Human trafficking is a crime happening in all 50 states, and in every locale -- urban, rural, suburban and even places in between. Victims are children, teens, women and men from every walk of life and social class, and traffickers run the gamut of people groups as well. It’s a crime driven by greed, where people are sold for commercial sex or forced labor by a trafficker who has used force, fraud or coercion to capture and control victims, also known as modern-day slaves. Members of the transportation industry – and, in particular, drivers – can play a critical role in identifying and reporting this crime, helping to recover victims and have perpetrators arrested, because a lot of trafficking takes place along highways and in venues drivers often frequent in the course of their jobs.
Every year, TAT (formerly called Truckers Against Trafficking) honors a member of the trucking, bus or energy industry, whose direct actions help save or improve the lives of those exploited or prevent human trafficking from taking place, with the Harriet Tubman Award, $5000 and a trophy. The award was named in honor of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, whose courageous personal actions resulted in the transportation of 300 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad and whose overall role in the freedom movement was instrumental in the freeing of thousands more.
This year, Charles Bernsen, general manager of the Petro in Florence, South Carolina, received the 2024 TAT Harriet Tubman Award presented by Progressive Commercial.
Bernsen, one of 18,000 TA employees who receive TAT’s human trafficking training annually, noticed a distressed young woman hanging around the store. She would disappear for periods of time into the restroom but then reappear in the lobby area. After a couple days of seeing her repeatedly, Bernsen approached her and asked if she needed help. She burst into tears, telling him she had escaped a man who had been holding her captive in a hotel across the street from the TA where he’d been selling her for sex. Bernsen offered her food, clothing, a blanket and information about TAT. He had her call the National Human Trafficking Hotline and speak to them, and then purchased a bus ticket for her to get home and provided money for expenses along the way. The young woman, Nikki, later made a video with TAT about her experience and said Bernsen’s soft-spoken demeanor and compassion enabled her to trust him.
Bernsen said the TAT training definitely better prepared him for this situation. “Once you’ve been exposed to all this evil,” he shared, “it’s always in the back of your mind that this could be happening, and it could happen in the blink of an eye. The education, the videos and conferences we’ve gone to have been a huge help.”
“Charles's vigilance, empathy, and acute actions for Nikki exemplify TAT's mission,” stated Esther Goetsch, TAT executive director. “He knew exactly what to do when he found himself in the right place at the right time, a crucial moment that changed everything for her. Instead of turning a blind eye, he acted with compassion and courage.”
Read about former winners of the Harriet Tubman Award and the nomination process on TAT’s website, as well as the free training resources and app available to educate and equip you with the information you need to recognize and report human trafficking when you think you see it.
Looking back on the 2016 and 2020 campaigns, as well as his first term in office, President Trump was a vocal supporter of trucking, highlighting trucks on the White House lawn and as background images for campaign rallies and speaking positively about the industry.
Each January, ICSA recommends its members log on and take the online training to become TAT certified in spotting and reporting trafficking.
Since May 2020, truckers have been able to file DataQs requesting that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) evaluate the preventability of 16 specific crash types.