The goal for this human trafficking project would be to increase contacts with class three (3), four (4), or five (5) trucks engaged in expedited freight transport (i.e., hotshot carriers),…

This federal Project Grant award, provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance High Priority Activities Grants and Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA 20.237), allocates $334,996 to support an initiative focused on identifying potential human trafficking victims engaged in expedited freight transport operations.

The key activities of this 2-year project include conducting 3,000 overtime hours of targeted details to identify non-traditional commercial motor vehicles that may be attempting to evade detection and investigating them for potential human trafficking. The goal is to increase contacts with Class 3, 4, or 5 trucks engaged in expedited freight transport, a common mode used by human traffickers, in order to identify victims and address related violations. This grant award to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio aims to enhance the agency's expertise in commercial motor vehicle safety, hazardous materials inspection, and transportation infrastructure protection through federally-funded initiatives.

The goal for this human trafficking project would be to increase contacts with class three (3), four (4), or five (5) trucks engaged in expedited freight transport (i.e., hotshot carriers), identifying potential victims, and addressing violations. This project allocates 3,000 overtime hours conducting details to identify non-traditional CMV that may be attempting to elude and investigate for potential human trafficking victims.