Cybersecurity experts present info to help carriers fight hackers
By Lyndon Finney
Many Americans are familiar with the critically acclaimed movie “Catch Me If You Can.”
It’s the real-life story of Frank Abagnale Jr., who allegedly, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor.
It took them a while, but Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents finally tracked down Abagnale in France and brought him back to the United States to stand trial, whereupon he was convicted and sentenced to prison as a result of his passing thousands upon thousands of dollars’ worth of counterfeit checks.
However, his conviction also got him a job with the FBI helping agents track down counterfeiters. Eventually he formed his own company to advise companies about the security of their documentation.
Hector Monsegur’s story is similar to that of Abagnale’s. Monsegur, who will be one of two featured speakers during the Tuesday, March 22, general session of Truckload 2022: Las Vegas, is co-founder of the hacking group LulzSec. At one point, facing a sentence of 124 years in prison, Monsegur became an informant for the FBI, working with the agency for over 10 months to aid them in identifying the other hackers from LulzSec and related groups.
Formerly known by his online alias Sabu, Monsegur was once the technical expert behind the Anonymous/LulzSec hacker collectives. As a black hat hacker, Monsegur identified critical vulnerabilities in numerous organizations, including governments, military organizations, and cybersecurity firms.
The other featured speaker during the Tuesday session will be former FBI special agent Christopher Tarbell, who is considered one of the most successful cybersecurity law enforcement officials of all time. So successful, in fact, that books and movies are being made about his legendary career.
Dubbed “the Eliot Ness of online crime” by Newsweek, Tarbell is the man responsible for infiltrating the hacker group Anonymous and taking down the notorious dark web drug trafficking site Silk Road, which has been described as “the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet.” He led the tracking and arrest of two of the most infamous figures in cyberspace — Monsegur, who was at one point the most influential hacker in the world — and the cybercriminal known as Dread Pirate Roberts, who was later convicted for his involvement with Silk Road.
In working with the U.S. government, Monsegur identified key vulnerabilities and potential attacks against major federal infrastructure, including the U.S. military and The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Since working with U.S. government and commercial security executives around the world, he has helped prevent more than 300 cyberattacks.
“Cyber threats are of increasing concern to the trucking community,” said Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) Director of Meetings Kristen Bouchard. “Hackers are getting more aggressive and creative when it comes to gaining access to confidential data. With the seemingly innocent click of a link, your organization’s infrastructure crumbles, and your customer’s data is compromised.”
Knowing the proper protocols and implementing plans to secure data, can save a business from irreparable damage and in the case of trucking, a logistical disaster.
“As we all know, trucking is an essential part of the economy, so it is of vital importance for TCA to help its members prepare for and defend themselves from cyberattacks,” noted Bouchard. “TCA is committed to providing its members with the knowledge and the resources that will help them to remain profitable and protected. We appreciate Pilot Flying J for sponsoring this session.”
McLeod Software Vice President of IT and Chief Information Security Officer Ben Barnes, and Truckload 2022: Las Vegas workshop speaker, shared that cybersecurity theft can affect all aspects of a trucking company.
“At its core, each company has its own set of critical information systems and data standards that can be compromised and stolen,” he stated. “Often this is for financial extorsion, personal data theft that can be sold, or some financial gain for the criminals. Identification of all business systems, such as VoIP, email, TMS, and other information systems that support essential operations, should be identified, secured, and an incident recovery solution developed that takes into account all critical business systems.”
Ten years ago, cybertheft was little more than a term most in the trucking industry understood,” explained Barnes.
“The transportation industry has since become a prime target for cybercrimes. This can be attributed to late adoption of cybersecurity, lack of standard cyber controls around the industry, lack of cybersecurity defense talent, a revenue-rich industry, and the cost of a cyber defense strategy,” he added. “Cybercrimes have gone through basic phases, starting with easy targets that had no cyber defense to current day pinpointed attacks against trucking firms with cyber defense strategies.”
Barnes noted trucking’s understanding of cargo theft, and said cybertheft and cargo theft are interlinked.
“In short, they are both crimes that affect rates and cost,” he said. “These two types of theft are loosely connected in name — but what if autonomous vehicles could be rerouted or stopped at specific locations for centralized cargo theft? Or what if telematics could be hacked in order to halt a specific mobile communication vendor’s customer base across the U.S. Those two scenarios may seem farfetched, but criminal minds work in ways that most of us never consider.”
The Tuesday general session begins at 8 a.m. PT and will also include the naming of the 2021 Highway Angel of the Year. Make plans today to attend!
Ben Carson to deliver keynote address
Dr. Benjamin S. Carson will deliver the keynote address at Truckload 2022: Las Vegas, during the general session on Monday, March 21, thanks to International Trucks.
