January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, but for the folks at Inland Kenworth, it’s a year ‘round thing. In fact, you could say it's part of the corporate DNA of this 76-year-old dealership with 43 locations in California and the Southwest as well as four provinces of western Canada.
Jacob Kirkman is the U.S. marketing coordinator for Inland and explained just how serious the company takes its involvement with combatting human trafficking, which involved more than 21.865 victims in 2024, according to Polaris, which operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
Jacob Kirkman
While TAT is aimed at enlisting truckers on the road to be alert to the signs of human trafficking, there is also a role for dealerships like Inland to play. Kirkman said every employee in the organization takes TAT’s 20-minute-long training on how to spot human trafficking and what they ought to do about it.
Inland also uses its sales of trucks to raise awareness of trafficking. Kirkman said a sticker with the trafficking hotline number is applied to it. Likewise, every truck has a TAT pamphlet in it when it leaves the dealership.
This has spread well beyond even Inland’s large dealer network. Thanks to what Inland started, today the warranty packet in every new Kenworth truck contains a TAT trafficking awareness brochure.
Inland also leverages the trucks it sells to support TAT’s efforts. Starting in 2016, Inland has put a special TAT wrap on a Kenworth T680. It sports the TAT logo, and the national hotline number. This special truck is then auctioned off as a fundraiser for TAT. In three campaigns, the sale of the “Everyday Heroes” trucks has raised more than half a million dollars for TAT, said Kirkman.
Inland Kenworth
What Inland Kenworth has in store for 2026 is equally as special as the “Everyday Heroes” truck auctions.
Kirkman said the company is partnering with TAT in the creation of a mobile museum trailer. Great Dane donated the trailer and it is being outfitted in San Diego to explain the immense problem of human trafficking. It will include information about TAT, as well as victim impact and survivor stories.
Inland is matching dollar for dollar up to $250,000 to get the mobile museum outfitted and on the road.
Kirkman said the trailer will make its debut July 31 during ati-trafficking awareness week.
About Inland Kenworth
How It Started: It was founded 76 years ago by Lloyd Parker, who had three trucks for sale in Penicton, British Columbia, Canada.
Today: Inland has 43 dealerships in the U.S. and Canada.
What They Sell: The T680 remains their core product. Inland has had strong sales in the medium duty Class 7 products (280, 380) for vocational markets. Regional market demands influence sales. A construction boom in Arizona is driving sales of dump trucks, service trucks, and many water tank trucks to keep dust down. In California, the market leans towards more fuel-economic vehicles like the 680s, while the Albuquerque market sees demand for heavy haul trucks such as the T800s and W900s, preferred by those who like the "old school classic interiors".
What Else They Do: Inland Kenworth offers leasing and service. They have added seven master technicians in the last year across their U.S. branches.The company has 406 technicians, and 500 service bays across all 43 locations in the U.S. and Canada.. in-house tech training is provided, along with training through Paccar, Kenworth, and Cummins.
