Awards
The fight against the injustice of human trafficking is the work of thousands of dedicated and committed people taking place on continents and in countries around the world. As a global problem, it must have a global solution. TAT has turned to the members of the trucking, bus and energy industries, as well as to law enforcement, grantors, funders and other like-minded organizations and associations, to engage what we see as critical populations in this fight. Without the support, commitment and actions of each of these entities, we would cease to exist, and the gains made in the fight against human trafficking in North America would take a huge leap backward.
At TAT, we believe in the power of individuals and organizations to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking. We are grateful to be recognized for our work in this effort but, in line with our mission, we are proud to highlight members of the industries and agencies we work with that are changing and saving lives. Our awards – the Harriet Tubman Award and the TAT Champion Award – recognize those who have gone above and beyond to protect the vulnerable, raise awareness, and act as a force for change within the transportation industry and beyond. Through their dedication and commitment, they help bring us closer to a world free from human trafficking.
In 2013, TAT created an award to honor members of the trucking industry whose direct actions impacted those victimized by human trafficking. That award has now been expanded to include members of the bus and energy sectors as well. The goal is to recognize those whose actions helped to recover the exploited, improve the lives of victims or prevent human trafficking and/or sexual exploitation from taking place.
The award is named in honor of Harriet Tubman, the famed abolitionist credited with using the Underground Railroad to transport enslaved people to freedom. She was never caught and never lost a passenger.
Nomination Process
Anyone wishing to be considered for this award or who knows someone who should be considered for this award, which comes with a $5,000 prize, should fill out the nomination form. Nominators must be able to provide all of the details requested for the event or situation resulting in the intervention. Once TAT’s award selection committee has vetted the information, if there is a success story, the nomination will be submitted to the TAT award selection committee for consideration.
For company or school employee winners, both you and your company/school will be contacted concerning the award. Your company/school will receive a duplicate of the award you receive, so it can be displayed in your honor. Potential honorees must be employed by the truck, bus or energy industries.
If you’re an independent driver, you will be contacted about the award. All Harriet Tubman Award winners will be honored in TAT’s publications and on our website.
TAT Champion Award
Each year, we want to recognize and honor the outstanding creative, innovative, generous and dedicated efforts of specific TAT partners whose actions have significantly furthered our work in engaging more members of the industries we work with, as well as the efforts of more agencies and organizations within their state and our nation, in the fight to end this crime and recover more survivors and prosecute more perpetrators.
To that end, we have expanded the annual awards we present to include not only our highest honor, our prestigious Harriet Tubman award, but also the TAT Champion award.
Chief David Lorenzen, of Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement, receives the TAT Champion Award in the State Agency category on behalf of Iowa Motor Vehicle Enforcement, on April 1, 2019 at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance conference in Saint Louis, Missouri.
CEO of the American Trucking Associations, Chris Spear, receives the TAT Champion Award in the Association category on behalf of the American Trucking Associations, on October 7, 2019 at the ATA’s MCE in San Diego, California.
Chairman and CEO of Ryder System, Inc., Robert Sanchez, receives the TAT Champion Award in the Organization category on behalf of Ryder System, Inc., on June 5, 2019 at the Ryder Carrier Quality Awards dinner in Chicago, Illinois.
Major Mike Krumm of the Michigan State Police received the TAT Champion Award in the State Agency category on behalf of the Michigan State Police on September 21, 2020, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance virtual fall conference.
Hal Miller, Mississippi Trucking Association (MTA) president, (on right) and Steve Boudreaux, MTA Safety, Compliance and Membership director, received the TAT Champion Award in the Association category on behalf of the Mississippi Trucking Association, on May 8, 2020, via a virtual presentation.
Barry Richards, COO and president of TravelCenters of America, received the TAT Champion Award in the Organization category on behalf of the TravelCenters of America, on February 13, 2020, at the TravelCenters of America biannual leadership expo in Sandusky, Ohio.
Receiving the 2021 TAT Champion Award in the State Agency category for the Ohio State Highway Patrol were (L to R) Staff A Lieutenant Reimer, Captain Ray Martin and MCEIS Brandon Evans.
Dr. Ken Armstrong, outgoing FTA president and CEO (fourth from left), received the 2021 TAT Champion Award in the Association category for the Florida Trucking Association (FTA). From left are Scott Perry, TAT Board Chair and incoming FTA Board Chair; Phillip Fulmer, outgoing FTA Board Chair; Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director, who presented the award; Armstrong; and Dr. Alix Miller, FTA president and CEO.
From left: Lou Rivieccio and Nikki Clifton, from UPS, both spoke following the presentation of the 2021 TAT Champion Award in the Organization category to UPS by Kendis Paris, TAT executive director.
In 2022, TAT honored the Nebraska State Patrol Carrier Enforcement Division (NSP CED) with the TAT Champion Award in the State Agency category. Among its many anti-trafficking efforts, NSP CED has provided initial and ongoing human trafficking training to its officers, hosted and participated in numerous awareness activities throughout the state, and conducted undercover operations to disrupt human trafficking networks.
Jake Elovirta, director of Enforcement Programs at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), received the 2022 TAT Champion Award in the Association category on behalf of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Inland Kenworth received the 2022 TAT Champion Award in the Organization category. Inland Kenworth Trucking Company spearheaded the creation of three Everyday Heroes Trucks, which raised thousands of dollars in donations to TAT and helped raise awareness of human trafficking. Inland Kenworth also included TAT wallet cards in all of their new trucks, reaching over 60,000 drivers with TAT materials.
