WASHINGTON — New legislation introduced in the Senate aims to broaden human trafficking bans as they apply to truck drivers while extending lifetime bans to workers in the rail, maritime, and air sectors.
The Trafficker Restrictions for Aviation, Federal Freight, and Interstate Carriers (TRAFFIC) Act, introduced on Wednesday by Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., would ensure that those convicted of human trafficking crimes are permanently prohibited from holding any professional transportation license issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2019 banned for life truck drivers who used a commercial motor vehicle to commit human trafficking crimes, through a final rule that reflected changes made by the “No Human Trafficking on our Roads Act,” signed into law by President Trump in January 2018.
The proposed bill would broaden the scope of the disqualification by removing the requirement that the driver must use a commercial motor vehicle in committing the human trafficking felony, and would apply to those convicted for similar offenses under state, local or tribal laws.
In addition to CDLs, the legislation would update the law to expand lifetime bans of transportation credentials to all modes, including merchant seamen licenses, locomotive engineers and train conductor licenses and certifications, and pilot certificates issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing illicit industries, and anyone convicted of these despicable offenses should be permanently barred from holding a federally issued transportation license,” said Blackburn, in introducing the legislation.
“Our bipartisan TRAFFIC Act would strengthen federal law to better prevent and combat human trafficking and expand protections for vulnerable individuals.”
Blackburn’s office cited a 2024 report by DOT’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking that estimates traffickers make more than $150 billion in illegal profits by exploiting over 27 million people.
The legislation is endorsed by the Association of American Railroads and the American Trucking Associations.
“Nearly a decade ago, we endorsed a law banning anyone convicted of this horrific crime from operating a commercial motor vehicle. Now it is time for the rail, aviation, and maritime industries to be a part of the solution,” commented ATA senior vice president of legislative affairs Henry Hanscom.
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