates to taking care of our community. Our drivers will now have a sticker on all their OTL vehicles to promote the cause against human trafficking. We will have information on our website that talks about the issue and are joining major trucking companies across the country to promote this cause.
We invite you to join with us for this cause. You will be seeing more from us about this topic including on our blog, social media, and from our truck drivers. Together, we can truly make a difference in stopping this heinous crime.