Carson is founder and chairman of the American Cornerstone Institute, a new think-and-do tank whose mission is to promote four founding principles that are cornerstones of the United States: faith, liberty, community, and life, as well as to pursue common-sense solutions that challenge conventional “groupthink.”
He most recently served as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For nearly 30 years, Carson served as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, a position he assumed when he was just 33 years old, becoming the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history. In 1987, he successfully performed the first separation of craniopagus twins conjoined at the back of the head. In 1997, he also performed the first fully successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in South Africa.
Carson has received dozens of honors and awards in recognition of his achievements, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. He is also a recipient of the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and has been awarded more than 70 honorary doctorate degrees. Carson authored nine books, four of which he co-wrote with his wife, Candy. The U.S. News Media Group and Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership recognized him among “America’s Best Leaders” in 2008.
Express Talks, Discussion Groups, workshops await at Truckload 2022
The new educational formats debuting at Truckload 2022: Las Vegas are designed to engage, energize, and be interactive for the attendees. There will be a change in educational opportunities during the Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) Annual Convention, Truckload 2022: Las Vegas, set for March 19-22 at the Wynn Las Vegas.
“The formats offered in 2022 are designed to engage, energize, and be interactive for the attendees,” shared TCA’s Vice President of Education and Operations Jim Schoonover.
New this year are the Express Talks, which are designed to create excitement, he said.
“These 15-minute presentations will be fast-paced, robust presentations designed to provide information in a clear and succinct manner,” said Schoonover. “And with the presentations being held adjacent to the exhibit floor, the conversation can continue after the session is over.”
Schoonover shared that TCA was also excited to introduce the Discussion Groups to the Annual Convention.
“These open discussion groups are designed to give industry professionals the opportunity to share their challenges, pain points, and successes in a roundtable format,” he said.
“This opportunity to engage with peers will be moderated by TCA Profitability Program (TPP) consultants and industry leaders,” he continued, adding that attendee engagement at the event is the highest priority for the association.
“We are striving to hold a captivating event that, encourages networking, and provides the sharing of ideas and insightful business practices to elevate the industry,” he noted.
EXPRESS TALK TOPICS
Monday, March 21
#1 How to Prepare for the 3G/4G Sunset
Ready or not! The 3G sunset is upon us, and it’s estimated over 7 million IoT devices still need upgrading. Is your fleet ready? Join Velociti’s President and COO Deryk Powell as he walks through an actionable five-step plan on how to upgrade your fleet in the nick of time. He’ll also expose critical items for consideration before, during, and after the transition.
#2 Technology’s Role in Driver Recruiting and Retention
The wrong software integration choices hurt your bottom line due to lost productivity, while also frustrating drivers and dispatchers. In this session, attendees will learn how the right telematics provider and integrations improve the overall driver experience through greater workflow automation, fewer screen clicks, and faster turn times. Speakers include Jean-Sebastian Bouchard, co-founder and vice president of sales for ISAAC Instruments, and Neil Abt, vice president of public relations for ISAAC Instruments.
Key takeaways: 1) The role technology plays in retaining and recruiting top employees; 2) Why a single screen contextual workflow is so important; 3) How the gamification of software improves safety and efficiency; and 4) The role customer support plays in successful technology integrations.
#3 Cybersecurity: What It Costs and How Much You Should Spend
Every company has budget limitations. How should you spend the first dollar towards protection, and how should you prioritize the money you are able to spend on cybersecurity? What are the most important investments within the limits of your budget? In this session, Ben Barnes, chief information security officer for McLeod Software, guides you on ways to determine the appropriate spending level for your cybersecurity.
Tuesday, March 22
#1 Optimizing Your Company’s Capital Structure
You’ve optimized your routes. You’ve optimized your maintenance and equipment replacement cycles. But have you optimized your company’s capital structure? Join Ken Kramer, managing director of corporate banking for BMO Transportation Finance, as he steps through cash generation and expenditures and free cash flow, your level of fixed and floating rate debt, and your overall risk. By using these factors, he will guide you through the evaluation of your capital structure and the level of debt and equity you should use to support and grow your company.
#2 Wireless Roadside Inspections: The Impact on Motor Carriers
The concept of wireless roadside inspections (WRI) for commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) has been explored for over a decade. Proponents say WRI will wirelessly assess compliance of CMVs and drivers at highway speed by conveying real-time data to federal and state regulators. WRI is envisioned as “a system of systems,” both public and private, for the collection, capture, and assessment of significant quantities of information on carriers, drivers, and equipment. What seems to be left out of the discussion on WRI are the concerns and benefits to motor carriers. The speaker will be Steve Vaughn, vice president of field operations for PrePass Safety Alliance.
