Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1002866
PULSE July 2018 | Overdrive | 3 The glitz surrounding trucking's newest tech- nologies – autonomous trucking, electric trucks and electronic logging devices – has tended to obscure darker scenarios. Notably, the tech- nology that makes autonomous operation and ELDs possible also opens the door for major advances in terrorism and cargo theft. There have been warning signs. One was a 2016 announcement that researchers had plugged into a 2006 tractor's diagnostics port and largely commandeered the truck's net- work, though it wasn't as advanced as a remote ELD hack. By mid-2017, the Transportation Security Administration noted 17 truck-ram- ming terrorist attacks, including high-fatality cases in Nice, France, and Berlin, Germany. While these were low-tech schemes, they were apt reminders of the deadly potential of a heavy truck in evil hands. When Senior Editor Todd Dills investi- gated for our September 2017 issue whether widespread ELD use would open the door for security issues, informed opinions diverged. Some, notably ELD producers, said the threat is virtually nonexistent because of built-in se- curity measures and because of how ELDs are designed to interact with the electronic control module. Others were less certain. "I think we're at an inflection point in the industry," said Sharon Reynolds, Omnitracs' chief information secu- rity officer. Now a University of Tulsa team tips the balance further toward legitimate concern. Working with a consortium led by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association to increase ELD security, they've developed a CAN (Con- troller Area Network) Data Diode hardware device. It "prevents communication from the ELD to a commercial vehicle by virtually eliminat- ing the connected logging device as a remote cyberattack target," says the university. As described, it could be of particular help for independent owner-operators: "a low-cost net- work isolation solution for commercial vehicle operators who cannot afford sophisticated fleet management applications to keep their vehicles secure from mandated ELDs." Many independent own- er-operators are, for obvious reasons, buying simple low-cost ELDs. Unfortunately, small fleets and small ELD vendors can't spend as much on security as larger entities do. Glenn Atkinson of ELD maker Geotab, as reported by Today's Trucking, touched on that idea at a recent conference: "It's surprising the number of small to medium-sized compa- nies that aren't aware of what they're putting in their truck." Some owner-operators al- ready are replacing their ELDs because of cost, performance or lost support as the crowded field of vendors begins to thin. They would do well to under- stand the wired and wireless connections of any given system and what security mea- sures are in place. An informed selection could turn out to be cheap, effective insurance as science-fiction nightmares begin to come true. mheine@randallreilly.com By Max Heine Editorial director But I do that every day, so nothing different for me." Paul Stone: "I was a Boy Scout. I'm always prepared! If my ride ain't right, it doesn't roll, period!" Rick Ash: "Being pretty new to ELDs, I made sure that I had my quick reference card in my door panel, and I also checked on the proce- dures to be able to email previous logs to an officer who requests them. I also had my truck inspected two weeks ago, which I had to do anyway, though." University of Tulsa mechanical engineering senior Hayden Allen works on a project aimed at making ELDs more secure. Trucks amok REGS REQUIRE AN ANNUAL INSPECTION Investing in inspections can save you from a particular violation that's been growing these last years in the in- spection numbers for for-hire carriers: the requirement for an annual inspection. Level 1 and 5 roadside inspections satisfy the require- ment, according to guidance, though documentation via a CVSA sticker or inspection re- port needs to be kept with the truck. The recent tightening on enforcing the periodic-inspec- tion regulations, or perhaps more drivers/carriers making the violation easy pickings by not keeping documentation in-cab, has led to a substantial rise in those violations. Did you get one of those supposedly elusive clean inspections during Roadcheck? If it's a Level 1 or 5, make sure to keep that report with you. PERIODIC-INSPECTION VIOLATIONS Source: Federal data mined by RigDig Business Intelligence and Overdrive 2015: 120,117 2016: 124,663 2017: 129,988