Colorado may officially make truckers a part of the fight against human trafficking
Bill would require all Colorado commercial driver’s license candidates to complete a human trafficking awareness course
December 4, 2017
Truck and automobile traffic mix on Interstate 5, headed north through Fife, Wash., near the Port of Tacoma on Aug. 24, 2016. The federal government wants to limit how fast trucks, buses and other large vehicles can drive on the nation’s highways. A new regulation posted Friday, Aug. 26, would impose the nationwide limit by electronically capping speeds with a device on newly-made U.S. vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds.
Truckers have long been the eyes and ears of the road, and the industry and Colorado lawmakers want to officially put that perspective to use as the state continues its growing battle against human trafficking.
A proposal next year would do that through legislation by requiring all new commercial driver's license candidates in the state to go through a course teaching them how to identify the tell-tale signs of trafficking. And what to do if they spot them.
It's a model that follows what's being done in several other states and that the industry says has shown success — and that it's happy to support.
"It was really something that a lot of our companies and drivers have embraced," said Greg Fulton, president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, an industry group. "It's like having an army of additional eyes and ears out there to be monitoring this."