Key takeaways: 1) What information about the truck and driver will be communicated to enforcement? 2) How will the information be communicated and protected? 3) Who will pay for a wireless roadside inspection system? and 4) Will motor carriers get credit for clean Level VIII inspections?
#3 How to Modernize Fleet Technology Uptime
Technology plays a crucial role in every fleets operation, so how do you ensure it’s always up and running? Velociti’s Senior Vice President of Sales Ryan Powell will discuss the importance of technology maintenance with a fleet customer and how to maximize technology uptime and investment.
WORKSHOP TOPICS
- The 4 Es of the Employee Experience with speaker Clayton Brown, experiential marketing for Prime Inc.
- Discovering Your Core Values with speaker Allen Phibbs, independent executive director for The John Maxwell Team
- Cybercrimes: Impacts and Preventions for Transportation with speaker Ben Barnes, vice president of IT and chief information security officer for McLeod Software
- International Freight and Port Congestion: The Continuing Impact on Domestic Freight with speakers David Arsenault, president of GSC Logistics, Inc., and Glenn Jones, global vice president of product strategy and marketing for Blume Global
- Improving Your Overall Safety Performance: Applying Innovative Strategies through a Cognitive Learning Approach with speakers Dr. Gina Anderson, CEO of Luma Brighter Learning; and Randy Luckow, vice president of safety, training, and compliance for DART Transit Co.
- The Three Cs of Digital Communications with speaker: Blythe Brumleve, founder and host of Digital Dispatch
- Mitigating Carrier Risk: Fighting Driver Sleep Fatigue with speaker: Lisa Ries, division manager for Lincare, Inc.
- CSR and ESG: What Is This and Why Does It Matter for Fleets? with speakers Matt McLelland, vice president of sustainability for Covenant Logistics, and Bill Wettstein, president and CFO of Nussbaum Transportation
For more information, visit www.truckload2022.com/schedule.
TCA 2021 Fleet Safety Awards Winners
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), along with the competition’s Presenting Sponsor Great West Casualty Company and Supporting Sponsors Tenstreet and Peterson, are proud to announce the 18 division winners in the 46th Annual TCA Fleet Safety Awards competition.
These annual awards identify truckload carriers that have demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to safety through presenting the lowest accident frequency ratios per million miles in each of six mileage-based divisions.
The 18 division winners are now invited to compete for one of two grand prizes — one for carriers with a total annual mileage less than 25 million miles, and the other for carriers with mileage greater than 25 million miles.
Grand prize winners will be announced at Truckload 2022: Las Vegas March 19-22 at the Wynn Las Vegas. All winners will also receive recognition at TCA’s 2022 Safety & Security Meeting June 5-7 in Nashville.
For more information about TCA’s Fleet Safety Awards, including eligibility requirements and rules, visit the Fleet Safety Awards page at truckload.org/FSA. To view images from historic Fleet Safety Awards presentations, visit TCA’s Flickr page at truckload.org/Flickr.
DIVISION I WINNERS (Less than 5 million miles)
1st Place: JR Kays Trucking, Inc., Clarendon, Pennsylvania
2nd Place: Diamond Transportation System, Inc., Racine, Wisconsin
3rd Place: Meyers Bros. Trucking, Pioneer, Ohio
DIVISION II WINNERS (5 to 14.99 million miles)
1st Place: Parish Transport, Ellisville, Mississippi
2nd Place: X-treme Trucking LLC, Maribel, Wisconsin
3rd Place: Chief Carriers, Inc., Grand Island, Nebraska
DIVISION III WINNERS (15 to 24.99 million miles)
1st Place: Fortune Transportation, Windom, Minnesota
2nd Place: Hill Brothers Transportation, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
3rd Place: Big Freight Systems, Inc., Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada
DIVISION IV WINNERS (25 to 49.99 million miles)
1st Place: Johnson Feed, Inc., Canton, South Carolina
2nd Place: Trans-West Logistics, Inc., Lachine, Quebec, Canada
3rd Place: American Central Transport, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri
DIVISION V WINNERS (50 to 99.99 million miles)
1st Place: Groupe Robert, Inc., Boucherville, Quebec, Canada
2nd Place: Brown Trucking Co., Lithonia, Georgia
3rd Place: Challenger Motor Freight, Inc., Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
DIVISION VI WINNERS (100 million or more miles)
1st Place: Bison Transport, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
2nd Place: CFI, Joplin, Missouri
3rd Place: Prime Inc., Springfield, Missouri
Best Fleets to Drive For Top 20 winners announced, Hall of Fame launched
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and CarriersEdge have released the Top 20 winners in the 2022 Best Fleets to Drive For competition and jointly announced they’ve expanded the program by adding a Hall of Fame category, a recognition level that honors fleets that demonstrate Top 20 performance for an extended period of time (see story on Page 39).
