Auction benefitting Truckers Against Trafficking is Friday

A special edition Kenworth T680 is on the auction block Friday, May 17, to raise funds for Truckers Against Trafficking.

Truckers Against Trafficking is a 501(c)3 nonprofit devoted to stopping human trafficking by educating, mobilizing, and empowering the nation’s truck drivers and rest stop employees.

The special edition Kenworth T680 has a 76-inch sleeper, 485-hp PACCAR MX-13 engine, and PACCAR 12-speed automated transmission. See this attachment for complete specs.

Truckers Against Trafficking and Inland Kenworth unveiled the Everyday Heroes truck in January at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. That kicked off a four-month tour with stops at the Technology and Maintenance annual meeting in Atlanta; the Mid-America Trucking show in Louisville, Ky.; and Ritchie Bros. locations in Houston and Denver.

The auction is scheduled for 11 a.m. MST on May 17 at the Phoenix Ritchie Bros. facility.

Bids on the truck can be made online, by proxy or in person. Bidders can register in advance. More auction information is available online.

If you want to attend the auction, Ritchie Bros. is at 5410 W. Lower Buckeye Road in Phoenix.

In 2017, Mike Jimenez, owner of Phoenix-based J&L Transportation submitted the winning bid for the Everyday Heroes Kenworth T680. The truck sold for $140,000. The bid resulted in an $83,000 donation to TAT, the largest single donation to the organization, according to a Kenworth news release.

The truck was donated by Kenworth Truck Co., Kirkland, Wash., and Inland Kenworth, Burnaby, British Columbia.

About Truckers Against Trafficking

Truckers Against Trafficking was founded in 2009. Its 24-hour national hotline telephone number is 888-3737-888 in the U.S., 800-222-TIPS in Canada and 018800-5533-000 in Mexico. You also may contact the national hotline by texting INFO or HELP to BeFree (233733).

A wallet card with the telephone numbers and other information is available.

Truckers Against Trafficking also offers courses on trafficking and driver certification on the issue. There are Truckers Against Trafficking apps developed to help truck drivers identify and report suspected trafficking.

Trucks Against Trafficking has a touring mobile exhibit called the Freedom Drivers Project. The 48-foot trailer has video monitors and actual trafficking artifacts from women and children who had been enslaved by traffickers.