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Human trafficking in the US -

This modern form of slavery traps hundreds of thousands of people into forced sex work, labor, and abuse in a US$150 billion global business, exceeding the illegal sale of arms and expected to exceed illegal drug sales, American Trucker reports.

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The numbers -

According to the Polaris Project, the International Labor Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims globally, 25% of which are children.

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Child trafficking in the US -

Victims of child trafficking are often kidnapped or recruited, lured through websites or in-person at their school, shopping centers, or just on the street.

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46 children in America are taken and sold into slavery each day -

According to the nonprofit organization Erase Child Trafficking, 17,000 children are taken each year in the US alone.

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Traffickers don't discriminate - Kidnappings happen everywhere, and the online presence of traffickers becomes more dangerous every day. That being said, there are specific types of children that make up a higher percentage of the trafficking business.

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Who is most vulnerable? -

Children who are homeless or runaways, LGBTQ, African American or Latino, and those in the child welfare system have higher recorded numbers in this particularly awful kind of exploitation, according to the nonprofit Thorn.

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One in six runaways are victims -

The National Center of Missing & Exploited Children estimates that, of the 18,500 runaways reported in 2016, one in six were victims of sex trafficking, the Polaris Project reports.

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The runaways were largely from foster homes -

The Polaris Project also reports that 86% of those 18,500 runaways were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran.

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Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) -

The nonprofit organization was created in 2009 to inform truckers about how to spot and report human trafficking, as they are "the eyes and ears of our nation's highways," their website says. With support from law enforcement agencies, some states require their drivers to undergo this training.

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Why truck drivers? -

Kim Howson, coordinator of the TruckSTOP campaign (which was inspired by TAT), explained to Truck News, "Transportation is a key element of human trafficking. Traffickers move their victims frequently, to isolate them and to avoid detection. They travel the same roads and highways that truck drivers do."

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The front lines -

Trucking companies, truck stop personnel, and truck drivers are the most likely to spot suspicious activity because they frequent locations that are isolated from bigger communities, which are popular among traffickers, according to the Polaris Project.

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An example of their success -

When a driver noticed suspicious activity at a truck stop, a simple call to 911 led to the rescue of two underage kidnapped girls and seven other individuals, the conviction of 31 traffickers, and the downfall of a trafficking ring that operated across 13 states, Truck News reports.

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What do truckers look for? -

The signs are not obvious, so they require a keen eye into faces and interactions that take place at truck stops, rest areas, and highway motels. Here are some red flags for human trafficking, according to American Trucker, CDL Life, and TAT.

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Signs of branding or tattooing -

The branding is usually in the trafficker's name and often appears on the neck.

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A minor who seems to be restricted -

Truck stops aren't usually places where children hang out, and if there appears to be a child with an older person controlling their communication and actions, that is cause for concern.

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Anyone, of any age or gender, who appears to be under control by someone -

The pimp-victim dynamic can be very subtle, but any indication of someone who fears for their safety should be reported.

Victims of human trafficking are often drugged and abused to keep them powerless, and signs of either are huge red flags.

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A van or RV that seems out of place - Or a vehicle that drops someone off at a truck and picks them up 15-20 minutes later.

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People at truck stops who aren't buying anything - Especially if they appear very hungry or tired.

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Anyone who doesn't have identification or travel documents - Identification cards are usually taken from victims, and they might also be unaware of where they are. Though this might be difficult to ascertain, it's an easy identifier for suspicious activity.

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Actionable information -

TAT's wallet card serves as a handy guide to these stressful situations, and it reminds truckers to note down "actionable information," including descriptions of cars and people, times and dates, as well as addresses and locations.

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Questions to ask -

Though the truckers are warned not to approach traffickers, they are given questions to ask should they run into a seeming victim, including inquiries about if they keep their own money, if their family knows where they are, when the last time they saw their family was, if they were abused or being threatened, and what the nature of the threats are.

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What happens when they see a sign? - Time is of utmost importance here, and truckers are trained to immediately notify the truck stop manager and call the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

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The National Human Trafficking Hotline - The hotline is open 24/7 and operated by trained staff who can contact local law enforcement as well as analyze trends to assist the FBI.

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More than 1,380 calls came from truckers in the last decade -

American Trucker reports that those calls uncovered 525 probable cases of human trafficking, involving 972 victims—a third of which were minors.

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The Hotline receives more than 50 calls per day, on average -

And the calls involve multiple reports of human trafficking cases in every single state, the Polaris Project reports.

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The numbers of reported cases in the US are increasing -

Hopefully that's a sign of more informed truckers keeping careful watch over America's children, and that the numbers will soon drop drastically.

See also: Mediterranean tragedy: the dangerous migration routes to Europe

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