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a fleet must either be named as a Best Fleet for 10 consecutive years, or for seven years with at least one overall award. The Hall of Fame is sponsored by EpicVue.
“What an exciting time for this prestigious contest as we launch the Hall of Fame category,” shared TCA President John Lyboldt. “During Truckload 2022: Las Vegas, we’re eager to recognize 28 fleets who are dedicated to providing the best possible workplace experience to their essential workers — professional truck drivers. Be sure to attend this year’s revamped awards presentation in March.”
The Top 20 winners are comprised of for-hire trucking companies across North America that are being recognized for providing exemplary work environments for their professional truck drivers and employees.
“This year we saw more than 200 fleets nominated by their drivers for this program, and all participants were clearly stepping up their game,” said CarriersEdge CEO Jane Jazrawy. “This year’s Top 20 and Hall of Fame fleets rose to the top with a range of innovative and effective programs that continue to improve the work experience for their drivers.”
This year’s Top 20 winners are, in alphabetical order:
- American Central Transport, Kansas City, Missouri
- Brenny Specialized, Inc., Saint Joseph, Minnesota
- Challenger Motor Freight Inc., Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
- Chief Carriers, Inc., Grand Island, Nebraska
- Continental Express, Inc., Sidney, Ohio
- Decker Truck Line, Inc., Fort Dodge, Iowa
- Erb Transport, New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada
- Fortigo Freight Services, Inc., Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
- Fremont Contract Carriers, Inc., Fremont, Nebraska
- Garner Trucking, Inc., Findlay, Ohio
- K&J Trucking, Inc., Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Landstar Transportation Logistics, Inc., Jacksonville, Florida
- Leonard’s Express, Farmington, New York
- Liberty Linehaul, Inc., Ayr, Ontario, Canada
- Thomas E. Keller Trucking Inc., Defiance, Ohio
- TLD Logistics Services, Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee
- TransLand, Strafford, Missouri
- TransPro Freight Systems Limited, Milton, Ontario, Canada
- Veriha Trucking, Inc., Marinette, Wisconsin
- Wellington Group of Companies, Aberfoyle, Ontario, Canada
Hall of Fame Honorees are:
- Bison Transport, Inc., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Boyle Transportation, Billerica, Massachusetts
- Central Oregon Truck Company, Inc., Redmond, Oregon
- FTC Transportation, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Grand Island Express, Grand Island, Nebraska
- Halvor Lines, Inc., Superior, Wisconsin
- Nussbaum Transportation Services, Inc., Hudson, Illinois
- Prime Inc., Springfield, Missouri
In addition to the Top 20, TCA and CarriersEdge identified five Fleets to Watch (honorable mentions):
- Epes Transport System, LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina
- GP Transco, Joliet, Illinois
- Magnum LTD, Fargo, North Dakota
- Stokes Trucking, LLC, Tremonton, Utah
- TP Trucking, Central Point, Oregon
Two carriers are to be recognized for five consecutive years as a Best Fleet — American Central Transport and Thomas E. Keller Trucking Inc.
To be considered for the Best Fleets program, companies operating 10 or more trucks must receive a nomination from one of their company drivers or owner operators. The fleets are then evaluated using a scoring matrix covering a variety of categories, including total compensation, health benefits, performance management, professional development, and career path/advancement opportunities, among other criteria. Driver surveys are also conducted to collect input from drivers and independent contractors working with the fleets.
Two overall winners, in large and small fleet categories, will be named during TCA’s Annual Convention — Truckload 2022: Las Vegas — set for March 19-22 at the Wynn Las Vegas.
The overall winner awards are sponsored by Eleos Technologies and TruckRight.
To learn more about the Hall of Fame category, the nomination process, or get additional information on the Best Fleets to Drive For program, visit www.bestfleetstodrivefor.com. Be sure to follow the hashtag #BestFleets22 on social media to get updates this year’s contest.
Meet the 2021 Driver of the Year finalists
The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), Overdrive, and Truckers News have announced the finalists for the 2021 Driver of the Year Contests, a competition that recognizes both company drivers and owner operators who provide reliable transportation of North America’s goods.
This year’s finalists for Company Driver of the Year include:
- Robert Cole of Spring, Texas — Ryder Systems, Inc.;
- Denny Cravener of Virginia Beach Virginia — Givens Transportation; and
- Robert Howell of Shelley Idaho — Doug Andrus Distributing, LLC.
