Gaps in cybersecurity can be like handing the truck keys to the bad guys.
That’s why the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports a Senate bill that would ban the use of connected-vehicle components from China and other foreign adversaries.
Although the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 would apply to all vehicles, it is especially important when applied to 80,000-pound tractor-trailers that are mandated to use electronic logging devices. In 2020, the FBI issued a security bulletin noting that cybercriminals could exploit ELD vulnerabilities.
On Tuesday, July 14, OOIDA sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, asking lawmakers to pass S4429, introduced by Sens. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.
“The ELD mandate requires heavy-duty trucks to be equipped with a device, hardwired into the control module, that tracks the truck’s location … We have seen numerous reports of ELDs that are vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks and could allow hackers to take control of, steal data from or even disrupt entire fleets by spreading malware unnoticed between vehicles,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote. “This legislation would address truckers’ cybersecurity and safety concerns surrounding the ELD mandate, as well as autonomous trucks more generally.”
Moreno and Slotkin introduced the Connected Vehicle Security Act in April. In addition to banning foreign adversary vehicles, S4429 would empower the U.S. Department of Commerce to identify and block high-risk vehicle technologies, components and transactions that threaten national security.
The bill has 27 co-sponsors and is scheduled to be considered at a Senate committee hearing on July 22.
OOIDA opposed an ELD mandate from the beginning, pointing to potential cybersecurity concerns and saying that it would not improve safety. The Association also warned lawmakers and regulators about what could happen if a bad actor took control of an autonomous truck.
“If Congress and federal lawmakers are going to saddle truckers with an intrusive ELD mandate or force them to share the road with driverless vehicles, the absolute bare minimum they should also do is ensure that it isn’t exploited by foreign adversaries to put their safety at risk,” Spencer wrote. “We urge the committee to advance S4429 without delay.” LL
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