The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) recently launched its Fleet Cyber Challenge, a free online program designed to help transportation professionals identify and understand cybersecurity vulnerabilities affecting commercial vehicles.

NMFTA developed the challenge as a hands-on capture-the-flag (CTF) experience. Participants work through technical exercises based on cybersecurity threats involving commercial vehicle technologies, including electronic logging devices (ELDs), GPS spoofing, telematics, vehicle communications, and firmware.

The program is open to fleet IT teams, maintenance technicians, diesel mechanics, diagnostic specialists, and security researchers. Participants can complete the exercises remotely and at their own pace through NMFTA’s dedicated online platform.

Fleet Cyber Challenge features: 

• Seven challenge tracks focused on cybersecurity threats affecting commercial vehicle technologies.
• 32 individual challenges that test participants’ ability to investigate vulnerabilities and solve technical problems.
• Controlled testing environment where participants can explore cybersecurity weaknesses without attending an in-person event.
• Champion completion reward for participants who successfully complete all seven tracks.

“Today’s truck is essentially an office on wheels, with interconnected technologies supporting everything from vehicle operations to communications and freight movement,” said Joe Ohr, chief operations and technology officer for NMFTA. “With that connectivity comes cybersecurity risk. This challenge helps transportation professionals identify vulnerabilities, understand how systems can be exploited, and better protect the trucks and fleets that keep our supply chain moving.”

What this means for the trucking industry

As commercial vehicles rely on increasingly connected systems, cybersecurity knowledge is becoming relevant beyond dedicated IT and security roles. Maintenance technicians and diagnostic specialists also interact with technologies that could expose vehicles and fleet operations to digital threats.

NMFTA’s challenge gives transportation professionals a way to build practical cybersecurity skills around familiar equipment and systems. That hands-on experience could help fleets recognize vulnerabilities earlier and make cybersecurity a more informed part of technology management.