Following the January release of the Owner Operator and Small Fleet Cybersecurity Guidebook, the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™ cybersecurity team unveiled the latest installment in the Roadmap to Resilience project, titled Owner Operator Core Controls, on February 13.
This practical, jargon-free guide to core cybersecurity principles and cyber-hygiene practices fills a critical gap in available resources, offering essential protection advice tailored specifically for owner operators.
As a sole proprietor owner operator, the burden of securing your operation from cyberthreats can often seem out of reach, or even irrelevant. Small fleets often have IT support, or a managed security service provider (MSSP) who can help to determine the necessary security controls and then implement them.
This is not the case for an owner operator and the stakes are just as high. This was the reason that the NMFTA cybersecurity team developed a list of straightforward, easy to adopt core cybersecurity controls.
The focus of the core controls is on high-impact and low expense options for boosting cyber-resilience, both as an individual and as a small business owner, with a particular focus on those controls that do not require IT support or security expertise to configure or maintain.
With clear, concise guidance for implementing foundational cybersecurity best-practices, like multi-factor authentication (MFA), password best practices, and tips for monitoring and protecting your credit, this guidance will help to serve as a quick-reference checklist for new and existing owner operators as they work to protect their businesses from cyberthreats.
On February 13, the NMFTA cybersecurity team held a monthly webinar outlining these core controls. Access the webinar recording here. Andrew King, director of operations for Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) joined NMFTA’s Artie Crawford and myself to discuss the impact of cyberattacks on owner operators and how to mitigate those risks through the application of the core controls.
One of the key takeaways from this conversation is that the misconceptions that cybersecurity is “only for the big carriers” or is “too complicated/too expensive” are not only inaccurate but can lead to increased risk to owner operators.
Also happening this month (February 2025): Don’t forget, the 2025 Cybersecurity Conference Call for Abstracts wraps up at the end of the month. Be sure to submit your presentation proposal abstract no later than February 28 to secure your spot on stage in Austin, TX this October.
Follow #NMFTACyber on social media to keep up with all the great resources our team has available. Let’s combat the bad actors together in 2025.
