Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
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30 | Overdrive | April 2014 Twin challenges only half full," he adds. He later said to TAT, "If you want to put your flag on my back, I'll take it to the top." The TAT rep who first received Hop- kins' inquiries as he planned his climb of Mt. Aconcagua in Mendoza province, Argentina, was Cyrus, who coincidentally also was a climber and had entertained a similar ambition. "I thought it'd be great to climb 14 'Fourteeners' " – mountains that rise above 14,000 feet – "for some organization," she said. "We bonded right away." The pair met at the tail end of one of Hopkins' bull hauls north of Den- ver, where TAT is based, in a Walmart parking lot. "We sat in a Starbucks for two and a half hours talking about it," Cyrus adds. "He was so passionate about doing it." Also in advance of the Jan. 28 departure for Argentina, the "From Miles to Mountains" initiative, as the effort was dubbed, built a fund-raising website via the CrowdRise platform (CrowdRise.com), ultimately channel- ing $1,360 to TAT. That was far short of its $22,000 goal, but Hopkins says that as time went on, "I didn't really care how much money we raised as long as people could hear about" TAT. Hopkins delivered, garnering press coverage in advance of the climb not only in Over- drive but also high-profile spots on Land Line Now and in OOIDA's magazine of the same name. Non-trucking media likewise picked up his story. Social media also was abuzz with individuals sharing Hopkins' plans. Facebook, says Cyrus, is often a "first-touch" point for drivers relative to TAT, leading to further connections down the line. The event was thus a public relations success before he ever left the United States, touching down in Panama and then on to Santiago, where Hopkins and a friend and climbing partner skirted disaster. Their climbing gear, worth $6,000 to $7,000, left town on a bus to Mendo- Are you A Trucker AgAinsT TrAfficking? In addition to driver-song- writer Tony Justice, whose newest record speaks the Truckers Against Trafficking message via a promotional partnership, driver Timothy Coon is further evidence of TAT's reach into the driver community. "If you're a driver and you have an ounce of empathy in your being, I strongly urge you to join Truckers Against Trafficking," he says in a video message he made and has promoted himself via his YouTube channel. Search "Timothy Coon" on OverdriveOnline.com to view the video. Coon also encouraged his carrier to train its drivers about TAT, as the organization posted on its Facebook page last year. "And they said yes! We are sending materials out immediately. This is the power of the individual trucker who takes the next step in being a TAT!" TAT supporters include not only fleets and drivers, but also the American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Indepen- dent Drivers Association, the National Association of Small Trucking Com- panies and the National Association of Truck Stop Operators. Aconcagua, at 22,838 feet, is the second-highest of the Seven Summits, the tallest mountains on each continent. Matt Hopkins took this shot of the peak and North Face with his camera phone. "I turned around at what's known as the White Rocks," he says of the highest elevation he reached, well before the summit. "There's a spot where you put crampons on and hike across the glacier. I turned around right at the spot where the wind was going to get super bad." Courtesy of Matt Hopkins Driver-songwriter Tony Justice is an avid supporter of Truckers Against Trafficking. Search OverdriveOnline.com for our December 2013 cover story about his "Apple Pie Moonshine" record, every copy of which came with the TAT wallet card. What is your level of awareness of Truckers Against Trafficking? OverdriveOnline.com poll Other 3% I've never heard of TAT 38% I've called TAT's hotline to report suspicious activity 2% I'm aware but not active in TAT's efforts 22% High, 'I am a Trucker Against Trafficking' 17% I've heard of TAT 18% A majority of Overdrive readers are engaged in some way with Truckers Against Trafficking. TAT_CoverStory_0414.indd 30 4/1/14 10:30 AM