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Features
February 15-28, 2018 • 33
Weightlifter, patriot and Road Team
member Garcia loves sharing industry
Aprille Hanson
SPECIAL TO THE TRUCKER
It’s not enough for Ralph Garcia to drive
a truck. He is driven to give back in every aspect
of his life. He teaches the public the importance
of trucking, honors the sacrifices of
the U.S. military, brings Christ to people in his
hometown and teaches children the proper way
to lift weights. And — he can deadlift almost
600 pounds.
Garcia, 59, drives for ABF Freight System,
based out of North Little Rock, Arkansas.
In August, he’ll have been with the company
26 years. For the past seven years, he’s
hauled general LTL freight to Kingman, Arizona,
where a fellow trucker takes it to the next
destination. His truck is different each time,
but generally they are between a 2015 to 2018
Freightliner or Mack.
Throughout his 41-year career in the trucking
industry, he has driven the Lower 48. He
has been married to his wife Anita for 38 years
and they have three children and five grandchildren.
Trucking was never something he’d even
thought about pursuing while growing up in
New Mexico.
“I didn’t grow up in it,” he said. His father
was a computer operator for a military base in
Albuquerque and his mother did secretarial
work while they raised three sons.
Garcia started going to college and working
for a meat company, cleaning it at nights. In the
summer, he would drive for them.
Here are some scary statistics for you:
• An estimated 30 million people around
the globe live in slavery, more than at any other
time in history.
• Two million children are exploited in the
global commercial sex trade.
• Three out of four victims are female and
50 percent are children.
• The average age of a victim in the U.S. is
12 to 14 years old; in Asia it’s between 7 and
9 years old.
• Once rescued, if a victim has no place to
go, they will most likely end up in the hands of
their trafficker.
That’s ridiculous, you say. Why would anyone
in their right mind go back to their trafficker
or slave master?
It’s like Stockholm Syndrome, the mental
“I think my mom wanted me to finish
school; my dad, too. But they were just happy I
was working, they just didn’t want me to work
so hard. I told them I couldn’t be in an office
like anybody else, cooped up in a building,”
he said.
As a driver, Garcia has amassed 3.5 million
accident-free miles.
“I think the most important thing is of
course being safe and getting the load to its
destination; being accident-free is a big thing.
I really care about my driving record and my
appearance as a driver. A lot of times we get
a bad rep and I make sure I’m an example out
here,” Garcia said.
Being an example extends far beyond the
driver’s seat for Garcia. He’s earned 16 National
Truck Driving Championship awards, also
receiving the Neill Darmstadter Professional
Excellence Award from the competition. He’s
also received numerous accolades, including
being named a White House Champion of
Change in 2011.
“The reason I do more is I like to share my
story. I love being around people. … I love
helping people understand why we do it,” Garcia
said. “… I see so many things, I meet so
many people and there’s so much freedom. But
the main thing is I like to help people understand
our industry. I’ve always been that way.”
Several days each month, Garcia speaks at
schools, communities and to the media, sharing
his knowledge of the trucking industry as
part of America’s Road Team for the past 13
and emotional condition that causes hostages
to develop a psychological alliance with
their captors as a survival strategy during
captivity.
Yes, trafficking victims are usually beaten,
given drugs and they and their family members
are threatened with violence and death. But
the mental and emotional violence causes trafficked
victims’ self worth to deteriorate, as we
discussed in our last column.
Do you know how to spot trafficked victims
at the truck stops or rest areas you frequent?
• A trafficked person has a lack of knowledge
about where they are because they’re being
driven from place to place to sexually service
men, depending on where traffickers can
make the most money. They may be taken to a
hotel, massage parlor or truck stop — even a
house in the suburbs.
• They don’t have their own ID documents
such as a driver’s license, passport or other
identification.
• They’re not free to come and go as they
please. One question frequently asked suspected
trafficking victims is if they’re being held
against their will.
Courtesy: AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS
Ralph Garcia, left, poses with Vice President Mike Pence last summer when members of
America’s Road Team were invited to the White House by President Donald Trump.
years. An elite group chosen by the American
Trucking Associations, the team represents the
3.1 million hardworking professional drivers
and works to educate the public about the importance
of trucking.
“I try to touch on some of the stereotypes
of the truck drivers and the big thing is to help
them realize how much the industry means to
our country. If you don’t have truckers you
don’t have a house, car, gas,” he said. “We’re
all out here trying to do a good job and trying
to stay safe at the same time.”
It’s given him unique opportunities: In
March, he along with other Road Team members
and ATA CEOs met with President Donald
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the
White House.
Garcia said he tries to focus on car safety,
explaining that people should not be afraid of
trucks, that “a truck is very safe if you follow
the rules” and that they should also understand
things like trucks’ blind spots and longer stopping
distance.
“I kind of make it fun. At the schools at
Albuquerque, we always bring a truck so they
can sit in it,” he said, adding he also brings “I
love truck” pins or other items he has picked
up at trucking shows to throw to the kids who
answer questions correctly. “They have a re-
See Garcia on p34 m
Trafficking hotline now has 24/7 texting, online chat both in English, Spanish
Dorothy Cox
dlcox@thetrucker.com
Around
the Bend
• Are they allowed to speak freely or is their
communication restricted?
• Are they fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive,
tense or nervous?
Also ask if they’re being paid, if they’re
being watched or followed, if they’re being
sexually and/or physically abused and if their
family members are being threatened.
In the U.S. call 1-888-3737-888 to report
a suspected case; in Canada call 1-800-222-
TIPS.
Now for the first time, Polaris, which runs
the trafficking hotline, has added SMS (more
reliable) 24/7 texting and online chat services
both in English and Spanish.
Previously, trafficking survivors and people
reporting tips could call, e-mail or use a web
form to access the hotline, Polaris stated in a
recent news release.
Around-the-clock texting and chat capabilities
“provide additional discreet avenues for
survivors to get connected to the national hotline’s
extensive network of support throughout
the United States” and “reach out to us through
the mode they’re most comfortable with.”
Polaris pointed out that these modes are especially
crucial given that young people being
trafficked are more accustomed to texting and
chatting than speaking over the phone.
Plus, “these technologies also offer a safer
way for victims and survivors to get connected
with trained hotline advocates, especially in
situations when their traffickers are nearby.”
The national hotline is operated by Polaris
and funded through a grant from the Office
of Trafficking in Persons, Administration for
Children and Families, U.S. Department of
Human Services.
In 2013, Polaris had an independent SMS
service called the BeFree Textline; it had similar
capabilities but was only available eight
hours a day based on available funding.
The online chatting is a completely new
service and are available from humantraffickinghotline.org.
The new offerings have already been testing
and are available now.
Don’t try to rescue a trafficked victim yourself;
traffickers are violent criminals. Call the
hotline.
As always, God bless and be safe out
there. 8