Even though the digital landscape is continually changing, one thing that is certain is the need for cybersecurity. During ELD procurement, key considerations often include price, ease of installation, and functionality. However, security is another factor that should be heavily considered.
How do fleet managers decide what they should look for when trying to assess the security policies and measures related to their telematics platform?
There are a number of questions that fleets can ask providers when evaluating an ELD solution:
- How secure is the electronic logging device?
- What overall security measures are in place (manufacturing, hardware, software, data transfer, and data storage)?
- What plan is in place in the event of a security breach?
As the Dec. 16, 2019, compliance deadline for ELDs approaches, the focus is on compliance. During this time, fleets should also make cybersecurity a priority. cybersecurity is a key responsibility of all fleet executives.
NMFTA resources for carriers
With two new initiatives, the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) is raising the bar on cybersecurity in the trucking industry.
NMFTA has announced release 1.0 of the Open Telematics API (OTAPI) to enable business resiliency for motor freight carriers with tight integrations into telematics service providers. The benefit of OTAPI for the heavy vehicle industry is to raise awareness of cybersecurity among motor carriers and establish baseline cybersecurity standards for telematics devices connected to commercial trucks.
OTAPI facilitates interoperability between telematics service providers’ interfaces and motor freight carriers’ systems by standardizing the data format and methods for retrieving telematics logs and data.
In addition, NMFTA released version 1.0 Request for Proposal Templates (RFP) templates for use by motor freight carriers during the telematics system procurement process. The templates are intended to be distributed to telematics solution providers so they can respond with details about which requirements their products satisfy. Link to all these new resources are accessible from this NMFTA press release.
Geotab’s role
Geotab is proud to have partnered with NMFTA to help develop these telematics initiatives.
With security at the forefront of Geotab’s innovations, rigorous organizational data security measures are embedded in each solution through meticulous data collection, transmission, and storage encryption that meet industry best practices in cybersecurity. Visit the Geotab Security Center for more information.
Find more ELD resources at geotab.com/eld.