This year’s finalists for Owner-Operator of the Year include:
Glen Horack of Elkland, Missouri — Prime Inc.;
Gene Houchin of Shenandoah, Iowa — Midwest Express, LLC; and
Allen and Sandy Smith of Oak Hill, West Virginia — National Carriers, Inc.
Thanks to the program’s longtime sponsors, Cummins Inc. and Love’s Travel Stops, the overall winner in each division will receive $25,000, while the two runners-up in each division will win $2,500.
The finalists and grand prize winners are selected based on their ability to operate safely on public highways, their efforts to enhance the public image of the trucking industry, and their positive contributions to the communities in which they live.
“TCA is the voice of truckload, and we are committed to educating the public on the collective accomplishments of our industry,” said TCA Chairman and Incoming President Jim Ward. “It is imperative that we recognize and positively promote the remarkable achievements of our essential workers — those who set the bar for the rest of our industry.”
To be eligible for the contests, company driver nominees are required to meet strict standards, such as driving at least 1 million consecutive accident-free miles. Judges examine each driver’s operating information, work history, and safety record, and also review three 300-word essays or video testimonials explaining why each nominee is a “good trucking citizen,” “how they stay healthy while on the road,” and “why they should be the next Driver of the Year.”
For owner-operator candidates, judges also review equipment specifications, lengthy business plans, and financial statements.
The names of the grand prize winners will be announced at Truckload 2022: Las Vegas at the Wynn Las Vegas, March 19-22. For more information about the Driver of the Year Contests and their sponsors, visit www.truckload.org/DOY.
To keep up with the finalists and to learn of the grand prize winners, follow @TCANews on Twitter and other social media networks.
Members of Best Fleets Hall of Fame consistently top performers
The prestigious Best Fleets to Drive For contest and survey has expanded.
New this year, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and its partner CarriersEdge created the Hall of Fame, a category to showcase those members who are consistent top performers in the program year after year, shared CarriersEdge President Mark Murrell. The newly created Hall of Fame is sponsored by EpicVue.
“They’re … always noticeably better than the rest of the Top 20,” Murrell noted. “In general, they score about 8% above the rest of the pack in the final scores. What’s significant there is that the bar gets raised every year. (These carriers) improve at the same or better rate than the rest of the pack, which effectively means it’s nearly impossible for other fleets to catch them.”
It’s been observed that once fleets reach a point where they’re sustaining that level of performance over multiple years, they tend to stay there. Unless something dramatic happens, they’ll keep performing at that level, year after year, he said.
Murrell cited examples:
- Nussbaum Transportation, which won the Best Overall award for three consecutive years;
- Grand Island Express, which has now made the list for 11 consecutive years and has won the Best Overall award three times; and
- Halvor Lines, which has made the list for 10 consecutive years and frequently has the most creative program ideas among all participants.
“These fleets are also among the first to pick up the results book to see what other people are doing, and the first in the room when we do an educational session to share the trends and new ideas,” said Murrell. “They never rest on their laurels, and they’re constantly finding new things to add for their drivers.’
There are definitely more than 20 fleets that warrant recognition, he noted, adding that often the difference between a fleet that squeaks into the Top 20 and one that misses out is less than 1% on the final score. In several cases, it’s been 0.5%. It’s pretty hard to argue that one fleet is worthy of recognition and the other isn’t when they’re that close in total points, he shared.
“That situation is only more evident with participation in the program growing every year,” stated Murrell.
TCA’s Senior Director of Outreach & Engagement Marli Hall who helps to oversee the program agrees. “There are substantially more than 20 in that group who are doing incredible things and deserve to be recognized. By adding the Hall of Fame and moving some of the consistent top performers into that group, we’re doing just that. It’s exciting to showcase new carriers in this year’s Top 20 and for decades to come.”
Murrell shared additional examples which include:
- TransLand, which not only has a walking trail at its head office but also a community garden, which is tended by both drivers and office staff.
- K&J Trucking, which has relatively few staff in the office but still manages to provide a range of programs to help its independent contractors grow their businesses.
“Those are just two, but all of the new names on the list have great stories,” shared Murrell. “The Hall of Fame allows us to recognize more deserving fleets, without watering down the criteria for recognition.”
The Truckload Authority News Staff, comprised of award winning journalists and graphic artists, produces content for Truckload Authority, working in cooperation with the Truckload Carriers Association staff. Truckload Authority aims to keep TCA members abreast on the latest trends in the trucking industry as well as articles that feature TCA member executives and drivers. The Truckload Authority staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
