Individuals who are convicted of a human trafficking crime would be prohibited from operating commercial vehicles for life under a bill that the House of Representatives recently approved.
The No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act would direct the secretary of transportation to draft regulations that impose a lifetime ban that applies to individuals convicted of using a commercial vehicle in the course of human trafficking. Similar prohibitions are in place for those convicted of drug trafficking.
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY), who sponsored a House version of the bill, said he’s witnessed the “horrors” of human trafficking first-hand as a former prosecutor on the northern and southern borders.
“Too often, human traffickers take advantage of our nation’s transportation network to transport their victims from one location to the next,” Katko said. “The U.S. Department of Transportation and the transportation industry play a critical role in preventing and stopping these heinous exploitations.”
Katko commended the trucking industry for efforts to train drivers to identify human trafficking through organizations like Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT).
“Truck drivers are often a critical asset in helping law enforcement identify victims who otherwise might go unseen,” Katko said. “However, an isolated few individuals have taken advantage of their position to illegally traffic innocent people. We must stop this from occurring.”