Indiana State Police to join National Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative

Monday, January 12, 2026 at 10:00 PM

By Kathy Bottorff

Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement units will participate in a nationwide human trafficking awareness campaign next week, engaging with commercial truck drivers who are often the first line of defense in spotting trafficking victims.

The initiative, conducted in partnership with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), will take place January 12-16, 2026, across the United States.

During the five-day campaign, ISP commercial vehicle enforcement officers will hold conversations with commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers during routine roadside inspections. Officers will distribute educational materials from TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking), an organization dedicated to combating human trafficking.

The awareness initiative will be conducted across North America in phases: the United States from January 12-16, Canada from February 23-27, and Mexico from March 16-20.

According to authorities, commercial motor vehicle drivers often operate in places where human trafficking may occur, including truck stop parking lots, rest areas, and commercial locations that could be using labor trafficking victims.

Statistics show that more than 40% of human trafficking cases reported by truck drivers have involved minor victims. Nearly 2.5 million professionals in the trucking industry have been trained by TAT to recognize signs of trafficking.

According to the United Nations, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception with the aim of exploiting them for profit.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative is part of CVSA's Human Trafficking Prevention Program, which seeks to reduce human trafficking throughout North America through coordinated enforcement, investigative efforts, and educational awareness within the commercial motor vehicle industry.

For more information about awareness, recognition, and prevention of human trafficking, including educational materials and a video featuring a human trafficking survivor, visit CVSA's Human Trafficking Resources page at cvsa.org/programs/human-trafficking-prevention/resources/ or the TAT website at tatnonprofit.org.