Labor trafficking has been left unchecked in the traveling sales crews industry for decades. Abusive managers use psychological manipulation, violence, sexual harassment or assault, and abandonment in unfamiliar cities to pressure victims into working harder and to intimidate those who wish to leave their situation.

Traffickers avoid detection by frequently moving their operating locations and even changing the names of their businesses. Attempts to address exploitation over the years have failed, and sales crews are the second most reported labor trafficking industry on the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline and BeFree Textline.