The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) Motor Carrier Safety Section received the 2023 TAT Champion Award winner in the Agency Category. CSP was recognized for its firm commitment to TAT’s mission, consistent training of their officers and willingness to take every opportunity to further their outreach to raise awareness of this crime. Louie Greek (far right), TAT Coalition Build specialist, presented the TAT Champion Award in the State Agency category to (from left) Captain John Hahn and LaDonna Rogers on behalf of the CSP Motor Carrier Safety Section.
The Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC) received the 2023 TAT Champion Award in the Association category. From TAT’s inception, State Trucking Associations have been instrumental in opening doors to their membership, championing human trafficking awareness to their constituencies and the media, supporting TAT financially.
Bridgestone, one of TAT’s earliest partners, received the 2023 TAT Champion Award in the Organization category. Bridgestone’s partnership with TAT began in 2013, and over the years, they’ve increased their investment in fighting human trafficking in numerous ways. Accepting the award from Esther Goetsch, TAT executive director (second from left) are (L to R) Debra Hamlin, director of Operations, BCDN; Josh Holland, vice president Dealer Development; and Steve Hoeft, president of Commercial Truck Group.
The Oregon Department of Transportation received the 2024 TAT Champion Award in the Agency category. Since 2018, ODOT has brought TAT trainers to the state three times to conduct multiple law enforcement trainings for their officers as well as officers from the Oregon State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies. Oregon DOT Program Analyst Ken Oke received the TAT Champion Award on behalf of ODOT at the 2024 the fall Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) conference.
The American Bus Association received the 2024 TAT Champion Award in the Association category at the ABA Bus Industry Safety Council’s Summer Meeting in Orlando, Florida. ABA was recognized for the instrumental role it played in helping to open doors for the launch of TAT’s bus program. Jeff Shanker, chairman of the ABA Bus Industry Safety Council and chief strategy officer at Black Tie Transportation, received the award on behalf of the ABA from Annie Sovcik, TAT senior director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives.
Winners will be notified of their selection each January (based on their work on TAT’s behalf the previous year). TAT will work with each winner for the best venue and date for their award presentation.
The TAT Champion Award recipients support TAT’s work in a myriad of ways including, but not limited to, the following:
State Agencies
- Trains officers and employees with TAT Law Enforcement Training DVD
- Stocks weigh stations, ports of entry and rest areas with TAT materials
- Ensures that every CDL issued (or renewed) is accompanied with a TAT wallet card
- Visits truck stops with TAT materials, urging them to train employees and distribute
- Visits bus terminals with materials, urging them to train employees and display signage
- Implements TAT training as part of mandatory safety meetings for truck and bus companies
- Ensures all school bus drivers are trained with materials by coordinating with proper agency
- Uses asset forfeiture funds to pay for TAT materials
- Collects data from interdiction stops that lead to human trafficking investigations
- Mandates anti-trafficking training for CDL schools statewide
- Hosts in-depth LE trainings
- Assists survivors in obtaining a driver’s license
- Co-hosts or participates in a TAT Coalition Build
- Provides feedback to TAT on applicable undercover investigations or relevant case studies
- Advocates with additional state agencies to adopt the IA MVE model, and with trucking, busing and schools in their state about TAT, inviting them to train their drivers
- Utilizes CDL manuals, websites, and other types of correspondence to train bus and truck drivers about the realities of human trafficking and how they can be part of the solution
- Plays TAT PSA wherever waiting room screens exist
- Shares success stories with TAT
Organizations
- TAT trains and registers employees
- Communicates with TAT when a call to the hotline has been made
- Adopts anti-trafficking policy with demand-reduction focus
- Engages leadership
- Leverages multiple streams of support from within the organization
- Provides speaking platforms for the TAT message
- Partners with TAT to assist law enforcement
- Shares TAT newsletter and publications
- Advocates with customers, clients, partners, employees, etc.
- Provides philanthropic support
- Donates hauls to the Freedom Driver’s Project and their driver’s time to help work the event
- Drivers participate in our Man-to-Man and TAT Ambassador programs
- Shares success stories with TAT
Associations
- Registers 100 percent of their board members’ companies as TAT Trained
- Advocates with membership to register as TAT trained on a continual basis (i.e. shares quarterly touches with member companies, shares HT news story from the newsletter with member companies, provides incentives for TAT training and registration, passes out TAT materials in the new member packet)
- Invites TAT to present at annual conference
- Works with TAT to assist law enforcement in their investigations and encourages them to adopt TAT’s Iowa MVE model
- Co-hosts a Coalition Build in their state
- Provides philanthropic support
- Enables the Freedom Drivers Project to participate in a trucking event in their state
- Has drivers from member companies participate in our Man-to-Man and TAT Ambassador programs
- Shares success stories with TAT
Awards Received by tat
- 2024 DOT Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award
- 2023 The Sword and Shield Award from the Attorney General Alliance
- 2020 Liberator Award from S.O.A.P. Project
- 2019 Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons
- 2018 Humanitarianism Appreciation Award from Dow Chemical, presented by Dow Road Logistics
- 2018 Chief’s Specialty Award from Michigan State Police
- 2018 Truck Safety Partner Award from the Michigan Trucking Association
- 2017 Linking Arms Award from In Our Backyard
- 2017 Mike Russell Trucking Image Award from the American Trucking Associations
- 2016 Award of Distinction from the Oklahoma Human Trafficking Taskforce
- 2015 Suzanne McDaniel Memorial Award for Public Awareness from Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus Awards
- 2014 Award of Service from Trafficking in America Taskforce
- 2013 Top 100 Practices to Combat Human Trafficking recognition by UN GIFT
- 2012 Norma Hotaling Award for Innovative Demand Reduction from Global Centurion
- 2012 Congressional Recognition Award from U.S. Senator Joe Heck, NV
- 2011 Special Recognition Award from Truck Driver Social Media Convention
- 2011 The Good Buddy Award from the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut