William Brady has been a truck driver for 17 years.
It’s a job he loves, but he said he’s seen what appears to be human sex trafficking at truck stops. He wants it to stop and wants to help victims.
“That is someone’s family member,” Brady said.
So, William got involved with the group Truckers against Trafficking. They are working to educate truck drivers on how to spot and report human sex trafficking.
It’s important they say because in 2011, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida third in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline.
“It’s all over. It’s in our own backyards,” Brady said.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has partnered with the state Department of Transportation to spread the anti-human trafficking message along Florida's major roadways to fight the $32 billion industry.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers said they’ve seen problems at truck stops but say proving human sex trafficking is very difficult.
As for William Brady, he would like to see more calls made to the hotline by both truck drivers and people in the community.
“All you have to do is pick up the phone and call," Brady said. "That just makes a difference for one person or many people in some circumstance.”
He’s got signs on the side of his truck that explain his cause. It’s an effort to get the word out about the group Truckers Against Trafficking.
“I was always wondering how I could help," Brady said. "Now I have a chance to be, you know, hopefully be an influence on someone and hopefully get them the help they need.”
And that’s the goal: to educate, equip and empower members of the trucking and travel plaza industry.
If you see evidence of human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888.