October was National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, according to the National Cybersecurity Alliance and other organizations like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Department of Homeland Security. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™ celebrated the occasion in style by once again hosting the trucking industry’s only cybersecurity conference October 26-28.
If you were one of the for-hire truckload or less-than-truckload (LTL) fleets, tech vendors, or academia who joined us—thank you. If you were not able to join, here’s a recap and key takeaways from the conference:
The three-day event started with a new vantage point—a rooftop reception in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas—where attendees enjoyed visiting with industry friends and networking with new contacts. This opening reception was high-energy right from the start with many already talking about cybersecurity and sharing best practices, even at the opening reception. From the first evening, the theme of the conference was clear: Cybersecurity is a team sport.
We kicked off the first full day with a keynote address from General Dynamics Information Technology’s (GDIT) Vice President, Cyber Capability Engineering and Strategy, David Carroll, who stitched together the interdependence between public, private, and critical infrastructure cybersecurity and really drove home the theme that cybersecurity is a team sport.
Day one sessions also included a “State of NMFTA” recap of all the projects and initiatives that the cybersecurity team undertook over the past year. NMFTA has been conducting research on heavy vehicles for more than a decade. From breaking down telematics devices and testing prototype hardware, to working with SAE International and American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) on standards, the team covered a lot of ground this past year. We also reviewed the many frameworks and guides that NMFTA has released throughout 2025, as well as discussing our new public and private partnerships and our recent response to U.S. Department of Transportation’s request for information notice: “Protecting America’s Supply Chain from Cargo Theft.”
Given the speed of both development and adoption across all industries, every conference has something to do with artificial intelligence (AI) in one way or another, and this conference was no exception. Perygee’s Molly Breen discussed how AI can be used within your environment to find patterns, including freight visibility specifics. In a panel discussion VicOne’s Amadou Kane, Airiam’s Art Ocain, and NMFTA’s Ben Wilkens, discussed incident response management. This session was eye-opening and triggered additional discussion about how the association can help by sending intel and updates about events in the industry. We rounded out the morning sessions with a presentation by Ahmed Shah (Malleum) on the evolution of social engineering.
The afternoon began with a candid conversation between NMFTA’s Artie Crawford and Anne Zachos discussing generational differences and what the challenges are both in communication techniques and in technical resilience and adaptability, followed by Langer Transport’s Jonathan Dalia, Ph.D., session on phishing awareness training in the transportation industry.
The event also featured insights from an OEM: Daimler’s Robert Zimmerman and researcher from Lightfoot Labs, Jaimie Lightfoot, joined NMFTA’s Ben Gardiner for a detailed discussion of OEM and truck cybersecurity. It was powerful to hear how Daimler focuses on a secure-by-design approach to cybersecurity and hear Jaimie share her approach and latest findings when testing telematics (in her words: “The Olympics of cybersecurity”).
Additionally, the two afternoon sessions featured a no-press-allowed “Cargo Theft Lessons Learned” panel. Werner Enterprises’ Jordan Strawn, Johanson Transportation Service’s Steve Hankel, and Bellavance Trucking’s Casey Brown, spoke openly with NMFTA’s Artie Crawford about cargo theft as seen on the front lines of transportation in this rare opportunity. Kudos to these speakers for putting it all out there and being honest about experiences and recommendations to the group.
Day one closed with an executive roundtable. Werner Enterprises’ Ronnie Thomas, Estes Express Lines’ Todd Florence, and Kenan Advantage Group’s Tom Baughman discussed the state of the industry with me.
I would be hard-pressed to cover in one article all the insights, the expert recommendations, and the knowledge sharing that occurred throughout the entire conference, to say nothing about the networking, sharing of lessons learned, and creation of new collaborations that occurred.
On day two of the event, Werner’s Ronnie Thomas kicked off the day with a forward-looking overview of the cybersecurity landscape ahead in transportation. Attendees also heard from Bosch’s Ivan Granero and all attendees had the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get involved with either a risk management and tabletop session, or a concurrent hands-on technical session covering asset security with University of Detroit Mercy’s Mark Zachos.
Everyone has read about the recent tequila thefts from Sammy Hagar, and Shaq’s Land Rover being stolen, but this audience lives this reality every day. One of the main themes for the conference this year was cyber-enabled cargo theft, addressed not only from NMFTA’s perspective, but from the perspective of carriers, industry experts, and law enforcement.
An expert insights panel on the complexities of cargo theft with Overhaul’s Danny Ramon and NMFTA’s Crawford and Wilkens rounded out the afternoon, providing the attendees with a deep dive into the nuances of modern cargo crime, the complications impacting effective law enforcement and prosecutions, and what the industry is doing to combat this serious issue.
After our traditional “Call for Collaborations” session where attendees get to weigh in on the next year’s initiatives and research projects, Frost Brown Todd LLCs’ Partner and Cybersecurity Lead and retired Navy Admiral, Gene Price, delivered a captivating closing keynote that really drove home the importance of strong cybersecurity in all the critical infrastructure sectors, especially the transportation sector that underpins so much of our economy and our way of life.
As I gave the final closing remarks this year, I am confident I was not alone in wishing it wasn’t over yet. When the event concluded, none of the attendees wanted to leave as dozens stayed in the room and just talked cyber. We were thrilled to share these three days with all our guests, speakers, sponsors, and partners. Thank you again to everyone who participated.
We’re excited for the year of research and collaboration across the industry that’s ahead of us and we’re already counting the days until NMFTA’s 2026 Cybersecurity Conference. Registration for the event, set in Long Beach, CA, will open in November. Those interested in attending next year are encouraged to check www.nmftacyber.com for more information in the coming weeks.
