Bridging Cybersecurity and Logistics Security
By Artie Crawford | National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.
You are invited to attend the High-Tech Heists: The New Threat to Cargo Theft panel discussion during TIA’s Capital Ideas Conference on April 10. Attendees will hear from Joe Ohr, COO of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NFMTA) in Alexandria, Va.; Steve Hankel, vice president of Information Technology with Johanson Transportation Services in Fresno, Calif.; and myself as we discuss the intersection between cybersecurity and logistics.
Session Overview:
Cargo theft has always been a concern in the trucking and logistics industry, but today’s threat landscape has changed dramatically. No longer just a matter of stolen trailers or pilfered electronics, modern freight theft is increasingly driven by cyber-enabled tactics, targeting vulnerabilities in digital systems, telematics, and even employee decision-making.
This panel brings together cybersecurity experts, logistics professionals, and industry leaders to discuss the growing convergence between cyber threats and traditional cargo theft. Attendees will gain insights into how organized crime groups exploit digital vulnerabilities, how phishing attacks and compromised credentials can lead to stolen freight, and most importantly, what companies can do to protect themselves.
The discussion will highlight real-world cases of strategic cargo theft, where criminals use business email compromise (BEC), FMCSA account hijacking, and social engineering to manipulate logistics networks. We will explore how unpatched telematics devices, insecure application programming interface (API) connections, and poor password management can expose fleets to tracking, rerouting, and even vehicle hijacking.
At its core, cybersecurity in freight theft prevention boils down to the basics:
• Employee Training and Awareness: Phishing protection, BEC defense, domain spoofing awareness.
• Password Policies and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Preventing unauthorized access.
• Data Encryption in Storage and Transit: Securing EDI, TMS, API connections with sFTP, HTTPS, and SSL.
• Patch Management and Change Control: Protecting telematics and fleet management systems.
Cargo Theft-Specific Strategies
Beyond traditional security best practices, our panel will address the specific vulnerabilities within freight operations that criminals exploit:
• Tracking and Highlighting High-Value Loads – Internally flagging sensitive shipments while keeping details off public load boards.
• Carrier Vetting and Double-Brokering Prevention – Identifying fraud indicators, such as duplicate addresses or email domains.
• Track and Trace Security – Verifying driver credentials, using geofencing alerts, and preventing unauthorized rerouting of shipments.
• FMCSA Account Hijacking and Load Board Manipulation – How criminals impersonate legitimate carriers and intercept freight.
Why You Should Attend
If you’re responsible for fleet security, logistics operations, or cybersecurity in transportation, this session will provide actionable steps to defend against both traditional and cyber-enabled cargo theft. Our panelists will share best practices from real-world incidents, discuss emerging trends, and outline practical solutions for securing freight in a digital world.
In the battle against cargo theft, employee training is the foundation of defense—and it can’t be overstated. From drivers and dispatchers to brokers and IT teams, everyone in the supply chain plays a role in stopping fraud before it happens. Join us as we break down the threats, share lessons learned, and equip you with the tools to keep your freight safe in an increasingly connected world.
Panel Discussion Highlights:
✅ How cybercriminals manipulate logistics networks through digital fraud.
✅ Practical steps for strengthening cybersecurity in freight operations.
✅ Best practices for carrier vetting, load tracking, and risk mitigation.
✅ Case studies on telematics compromise, FMCSA fraud, and supply chain scams.
Don’t let cyber-enabled cargo theft derail your operations—stay ahead of the threats and secure your supply chain.Crawford, CISSP, CISM is the director of cybersecurity at NMFTA. Want to connect with Artie? You can reach him at artie.crawford@nmfta.org
